Why aren't truckers in the driver's seat?

If you want to break this job into hourly pay then I make $22-25/hour. My old job I was paid salary but it came out to $12/hour. At least in trucking I don't put my life on the line with walking into a cell block with 40-50 inmates and I'm the only officer. I don't have to get into fights and write reports every day.

Id say I'm compensated fairly for what I do, except for 34 hour resets. I don't make any money doing that.

Ethan

 

Living in the truck for 25 days a month. Lets break that down some. Lets say you 3500miles * $0.34= $1190-$300 for taxes=$890/70=$12.71 per hour is what you make. So sure I guess if you think your compensated enough then have at it. Enjoy sitting on your thumbs for no wage.

 

We ain't talking about take home pay, I'm talkin about gross. I make 39cpm, the way I see it I'm only working a Max of 14 hours a day. Counting only my 14, now of course the majority of guys are working 16-18 hour days. That's why you simply can't put trucking into hourly pay when you're paid by the mile. There are a ton of variables. The way I see it is at 39cpm if I can average 2,000 miles per week, that comes to about $40k per year. It might not be much to you, but to me that's a #### good living. I average 2600 miles a week, 2400 lately because things have been slowing down. Some people view this job as working 24 hours a day because you're away from home. Personally I don't see it like that, I'm sitting here in Ohio watching TV in the sky hook. I ain't even close to working.

Ethan

 

Maybe it's just me but I don't see anything wrong with $890/week. Even if you only work 45 weeks out of the year that'd be around $40,000 unless my math is off. That's living pretty good at least to me it is.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

i would starve at $45k/yr

 

Thank you!!! In my neck of the woods, yes I do live in the woods lol. $890/week even gross would be living like royalty. I made $29k a year at the SO. So far I've made $35k this year, although I've taken a week off every time I go home.



Ethan

 

I'm sure it depends on where you live too.

Cost of living is extremely low where I'm at. A 3 bed/2 bath home on an acre of land round here is about $400/month.

Ethan

 

I must be confused. Here is a breakdown with the numbers you give. 2500miles x $0.39= $975 gross/70hrs per week = $13.92 per hour based on putting in a 14 hour day. Now take out taxes of 23% = $750/70= $10.71 per hour. Either way you look at it a company driver makes nothing considering the hours put into the business. All of this is based on an actual 70 hour "working" week.

 

Well my taxes are only 15% not 23%. The way I see it is I'm still making a good living doing what I'm doing. Even at $13.92/hour I'm still ahead of what I need. I have a ton of bills but still survive.

I'll be happy when January comes because I'll be at 42cpm. I put away 10cpm of each check though for savings. Either way I'm still living comfortably.


Also, say it does come out to $10/hour. That's still a lot more than I could make staying home. I love my job, I mean I really really love trucking, when I'm home its all I think about, when I'm hanging out with friends its all I talk about. For the first time in my life I'm happy with my job, I'll take $10/hour to stay out in the road for almost a month at a time to do what I love and what I live for.


Ethan

 

i am not surprised and wish i could live such a low-cost lifestyle

i have spoken to drivers who make $400/week and live happily. makes me want to be Amish