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The pay for truck drivers has went up a bit, especially for vets of the industry, because there's such high turnover and there's a huge shortage. I contacted like 15 companies that had jobs available and all of them keep trying to talk to me about their opportunities, but I've already made my company choice, lol.
Team driving is where you can make some serious money. Over $100,000 a year if you're really at it and have a good company. You can also make over $100,000 if you lease your own truck, but you have to pay for all maintenance on it... so it's really not $100,000.
Walmart, the average pay is $68,000 a year. If you stay with them a while, I'm sure you can make over $80,000 a year.
Recruitment will and have always said any thing to get new drivers in the door. The extreme turnover rate should be starring at you dead in the face as something is wrong here, beyond the fact its a stressful job.
If you are a introvert and have a hard time dealing with people on the floor of a 55,000 sq ft big box store you better think long and hard about living in the cab of a tractor with a total stranger 24/7.
I think that self driving vehicles are a real possibility, and long haul trucks are probably the easiest things to automate.
Looking at it in terms of a long term career, you have 40 +/- years before you retire. Looking back to 1977 (40 years ago) we did not have GPS, cell phones, internet, usable personal computers, etc. Most cars had crank window handles, analog dial operated radios and carburetors.
If I had to guess, the number of truck driving jobs is going to decline in 10-15 years, and be virtually non-existent in 40.
Yeah that makes sense (NOT). BIG multi axle, 70', 40 ton trucks sharing the roads with clueless, erratic, non educated, drunk/drugged out, text driving bimbos and bimbobs in all sorts of wearher, road construction and road conditions. What can go wrong?
More importantly what company is fool enough to insure the first one?
I'm extremely optimistic in driverless vehicles, I love technology, but I think it'll be at least a decade or two before this becomes obsolete. Especially if it's flatbed driving (you have to keep adjusting the load to make sure it will stay down). They can cause a hell of a lot more damage than a smaller driverless car. But I hope youre wrong, if I enjoy the field! LOL
All loads require security. Things happen, roads are bumpy, straps break, bars fail, reefer units say they are 38 f but in fact not working, winds shift loads. A trailer with 42,000 lbs of beer bottles that shifts doesn't handle that clover leaf ramp as badly as it would before the load shifted. Add a little wet road grit and doing the speed limit you might find the rig on its side with beer cases breaking your neck.
Yeah that makes sense (NOT). BIG multi axle, 70', 40 ton trucks sharing the roads with clueless, erratic, non educated, drunk/drugged out, text driving bimbos and bimbobs in all sorts of wearher, road construction and road conditions. What can go wrong?
More importantly what company is fool enough to insure the first one?
Check out post 27 from Blondebaerde. He makes some excellent points about how this is not only possible, but expected.
We don't need to get too technical though. Do you really think that humans can react faster than a computer? Can you tell, just by looking, EXACTLY how fast another vehicle is going (to the nearest 1/100 of a mph), how far way from you it is (to the nearest 1/4 inch), and whether it is accelerating or decelerating? Can you do that with Every vehicle within sight, both in front and behind you? Are you affected by road glare and sun in your eyes? Computers aren't. Can you see at night as well as you can during the day? Computers can.
Computers can do this, and are getting better. We have all the components available to make self driving cars
/trucks now, we only need to develop the software. That will take a few years, which is why I give it 10-15 years.
As for insurance, obviously there will be many tests first. The vehicles will run in controlled situations, with humans as backups first. In time, we will see that computers make fewer errors than humans. At that point in time insurance companies will charge more for human drivers than for AI piloted machines.
Even if 1/10,000,000 truck drivers make over $100,000, then my statement was correct.
I do know a company where employed trucks make $80,000 a year. Ashley Furniture drivers make that much, and drive nice trucks, too. But I don't know anyone who pays $100,000. They don't have to; they can get drivers for 60 - 70,000 or less.
According to truckinginfo.com the current rate for vans is $1.79 per mile. There is a fuel surcharge placed on top of that to protect the trucker in case fuel prices suddenly go up.
A busy owner operator can drive about 150,000 miles a year, so it is actually possible to make 100,000 but that depends on luck and your ability to run a business. I say "luck" because if you get sick it's all over until you get well. Same with serious engine problems and that sort of thing.
The neatest set-up I ever saw was a husband/wife team where she became a licensed freight broker and he drove the truck. She stayed at home doing her thing for him and he stayed on the road as long as they wanted. He was her only client.
Independent freight brokers sometimes take on owner-operators as clients and the broker acts as a dispatcher. Sometimes they have lots of drivers, but usually just a few - that way the dispatcher knows full well what each driver is looking for and can have it ready when the driver wants it.
I'll say again, "It wasn't all that bad". I never set foot in a truck until I was 60, and although the learning curve was tough I settled right in and worked 5 years. Then I retired.
