Posted on 11/21/2017 9:23:12 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
6 figures driving a truck? Not from where I sit.they are getting fresh meat in the seat for .20 a mile these days.
A guy who owns his own truck can gross 6 figures but the net is mid 5 figures at best. Fuel, maintenance and taxes are killers
**I work in logistics for a major trucking company.**
No, you’re a paid liar,..... lying to truck drivers over the phone all day.
JUST KIDDING!! Most of the logistics folks I’ve worked with have been very professional.
(I had one dispatcher that just couldn’t be honest. But he was that way off the job too.)
You can’t enjoy legalized weed as a truck driver either.
Snowflakes have been raised to believe they’re too special to do unglamorous jobs, even if they pay well.
Not all truckers. Local P&D (heavy lifting but home every night and good benefits) can make 60 grand. A good linehaul position can run six figures but usually more like 80 grand. Long haul drivers with good contracts do well, too.
Ten years ago, non-union Estes Express had line haul runs domiciled in Phoenix that paid around 80 grand and some of the local P&D guys were making 60 grand.
The big money is in oversize loads. Not everyone can and/or wants to pull that stuff.
That’s much more in line with what I’ve heard. I’m not claiming any great knowledge in this department but I definitely know that people tend to badly underestimate the real world costs of owning and operating a serious piece of machinery. Or a building.
Yes, it's a cool job.
Yes, handling freight is a bitch.
Yes, driving semis is awesome, especially on long country roads. The radio playing, the engine thumping, the A/C blasting.
It use to be every little boy's fantasy.
There might be a few, and very few is probably a more accurate statement. Certainly not what new drivers are going to earn.
They passed through the town quickly, and were once again traveling in darkness. They rolled along behind a long red string of eastbound tail lights, while in the opposite lanes, a long white string of westbound headlights flowed towards them, an endless parade of trucks in both directions.
Jonathan said, “There’s a lot of traffic out here.”
“Oh yeah. Truckers pick up and deliver during the day, then the freight moves between the cities at night.”
“It looks like it’s just one big machine. The highway, the trucks in motion.”
“And right now, we’re a part of that machine.” Mark turned and smiled.
Jonathan said, “I wouldn’t mind making this drive in the daytime, when I can see what’s around us.”
“It’s the clouds. On a clear night the sky is plastered with stars, and during a full moon, you can see for miles, every rock, every bush. But when the monsoon clouds move in, it’s like driving in a tunnel.”
“Monsoon?”
“The summer storms, up from Mexico. Look.” He pointed towards the southeast. A cloud flashed bright for an instant on the far horizon.
* * *
From Collateral Crimes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997539518
A family member made a very good living out of truck driving. But he was gone from Sunday evening until late Friday night. Not much of a family life.
My thought also.
That and their driving record.
If they work lots of overtime and take speed so they can meet very aggressive deadlines they can. The lack of sleep is a huge safety issue plus a long term health/burnout issue.
Used to be a Team-O. Drove bobtails in San Francisco delivering a variety of goods to businesses there. Nothing like delivering to China Town in a big truck during rush hour... Then I'd see an 18-wheeler making deliveries on the same narrow cramped streets and my jaw would drop.
Check this.
I would question this article. Over the past twenty years, I’ve sat and had brief chats with several truckers and ex-truckers.
The negativity here is from three central themes. First, guys are under constant pressure to drive as many hours a day as possible. Rarely do you have a company which plans this out and gives you necessary rest breaks. Second, companies want to convince you into buying your own truck, and paying you one single sum. For some folks and the contract they had....it worked fine...for others, it was a lousy deal and almost no income left by the end of the episode. Finally, the long-haul situation was something that most folks got tired of. They all agreed that a three-day round-trip was no big issue...but the idea of being gone for 15 to 20 days just didn’t work with a family situation.
I had a high school friend who got all the special license deals for toxic transport, and for ten years...he made a ton of money, and retired by his early 50s. But that only happens to a very limited number of folks.
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