.25 is a slap in the face to any one. throw per diem in it and it is worse (drop your drawers and grab your sox) you can do alright out there and at least pay your bills on it ( .25 a mi)... PROVIDED you can get 2000+ mi a week. most times one gets a dumb arse f/m that has never seen the inside of a truck that doesn't give you enough miles a week to do any thing but pay the bills. These type of f/m's and companies do expect you to work for free.
How much should an OTR driver earn? Here's my opinion!
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by wheelwatcher, Jul 1, 2011.
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i agree per mile pay does suck. (you work harder for the money and drive more.)
however there are very few companies that pay %. (working smarter for your money) i found the company and won't go back to per mile again b/c i ain't leaving (willingly).
As for otr it isn't all that bad.
takes a person with a wee bit of gypsy blood in their veins.
granted it isn't for ev1 (just read all the posts from people crying and whining in their cheerios in this forum). -
I will admit the "good" days of OTR are really good! But the problem was and continues to be the "good" days are few and far between.
Add to that the mountains of manure that drivers are expected to shovel thru to get a "good" day and the ever increasing regulations we are expected to obey, the stagnant pay rates/freight rates, and the ever decreasing miles per week, it just wasnt worth all that stress, aggravation, time wasted away from home, lost sleep, and lowered pay FOR ME!!!
If it works for you, great!!!
I will still tell anyone that asks how lousy it BECAME for me. -
A lot of the way drivers are treated and paid has as much to do with their attitude as the market. If you have a crappy attitude, then you will probably not get as many miles or the better runs. On the other hand, if you have a positive attitude, treat others with respect, then you are likely to be treated in kind and have the opportunity to do well.
This business is not something that everyone is cut out for or can do. It is a lifestyle that some simply cannot adapt. You will be away from home more than most jobs, but not all. Traveling salesmen, manufacturers rep and military personnel all are away from home. Perhaps the next time you think you have it rough you should consider what our military personnel go through, eat and live for less pay and are away from home and family for much longer than most drivers.
If I were looking for a job, I would find a carrier that paid percentage. There is more of an opportunity to earn more money and when times are good, you can do very well. I have always paid percentage and some have had loads that paid them over $1/mile. Not all loads would pay that much, but it is not uncommon for them to make over $0.50/mile. The more the truck makes the more money the driver makes. I have never paid a driver to sleep, eat or go to the toilet, nor to I plan on starting that practice. Some things you need to do for free. Drivers should be paid based upon performance. Drivers are virtually unsupervised and while some will perform at a high level regardless of pay, many will not. Carriers have a right to expect a certain level of performance from workers. If you feel that you should be paid for every minute you spend away from home you should find another career path.
Salesmen who travel and soldiers who fight are not paid for every minute of their time away from home. Salesmen are usually paid on what they sell. Some do well, others do not. Military personnel are in harms way and do receive hazard pay, but not everyone is cut out to be in the military, either.
I think those who complain the most are probably not really cut out for otr driving. There is no doubt that there are inequities in this industry as with any other industry. While turnover is high in trucking, it is much higher in fast food and some other industries. Some fast food restaurants have a turnover of over 300%. That dwarfs trucking by a considerable margin.
Life is too short to spend 1/3 or more of your life at a job you detest. It is obvious to me that some on this forum really hate this business. If that is the case, then you should leave and find something you can do for a living that you can enjoy. We all spend at least 1/3 of our lives at work. I would be miserable too, if I worked at something that I hated. If you don't have the background or education for something where you can earn a comparable or better paycheck, then get further training. Go take some classes and get your degree. You can work on your degree while on the road. Many offer programs you can do on line.
