What's the lowest hourly wage you would drive a truck for?

[Biscuit Lips]

I am currently unemployed, and never been more happier in recent memory I might add, and was just cruising around today scoping out some new fishing spots for when the weather gets a little warmer and came upon a little trucking outfit. They had a little homemade sign out front stating they were in need of drivers. So, not really having any place I needed to be in the immediate future I stopped and figured I would find out more or at the least just chat about the trucking industry. We talked for about half an hour about various things, but what got me was the owner stated when I asked how much he paid he said I usually start guys off at $10.00 per hour but with your experience I could give you $11.00. Boy, I had a hard time kepping a straight face. I see now why he was in need of drivers, but it is his business and he can pay his employees whatever he deems worthy. My question is, what is the lowest hourly wage you would accept to drive a tractor-trailer full time for.

[Biscuit Lips]

Wrong forum. Could somebody move this to the anything goes section?

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Wrong forum. Could somebody move this to the anything goes section?

Maybe $15hr and I would need to see a good raise in 90days ...also I'm partial to 8-10hr work days,but like being able to work them 7days in a row for OT ,as an 8-10hr day is cake and leaves 14-16hrs daily to sleep/and do whatever , But no way would I drive for $10hr by choice ...I can make $10.50hr at the kum/go . For $10hr I'm not sure you even get English speaking drivers .

[belpre122]

Plenty of OTR drivers out there making less than $3.00 an hour.

[VitoCorleone99]

Plenty of OTR drivers out there making less than $3.00 an hour.

Please do dazzle us with your mathematical brilliance.

3x24=72, right?
72x7=504, right?
Really?
$504 for working 24 hours a day for an entire week?
No sleep. No breaks. 24 hours of work to earn $72?
Brilliant indeed. You really need a new shtick.

As for me, $20 per hour would be the starting point. I see those ads for $11 an hour sometimes and I have to chuckle. I delivered pizza in college and made $100 on a typical Friday night, with no CDL and no trailer. Of course, they're still advertising the same job year after year. Maybe it's a joke.

[Mr. Ford95]

If I didn't have to worry about the cost of living or have any bills to pay, I'd do this for nothing. I absolutely love what I do. The only other job I wouldn't mind doing the same with, working at the Patriot Center again as part of Operations. But, because of the cost of living and bills, I refuse to do this for less than $16/hour which is still keeping my head above water for my area.

[Double R]

What's the lowest hourly wage you would drive a truck for?

Depends on the area that one lives in. Cost of living is different in every area. Around here $13.00 is the lowest starting rate for both UNION and Non-union companies. There ae a few exceptions.

[belpre122]

Please do dazzle us with your mathematical brilliance.

3x24=72, right?
72x7=504, right?
Really?
$504 for working 24 hours a day for an entire week?

Shameful, isn't it?

[Kranky]

What's the lowest hourly wage you would drive a truck for?

The wage that's specified in our union contract where I work.

[Uturn2001]

[/b]
Depends on the area that one lives in. Cost of living is different in every area. Around here $13.00 is the lowest starting rate for both UNION and Non-union companies. There ae a few exceptions.

Excellent point.

A rule of thumb is what factories are currently paying in your area. The driving job should at least equal that.

[Snowman7]

Well there isnt one simple answer for me. There are other factors such as do I like the job, do I like the hours, do I get weekends off (high on my list), are the benefits good. The other thing is if I was looking at the position as a permanent job I would expect more. If it was a stop gap I might take what I could get till I found something else. I personally feel a long term job should pay me 60k or better and give most of the things on my list. If it didnt I would keep working but I would also keep looking. To try and answer your question I would say at least 20/hr, 16-17 if I really needed a job temporarily. If it came to 10/hr I would run regional/OTR first while I was looking for something else. Hell If I never found something I liked I would buy my own tractor and work part time like Orangetxguy! Freedom baby! Thats what I'm talkin about! LOL!

[Scoe]

Your question is indeed a very good one, one that requires a bit of understanding one's own philosophy as well as needs.

Personally, I would not work for less than $15 per hour and that's if there are perks. Mon thru Fri, OT after 40, good benefits, equipment, etc.

$10 per hour is very low, $11 too, no matter where you live but it might work for some people.

As I get older I see a lot of people doing jobs, some in the driving profession, and I ask myself if I would do that job? Often the answer is a resounding NO!! Then I tell myself, hey, if must work for them.

[Colts Fan]

I wouldn't drive truck for anything less than my current wage.

[golfhobo]

...no way would I drive for $10hr by choice ...I can make $10.50hr at the kum/go . For $10hr I'm not sure you even get English speaking drivers .

Well, I wouldn't want to work for $10 either, but I gotta wonder about the way you said that. If those were your two choices.... would you RATHER work in a stupid convenience store for that? Or be out on the road driving a truck? No way I'd work in a convenience store ANYWAY, but definitely not if I could make the same driving a truck!

[Biscuit Lips]

Well, I wouldn't want to work for $10 either, but I gotta wonder about the way you said that. If those were your two choices.... would you RATHER work in a stupid convenience store for that? Or be out on the road driving a truck? No way I'd work in a convenience store ANYWAY, but definitely not if I could make the same driving a truck!

I have to disagree with you on that one. There is just way to much responsibility and risk involved to drive a truck full time for $10.00 per hour. If it came to that I would rather be a security gaurd and just babysit construction equipment.

