Trainer Salary can reach 60k or more per year?

If that was for me, no, I take off four days. The kicker is I live in South Florida so I usually sit at least a day waiting on a load that gets me home. Then I might have to wait a day for a load out. Also, I don't go home every month.

I saw it takes you a long time to train. I'm usually done in two weeks. You get paid way more than I do. No way do I get paid 900-1100 running solo even with the extra 20 bucks a day. Are you a lease or do they pay that much better to someone with 11 years exp? I only have 3 years.

 

Yes well point me into the direction of that job and Ill take it. Til that happens Ill work with what I got. Frieght rates are in the toilet bcause the economy is in the toilet, and with your idea of how things should be at 2500 miles a week I take it your pro union. Welp its your boys in the possitions of power and yet somehow the economy remains in the #######. who woulda thought. You know when you price your labor out of sight sometimes you have to come to the realization that someone will undercut you and take your job. But best of luck to you anyway your going to need it.

 

Unless youre fudging the numbers It takes 2.5 week at the minimum to train a guy. He has to have 120 hours behind the wheel. Thats 2 resets if everything goes perfect and you get runs that run you 10-11 hours a day. If youre getting that then you should be bringing in 3k miles a week at 3k miles at a rock bottom 30cpm youre still looking at 900 gross plus 140 training pay to give you 1040/wk. Your numbers arent adding up friend. So either youre taking longer that 2 weeks probably 2.5 -3 weeks which is normal for me OR your downplaying your gross OR your getting some pathetic CPM. I can see where living in south florida can be a problem though. I live 60 miles from a major terminal so getting home is not much of an issue for me.

Another thing Im not getting is the hours after the observation period. Are you maximizing them at all? Ive had 4200-5000 mile weeks. That should more than make up for home time weeks if you are doing like you say and getting them out every 2 weeks. What kind of success rate do you have? Ive upgraded 75ish % this year from what I hear thats not the norm. I cant figure out how youre not grossing over 4k a month on average with the time you say it takes you to turn one out. one every 2 weeks is 2 upgrade bonuses a month thats 700 right there. plus another 140 x 4 = 560 for training pay. youre at 1260 before you even start to count your miles for the month. step bonus each month should be at the bare minimum 200. realistically if youre turning out 2 a week and do 2 a month which is what im getting out of what youre saying then you should be getting 1500ish a month just on training pay. If youre not making another 2500 a month on milage (with the miles you would have to put in to get 2 guys out a month 3kish a week 3kx30=900 x 4 = 3600) Id say there is a serious problem. And with those numbers were talking 4100 a month not even counting that odd week you get every 3rd month. 4100 x 12 = 49200/year. And god I hope youre not getting 30cpm and training.


So yah 50k is totally doable and Im shooting for 80k next year. Ive talked to some of the old pro trainers and theyve said they have had years they knocked down similar numbers. Its just a matter of how hard do you want to work? Hell Im do another raise in 3 months.

 

I didn't notice you say gross. I was thinking net.

My first student took 2 weeks and 2 days. My second student only needed 50 hours. I had the third one for almost 3 weeks because they sent us back to California, but he could have been done a lot sooner. I'm only on my 4th student now. I do take full advantage after the 75. I even do a little driving during the 75 if I have to.

So far my success rate is 100%, but I'm just starting out.

You are assuming I go from one student right to the next. So far that has only happened this last time. I took T/O after my first. They couldn't get it together to hook me up with the next guy after a week so they gave me someone else. Then I had to wait on the third guy for two days (truck needed service as well).

 

Hey guys...I've been training for six months and can agree 80k is definately doable.You have to want to train the students,and that takes effort,on your and theirs.I'm on my 6th student.All five have passed so far.I have a problem child with me rightNow who cannot back for toffee.Even had to teach her how to straight lineDown a concrete crack.How she passed her State license test is beyond me.It isCriminal.Michigan truck school for weeks.She wants off the truck at 120hrs,so I am dropping her at Markham SundayFor a test on Monday.In reality she needs 1 on 1 Backing at a truck school,Driving forwards won't help her.My point is if the student has the wrong attitude about what the job really isAnd put themselves before the load,the trainer has an uphill battle.

 

Devil's Advocate here...

BigBluePeter: Not trying to be a smarteleck but, get out of the box (pun intended) and get into something specialized like heavy-haul or chemical tanker. I'm a nonunion, company chemical tank driver myself, and with the load I will complete on Wednesday, here's a rough estimate of my last month.

Gross: $5,800
Hub Miles: 8,100
Days Working/Off: 26/5

Just some food for thought there. IMHO, you shouldn't have to worry about how hard you AND your student run in order to make a good paycheck, ya know?

Now here's a question for all of you trainers that are allowed "team-training". How many of you would honestly train if you could only sit in the jump seat to teach and observe the entire duration of training, if there would be no "super solo" and/or teaming allowed? Where your pay came from only the miles your student ran in addition to your daily flat rate. Honestly, how many of you would still do it then???

 

I would not do it.I do it for the money.
But I do train my students,even on days off.
Usx sets the guidlines.who are we to argue.

 

Why would you not do it? The point is to properly teach, not worry about how much more $$$ you can make at a student's expense, correct? There's much easier ways to make more, and better money out here...

 

I Would not do it for a variety of reasons,usual things,you know what they are.

I would gladly take all the time in the world if I were paid what the schools cost.

Stuff 5k in my bin I'm all yours.

I'm not here to defend myself.But I have my own goals.1 More year and truck is paid for.House
Is paid for.Business is funded and I'm a free bird.Real freewheelin...no borrowing.

Out of my last 6 Student.5 safely make over a grand a week,safely.Not bad for newbies.

You could say that me "using them" to make money for me is an investment on their part.its only
For 3 weeks anyway.I go well beyond what is taught in the manual.

There is no substitute for experience though,you know that.do you want to be a company sucker driver
Your whole life or build a fleet with 30000 trucks or somewhere in between?The next student
Could be the next mogul,who knows?

 

Don't give me that "you should only train because you love training" crap. Trainers should be paid. We should be paid a lot more than we are. So, no, I wouldn't do it for the flat rate I'm getting now and only the students solo miles. I would do it for more money though.

Right now I am training a dunce. I can't trust him to run team so we've been running solo. That is putting a hurting on my wallet for sure. From now on I will take it with a grain of salt when a newbie claims they aren't being taught. Some people are just too stupid to learn.