This industry has not changed much in the way things are done since the beginning other than having more regulations. It is a pain dealing with all the regulations, especially when they change so often. But, this is the career that we have chosen. We either deal with it and adapt or find a new career. If you want to stay in this business, spend time developing additional skills and find a niche where you can make more money. There are thousands of carriers in this nation. There is bound to be something you can find where you can earn the money you feel you are worth. Working on percentage will give you a good indication of your worth. My question to you would be to ask what are you doing to improve your value to your company? What are you doing to improve or develop additional job skills? There are a lot of steering wheel holders in this business. Those who rise to the top of the payscale get to that point by doing more than expected. They go the extra mile. These people take pride in their work and know that they will be rewarded for their efforts. Most would do well at whatever they decided to do for a living. You never get ahead by moving from one carrier to another. You don't get ahead by doing the minimum. If you want top pay then you need to be a top performer. Those who achieve a high level of success do so by working smarter than others in the same industry. Not everyone in this industry will earn a $100,000 driving a company truck, but some will and do. These drivers did not start out at that level. We all start at the bottom. How high you go or rise is totally dependent on your attitude, performance, drive and willingness to learn.truckerdave1970 and Extreme4x4 Thank this. -
So there are some guys who get paid by the mile but are home every night. So who deserves more, the guy who lives in the 4x8 room all week for the benefit of the company or the regional hauler? People sleep in the trucks not because they don't want to pay for a hotel, it is because the job requires you to be away from home and therefore the employer is required to accommodate you.
And as far as I know doctors do get paid for being on call. Same with plumbers, dispatchers, managers, equipment operators and on and on.
Line 1 - Off duty NO PAY, this includes dinner and lunch breaks
Line 2 - Sleeper Birth, there should be compensation for guardianship
Line 3 - Driving, makes sense for this to be by the mile
Line 4 - there needs to be an established hourly rate for all time spent on this line.
I think if this system was adopted the need to cheat on your logbook would disappear. I think it would eliminate the need for EOBR's.truckerdave1970 and Jarhed1964 Thank this. -
end of the road and truckerdave1970 Thank this. -
I could live with a much lower rate per mile if I knew everything else was being paid for. It would also force the companies to resolve delay issues. Why should the risk of delay go on the employee? As said earlier an OTR driver will work 100 hours a week but only get paid for 50. Why should I do pre-trips for free? Why is it I sit for the first hour at the dock for free? If during my pre-trip I find a minor issue and spend 30 minutes fixing it, why is that for free too?
Here is Canada truck drivers are exempt from so many basic workers rights that so many others enjoy, like overtime. I suspect this is the same in the US. Why do get to work all your 70 hours for the same rate of pay while other paid employees get overtime after 44 hours?truckerdave1970 Thanks this. -
I think realistically if you make 50K the first year you are doing good. I would think the average is more down in the low 40's and high 30's range. You've got to know you are not going to get the paying runs and you'll get stuck with the runs no one else wants. You also have to consider all the time training where the pay is way down. After a couple of years you can expect 50K if you're lucky because it all depends on the company.
I've always said to get specialized as soon as you can. You can get out there and haul flats that takes some extra training, or hazmat, and even tanks. Any job where the company takes the time to train you cost them money and they want their moneys worth when you're ready to go. Get into heavy hauling, that's a blast.
I chose gasoline because I knew some people. It was a very easy job with lots of excitement talking with the people of the city. Not a dull moment anywhere. When I retired just a few years ago I went out at $23.50 an hour and any thing over 10 hours was time and a half. Any time at the end of the week over 40 was time and a half. Our clock started when we came through the gate and stopped when we left. The normal schedule was 10 hours day 4 times a week. But we could pull an extra load per day and that load would pay $ 35.25. If you didn't want to work any OT you didn't have to. But you could tell the boss that you wanted to work a whole day of OT so for that day you would get $423.
There's dedicated runs and other jobs that pay that well but you have to work up into them. That's why us old timers always say keep your record clean, make a name for yourself and have the bosses seeking you out.
A lot of time it's hard work but there's no reason a driver can not retire and be well off. You just have to know where the bad people live and go from there.BigJohn54 Thanks this. -
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oh i understand that i figured that out a while ago, but at this point i need to prove myself a buid a resume. I wish i could be OTR and home every night but ya know lol
And Im on the road ALL the time and dont really have time to enjoy all the money.
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