Since your in the lovely city of Parumph :rofl::roll3: There are 2 companies that I know of in Vegas. 1 I know wants 2 years experience (thats for flatbeds), but neither one will hire you if you work for the other. Both have websites, but I can't view Pan Westerns....maybe coz I drive for Truline?

.29 cpm sounds lousy, but how many guys on the Ford assembly line starts out at 500.00 ;) an hour? Sadly what everyone (except a few) is saying is true. Sitting at docks to be loaded/unloaded can eat up alot of time. Don't believe the hype about having to eat in those wonderful truckstop establishments all the time. You say your single? That really makes it good....You won't always have to go home for time off, which means you can see some of the country on their dime.

BOL and never let anyone convince you that doing something like this sucks....you have to decide for yourself. I've done Local, regional and otr and I enjoy regional myself.

No Miles at May ever i worked there just over 2 years and consider this they do not care about drivers income at all. i do not know about FFE and most companies who hire new drivers start off at .28 after 6 months you can get to .34 more. after a year with no accidents or tickets i would want at least .38.. i make .40 to .44 to start and i only have a few years 7 or 8. mind is gone. If you pay for school you can do ok. local jobs are well a bit of a pain working hard long hours with impossable appointment times been there done that. Good luck. Oh yes recuriters LIE.

= You had the wrong local job.;)

There are some people who prefer local while others perfer over the road. Some local companies pay well, others do not. You could make $8/hour or $15/hour or more driving local. At the same time you can earn $0.26-0.50/mile over the road. You will NOT start at $0.50/mile. In fact, most carriers don't pay that much. Those that do will usually keep your miles down. With most jobs you start low and as you gain experience your earnings rise. That is true whether you drive local or otr. Most carriers will pay somewhere between $0.30-0.38/mile once you gain some experience.

I expect to see starting pay drop somewhat due to the economy, at least when it comes to local jobs. Employers will want you to prove yourself. Those who simply want a paycheck for little or no effort will be gone. Some of the major local and LTL carriers have been making major cutbacks and layoffs. I expect to see more of that to take place in the coming months. Many of them have been paying too high wages for the work performed. We are all basically working or being paid on our performance. Unions may not be able to protect workers in this slow economy. Some unions are attempting to hold out rather than compromise on pay or benefits to help save their jobs. That may cost some carriers to file bankruptcy and possibly close their doors.

There are some who seem to think that everyone should start at top wages. That doesn't happen in trucking nor does it happen in other industries. A tight economy requires everyone to put forth a little more effort and to make compromises. Starting out the most important thing you need to do is keep your nose clean and get some solid experience under your belt. The money will come with experience. Starting pay isn't nearly as important as the experience you gain. You still need to earn enough to make a living but as long as you can earn a liveable wage during your learning period you should do well.

Not all union jobs start out at top rate. I know 2 teamster locals that it take 3 years to get to top rate. But there are other locals were you start at the normal rate. Its all in how your contract is wrote up.

Whats so hard about making local appointment times? You SHOULD be somewhat close to your appointments if your local...
However, if you have a problem getting out of bed early, then yes, you might run into a problem...
I guess it's all about what being home in your own bed everynight means to you. To me it means alot, but I have a wife, and 3 kids ages 5 and under that I love to be with.
However, if I was a single guy, I dont think I'd have a problem running with a half decent flatbed company like Maverick.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

No you won't.

At most outfits, you'll drive 3,000 miles and get paid for around 2,700. You won't recieve overtime like just about all other blue collar jobs. You'll give 2 hours of your time away for free at every dock you bump. What other occupation is like that? Call up a cab and tell him to sit in your driveway for 2 free hours and see what he says. You won't get paid to fuel the truck. You won't get paid to inspect your company's equipment. You won't get paid to scale loads, drop/hook, traffic, breakdowns, etc, etc, etc.

Most college graduates don't work 80-100 hours per week and sleep under their desks at night and weekends spent stuck in their cars in the parking lot.

Has nothing to do with high wages. Has everything to do with a deteriorating economy.

I don't see the truckload sector faring any better and the wages at alot of these outfits are 1/2 of what you can make in LTL. I see truck dealerships full of used trucks. I see thousands of O/O's and small fleets out of business. I see loads on loadboards being moved for .70 cpm. I see truckstops full of parked trucks during the afternoon when 2 years ago you could pull into any space you wanted. Get to talking to some of the drivers and it's the same ole' story..."no freight"..."waiting on dispatch to get me a load"..."stuck here over the weekend"...etc.

Jimbo you're really crankin 'em out buddy!:D Definitely no time for you to be hoboing around at some truck stop. You just might lose your mojo!:lol:
Go get 'em tiger!!!:jump:

Lets give him a hand folks!!! :clap::clap::clap: Cold&Frosty has made his return! :clap::clap::clap:

I agree, I spent 18 years listening to guys at my last job complain about the JOB as they sat on their behinds for 12 hours making $31.50 an hour. Worked 12 hour shifts 7 days and 7 nights a month(rotating Shift) and when asked "are you looking for a job on your off days"?" all ways heard NO.
If your unhappy with your job or company then why stay? Life is to short to be that miserable. Either get out or quit complaining. Neither one gets anything done.