Why is trucking such a low paying industry?

Not anymore CDL mill graduates will work for less than minimum wage and there is an endless supply of them .

 

If they paid drivers $.10 a mile more most drivers would probably make over $15,000 a year more . It would add $100 to the cost of a whole trailer load of product 1,000 miles . Consumers couldn't afford that increase could they ? How many cases of groceries are on a truck ?

 

A company that pays overtime pays a lot more than $17 an hour for a base pay

 

It's not our problem to worry about the customers. Oil companies aren't worried about us paying $4 at the pumps. Politicians making over $400,000 and getting a paid holiday Monday aren't worried about us giving them $300 a week. Non educated jobs will always pay low because of this kind of mentality. Walmart prices are among the lowest in the country but they pay their drivers a good wage to do the job.

 

It would NOT surprise me if more immigrant truck drivers were brought into the United States of America to alleviate the shortage of truck drivers.

If this happens, wages are going to be much lower than they are now. What will probably also happen is that there will be fewer and fewer native American born truck drivers and more immigrant born truck drivers filling the truck driver positions throughout the United States of America.

This has already happened in many other occupations throughout the United States of America.

I have been told so many times in the past that business is in the busines of making money, NOT paying wages. This can be a hard pill to swallow when one is trying desperately to earn a living.

 

i work a 2nd job and its local, all time after 8 hrs is x1.5, and thats when you make your money..still looking for a higher rate, but theres alot of competition for better paying jobs...especially local ones.

 

That's $25 an hour at $17. Which is what I feel is a livable wage since $20 an hour was good money in 1980 something. Drivers really need to put a stop to this nonsense. A professional driver that's not a trainee shouldn't need 2 jobs

 

Is it LEGAL for a professional driver to moonlight at another driving job?

 

first and foremost,the cost of living in RI and MA is probably a minumum of 25% higher than say here in good ol'bama,therefore the pay scale is going to be a bit higher for some jobs,especially skilled ones.

regarding the pay scale/structure at the large outfits,YES i do harp on this topic,the entry level drivers and some that have experience,work at companies that pay low end rates BY CHOICE.they drive slow,less than the posted speed limit trucks loaded down w/qualcoms,electronic logs,vorad,automatics,super singles,and on and on BY CHOICE.a driver becomes an indentured servant by going thru some mega-outfit's training program just to finish and drive one of the previously mentioned trucks BY CHOICE as opposed to attending a private or state run facility.

synopsis-drivers get what they agree to so at least set your aspirations a bit higher and plug away,refusing to settle for that which you do not truly desire.

 

The sad thing is, many immigrants won't accept the wages what true Americans will work for. Lots of the illegals around here won't jump in the back of a construction pickup truck under $15 an hour un taxed. Which tells me if they go through the trouble to get a greencard then a cdl. It would take more to make them happy about paying taxes working a legal occupation. I know I wouldn't go through the trouble when I could make $15 an hour (under the table) riding around on a $10,000 zero turn all day with a cold beer in my hand.