Why is trucking such a low paying industry?

Sorry to derail the topic but do engineers go cross country like truckers? If so where do they sleep? Locomotives have no sleeper berth or do they?

 

It's your choice to drive for less than a living wage.

 

I'm sure the temp agency is charging the company at least $20 an hour for your work. You're getting shafted big time.

 

Unless they stop at a yard with a bunkhouse, they stay in hotels and they are governed by HOS also. Not sure if it is the same as the trucking industry but they are limited in the amount of hours they can work in a 24hr period.

If they have to stop in the middle of nowhere because they have no more hours, company must pick them up. Usually planned so that doesn't happen though. The "middle of nowhere" part I mean.

 

Yea but its not permanent... im just waiting on an answr on 2-3 job apps i have out there... i couldnt imagine making a career for 13$ an hr

 

No. They cover a much smaller area. We have about 5 different runs. Other terminals might only have one or two. Engineers have to learn their territory and know where every hill, corner, and bad section of track is. That is why they don't go very far. We usually take a train to another terminal, hand the train to the next crew if it is going farther, sleep in a hotel, then take a train back to our home terminal the next day. So we are only gone for home a day or two at the most. No sleeper in a locomotive but there is usually a toilet, fridge, and some have hot plates.

 

What's funny is that's what I do and what I take home a week. It's out there if you're willing to not settle on just any job. 48-60 hours at home too, none of that home for a 34 stuff.

 

Because there are too many knuckleheads willing to accept low pay. Some of them will even jump up and parrot off corporate propaganda to act big, even though they are just arguing against their best interest. It's really twisted and sad. I bet the execs are rolling in laughter when they see a knucklehead doing this.

 

simple...trucking is classified by dept of labor as unskilled job/labor and trucking is actually countries last sweat shop/ piece work and mileage pay...not much difference there.

 

We can work 12 hours a day. We can go over 12 if riding in a van after work (deadheading). If we work 6 days in a row there is a mandatory 48 hours off or 7 days then 72 hours off.