[Justruckin]

I keep getting slammed for not painting a rosy picture regarding trucking and the newbies. The below needs to be said, as many of these schools and recruiters are feeding many of these green horns a line of bull in my book.

Go ahead and pick my numbers apart, I think that they are pretty honest and fair as to what is really going on out here right now in regards to freight and actual miles driven in a week. And yes, I know some are doing better than others, you have your dedicated lane and local gigs. I am not speaking to you guys, but the new guy thinking of getting into this racket expecting to make a financial killing in their first or second or even third year out here. I called Swift and spoke with a recruiter for the below numbers. The one number I messed with is the 2500 to 3000 mile a week to the truck. I don't know of many solo drivers out here getting those kinds of numbers with these big outfits and our current economic situation. So go ahead and dive in.

Let's break this down for the newbies, who are all in desperate need of work and a good paying job to pay the bills... Don't most of these trucking companies state that you will make $30,000 a year to start?

OK, you go to Swift driving academy, they still charge you for school ($3900) and lodging ($500). Out of your pay comes $67 a week for the first 6 months, it breaks down to $37 for school and $30 for lodging. Now at the end of your 6th month, the payment drops to $37 a week as by then you have paid off your school lodging costs. You will continue to pay the $37 a week for another 7 months. The school note is a 13 month contract.

We go through the 18 day school to get the CDL. The school costs $3900 + $500 for lodging.

Then we take our test to get the CDL.

We get the CDL, and wait for a trainer to become available. And from reading here on this site that is taking upwards of four months to get drivers going with the trainer. Each case will vary, but it is safe to say that you will still need to eat and pay bills in that time frame, be it one week or four months.

We get to the trainer, you guys get along, you stay out for 6 weeks, maybe longer depending on how you do. You get a flat salary of $450 a week. Which $67 a week is subtracted out of your pay for the school, and don't forget taxes. $450 - .27 in taxes = $328 - $67 for school = $261.00. Now subtract at least $100 for living expenses out of that in the form of an advance... We have a net pay of "roughly" $161.00 for the week.

All right, $161 for the week, say you are out 8 weeks, that works out to.... $1288.00 or $644 a month net pay, or $21.46 a day NET.

Now, we go solo, we start at Swift @ .26 a mile. Your first week out, you get 1000 miles, which is not unusual in this economy. You have just earned your first paycheck, $260.00

$260 - .27 for taxes = $190 - $67 for school = $123 - $100 advance for food which leaves you with $23.00 for a weeks worth of work. Now remember, we use real weeks in trucking on a 24 hour clock, which is 7 full days.

Let's break this down further, you just netted $23.00 for a week of work. Divide that by 7 = $3.28 a day for your labor.

Now you start getting some miles, you are now up to 1500 miles a week average for your first 6 months, not unusual out here in this economy. Let's do the math... We will use a four month time frame subtracting the two months for the training time that you were on salary.

Training pay, net for 2 months = $1288

Four months solo @ 1500 a week net average with a base of .29 a mile = $151.00 a week x 17 weeks = $2567.00 I spared you the deductions.

You have now been on the road for 6 months, with an average of 1500 miles for every week you have been out. You have a NET pay after all expenses of $3855.00 for 6 months of work. Or $148 a week or $21 a day.

Now lets say you make it 6 months on this pay, which moves up on a scale at Swift. At 6 months you are now making .32 a mile and are now averaging say 1800 miles a week. 1800 x .32 = $576 - .27 for taxes = $420 - school @ $37.00 = $383 - $100 advance = $283.00 a week net income.

Now, lets say you take no time off and work the remaining 26 weeks of the year. You will net $7358.00 for 26 weeks or $40 a day.