Check out post 27 from Blondebaerde. He makes some excellent points about how this is not only possible, but expected.
We don't need to get too technical though. Do you really think that humans can react faster than a computer? Can you tell, just by looking, EXACTLY how fast another vehicle is going (to the nearest 1/100 of a mph), how far way from you it is (to the nearest 1/4 inch), and whether it is accelerating or decelerating? Can you do that with Every vehicle within sight, both in front and behind you? Are you affected by road glare and sun in your eyes? Computers aren't. Can you see at night as well as you can during the day? Computers can.
Computers can do this, and are getting better. We have all the components available to make self driving cars
/trucks now, we only need to develop the software. That will take a few years, which is why I give it 10-15 years.
As for insurance, obviously there will be many tests first. The vehicles will run in controlled situations, with humans as backups first. In time, we will see that computers make fewer errors than humans. At that point in time insurance companies will charge more for human drivers than for AI piloted machines.
It will happen when the New York Yankees center fielder is a computer.
Best of luck, you have clearly fallen hard for the marketing and hype being sold by trucking companies. Freight companies spend tons of dollars hoping to lure in suckers just like you. You will not make 6 figures driving a truck as an employee.
I know I may never make that. I may never make even $60,000. But it sure as hell is better than making $36,000 in retail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MLSFan
Usually the owner-drivers make $100k because they own the truck and pay the loan, buy gas, buy insurance, maintain it
Yep.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Creature of the Wheel
The amount I'm on track to make this year is about $82,000. That's the starting pay. It's also non-union, which is kind of a shame. However, a person will not make that without the appropriate amount of experience and by being a lazy ass. That type of money in the logistics world is doable if you're willing to do more than sit on your ass and bump docks all day. It requires some manual labor and customer service skills. An awful lot of drivers out there only want to sit in their cab/sleeper most of the time and never lift a finger. They'll start whining about having to unload or load a trailer if they're told to.
As for the OP: don't listen to the obvious dumbasses. You'll come across a LOT of them on your adventures. You won't get to pick where you go and don't go. Just keep your expectations at the bottom and learn from the real old skool cats out there. With that said, a lot of trucking is plain common sense and good judgement. If you're lacking either of those, your career will be very short lived.
Do not ever lease a truck from the company you're driving for. There's a reason companies push hard on those things. You'll be basically renting a job and on the hook for all the maintenance, most of the fuel, and will be known as a glorified company driver. Just don't do it. You'll sink faster than the Titanic. When you're going about half a mile an hour faster than the driver in front of you, don't get any ideas about passing. I don't care how open you think the left lane is. Just don't do it. You won't save any time. You'll only clog up the lane you're in and **** off all kinds of drivers. Bump your cruise control down a notch and you won't creep up on that driver. One last thing: DON'T TAILGATE!
I just read through the thread. Boy, you are in a for a rude ass awakening. I'll give you six months before you wash out.
I agree with all the things you said until the last few sentences which were honestly uncalled for. I'm not expecting even $50,000 until I work my ass off for 2-3 years. I'm not expecting $100,000 ever. I am, however hoping to make more than $45,000+ consistently after 2-3 year period of making less. I'm not stupid. I have big dreams but even I realize I will be a blue collar worker and that there's not serious money in trucking. I'm not looking for serious money. I want to feed my future family and pay the mortgage, with my fiance working as well.
I do know a company where employed trucks make $80,000 a year. Ashley Furniture drivers make that much, and drive nice trucks, too. But I don't know anyone who pays $100,000. They don't have to; they can get drivers for 60 - 70,000 or less.
According to truckinginfo.com the current rate for vans is $1.79 per mile. There is a fuel surcharge placed on top of that to protect the trucker in case fuel prices suddenly go up.
A busy owner operator can drive about 150,000 miles a year, so it is actually possible to make 100,000 but that depends on luck and your ability to run a business. I say "luck" because if you get sick it's all over until you get well. Same with serious engine problems and that sort of thing.
The neatest set-up I ever saw was a husband/wife team where she became a licensed freight broker and he drove the truck. She stayed at home doing her thing for him and he stayed on the road as long as they wanted. He was her only client.
Independent freight brokers sometimes take on owner-operators as clients and the broker acts as a dispatcher. Sometimes they have lots of drivers, but usually just a few - that way the dispatcher knows full well what each driver is looking for and can have it ready when the driver wants it.
I'll say again, "It wasn't all that bad". I never set foot in a truck until I was 60, and although the learning curve was tough I settled right in and worked 5 years. Then I retired.
Thank you for understanding. I never said I was expecting $100,000. I didn't even expect $50,000 until 2-3 years of busting my ass. I'd be happy with even $45,000 a year after 2-3 years.
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