[Zen Road Warrior]

hey folks,
i have 6 months in and am averaging $400 per week. I'm always on a trip but with the low pay per mile and 4-6 hour load/unload this is all I'm seeing.

I drive straight through and never take longer that a 10 hour break.

Where is the money in trucking? Does one have to go into flatbed, tanker, become an o/o?

Soon I'll have a year in and will have more options, but....

How can one make a decent living from trucking?

thanks.

[Ridge Runner]

Well to start with, how much is the "low pay per mile" ? Second, are you running out your 70 and having to do a restart each week? Give us a few more details and I'm sure we can come up with some answers to help your bottom line.

[BanditsCousin]

Well, I used to do HHG and did fairly well. Now I do tradeshows and special products like electronics and medical equipment and do better. For a while my Dad hauled cars for FedEX and made some hefty change.

I'd say the first step is to talk to your manager and/or dispatcher. The next step is to start shopping for a new career and/or commodity when #1 step doesn't amount to more $$.

[repete]

your gonna hear a lot of crap from the LTL guys on here and yes you can make money there but you can do well OTR also. We need more info, cents per mile, miles per load, how you log your time,ect post some numbers and we'll try to help. The $$ out there it just depends on who you drive for and how you manage your time

[Double R]

Might want to look into finding a new carrier to work for. Seems whoever you are driving for pays low.

You can make money in OTR trucking. But you will live out of a truck and spend all your time on the job. The trick is to make good money AND have a life outside of and away from the truck. To do that, you've got to get away from the van/reefer dime-a-dozen steering-wheel holders and aim for more specialized work such as oilfield, LTL, oversized loads, car-hauling, tankers, private fleets, UPS/FedEx, etc.

The more skill/experience required, the more money you will make. Either that, or some kind of union influence to prop up the wages. In OTR, these McMega carriers are churning out a new crop of starry-eyed newbs by the week. It's Economics 101...a steady supply of labor keeps wages down throughout the industry.

[GMAN]

With 6 months experience you should be earning more than $400/week. I would think that you should be making at least $600/week. Don't get discouraged. Once you get a year or two experience you will find that your income and opportunities will increase dramatically.

[hoohaa]

Originally Posted by GMAN

With 6 months experience you should be earning more than $400/week. I would think that you should be making at least $600/week. Don't get discouraged. Once you get a year or two experience you will find that your income and opportunities will increase dramatically.

Yes...he'll go from a really crappy job, to a pretty crappy job. :lol:

GMAN is right though.
That 400 dollar `figure sounds really low, even for a newbie.

Have you tried organizing a union in your place of employement?.......
Nevermind, what am I thinking?
Low wages, and giving away your time for free, is just part of the job. :rock:

[Snowman7]

Are you saying $400 gross or net? Everyone has different deductions so gross would allow us to offer some better comparisons.

[Colts Fan]

Originally Posted by Snowman7

Are you saying $400 gross or net? Everyone has different deductions so gross would allow us to offer some better comparisons.

Either way that is still some pathetic pay.