So let's add up your annual NET income for your entire first year. $1288 + $2567 + $7358 = $11,213.00

That averages out to a NET of $216 a week, or $31.00 a day. You get all of this, plus a roof over your head in an 8'x8' box to live in rent free with all of the junk food you can afford to eat. Every time you hit a truck stop, it will cost you roughly $10 to eat fast food or $15 for a sit down meal, that is roughly $25 a day to eat. Unless you have a fridge in your truck and shop at WalMart and eat out of a can or lunch meat. And then lets not forget showers. Showers are around $10 a pop, and if you aren't running, you ain't buying fuel so no free showers. Say you take 3 a week out of your own pocket and skip a day or two. Let's do some more math... Let's say you can live on $20 a day for food, that works out to $140 a week and then throw in 3 showers at $30 because you don't like wandering around feeling and smelling like a pig. That is $170 a week right there and trust me, you are not getting much for that $20 a day in food.

Now run the numbers again, can you live on $100 a week out here? And what if you smoke? Add that to that $170 figure. And remember, you can only live on .99 hot dogs for a very short period of time before you get to the point you gag when see the rotisserie. And if you think you will fast food it, I was in Dallas TX a few months ago, it was $7.90 for a Whopper and near $10 for the meal deal. Salads were running $7 with out a drink.

I could do this all day long, I have done this stuff, and the numbers do not lie, math is math. And math is the main reason I sold all of my equipment and hung it up. I got lucky, as most of my friends have lost their homes and families. Trucking today is like Amway.

Hey, I just hate seeing people get into this racket without knowing what they are truly in for. This is not some fun and games occupation to just jump into where you make lots of money, especially if you have bills and responsibilities. It took me near ten years before I actually started to earn what I would consider a living wage. But I did not have anything when I got into this racket, I was young, recently divorced, lost everything and needed a roof and a few squares a day. Trucking fit the bill and allowed me to simply survive. I remember many times calling home and asking for money from my parents just so I could eat.

With 20 years under my belt and a squeaky clean record I can honestly tell all of you, I could not afford to be a company driver at these wages. Wages that have not gone up in over thirty years.

[Mackman]

Great post

[jd112488]

justtruckin..you seem bitter? if you are "out of this racket" why do you call yourself justtruckin, you should be icouldntahndlemycompanysoifeeleveryoneelsewillfail aswell. but that is neither here nor there. i personally did not take the time that you did to call the cheapest paying new driver hireing company there is. i think your numbers may be a bit skewed. 1000 mile and 1500 mile. highly unlikely..ask kev..he is a swifty. also some poeple can very easily live on less than 100 bucks a week. but like i said i do not ahe the desire to call a recruiter and waste their time by telling them i need training just to get some numbers. your bitter and done with trucking..get over it dude. go on with your life and quit trying to bring everyone else down with you. it is like you said on another thread in which you were bashing driving. you had to start driving outta neccisity...alot of people are in the same boat now. a paycheck is better than no paycheck..right??

[Justruckin]

Yes, a paycheck is better than no paycheck. Am I bitter in regards to trucking, no. Are my numbers off, maybe, maybe not, every case is different. I just laid these out as a baseline using conversations with drivers that I do know and talking to other trucking company owners. Just because I got out of trucking does not mean that I have cut off all contact to many people that I consider my friends that are still active in the industry.

My point for posting the above is to at least make people think. Have you ever done anything that you never thought through or took the time to ask questions about when you were in a vulnerable position? It looked like the right thing to do at the time, an opportunity? And on edit: How do you even know what the right questions are to ask? Most people getting into trucking have no idea as to what they are getting into. I did it out of desperation, but had nothing to lose. I went from 3 figures to 6 figures, but it took a good thirteen years to reach that point when I could pay cash for a $17,000 truck.

Allot of people are in a bad spot right now, and there are many outfits out there taking advantage of many of these people. Is it my business, nope. And honestly, anyone getting into this business should at least look at the numbers. Now the numbers I used are pretty close to reality for many new guys out here. Go ahead and juice them up on the miles, but I think I was pretty fair, as I used 52 weeks as my baseline for pay. And you cannot tell me you work a solid 52 weeks out here without ever stopping.

