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

Look at it this way , when the teen gets out of college they can live with you and mow the yard until they are in their late 30's and getting their student loans paid off.

 

I'm not sure when it came into force, but a federally mandated minimum wage has been in place for decades. My first job paid on an hourly rate was $1.25 an hour because that was the minimum wage at that time.

The question isn't WHETHER to have a minimum wage, but HOW MUCH it should be. Today's minimum wage is a LOT less than it was two or three decades ago because corporate America has the ear of Congress and has marketed the idea that having a livable minimum wage would be bad for business. However, every article I've read that has been written by an economist has said that increases in minimum wage have always resulted in a boost to the economy. The reason is that when you start paying people at the bottom end of the scale more money they...

... (wait for it)...

... spend more money.

Spending more money results in greater demand for goods and services, pent up demand if you will. While the obvious concept is that therefore prices will rise to meet the demand, economists have noted that time and again prices have risen far slower than the wage increase would dictate. The end result is that working class folks have a better life.

One other outcome of a livable minimum wage is that more jobs are created. One reason is that many people will opt to work only ONE job instead of two or three. What a concept. Instead of working 80 to 100 hours a week they can now work 40-60 hours a week and see their family while making the same money.

 

Overall I think we are underpaid, the answer is simple.

Safety

It's take a lot of attention span all the time driving because if you lose than attention span just for a moment you can kill a family in a car in an instant, then become unhireable and worse can get charges against you.
Plus you live out of a truck, no exactly a pleasant way to live. You risk your life every moment on the road with 70-80 thousand pounds surrounding you.
There's a great deal of risk and sacrifices in being a truck driver... we deserve more just due to that.

 

Exactly. Its not JUST whether the work we do justifies more pay, or even JUST how dangerous and unhealthy this job is. You are throwing your life away being an OTR driver. He'll, best case scenario for most of us is a local job doing 60 hours a week, home for our 10s only during the week.

It's not just about the work, it's about the sacrifice. We're making plenty...

 

I am walking that path. If i had kids it wouldnt stop me, nothing will, it would just take me longer. 1% whatever. Its not that 1% are capable its that only 1% are willing.

 

I don't consider that I risk my life every day that I am driving. I suppose some could say that they risk their life going to the toilet or taking a shower. We all make sacrifices to obtain what we want. For everything you gain in life, you will make sacrifices. If you don't think that the sacrifices you make are worth it, then change what you do. Truckers are well paid. Everyone that I have known during my lifetime has made sacrifices to achieve their goals. If you want to earn a high income, you will usually sacrifice time with your family and friends. You give your time in exchange for money. Nothing is free. If you want to work a 40 hour week, then you will usually sacrifice income. Most high level executives and those who own companies will rarely only work a 40 hour week. You can't have it all. If you only want to work 40 hours per week and be home every night, then find another line of work. You may also need to adjust your standard of living downward.

I have not given much thought to any sacrifices that I have made over the years. I have rarely worked a 40 hours workweek. Making sacrifices is a part of life. If you have children, you make sacrifices to make sure that they have what they need, which includes a good education. The problem is that many people want the income but don't want to give anything or sacrifice to achieve the income. They would rather whine and complain about what they don't have or that they are being abused or mistreated. Life is short. What I rarely hear in these discussions is how you can make yourself more valuable to the organization. What are you doing that would justify more income? Do you go out of your way to make customers happy? Do you go out of your way to make sure you are NEVER late with deliveries or pickups? Do you take care of your assigned equipment as if it were your own? Are you honest? Do you steal from your employer? Do you sell their fuel? Do you offer suggestions on how to do your job better?

I think it would be great if everyone started their own business, at least once. Being the owner will greatly change your perspective. Even in a down economy, we are all subject to market conditions of supply and demand. Rates are competitive and most companies allocate a certain percentage of those rates for labor, such as driver pay, benefits, operational expenses, equipment expense, etc., Most drivers won't even take the time to change a light on their equipment. Rather than spend 10 minutes of their time changing out a light, they would rather spend 4 hours waiting on a shop to get around to them. In the meantime, they have lost 4 hours of driving time and their employer paid the shop for an hour of their time to do a 10 minute repair. These same people the the ones complaining that they want to be compensated for sitting and waiting on the shop to change the light.

Perhaps it is generational. My generation has been accustomed to doing what we must to get the job done. If we need to change out a light to save time and get to our delivery on time, then that is what we do. Most don't even want to sacrifice to save for their future. No sacrifice, no gain. Rather than complain about your so called slave wages, try saving and investing some of your income. Wealth is not created by working, but having your money work for you. As a footnote, slaves are not paid anything for their labor.

 

I say the pay is low in relation to it takes almost a 1,000,000 dollars to retire and not do anything to earn money. that is counting on social security. If we all keep working then younger people don't get our jobs. If a person has 250,000 dollars for retirement when you plan it out they have to keep working as long as they can. 500,000 doesn't leave you home free either. It takes a lot of money to live in this world. I guess all you well paid guys will have a $1,000,000 to retire on.

 

We have not always had a minimum wage in this country. Much of the erosion of your buying power has not been from greed coming from corporate America, but higher taxes. We have taxes today that didn't even exist 20 or 30 years ago. Greed comes from everyone, including labor. Few people stay at minimum wage for very long. In fact, most start out at a rate above the minimum. Companies typically pay employees what they are worth to the company. If you are a good worker, do your job and arrive on time, then there is no reason you should be making minimum wage. Hone your skills, learn a trade or get a college education if you want to earn above minimum wage. If you are someone who moves to a different job every few months, then you will find it difficult to get ahead. Even when I was growing up, some people worked an extra job to get something that they wanted. Most women stayed at home and raised their children.

When companies are forced to increase labor costs, they immediately pass those increased costs onto their customers and ultimately the consumer. The result of increased labor costs, without an equivalent increase in productivity, will always result in an erosion of any wage increases. It is fantasy to think that employers can increase labor costs without immediately passing those costs along to their customers.

 

Most people don't need a million dollars in which to retire. If you have little to no debt, then it takes much less to live. Few people can survive on social security. I think more people will need to continue working just to survive. If you invest wisely then you should be able to retire and live comfortably. Most people live for the moment and for immediate self gratification. Sacrifice is not in their vocabulary.

 

Exactly. Except (perhaps) for a brief period, the answer has never been to be an employee. The whole concept is designed around the businessman, the entrepeneur, the capitalist. But that involves risk, hours and sacrifice that most people are unable to deal with. All the salves want to do is put in their time, collect a paycheck, get drunk in the weekends and call in sick on Monday. Or you can start a business and spend every waking hour thinking, working and worrying about how to pay your slaves and fix their screw ups. If you owned a company, would you hire you?

You all should stop your friggin' whining and start your own company. What a crap show that would be LOL.