Originally Posted by Longsnowsm

Well the really bad news is this... If, and that is a big if you could run consistently 2500 miles a week your gross(before taxes, benefits, social security) would only be $625. You take out all of your off the top taxes, benefits you will be lucky to clear $437 a week. Take out your road expenses such as food, internet, cell phone... Well you get the idea. If you have any bills at home, or a home to pay for your SOL.

Also something you have to remember on these forums the numbers you will hear are almost always going to be their gross numbers. You have to factor in Uncle Sugars cut, benefit costs, social security etc, 401k etc. I would venture to say that even a driver with a good paying company is actually taking home(notice "take home") between $600-800 a week. So do your homework. Here is a thread I posted that might help you sort out some of the company choice issues:

http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=20529

I would steer clear of the great pumpkin! BOL

Longsnowsm

To start, if he runs 2,500 a week @.28cpm that's $700.00, not 625.00

Next, so many people don't seem to understand that everyone has got to start somewhere! I would love to know how much you made at your first driving job. It might be more, it might be less...I, of course haven't a clue.

SNI says first year salary for a newbie is between 30,00 - 35,000, I don't think that's too bad for a first year! I know many people who have been working with the same company (non trucking) for YEARS and don't make more than 25,000.

You said to "steer clear of the great pumpkin". Where would you suggest someone to go with ZERO experience and no CDL? Sure there are other companies...Swift...according to someone they start out even less than SNI. Then there's P.A.M, USA Truck, Star... Would you say any of those companies are any better?

I'm not trying to say I'm an expert about anything. I just don't understand why so many people down a company when some people have no other options.

I say go with SNI and enjoy! And if you don't, try somewhere else.

[ghost_ryder]

You said to "steer clear of the great pumpkin". Where would you suggest someone to go with ZERO experience and no CDL? Sure there are other companies...Swift...according to someone they start out even less than SNI. Then there's P.A.M, USA Truck, Star... Would you say any of those companies are any better?

I'm not trying to say I'm an expert about anything. I just don't understand why so many people down a company when some people have no other options.

I say go with SNI and enjoy! And if you don't, try somewhere else.

As everyone knows, I also say steer clear of SNI. I would suggest someone go with a local trucking school near their house, then try to get hired on with USXpress (as you have done) or one of the others that don't lock you in for a year and promise free training. No such thing as free training. Its better called a "trap" and I got caught in it.

[GMAN]

Look at it this way. Where can you go where a company will train you and pay you $625/wk? Granted, it isn't all that much money these days, but you could do a lot of jobs which paid a lot less. I am amazed at how many people start out in this business without any experience or knowledge and expect top pay. Many college graduates don't start out at $625/wk. Unless you have some experience you don't have a lot of value to any company. Consider it a learning curve. You are using them to learn a new profession. I have never been paid an above average wage to learn a new profession. Whether you like the fact you will paid $625/wk or not, it is an above average wage, especially with no experience. You could get lucky and find a company that will pay more, but what will you bring to the table? Why should they pay you $1,000/wk with no experience, when they will pay an experienced driver that amount of money? I don't blame anyone for wanting to make as much as possible, but for someone with absolutely no experience to expect to be paid the same wages as someone with several years experience is unrealistic. :?

Check the local LTL companies in your area. Some like Old Dominioin, Roadway, Conway, Yellow, FedEx Freight etc will train you for free.

Try this link for more info: http://www.bestdriverswanted.com/cms...e52/index.html

Or go to UPS and work the sort part-time for awhile. Get some experience and then bid your way up to a package-car driver. Get some more experience and move up to feeder.

I would do the big-box OTR carriers only as a last resort. $700\week gross to live\eat\sleep on the job away from friends and family? No wonder there's such a "shortage" of OTR drivers :?

[Aligator]

I got lucky....

I started with a company with a yard 2 miles down the road from my house, who gets me home twice a week, who will take on newbies even though their ad said they didn't, and who started me out at 33CPM + all the other stuff I get paid for....

I've made 40K so far this year, so I'll make around 57K this year.

There can be more to getting paid than just miles!

For example:
Earlier this week:
Miles 1400.....$462
drop Pay (4 drops)....$60
Pickup pay....$25
Layover pay....$50


Total...$597.....then when you divide the miles back into it, you discover that I actually made 42.6CPM!....which ain't half bad for a newbie in his first year.

+

I was home Wed night and made another trip on Thur & Friday - to the same area.

So check out and consider all the other things you can get paid for - not just miles!

[geeshock]

My sugestion is to do the research and don't just jump into one company. schniders pay does seem a bit low but like others have said, they do provide decent milage for newbes. Same with swift. Mabe you'll luck out and get a company that pays decent mileage but might not get you as many miles. Mabe the miles aren't as important as home time. I don't like werner but there are ppl out there that love them. Point of the mater is, your going to get just a little screwed by most all companies. just have to find the one that has the options your looking for.

[Longsnowsm]

Originally Posted by AlexJ81

To start, if he runs 2,500 a week @.28cpm that's $700.00, not 625.00

Next, so many people don't seem to understand that everyone has got to start somewhere! I would love to know how much you made at your first driving job. It might be more, it might be less...I, of course haven't a clue.

Well for starters the driver said he was talking about the western division, and it does in fact pay .25 cpm for the first 6 months, then jumps to .27 cpm.

Secondly the driver does have options. Go to school on your own dime!!! Most schools will finance it if you don't have the cash, and the better companies will reimburse you your tuition, and you will start off at a better rate.

I hear what Gman is saying, but your doing yourself a great disservice by going to a company provided school, being locked in for at least a year, at artifically low rates. By the way I hear that Schnieder is locking student/newbies in for 18 MONTHS now.

Why would anyone want to lock themselves in with a company that pays so low for so long???? Go find a local school and start looking for companies that hire new drivers out of school. You will find there are still a bunch that will hire and pay you a better rate.

Longsnowsm

[Silver85327]

Originally Posted by rebajosh

Dang! They make you sign a year and a half commitment now? I thought it used to be only a year?

Swift made me sign a 13 month agreement for the training. They take 35 dollars a week out of my check for 13 months and they match that for 13 months. After the 13 months they stop taking money out of your checks and start giving you 35 dollars a week so if you stay with them for 26 months your training only costs 150 dollars.

It isn't a good deal but considering that they covered everything except food ill stick with them for 13 months and the evaluate my situation.

[Longsnowsm]

Originally Posted by BigBird01

You might have not been informed yet but as of Oct 1st the pay is changing, for the better for swift.

BigBird01, I went out to Swifts site and they have a new site up. The bad news is they no longer list the pay scale on the site(unless it is just hidden and I haven't found it yet). I guess the driver is suppose to have ESP to figure out what they are going to pay. :x

Longsnowsm

[kuettel]

While in the truck a week ago the "new" pay increase came over the qualcom. It involved paying more for short trips....under 250 miles (something in the neighborhood of 42 cents a mile)

I did check the new Swift site and it does not mention the CPM at all! They did tell us before we left that the pay would be increasing. We shall see.............

I knew going into this that I was little more than an indentured servant, so I am not at all surprised with what I am experiencing here except for the bad trainer I had last week (but that is for another thread). The low pay is part of learning process.