New Driver's: How is the pay, really?

I'm not a new driver,but I decided to stay where I'm at for less money because of hometime and we don't do backhauls.Once we get empty we come home.My gross pay avg. is about 900.00 week

 

My comment to you fools that are complaining about not getting the "big bucks" driving truck is to get out of the driver seat and get a job behind a desk then. You have to pay your dues--work your way "up the ladder" so to speak to get the big bucks. Companies want drivers with experience--then you get paid according to that experience. It works that way no matter where you work. Yes, you will get peanuts at times, but do your job, the best you can do and all will fall into place. England and such will hire you fresh out of school---but won't pay as well as when you have the years behind you and can get with a company that pays more.
Sorry drivers--that is the way it is. And I am with you. My husband is an experienced driver---makes good money because he has the years behind him and I am just starting out. So I know how you all feel---from both sides. Drive safe.

 

After about two years of driving for peanuts a good driver with a good record can almost write their own ticket and have a feel of who what and when he/shewants to drive for.

 

LOL... The only fool here is the one who listens to you and goes to work for a company like "England ... and such". Most complaints aren't about making "big bucks"... it's about BS from these companies in the form of lies, deceit, screw-ups...

The only ones I see talking about "big bucks" are the recruiters... you need to read more threads from the drivers. And "driving for peanuts" does not have to be a necessity either. There are a few good companies, local companies, and union companies who pay well. Only idiots or those with a low self worth work for peanuts... or free. If Otherwise, I agree with you.

 

.32 cent with 3,000 miles a week which is 12,000 for the month don't even gross $4,000...so how you get $4,000 AFTER taxes???...

 

for the whole of last week I covered, actually week before but this check, anyways: I covered 1978 miles....

half of those miles were empty... deadheading home...

I earned $1196.69 now this figure is including my unloading pay...

but... it works out to be 60.5 cents per mile as a company driver.

5 days / monday thru friday, home every night, and in 41 logged hours averaging 48mph.

several hundred shy of my best week... but nothing to sneeze at in my opinion...

I haven't quite had my cdl for 2 years yet. got it in jan. 2007, didn't actually work for anybody until march of 07.

however you slice it, trucking has been extremely good for me and I am definately nobody special...

do recruiters lie ??? generally not... lol what they actually do is quote you honest to god figures... and let you assume they will apply to you.

example: fictional company

"our avg driver earnes 55k annually, we start new guys out at .32 cpm.

(they don't mention)the avg driver being there with 5 years experience and is working for 40 and not .32 cpm could affect your personal outcome and experience.)

however, .32 x 120,000 does equal $38,400.00 (quoted) and you probably won't be thinking about lost loads, deadhead, out of hours, and only running 100k miles for 32k a year... but those are all YOUR assumptions.

It is to their benefit but not their fault that you both lacked in common sense and sucked in math.

there are very good jobs... you just have to LOOK for them.

and please for pete's sake don't whine about being lied to... you aren't one of those morons that went down to the used car lot and drove off in a $500 bucket of bolts and never had a clue that the rattling noise could be expensive trouble coming... are you???

If you are an adult, act like one, investigate!!! talk to other drivers that work for that company. RESEARCH !!!

don't forget to ask about everything... do the trucks have a/c ? If mine breaks, will you actually fix it???? How much do first year drivers make on average??? can you show me the print out where you got that? can I talk to a few of the guys that have been here less than a year but more than 3 months? does detention pay start after 2 or 6 hours? do you pay for a motel room if I am laid over or broken down?

can I install a twin sized water-bed in the truck??? lol

if you need a baby-sitter to walk you thru job hunting... pay them... don't go to one paid for by the hiring company...

street lingo: your attorney is much better than just trusting the DA to treat you fairly...

life is a negotiation and nobody is giving away stuff they don't have too!!!

 

It's a shame isn't it? But as long as OUR government allows them to GIVE our jobs away this is what we will pass down to the next generation.Used to be you could but a tv made HERE a pair of jeans made HERE or even a car made HERE. But all the smart kids out of college took over and just knew what it takes to run a company.We have forgotten what it takes to make an economy work. Saw Ford V.P on a show last week bragging about the new Fusion Ford car, a hybrid that will save the American car industry, then just happened to mention it was being made in Mexico. Oh but would sell for the same price as if made HERE.I truly believe that we need to put a tariff on ALL imoprts if the company headquarters is in this country make it just a cost effective to put out people to work and let the others catch up.But then I don't have a degree just hard life lessons.

 

I started with Crete Carrier out of Lincoln Nebraska. They run mainly Nebraska to Pennsylvania to Georgia to Texas. I started June 2004 with them. For 2005 my earnings were $48,055.13. Through May I was paid 31 cpm and from then on it was 35 cpm.

You will go through a tremendous learning curve, it took me about 12 weeks on my own to get to the point where I could drive 3,000 miles a week comfortably. With the economy being slow you will have a though time finding a company that have that many miles to give to a driver.

I had 8 weeks with a trainer. I was really sick of my trainer after 6 weeks and thought I could do the job no problem without him. My first 6 weeks on my own were just Hell. I had thoughts of quitting more than once a day. The next six weeks were bad, but not as bad as the first six. When I started my 13th week I noticed that things were easier and went better. I had decided that I had finally made it as a truck driver. The best thing about my trainer was that he lived 18 miles from my home, so when he went home, I was home. A friend of mine I met in truck driving school quit after 3 weeks on his own. They sent him out 4 weeks at a time because his first trainer lived in South Carolina and he lived in Nebraska. I was getting home every two weeks because that is how often my trainer went home.

 

Things are a lot different now than they were in 2005

 

You seem very knowledgeable about everything in trucking Rick! Mind if I ask where you learned to drive? I can tell by some of your previous posts that it wasn't a Tech school. Thanks!