No doubt, there are janitors that make more per week than OTR drivers. But......not very many, and those janitors are all union members, usually for companies like GM, FORD and Boeing. If you can get one of those jobs, go for it.

As for the guy who's company charges him for excess reefer fuel usage...and keeps him out for weeks on end, while he "brings home $500 a week".......Why does he continue doing that?? NOBODY holds a gun to his head. To many of the drivers out there, throw their money away on *****s...and video arcades. How do you know that he isn't one of them?

It takes dedication to earn $65,000 a year as a company driver. It means you give up time at home with the family and you work overtime. You work weekends and holidays. Lately....to many drivers want to be paid premium wages, without providing a premium service. If you are going to do something about wages, you have to have "Huts-pa" and valid information. Pissing and moaning on an internet forum......is "tilting at windmills".

I have done my fair share of "speaking out" against low driver wages. When I knew that lower management wasn't listening, I did something they least expected, and wrote letters to the corporate people in-charge of the operation. I sent valid wage information, as it regarded all aspects of the transportation side of their business, and relevant wage survey information to back up what I was saying.

That was then. I did that in 2006, and the result was raises for drivers, clerks, mechanics, dispatchers and supervisors. Some managers got fired or were forced to retire.

I don't do it anymore. Now.....If I am unhappy with "wages" I look for a better company and check it out. But first and foremost, I realize that I am in charge of my livelihood....not some uninterested manager or dispatcher.

I suggest you start keeping track of the truck expenses. Fuel, oil, coolant, tires, mechanical repairs, insurance, downtime (down time is lost revenue), wages, benefits....and take a look at just how much it costs to operate a truck. It isn't cheap, I can tell you that.

Snowman7, drives for an LTL carrier. LTL is a different operation from Truckload service, and generally makes far more revenue per load than does truckload (Go to UPS Freight and price what it costs to ship one 800 pound skid from say, Memphis to Knoxville, then figure out how many skids that truck might move). Snowman sought out his job, to get away from low wages. he didn't just sit and wait for better wages.

Mackman owns his own truck, and works "locally". His truck is a dump truck, and don't let him kid you. It takes money to keep that truck operating. He is lucky, because his father was able to get him connected with decent work. BUT.....He proved himself, so he continues to make good money, from those contacts. He makes good money....but he damn sure works his butt off for that money....the people he hauls for, don't pay him to haul a few shovels full of pebbles. If he doesn't work...he still has payments to make. Brandon was where you are at..............and took a huge chance when he stepped out and bought his own truck. IF he had a shoddy work habit......he would be sucking hind-teat and broke. Like I said....don't let him kid you. It isn't easy to make money with a truck.

 

"I heard a driver say blah, blah, blah...."

He was probably selling the reefer fuel. If the company caught him then damn right I say. They probably should've fired him.

 

I agree with Rank, Orange, (and as much as it pains me) GMAN. If you dont like it dont do it. The market is set by supply and demand and apparantly there are still alot of drivers willing to do it. If you dont like what your job pays your only choice is find a better one. You wont raise wages whining on a CB or internet forum. And if you just want someone to cry in your beer with you you probably wont find that here either. Most of the guys here are independent types who get things done and take care of business themselves. Look into other sectors of trucking or if you really want a challenge O/O.

 

The single most problem in the trucking industry is a lack of education / willingness to learn your industry amongst most of the participants.

Well now lets not get ahead of ourselves here... :lol:

 

This forum is comical, Down right hilarious.. i see why the industry is the way it is. the answer to everything is if you don't like what your doing then find something else to do... HILARIOUS... excuse me for wanting higher wages... I'm wrong... Excuse me for speaking up for my self or venting on a board that open to free discussion.. I see why people dislike trucker drivers.... And who ever said the problem is most people don't educate themselves on the industry is right.... It hard to educate yourself when your uneducated period..

 

Young Lad.......It is not a matter of "education". It is a matter of independence and willingness.

You can approach your employer for better wages. BUT....You want to have your facts straight, when you make that approach. The thought of raising wages industry wide, is a nice thought, but because of the Nature of the BEAST, that just is not realistic. There are numerous companies, that used to have their own truck fleets, whom paid incredible wages to their drivers, that no longer have those truck fleets. Whirlpool is one such.

