Please help...I don't see how this is a good career

National hourly rate is $10.67 to $15.75. Yearly total pay $26,326 to $41,867 http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Emergency_Medical_Technician_(EMT)_/_Paramedic/Hourly_Rate

 

Yep trucking pay is low to start and the schedule can be rough. But I think you need to concentrate on the big picture. Which means you have to look 10 years down the road. Look at what trucking will do for your husband in terms of potential salary and schedule once he's got 10 years of experience and look at what those other jobs will offer in terms of potential salary and schedule once he's got 10 years of experience doing them.

Personally, I can think of quite a few jobs where you can work 40 hour weeks and make $30k your first year and end up making pretty much the same amount once you're 10 years in. OTOH, I think you will find very few individuals with 10 years of trucking experience who are still working 70 hour weeks and only bringing home $30k. Most guys with that level of experience work less and bring home much more. That is unless they're stupid or just plain lazy. And your husband doesn't sound like he's stupid or lazy.

You need to remember that he's just starting out on this career path. In almost every career path you think of, first year pay is low and often the schedules will suck. My wife has a couple of degrees to her name and she brings in close to six figures all by herself. But she has worked in her field for almost 20 years now. Kids going into her field today will make between $19k and $25k their first year out of school.

I can see how the thought of making $30k for a 40 hour week would seem like a better move right now. But if that salary doesn't have the potential to increase substantially by the time you're 10 years in, then you're not going to be able to put the kids through school on it and you're certainly not going to be able to retire with any kind of measurable nest egg.

I'll be the first to admit that trucking isn't the best career field out there. But it ain't bad for what it is and it does have some decent potential if you keep your eye on the big picture. Good luck to both of you in whatever you choose.

 

i know this was started a while ago, but i'll tell ya somethin'....you cannot figure a '$ per hr' rate on OTR truck driving, and here is why.

When i leave home....my clock is starting. And it dont end when i'm done driving for the night, and i'm taking my 10 hr break. It dont stop till i get back home. Same holds true for that hourly worker. they're not 'home' while they're commuting. why is it any different for OTR truck drivers. If i'm out for 2 weeks, then home for 2 days....thats "working" 336 hrs for those 2 weeks. And if i'm only bringing home $1000 for those two weeks....thats only $2.97 an hour. did you see that???

$2.97 an hour !!!!!!

You could mow lawns for more than that. You could get a paper route, and make more. Heck...flip burgers at McDonalds, and you'd feel like a millionaire. =)

 

You cannot look at the pay that way.
Well, you can, but it does not make any sense.
I look at my pay on a weekly basis.
I drove local for quite a few years. I made anywhere from 8.00 to 18.00 per hour. It just depended on where I was living at the time.
I went OTR to make more money, and at the end of the year I do make more OTR than I did local, even with my extra expenses OTR.
In most area's that I lived the work was seasonal. We either got laid off in winter, or we worked reduced hours.
The best paying jobs were in the highest cost of living area's. So I was living just as good on 12 an hour in one area as I did getting 18 an hour in another.

At the moment I am still OTR, but regional and home most weekends. I took a 200-300 dollar a week pay cut to be home weekends. So I am now only bringing home about what I did per week when I was local. A little more actually.
But I will not get laid off in winter. So in the end I am still making more money at the end of the year than running local.

 

I know a driver that drives for walmart and makes 8k to 10k a month. I was amazed and it sparked my interest in otr or regional driving. I think he drives a dedicated route. But, after reading here I see one has to do time for a year or more to get better pay, as a beginner.
I would like to here more about how much drivers make yearly. Do team drivers make more etc..

 

There's your problem. Does he have a POST? Guessing not if he's going for truck driving.

 

...to make any money in "Local" trucking is to get overtime for any hour over 8 in ANY GIVEN DAY, ......and then manage to work for a shop that has lots of business and few drivers. Even in this economy I still pull between 6 to 10 hours of O.T. per pay period, so the money works "somewhat", but it's ALL WORK. At the end of the day, however, the only way to make "big money" in trucking is to either a.) Own your own HUGE trucking company or b.)be an O/O under your own authority and be GONE ALL THE TIME and RUNNING HARD!

 

Cavigu, sorry about your predicament, but you can't do trucking that way, it's a lifestyle, either way, there are lot's of people out there that would be happy with $70/day.

Small children? I definitely understand that. Which is why I waited until mine were in their late teens before I went OTR, to support them for college, etc.

Teenagers are sophisicated, they don't want cheap Dollar Store toys, they want cell phones and cash! And I'm going to help them out with trucking....good luck to you and please treat your man right or someone else at some lonely truck stop....will!

 

The c.p.m. for teams is higher but it is divided in 2. They split the pay. If you're a husband and wife team it could make you a lot of money. If you're just half of a team although you won't get much per mile, you'll wind up getting probably about the same as a solo driver since the team truck should get more miles each week.