Needing advice on getting into trucking...

You will do better working at Jack n the box then driving truck with any of these rip off bottom feeding suck ### douche bag companies.

 

You can make a good living working for most carriers. Some run into problems when they don't communicate with their dispatcher or driver manager. Name one carrier who pays less than any fast food restaurant. Unless you are in management, you can't make $30,000 or more in a fast food restaurant. Most drivers will average that or a little more their first year. The second year most should earn over $35,000. After that, drivers can earn well over $40,000/yr. Name one fast food restaurant who pays people with a few weeks training and little formal education that much money.

 

yes, but in trucking you are working 70 hours a week for the paycheck and living in a closet. Comes to about $10.00 per hour. Manager at fast food joint makes more then that, works 40 hrs a week, and don't live in a closet.

 

How can you not compare it? sweat shop on wheels.

 

Most managers of restaurants work much more than 40 hours a week. It isn't uncommon for some to work upwards of 60-70 hours per week. He also has much more responsibility than most drivers. He is usually responsible for hiring, training and managing several people. If someone fails to show up for work then he is the one who often has to jump in and fill in for them. Many will also work on holidays. Managers of restaurants make about $25-40,000/year. I have known of some who make more. Restaurant managers are normally paid a flat salary no matter how many hours they work. Drivers have more control over how much they make by better managing their time and driving more miles. Drivers do have responsibilities, but they mostly involve himself and his equipment. A driver is usually not responsible for other people working for him. It usually takes a restaurant manager several years of working and learning to get become a manager of a restaurant. Most will be college graduates. A driver can train for a few weeks and earn over $40,000 in only a couple of years. He can earn over $30,000 his first year, which is what some restaurant managers make after several years in the business.

There are drawbacks to any job. None are going to be great all of the time. No matter what you do for a living there will be things that you simply don't enjoy or like about it. Most companies are up front with new recruits in what they can expect when they enter this business. If it isn't something that you feel you can or want to do then find another profession that you can enjoy. Go to college or vocational school and after a few years you can earn a good living.

 

If you become an owner operator or carrier you have more flexibility as to how much you earn and how you work. Income has more to do with how well you manage your business than if you work for another company. One thing about being in business is that you can succeed or fail on your own merit.

 

You've been reading too much propaganda. Do you really know what a sweat shop is? We haven't had sweatshops in this county in over a century. Sweatshops are where people are forced to work a below minimum wages under adverse conditions. They can't get up and go to the bathroom or take breaks, they just work non stop for 10-16 hours a day.

Drivers are free to take a break anytime they wish. They can stop to eat, go to the bathroom or take a shower or nap anytime that they want. The only requirement they have is to pick up and deliver a load of freight in a timely manner and do it safely. There is noone standing over you to make sure you do your job as is the case in a "real" sweatshop. If you are a driver and don't enjoy the profession, then quit. Stop complaining and just quit. Life is way too short to stay in a profession where you are unhappy. If you don't like the pay then find another company or buy your own truck. When you own the truck then you can make the decision as to what pay you want to run the truck. You can also start another business. Find something that you enjoy doing. The pay is not likely to change significantly in this business in the near future. If you are unhappy about your pay it may not be your company but how you manage your time. Sometimes it is the driver who limits himself rather than his dispatcher or company. It is much easier to blame someone else. You took the job and knew what it paid. If you are that unhappy then quit and find something else to do. If you think you can make as much in fast food, then go to work for a restaurant and you can be home every night. Problem solved.