I worked for ARCO in the Seattle market as a driver. ARCO had the best wages in the gasoline tanker industry on the west coast, and when they were nationwide, they ranked on a par with Amoco, Chevron, Texaco, Shell and Exxon. Well.......since 1998.....Amoco has merged with BP, ARCO was bought by BP, and in the last 4 years, BP has steadily worked to eliminate their truck fleet. The first thing they did, was dump the Amoco fleet after the merger. POOF...excellent wages and bennies....gone. BP has just about closed all of their trucks down. There are just a few left on the west coast. POOF....more good wages and bennies gone. Shell got rid of their truck operations in 1993.....POOF. Texaco got rid of their truck operations in 1993......POOF. Chevron is closing their truck operations right now. they have only 100 or so truck left operating, when they used to run more than 1500 nationwide. Exxon still runs trucks in new Jersey on the east coast, in Houston and Dallas, here in Texas, and in the Los Angeles market...for now. But even Exxon has been paring down their fleet...since 1992......POOF!!

ConocoPhillips / DuPont probably is the biggest player in the private truck fleet, after Walmart. Those two companies operate Sentinel Transportation as a joint venture, but I can tell you...wages there are only fair to middlun. Not the worst but no where close to the best.

GE operates trucks(They actually have 4 operating fleets AND Penske)...GE pays excellent wages.....BUT...GE is a harder company to break into than is Walmart.

If you want to raise driver wages.....You have several hundred trucking company executives to convince to do so. You're not going to get that done on any internet forum. It just isn't going to happen.

IF you are an excellent driver, then changing company's and increasing your wages is an easy thing to do. All you have to do, is find the truck seat that pays the wages and benefits you desire.

I have done it. Kentla has done it. Snowman7 did it. Mackman has done it. Just don't come here and ridicule those of us whom have replied to your post. Some of us bite....and bite hard!

If you want better money...FEDEX...UPS....Conway.....ABF......YRC.... .Old Dominion.......R & L Carriers........Walmart.......GE-Betz.......GE Appliances.....GE Water Process's......GE Wind........and Penske Logistics......are just a few names to start with.

NOW....It occurs to me that you started this in the Owner Operator forum. Is it possible that YOU are an owner operator??

 

I'm an owner Op and I was only speaking of my experience, never said I wanted to change anything, just stating my facts of life and what I feel should or could be done to make this profession better. Not worried about the GODS of this board because what one Eats never makes me S***. I've done my own thing for several years now, Just tired of arguing for my money. I run the Load Pay me simple as that.. You say the Load pays $2400 and the customer says it pays $3200, copy of confirmation sheet in hand. I never speak from ignorance.

Like I said before this is an open forum for those to express themselves, some call it complaining. Either way it goes we all have a right to say what we want. And I feel this industry needs a major overhaul. It doesn't have to start with me and I doubt it will, because I don't have the patience to deal with those who are content with life and little pay. But I'm sure it the Governments fault that we're in this predicament.. Hilarious... I see why Union don't exist anymore...

Orangetxguy- as I'm sure you know, the only reason those private fleets went away was due to cheaper outsourcing. If we can get this company to do it for XYZ, well we can save a ton of money. The day Walmart closes their private fleet is the day they go out of business because products will never make it to the shelf in time..Yes you save a few dollars but at what expense to the company, in the long run if you factor in the expense you pay to out source DO YOU REALLY SAVE ANY MONEY?

 

OKAY! See......You just changed the entire parameter of this discussion! There is a huge difference between being an "owner operator" working on percentage of gross revenue and a "company driver"....OR....IN YOUR CASE "maybe"....... as a Carrier working for brokers and shippers?? Do you run under your own authority....or are you leased into a company and running your equipment under their flag??

 

I understand now....WHAT you are pissed about. BUT......Your not talking wages. YOU are talking about REVENUE and HONESTY. I wish I had an answer to lying cheating brokers (and dispatchers), But I don't, except to say...IF you caught a Broker cheating you....put the broker's name out there for everyone to know. Put it on Getloaded's message board...put it on Internet Truckstop (they did start a message board didn't they??) My point is....put them out of business by telling their sin. If other trucks stop pulling their freight...that settles that.

BUt....when you start talking about improving "Drivers Wages".......THAT is an entirely different horse....Which most of us assumed you were talking about, given your rant.

 

As for you Gman, I understand your well respected around here, but you really need to come out of hiding and talk to some drivers @ trucks stop.. Drivers fight for pay all the time, It"s neither here nor there what they do with they're money. If s/he chooses to play video games with it then that's their choice, but i'm not speaking of the ladder, I'm talking about the hard working drivers that run and choose to support their family (We all know some good drivers that have been or are getting screwed). Those are the drivers I'm talking about.... But as always we choose to pick the bad litter to make our points valid, Hilarious.. Regardless of what a person does with their money $1000 a week (before taxes) is not good money when you spend 7 nights a week away from home.

I've run under a companies authority, found it to be one of the worst decisions ever. Grew tired of losing money to them over BS and now I'm Independent and at time it not better but manageable.. Cutting out the Middle man was a major factor in me staying in trucking.