Is it just me??
 

I have some money saved up so im taking my time.. sortof a mini vacation before i decide what to do for the next couple hears and im watching the job postings on cl, here etc.

Is it just me or are trucking pay and hometime both going DOWN???
I know flatbed the paying freight is so bad you need to run 700+ mile runs (because of new dot bull**** etc) and unless you live in the northeast getting home is rough.
And im seeing insane offers. Experienced longhaul teams at .44 a mile??????? 3+year drivers at .31??? Getting home every 2 weeks for a swingby for <.40 a mile?
Maybe im just not seeing it but thing seem to be getting worse daily all of the above are frickin insane.. heck there are newbie companies paying .21 -.23 a mile. That is nuts.

I hope the miles per week aren't getting lower too.
If you're a company driver and run cpm you have to have 2500-3000 per week to make a decent check.

From what ive been hearing from dry van drivers lately theyre settling for 2k an average week. I dont think i ever ran that little in dry van unless i took a couple days off.

Just checked on a local job... home daily .. awesome right? Pay .27 a mile/11hr (wait time i assume). Seriously.. 11 bucks an hour?? Sure you can live indoors and eat but you aint doing much else

Industry is living in the past with a lot of company owner fighting change, they know they can't survive long without drivers, but they're not willing to give up the fat life for the benefit of their company. They're getting worse - but it's always darkest before the light. They can't keep paying crap with the degree of driver demand out there, at the same time CSA has made it difficult for a driver to leave a bad company - hope more than 3 companies in 2 years and your safety record goes to ****....

It's a crazy, crazy world.

Setting your budget for an average 2000 mile week is smarter.. the time off must be counted in as lost miles at the end of the year.. Every time you take off is a day with no income.

Where have you been looking? I am seeing pay and bonuses go up. More like .38-.42cpm to start plus bonuses.

Fozzy said:

I don't run solo (live in my truck,) but I think MOST of "them" still have a house and/or family at home with bills that can't be "adjusted down" to meet a substandard "miles per week." 2,000 miles is pretty much just FOUR days a week. ANY newbie can run 500 miles a day and STILL make a delivery/shipping appointment or two (if they will get it done and get him back on the road.)

Although I agree with your wisdom of budgeting lower than average expected income... I think I agree that miles AND cpm have been getting lower in the last 2 years. Even with a shortage (again?) of drivers due to the increased construction activity (#Obama Recovery,) Companies seem to be holding cpm level or reducing it for both newbies AND experienced drivers.

Is there a form I fill out for this? Does "lost miles/wages" count as a "business expense" on my 1040? Does the deduction for my U.I. go down due to the fact I would get LOWER benefits if I became unemployed and had to live on U.I.? .... or was that just a philosophical placation?

Well.... that would seem obvious. But... if I'm a solo driver only getting 2k miles per week.... I'd sure as hell expect to get HOME every weekend for AT LEAST 2 days. Why should I "sit" somewhere for an entire UNPAID day... getting 4 days pay for 5 at your "disposal," and THEN when I get home (usually a day late with NO extra MILES,) I'm almost "allowed" a full 34 hour restart (with a few annoying phone calls) before I'm sent out again.... to make another substandard paycheck? (compared to the entire trucking industry)

I'm just asking questions. This is not my life OR my fight. I have almost always driven TEAM.... cuz it guarantees high miles! In many cases (as my own) it usually guarantees (or predicts) maximum hometime. FedEX pays their contractors well, and in return... most of us drivers are paid well. I'm not complaining. I recently gave UP a couple of CPM for a dedicated run with exceptional miles.... and I'm STILL home every weekend to play on CAD (or Facebook.) lol.

But.... I average 5600 team miles/wk. That would be 2800 solo miles. At GOOD pay. [MOST drivers out there don't do quite as well. (some do better! ... text me some info will ya guys?)]

I would have to make over 60 cpm to gross what I do.... if I only got 2,000 miles/wk. I don't think I can "budget" for only 2,000 miles/wk .... even at what "I" get paid. lol.

The biggest problem with this industry is.... the "companies" are disillusioned with the idea that the average American worker, non-union, can PAY his meager "budget" on less than $500/wk TAKEHOME.

And then there's Mickey D's! lol. THEY think a person can live on $250/wk "gross," and won't mind working a second job on THEIR weekends!

And then there's GMAN... who thinks people below the poverty level, making about $1200 a month, and having to pay TAXES on it.... should have to pay for their own insurance AND buy groceries/rent/utilities etc... without any gov't assistance... out of the remaining $200 or less per week. Oh that's right.... they're all drug dealers and "takers." lol.

Well.... can't think of a lower level of subsistence to compare to. But, y'all get my point.

That would be a 4000 mile week for me as a team. I HAVE had some bad weeks like that.... but, I usually got home in 4 days and had a 3-day weekend!

I'm not a "diehard" road warrior. I wouldn't mind being home every day. But, in my area... local jobs pay just about that! $10-12/hr is average. Maybe a few higher. But, almost ALL of them will bust the hell out of your 14 hour clock! And then, after commuting, you get less than 10 hours at home? I need to sleep 7 at least! If I HAD a family.... I wouldn't SEE 'em! I'd take a shower, drink a couple of beers and zap dinner! lol.

I have more ME time.... over the road! lol.

My daughter is a trucker she is leasing a truck and is looking for a driver to drive her truck so she can get into nursing. She spent all her money on repairs and I had to pay her cell phone bill she did not even have $50 after over 2 years of trucking, anybody out there who is honest and wants to drive her truck?

Good luck, wish her success.