So how much can you REALLY make as a trucker?

Not sure who he drives for, but 2 years ago I was making 70k home nights and weekends off. Our pay was based on productivity, we had to unload at each stop, but for that kind of money so what. Pallet jack and lift gate drop it and go. We had guys doing as little as possible making over 50k. It was a private fleet hauling from our distribution centers to the retail stores.

 

I have a brother-in-law that drives local for Holland and makes over 70K a year. Home every night, off every weekend and off a day during the week. He has been with them almost 7 years. The jobs are out there but they take time and EXPERIENCE to land.

 

Yeah, that's what I thought. It's one of those "driver unload" LTL gigs. Where you putz around making 20 stops a day. Not really for me, when I drove local I ran a 53' dry van truck load around Chicago and not once touched any freight.

 

OTR you'll make more than 30k a year with any one of the starter companies in the truck stop booklets. some you can make 50k.

if you seriously get your hazmat doubles and triples endorsements. Put it to work making you money otherwise it is a wasted expense.

Superior Carriers does or takes trainies. They do tanks and hazmat and you'll make 40k minimum to start. maybe 60k.

Alot of the best paying jobs require experience, some don't and these require a very strong work ethic. As in: You have to make it happen.

you aren't home on weekends lounging when you could be working instead. what's the difference??? another 10-20k a year.

The vast majority of guys making good money are not slacking around and making good money. Companies just don't pay like that. If they are coughing up 70k a year its because the driver has earned every penny of it.

I've made $14,000 in the last 11 weeks. worked a holiday, 2 sundays and maxed my book out every week in 5 days worth. (steady hustle)

Another guy, made less than $9,000.

I'm mentioning this because sometimes a lot of guys want to know who pays the most or how much can I make????

A lot of that answer really does depend on how hard you can and will work.

The freight has to be available and you have to be the guy running it.

Curb a tire and its the company's problem??? well yeah, but it costs you a hundred dollars also... finding and then sitting at a tire shop instead of boogy-ing down the road to the next paying load.

Getting there first so you are first in-line to load or unload... that's another hundred dollars...

fueling up everytime you are half empty will cost you another $50 every week.

get stuck at a shipper all day on line 4 ??? I hit the sleeper and can run on saturday... that's another $150.

All of these things don't happen daily of course... but one of them can happen every week and at the end of the year... one guy loves his job and is rolling in dough and the other guy is broke and whinning I can't get any miles...

Some guys never really clue into the fact that they are part of the problem of why they are broke.

I'm home every night... but when I did the OTR, my trainer ate out, that's about 150 a week. when I got my own truck... a cooler and $30 fed me for the week. I figured the fridge paid for itself on thursday...

slack around... and you're on the bottom of the totem pole...

hustle like it matters... and you'll make pretty darned good money.

rant off...

 

No not what you thought, did 5 stops per day average, all frieght was palletized came off with a pallet jack and a lift gate....some stores had docks and/of forklifts. Averaged 2100-2300 miles a week. I don't mind doing the work as long as I get paid for it, and for an extra 30k a year it makes it easy.

 

Let me help you so you can understand the pay. Do I make $30 per hour, no. I only wish. I do, however, recieve overtime after 8 hours. Saturday work is time and a half and Sundays are doubletime. If I work on a holiday, the pay is double time and a half. My vacations are based on 1/52 of the previous years earnings. Example, $70,000.00 = $1346.15 per week or $269.23 per day for vacation days. I try not to work weekends but if there is work on a holiday and I am not on vacation, I take advantage of it. My base pay is almost $47,000. per year.

This week, I was called out to work on Sunday. I could have lied and told them I was BBQ-ing and having a few "pops". I did not and took advantage of the Sunday Pay. Almost $400.00 for 3 1/2 hour work. That was a no brainer.

So far, this week I have made about $1700.00 and I still have one more day to go.

Unless you have at least 5 years tanker experience and a spotless driving record, it is of no use to tell you were I work. If the latter is not the case, I will send you a PM.

Drived safe

 

Tanker experience, no. Spotless record yes. Just curious about the company you work for.

 

Last over the road job i had i was paid 33 cents a mile, if i ran 3500 miles a week or more to get 7000 to 7500 miles in 2 weeks my take home pay after taxes was between 1800 to 2200 dollars for 2 weeks, but then i had to run as hard as i could legally keep the doors shut as much as possible, but then we were able to run 70 mph, the company then turned the trucks down to 65 mph which cost me a few miles a week but still had good pay if i ran hard enough. running regional has its benifits unless you sit at a shipper or reciever for to many hours. running east on a long trip then a couple trips say from utah to portland oregon and back can make good miles if you get them done in the time frame between pay periods. Good Luck on your venture.

 

I have to say "Thanks" for that post!

I've been in the mortgage business since 1997. The last 3 years have nearly killed me and the job market for guys like me is saturated.
I've been looking at trucking to make some money to get my world back in order, but a lot of the posts on here were giving me 2nd thoughts.

I'm 43, kids are off and married and the wife won't notice if I'm gone or not ! My plan was to get with a company that will just get me plenty of miles and let me DRIVE! It's good to see someone point out some obvious issues with drivers and how that effects their income.

Thanks again!

 

Well if you work hard and your loads are paid good and are a owner operator without a huge truck loan then you can make 1000-4000 weekly. I make around 1500 a week as a owner operator i look for loads that are paid around 2 dollars a mile and 1.50 to come back. My truck is paid off which helps alot. over summer is when you have to work hard thats when the big bucks come i made 3900 bucks one week and was averaging 2000 weekly for 3 months. if i was you i wouldnt work for USA truck i worked for them for alittle and was very unpleased they pay very low like 300 bucks a week for 6 months thats terrible you could make more working at mcdonalds. If i was you id buy my own truck