[Orangetxguy]

Well there isnt one simple answer for me. There are other factors such as do I like the job, do I like the hours, do I get weekends off (high on my list), are the benefits good. The other thing is if I was looking at the position as a permanent job I would expect more. If it was a stop gap I might take what I could get till I found something else. I personally feel a long term job should pay me 60k or better and give most of the things on my list. If it didnt I would keep working but I would also keep looking. To try and answer your question I would say at least 20/hr, 16-17 if I really needed a job temporarily. If it came to 10/hr I would run regional/OTR first while I was looking for something else. Hell If I never found something I liked I would buy my own tractor and work part time like Orangetxguy! Freedom baby! Thats what I'm talkin about! LOL!

LOL...You gotta remember....I'm almost married to that ITH hooker!! I pour money into it like there is no tomorrow!

I can't wait for the $$$$(economy) to be better!!!

Then....when I take time off...it won't be to spend money on repairs!!!!




If I were going to drive truck for an hourly wage from an employer, I would ask $28.00 an hour,OT after 40, triple time and a half on holidays, plus medical/dental, 4 weeks vacation to start, and friday's and saturday's off. 5 weeks vacation after 3 years on the job, 6 weeks after 6 years on the jobs.

[Mackman]

LOL...You gotta remember....I'm almost married to that ITH hooker!! I pour money into it like there is no tomorrow!

I can't wait for the $$$$(economy) to be better!!!

Then....when I take time off...it won't be to spend money on repairs!!!!




If I were going to drive truck for an hourly wage from an employer, I would ask $28.00 an hour,OT after 40, triple time and a half on holidays, plus medical/dental, 4 weeks vacation to start, and friday's and saturday's off. 5 weeks vacation after 3 years on the job, 6 weeks after 6 years on the jobs.

you forgot to ask for a company car to drive back and fourth to work in. I mean after all you are working for them you cant use your own car to get there.

[belpre122]

Please do dazzle us with your mathematical brilliance.

3x24=72, right?
72x7=504, right?
Really?
$504 for working 24 hours a day for an entire week?
No sleep. No breaks. 24 hours of work to earn $72?
Brilliant indeed. You really need a new shtick.

__________________________________________________ ________

OK, no need for me to dazzle you with any of my mathematical prowess.
I'm gonna dazzle you with jonp's living hell, that is his employment with JB Hunt...................

My career at JB Hunt has been short and turbulent. On Thursday the following occurred.

I was sent into the yard in Atlanta to drop off a load for another driver and given a load that was there which delivered 10 miles away the next morning which would be followed by another load. That is, I did some local work which most of us have done. I went to the customer the next morning and got into line with 6 other trucks and waited until 0730 and sent a message:

"Good Morning, how will I be paid for this? Shuttle (hourly) or Shorthaul (straight $45)?

Message back "Mileage"

Uh-Huh. $3.40 for 4 hours of work? I dont think so.

Me "I don't think so. I'm not working for $.75 and hour. I'll bring this back to the terminal and you can have a local driver bring it over and deliver it".

No reply so after 15 minutes I sent another message "Bringing it back to the yard"

Immediate reply " Hey Jon, Your a SouthEast Regional Shorthaul Driver...... If you dont want to do this then you should go OTR or get out of our truck and we will put someone in it that will".

Before I tell you what I said and what happened What Would You Do or Say?

__________________________________________________ ______________

Well, Fenean Godfather..........I am interested in your brilliant solution to this situation? Maybe you should consider a new schtick?

[VitoCorleone99]

Since I appreciate all of these lessons from you, I hope you'll bear with me as we follow the logic. "This one time this one guy got screwed out of his short haul pay... so OTR drivers make $3 an hour." I love the simplicity of it. If only we could add another example, to bolster the case. It would be best if someone else had pulled a short run from a drop yard in Atlanta recently. That way we could keep our focus nice and narrow. Hey, I pulled a short run from a drop yard in Atlanta a few days ago! Perfect!

So I drove seven miles and my pay for the run says, "NP." Hmm, no pay. I make $0 an hour. It's even worse than you thought. Oh no, wait a second though. My local cartage pay was $25 for the ten minute trip. Hey, I make $150 an hour! Sweet.

Hang on, hang on, I get it. You're way too smart to use a rarely occurring example as proof of a broader point. You were just using irony to show us the absurdity of such an argument, weren't you? You're a clever one, belpre122. A clever one indeed. You had me going for a minute.

Well, Fenean Godfather..........I am interested in your brilliant solution to this situation? Maybe you should consider a new schtick?

You know, I think you're right. I am going to work on a new schtick. I figure I'll start by spending my free time belittling people whose work is a little different from mine. I'll stick to repeating the same tired old lines, so as not to occupy too much of my effort. Being considered a one-trick pony will be an important part of my new schtick.

Then when I have a few extra minutes, I'll start following the message board postings and blog postings of one of the members here. I'll add a half-assed insult to his CAD profile or his personal blog once in a while, anonymously of course. Anonymity is important when insulting people on the internet. In keeping with my one-trick pony routine, I'll use the same lame insult three different times, changing a few of the words around each time. Now I know that some people might consider this behavior to be sadly pathetic for a grown adult, but I'll already know that belpre122 thinks it's awfully clever. That will be enough for me.

[Windwalker]

Now, in the REAL WORLD, if it comes down to working for $10/hour, or living in the street, there are a whole lot of people that will work for the $10/hr, just to keep some kind of roof over their heads. I know a couple right here where I live.