first on bat is belpre122.. i like the fact that you went back and seen that i wrote that.. i respect that... and for your info, it turns out that they don't hire students, false info on someone behalf...

second.. i didn't come up with the term lifestyle trucker or super trucker... ask belpre and lebron?? they'll give you a defenition..

now to my new best friend Marten... you know what gets me fired up.. Ignorance!!! pure Ignorance!!! what you first said to fire me up was ignorant!! and to be real with you, odds are face to face i would shut you up.. bet that.. but to be non violent about the situation, all those things you just said about lumpers and dispatchers, and hot load.. hey maybe i will or won't.. i don't know yet cause i'm not a driver yet remember??? i just hate ignorance to a T!!!! but to say by me responding to ignorant posts by you and others by saying i won't succeed in anything??? that's just damn right stupid... but hey i dont know yet?? cause i'm driver yet right Marten?? not to mention i'm a little child?? not to mention a little child who know's something something bout the trucking industry that most drivers proabably even don't... so i tell you what, i'm just going to cut my hands off, and just be a spectator to this post until it's done.. rip me all you want.. but thank you Marten for the Motivation tho.. really appreciate...

 

Relax, it's a joke. Your avatar looks like you want to touch kids or something. That is one creepy lookin' pic, driver. Kinda like those paintings in the haunted house with the eyes following you.

Yeah, but tell us what kind of rates/wages you guys were pulling down back then. And don't bullshit us either because my uncle showed me his W-2 from 1982 and he made $43k that year as a company hand. Now, you fast forward 25 years and drivers aren't making much more than that -especially when you consider cost of living, inflation, etc. And industrywide length of haul is ALOT lower which means drivers are working harder doing more short/medium haul for less pay.

The reason for the coffin box sleepers was because you guys weren't out there on the highpay highway like today's drivers. Remember the song "6 Days on the Road" by Dave Dudley? That's when 6 days out was considered an eternity.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You owe me a screen cleaning.

 

:roll: :roll: :lol: :lol:

 

If my avatar scares you I am surprised that you would be able to spend the night in a truck all by yourself. There is no need to get personal or name call just because someone won't come around to your way of thinking.

When I started driving in the early 1970's otr drivers were paid somewhere between $0.10-0.14/mile. A local driver could make about $150-250/week. I don't know where you are getting your information about drivers not staying out 30 or so years ago. Drivers stayed out just as they do today, if not longer. The main difference is most had a 36" sleeper, if they had one at all. Another is that most didn't have air conditioning in the truck. It took muscles to turn the steering wheel. We didn't have many trucks with power steering. AM radio's were the norm and not everyone had a CB. Those who did have a CB had to be licensed and identify themselves. If you used language such as is prevalent today, you would have found yourself facing criminal charges. We didn't have air ride and most trailers were 45' or shorter. West Coast drivers usually drove cab-overs due to the California length laws. Many of the main roads were not interstate. Some were 2 lane roads. We had to have a chauffeur's license instead of a CDL. Some had more than one license. If we blew a tire or had some sort of mechanical problem, we usually made the necessary repairs ourselves. I could go on, but hopefully you get the idea. Looking back, things were much more difficult back then. Pay was not as high as it is today. Yet, we managed to survive and make a decent living. We didn't have cell phones, pagers or computers. We actually had to communicate with one another face to face. If we needed to call home or the company we either called collect or use a watts line. We primarily dealt with cash for fuel. Diesel and Kerosene sold for around $0.15-0.25/gallon. Frankly, I doubt that a lot of today's drivers could survive if you took them back to that time.

 

GMAN! Why would anyone spend the night in a truck? :idea:

 

Well, I suppose you could sleep in your trailer or hang a hammock underneath your trailer. Personally, I prefer sleeping in the truck. Of course, you could rent a motel room for the night, but it will take a bite out of your pay.

 

Almost 40 years later and it went up 20cents on avg.

Oh boy your making a killing now a days :lol: :lol:

 

Uh....

That's 30 years...not 40....

and the average has more than tripled....

I think all that union stuff has gotten to your head....

 

And...to stir the pot a bit more...

Many large carriers aren't even in any trouble...my company is actually expanding to fill the void left by those going under....

the other day, I saw a crete ad advertising how they are expanding in the current market, while others aren't doing so well...

From what i've seen, those carriers who are managed well seem to be prospering in this economic climate, while those who aren't are being driven under....