You think? :P

Most people in this country dont work 100hour work weeks.

That is also a higher wage than most OTR drivers earn.

Most people in this country don't want to work 40 hours a week. :P


I have no idea of what the national average for OTR drivers is when you factor in those just coming into the business. Most will not start in this salary range, but could be consistently earning in this range within a few years. There are a lot of experienced OTR drivers who earn over $40M/year.

You mean 40k/year, right G?

That comes out to $10-$12 an hour. Do you honestly think $10-$12 an hour is a fair wage for what is expected of an OTR driver?

Furthermore, do you honestly expect that $10-$12 an hour is an adequate wage to keep good experienced drivers in the industry?

I can tell you already that if it was, there wouldn't be the problems with turnover that there is. There would never be any talk of a driver shortage. Nobody would ever leave the industry until they retired.

There is a reason why people don't compare truck drivers to airline pilots, but rather compare trucking to working at McDonalds......

This discussion is getting pretty juicy here....

I can see both sides of this, but there are problems with each. Sure, I agree $40-50k a year is more than most make in today's economy, but because of the long hours, it attracts more "bad apples" than good.

Rev, and everyone else is very quick to point out that they should pay more and have higher standards. My question is this:

Where does it come from?

Freight rates just AREN'T that high! How is a company...any company...going to be able to afford a 'resonable' wage for a driver? I agree, what we do is worth WAY more than $10-12 an hour...but who's gonna pay it? NOT our customers, because the minute a company raises it's rates to reflect a higher pay for the driver is the minute that company signs it's death certificate, as NOBODY will pay that much for freight! There will ALWAYS be companies who will undercut you. Always.

Nowadays the only good way a carrier can pay more than it's competition is if it runs a leaner, more efficient business, with less losses and overhead. Some companies, like mine, are more picky with drivers and are more apt to fire a driver over being abusive and/or wasteful, and so they can pay a bit more than average. But...how can a company as big as Swift, Schneider, or any of the other big ones do that, when they are desperate to keep drivers in the seat already? Furthermore...how's a company NOT as big as swift or Schneider going to raise their rates, when the big guys are just going to undercut them, keep stuffing drivers in the seat for the current pay rate, and drive them out of business?

What's the solution? More regulation? :x That's the LAST thing this country needs at the moment, for the government to start getting it's hands in things it doesn't need.

What do you guys suggest? That's REASONABLE??? :twisted:

Thanks for the nod, Tom. Taking the time to acknowledge my brilliance is something that most simply do not take the time to do. I sense that it is heartfelt and sincere. Thank you.

Regarding your inquiry in the above post? I have to go to bed for a few hours and recharge my thinking cap and will let the Reverend, LeBron or one of the boys take care of you. If you are still in need of a bit of my forward thinking advice when I wake up, I will gladly come to your rescue. :wink:

Simple. Eliminate OTR company drivers. There are plenty of carriers who run intermodal who can handle more freight, and I'm positive the independent truckers would love to see rates increase for OTR runs. Let the company drivers do short haul and regional. Then that $10-$12 an hour isn't as bad.

It will never happen though. Not as long as there is a steady stream of suckers lining up to get into the coolie carriers' shiny Freightliners with the promise that they'll make it rich, and will simply have to eliminate their real lives because "it's what you make of it".

Like I said before. Rates wont go up until the drivers refuse to do it anymore. The industry (carriers, shippers and receivers) pays for the mininum level of acceptable performance and that's what they get. They're happy with it and they wont pay more so its up to the driver to say I wont do it. Until then, nothing will change. If your hauling cheap freight you get cheap wages. If you want more money switch to a commodity that requires more skill, experience, and responsibility.

Bottom line is too many guys say yeah I'll do it. Why should a carrier pay more than they have too?