From the guys I have spoken with over the last few weeks, 1800 miles is about average for my friends. Yes, some weeks they may get 2500 miles in, but the next week they only bag 1200 on a bunch of short hoppers. And if you do work for a big company you do know that they give to much times to make their deliveries. A two day run can easily extend to four days. That is almost a given out here with the new rules that are coming and just the fact that there is not that much freight out here to move.

[Malaki86]

I drive 5 days a week. Occasionally I'll drive 6. On a VERY rare occasion (maybe 3-4x per year) I'll drive 7 days a week. I bring home, after taxes & insurance, an average of $1,500 every 2 weeks. And, yes, I'm a company driver. Ya - I can live on $750 per week very comfortably.

[Mr. Ford95]

Originally Posted by Malaki86

I drive 5 days a week. Occasionally I'll drive 6. On a VERY rare occasion (maybe 3-4x per year) I'll drive 7 days a week. I bring home, after taxes & insurance, an average of $1,500 every 2 weeks. And, yes, I'm a company driver. Ya - I can live on $750 per week very comfortably.

Heck, I'm local and bring home less than that after taxes and all and I'm living just fine. My wife works but take her paycheck and the additional bills of hers out of the picture and I can still live just fine at $555 a week after taxes. Then again, my "living fine" is probably different than others.

[jd112488]

ok..your numbers are still off in my humble opinion. i doubt the consistent 6 months at 1000 miles and the 6 months at 1500 miles. you may be right and i may be wrong. but i agree with you on one point. people entering this field need to do there research!!! calling one company is not research. call several companies..at least 8. talk to several drivers..20. take what they say, take that home and think on it for at least a week. and remember this one fact. happy people are more likely to be quiet. unhappy people are easy to find cause they are always going on about how miserable they are and how it is someone elses fault that they are miserable. i would venture to guess for every good comment on trucking you find you will hear 10 unhappy comments on trucking.

here is mine. did my starter company experience go as i planned. no. i had a newborn at home and had never been gone like that before. does that mean that trucking sucked? no..just that i admittedly was not prepared. i took a couple local jobs and ended up making less than i did otr. i then found my current job and stuck with it. i love my job!!! is it always like running through a field of roses? nope..but i am happy and make good money that fits my families lifestyle. it may not be as much as some people make and it may be more than some make. if this is something you wanna do give it a shot...you may in two or three years find the job you love. just the same as justtruckin took the job out of desperation and ended up doing it for over twenty years with a squeaky clean record...so it must not be as bad as he says.

[millersod215]

Justtruckin, you've got too much time on your hands, your's is the kind of post I get 1 paragraph in to and give up on it, the same old blah blah blah that's been posted a million times. Whether what you say is viable or not, people are still going to do what they're going to do, you and others need to stop trying to be "Trucking God", let a man, and or a woman experience the highs and lows of driving, whatever they may be. I've seen the good the bad and the ugly and it has made me a stronger man, with a wiser head on my shoulders. So if you covered good points towards the end of your rant, let me apologize for not realizing it, seeing as how I didn't make it that far, but doesn't there need to come a time where these needless posts finally go away, and lets just all congratulate one another for having a job whatever it may be in these economic times. Just my 2 cents...........

[P0rk Ch0p]

I've looked over everything, and since I didn't go to any companies school, i should be OK there.

I am in debt for my schooling, but Tuition Reimbursement should cover that.

I am not expecting to get rich, But I am a single not married no kids 23 yrs old.

I should be just fine just starting out OTR.

[bigtruckman]

only thing i can say for a new driver is to be patient get six months otr with whatever company your with then get on a regional or dedicated board that why your miles will be consistent 2500-3200 every week make sure you pickup and deliver on time... but the main thing i would say is NEVER EVER SIGN A LEASE(TRUCK) WITH THE COMPANY....:thumbsdown: other than that have fun, hold on and enjoy the view!!!:thumbsup: