i am making over 2 times more than i have ever made in my life...

What you have seen is that trucking is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
What? Don't like working 70 hours a week? Get stuffed, driver!
What? Don't like a 98-hour week duty clock? Get stuffed, driver.

Ten bucks an hour for 70 hours is only a $700 gross pay, which is about $500 in your after it comes through the wash. Since a truck can only realistically drive at an average speed of about 45 mph in a day, 70 hours of driving will come to about 3,150 miles per week. At 32 cpm, that's $1,008 gross pay, which is about $680 bucks net pay. So that's less than $10 an hour.
Worth it? Worth being away from children and loved ones? Worth being at the tip of a gigantic iceberg of financial liability on behalf of your company? Worth the health liabilities of the trucking life? Worth the stress? Worth the endless regulatory compliance that makes being a prisoner in any prison look free and easy? Worth the work and sweat and learning curve that it takes to break into trucking?
Worth it all?
Not to me. But it tempts me every day. When the trucking's all good -- on a good day -- it's easy money.
But everyone has to be his own guru on this.
Lots of people are probably better off financially in trucking than they ever have been in their lives and more power to them. For some people, trucking is a career step up all across the board.

Until everyone who drives a truck decides that this sucks and they're not going to take it any more, it's going to continue.
Because serfs can drive trucks, too!

 

The only reason this is true is because the expected and required norm is that they drive 70 hours a week or keep running recaps nonstop without taking days off for resets.

It's possible to work any 10-dollar job and make this much. Only thing is, most other 10-dollar jobs PAY OVERTIME.

Truckers don't make that much money in terms of hours worked or time on duty or the degree of responsibility they shoulder every moment they're working.
The amount in the paycheck is a trick of smoke and mirrors in which the recipient refuses to see the truth of the reality of having no life outside of the job.
I think lots of die-hard truckers like this endless martyrdom, being the working class heroes.

But hey, it takes all kinds.
Saying you earn $55 or $60K sounds good and solid, until you realize you're paid ten bucks an hour and work all the time. It's not so funny then.

Never mind the health problems, like bad teeth and bad hearts and stress illnesses.

 

You should not spend money foolishly just stick with women and booze!

 

On the other hand, suppose we had 40 hour work weeks. Solo or team driving and you would take for freaking ever to get across the country and back.

I'm all right with the 70 hour clock, it would be better if we were paid a minimum wage guaranteed, with ALL On Duty time compensated. Pretrip Inspections might actually start getting done.

 

Don't let a College Degree fool you... Any basic Associates degree will get you about the same job/pay as what a High School Diploma got 20 years ago. In 1994 I got an Associates degree and right out the gate I got an almost $2 raise.. Life was great until the 2000's hit. I was making $20.50 an hour in 2008 but was going no where, even being a 14 yr vet in the field I was in and at the same company. I was receiving a 3% raise a year, but guess what the cost-of-living increase a year was? I went to what my dad did, which is drive truck, wish I would have done it 2 years sooner. My daughter has her Masters in Accounting and she is doing great, has a Government job and all but, an Associate degree is NOT going to do squat.

 

Please tell me why you think a Mandated minimum wage is a good thing for the nation as a whole? Your not the only one on this thread that has hinted to this but, your the last post so, your it.....

A few on here have hit the nail on the head,,,the problem is the economy, the trucking industry as a whole and the main problem is The Hill. It is in no way ever, going to get better. The Country is broke, each and every state is broke but yet,,,we still see Millions of $$ being spent on every mile of roadway. Not to mention the welfare program that pays upwards of $30,000 a year, if you add it all up.

I agree that Truck Drivers as a whole are underpaid but, the pay wouldn't be as bad as it is, if the economy wasn't as bad as it is. A $1000 a wk 20 years ago, was great! Not so great today. Now to make that $1000 a wk look better, we have to cut back, spend wisely, get rid of the CC's, buy used cars, live in 1000 square foot home vs 5000. Hell, Rent is as much as a Mortgage payment on a $150,000 loan 20 years ago!

Times are a changing and have been for a while now. The best thing anyone can do is prepare for the future, it isn't going to get better than it is now and if it does, it won't be enough in reality to change much. I live a cash only life, own a pickup, an old camper and my wife's vehicle is paid for. I am saving $200 a week for land in MI, where I am being forced to move because of circumstances. I suggest all do as I have... That yacht is out of the question,,,,,unless of course you can win the Lotto...

 

plenty of these drivers are overpaid by any standard
calling them drivers is the embarrassment
if you think your worth more go find that job
i have been working since 1971 never even asked anyone what the pay was
worked until the job was done

 

You've also got to appreciate that this route to financial success is only possible for about one percent of the general population. In order to do it that way, there are numerous special conditions that have to be met, including but not limited to having no family or dependents or loved ones who need or want or require your presence at home station, having an unusual desire to lead a life that's not ordinary in any sense of the word, having the discipline to save that money, never getting hurt or seriously ill anywhere along the way or having any loved ones who get hurt or seriously ill and require financial resources or care.

Of course, at the end of it, you're a rich old man. Young women across the globe will stand in line to marry you and you have your pick of them because the transactional nature of old rich -- or even well-off middle-aged men -- and women from third world nations is pretty clear to everyone involved.

Try having kids along the way, maybe fall in love, and there goes all of that zen-like focus on being a rich old man. Like I said, one percent maybe.
For the rest of us, there's beer and all the ups and downs that life has to offer along the way.
We all make choices along the way.

And you're right about perspective, china. And understand that I'm not judging anyone for any life choices. More power to the wiser men out there, but not all of us are as wise or as lucky as we go through life.

 

I agree, that's the amount it would take to make OTR worthwhile. It might happen in the near future as the FMCSA is doing everything they can to push as many drivers out of the industry as possible. They are cracking down on guys with a high body mass index and the whole CSA points thing. The driver shortage will only get worse.

I think you need to clarify your position as you are sending mixed messages. You claim to make twice than you did before trucking and are saving money like crazy then you also say truckers are right to complain that they are underpaid. Which is it?

 

Sounds like a great plan.
If you only have yourself to take care of, that is.
If you happen to have a family to take care of though, then the parameters tend to change just a lil' bit;
As in: Rent, car payments, utilities, insurance on the car, gas, etc. etc.