Pay

[inbdusfor20yrs]

I am 39 years old and I wanted to ask the experienced drivers a question. Not counting the time away from home or the distance, but what is the most money I can make the first year as a company driver if they pay my way through school? I mean if I go balls to the wall and drive, drive, drive with the longest amount of time away from home, what is the most possible amount I can make?

[PhuzzyGnu]

$30,000-$35,000.

Seriously.

Check into your state's Workforce (or similar) program. They often will pay for your training. Hell, I went to HCC and an earlier class had a HOMELESS guy in it. He literally lived in the trees near the campus. They helped him out, trained him, one of the instructors loaned him some clothes for an interview, now he's hired and rolling with Stevens I think.

You would even be better off getting a credit card and paying for the school yourself and then hiring on with one of the entry flatbed companies such as Arrow, Maverick, or TMC. $50,000 is easily attainable with any of those. You could easily pay off the card in 6 months.

Llicense in hand starting green is way more lucrative than the training/slave routine.

-p.

[GoldiesPlating]

Call TMC's recruiting department tomorrow 1-800-247-2460 ext 7605 (me, Fred) or ask for Fred or Matt. We may be able to get you sponsored where TMC will get you a loan and help you pay it off as long as you are employed by TMC. If you quit in your first year, you will have to repay the loan. If you stay a year, TMC pays the loan.
Earning $50,000 is do-able and some have made more (given your desire to run hard).

Good Luck,
Fred

[redsfan]

Fred is correct, 50K is very obtainable if you go with the right company. Maverick or TMC would both give you the opportunity to earn this and I know that Indy is a great area to live for just about any company out there.

As for drive, drive, drive and stay out the longest amount of time from home, maybe that is what you want, but my opinion is why stay out if you don't have to? I know a lot of guys who drive dry van and stay out a few weeks at a time just to make 50K, but there are companies that will get you home every weekend (or nearly) and still let you make that same 50K. There are never any guarantees and there are a lot of things that can go wrong on any given day, but for the most part it's up to the individual.

I know it's a bad word on these forum's but I know a few guys who work for Swift on the Family Dollar and other similar runs and they pull in a grand or better per week and are home for a day and a half to 2 days per week. Even if you go out with a company that keeps you out for weeks at a time and you run, run, run you will still need a restart so why not get that at home?

[tweety bird]

If you don't mind working your ***** off...

Try Continental Express in Sidney, Ohio. They run a lot of overnight refer freight to grocer receivers... but they pay well and they have good equipment. They also have 4 weeks of paid vacation- you pick one week and every 13 weeks, you get a week off based on that one week. And they pay you based on your average weekly pay the previous 13 weeks. This is what they used to do- you'd need to check if it's still the same. This is NOT Continental Express out of Arkansas. I dont know anything about them.

They won't pay for your schooling but you have to consider that you may make more money overall if you go with another company and pay for the schooling yourself? Can you not go to the bank and get a loan? And some schools offer a payment plan.

Trucking School Info

[tweety bird]

It's these guys:
Continental Express- Ohio (800-497-2100)
Not these guys:
Continental Express- Arkansas

[GoldiesPlating]

I'm now on TMC's dedicated and I'm home EVERY night, have weekends off, and get a GUARANTEED base pay minimum of $1000.00 per week

[nrvsreck]

I'm now on TMC's dedicated and I'm home EVERY night, have weekends off, and get a GUARANTEED base pay minimum of $1000.00 per week

Damn Yankee! Makes me want to move up there! No, seriously! 8)

[inbdusfor20yrs]

The reason I asked, is because I got hired to be a civilian contractor in Kuwait, and I will be gone a year, with one month of time off to be with my family... Thats why I thought about driving as much as I can that first year, and even though I wont be home as much, I would still me home mroe then if I were in Kuwait..

I can afford to pay my way through school, so that wont be a problem.. That's why I asked which company would pay the most if I were out as much as I can the first year...

[USXRecruiter4080]

Check with your state for a work program. That will save you thousands. Not just in tuition, but in pay. ANY company who offers tuition reimbursment or to pay for your school takes it out of your pay. You may just not know about it.

[inbdusfor20yrs]

Thanks for all the replies..
I am going to wait until I return from Kuwait... Right now I am going to make $86,000 tax free for the year in Kuwait, plus my Army retirement pay.. I don't think I can make that much driving. Even if I stay out 365 days straight.. lol

[crazyWillie]

http://www.newbiedriver.com/articles...Calculator.htm

hope this helps Dont FORGET to deduct taxes

[yoopr]

Thanks for all the replies..
I am going to wait until I return from Kuwait... Right now I am going to make $86,000 tax free for the year in Kuwait, plus my Army retirement pay.. I don't think I can make that much driving. Even if I stay out 365 days straight.. lol

LOL--If it's with KBR they Might say you're going to Kuwait but Most end up in Iraq no matter what your Recruiter tells you.

[Ian Williams]

If you can stand it, you might want to consider teaming to boost your earnings.

Team drivers usually get 20-40% more per mile, in many cases the senior of the two drivers sets the pay rate and any good carrier is going to keep you away from the shippers and receivers that waste time.

[redsfan]

ANY company who offers tuition reimbursment or to pay for your school takes it out of your pay. You may just not know about it.

I honestly don't see how you can back up a statement like this. I can't speak for ANY company, but I know that the company that I started with does not do this. Maverick Transportation has the exact same pay scale for a driver going through their school as they do for a driver who got the CDL on their own. There are no deductions whatsoever. The deal is, you attend their school without putting up much money of your own at all and once you've been there for 6 months, the slate is wiped clean. If you leave before your 6 months are up, you pay back a pro-rated portion of the $2500 it cost them to put you through school. It's really more of a perk to entice potential drivers than anything else.

I know that there are other companies that offer the same type of deal. However, I know that some do deduct from your pay for a period of time, but this does not apply to ANY company out there.

[Ian Williams]

Con-Way offers in house training truly free and clear. It takes 3-4 months as you train 5 hours per day and work the dock for 6. You effectively pay for the schooling on on the pay differential for an apprentice vs. what a regular employee makes.

Once you have your license you can leave, but you're a fool as you have one of the best jobs in trucking that a noob can get.