How much money do you make?

please check the forums this question was asked and answered already this weekend. if you are getting into this for the money then you might want to check other options.

 

My first job I just about hit $40,000... I was living on the road and did not go home for at least 5 months.. took about a week of then finished the year off... (spent a few 34 hour restarts at the house during the year but no more then that) I was trucking alot... 62Mph truck doing about 600-700 miles almost daily (my 6 week average never under 3000 miles a week and high was like 3400) usually brought home $600-800 net a week.. (keep in mind you have to truck to get those numbers with a 62 mph truck... (running legal)

Highest paying job about $85,000, brought home $1000-1900 net (usually averaged $1500 net a week) again running 3200-4000 miles a week not going home a few months at a time, except the occasional 34 hour restart when i got the chance to do so at the house.. Would of never left this company but they went out of business...


Wost company averaged about $400-600 net.. wasn't with them very long, to much sitting and that was not my style...


I am not trucking anymore due to the fact after being with a good company that paid me on time every time, and most important never shorted me a penny that i could find at least, i wasn't able to find something close to that and was subjected to being shorted and not paid on time with 3 different companies.... Sorry, don't pay me with en two weeks of me doing the work i feel there is no since in me staying wit that company... So, I am on to new things hoping it may be better then trucking, although I love driving a truck....


I would say for the most part most drivers new to trucking average 30 ish thier first year.. 2nd year maybe 30 ish again or low 40 ish.. 3rd year 40 ish... get 4 years probably upper 40's maybe 50's (certain companies you can make more then that but I would say that the numbers are probably about right) although those numbers can be acceded if you truck hard and stay out longer....

Something you also have to take into consideration is the cost of living on the road... You can't sit down at a truck stop and eat a meal under $12.. Takes time to get experienced enough how to live without spending $200-300 a week on the road (ask any driver ho easy that can be to spend that much).....


Edit:

I should add that this was all before our economic slow down so it may be harder to get good miles....... I know they are filling the schools up with new drivers and personally I just don't see enough freight to keep everybody with good miles.. (always that cheap freight though) A smart person would also think to themselves why so many new drivers??? the only answer to that would be because there must be alot of experienced people leaving the industry because of low miles/pay (not including the norm drop out rate of new drivers), the industry is not growing right now if anything it is shrinking... just something to think about, although it will grow again..