Hello All,
I am interesting to become a truck driver.But, i am wondering about how truck drivers make money or how you feel? Are you guys happy with what you earn?I am not asking new drivers or even driving solo. How about driving with team or being owner operator. trucking job may hard for married people.

 

if you think starting out workin 70hrs a week for 35k a year is good money more power to you. Wants you know what your doing and get some exp. maybe like 60k a year for 70hrs. Thats why i drive local get 18bucks an hr. and home everynight and work around 50hrs a week with OT after 40.

 

x2. Once you sit down and calculate the hours you put in to it,you really arent making very much money at all.Along with all the frustration,weeks spent away from family,and at the end of the day youre rewarded with the prize of sleeping in a space no bigger than most peoples bathrooms.

 

I don't know, the last truck I drove that had a sleeper was small then my bathroom at home. Good thing I only used that sleeper twice a week on two different trips.

 

You guys should speak for yourselves, haha!!! I work 40-50..... every now and again I close in on a 60..... but I BRING HOME $900-$1200 A WEEK!!! It really boils down to finding that right company..... that isn't afraid to treat you like the bread winner drivers really are..... because without us...... there would be NO company! I know its hard to get that right job..... but to be honest, it CAN be done..... and only takes a strong mind/willed person to see through all the B.S. and get in where they fit in! Oh, and a local or LTL gig seems to always be the best compensation for your time... :wink:

 

Are you by chance related to someone who calls himself "Dmitri Lithuania" ???

 

What you really need to look at do you enjoy the job or not. If you enjoy it the money will come in time. If not all the money in the world will not be worth it.

 

People seem to make the assumption that everyone has a family waiting for them at home, and that being away from the house is this horrible thing. Not everyone has a wife and kids. Not everyone needs this big huge room to sleep in. I actually prefer to be out on the road for weeks on end. I have no problem with sleeping in a place no bigger than my bathroom. I don't need all this crap in my bedroom to live. I am not a trucker yet, but soon I will be working at getting my cdl so I can become one. Yes, local wouldn't be too bad, but I would like to be able to travel.
The money all depends on how you feel about everything that trucking entails. You have to ask yourself that question.

 

"Good money" is a highly subjective term.

What is good money in one area may be starvation wages in another.

Around here 20-22,000 gross is considered excellent wages for non college educated workers, and that is often factory work with overtime.

So making 35-40k per year is fairly big money.

Likewise I fully understand that in some areas of the country a full time burger flipper will make 20,000 a year and there are many "blue collar" type jobs that pay $40k or more per year.

SO how good the money is in trucking really depends on where you call home and what the job situation is there.

 

The poster is looking to get INTO trucking,which chances are he's going to end up starting out as OTR or regional at the least.And that usually requires the driver to run those long hours.Do you have ANY OTR experience?Probably not...Not talking down to you,I still consider myself a rookie,however the reason the trucking industry has so many drop outs is because alot of students are caught up in this fantasy that trucking is this romantic rebellious profession without any hiccups along the way.I have a cushy LTL job now,and I could of easily of just elaborated on that,but people looking into getting into this industry need to know what it takes to get to that point.And also,Im curious to know,,do you get paid a percentage on the load or CPM?Or both?Because you said youre making 900-1200 a week with 40-50 hour weeks AFTER TAXES?Im interested to see how you're accomplishing this.Please elaborate.