Quote:
Originally Posted by IronRydr
As another newbie, I'd like to know why this is such a bad starting package? I've investigated dozens of companies and, as a new student driver, the best pay that I've found offered anywhere is .34cpm from one carrier (but the miles per week are suspect), and .41 cpm from one Hazmat Tanker lines that don't have any driver positions open at the moment. A lot of companies start us newbies at .26-.28cpm, so why is his .29 offer so bad?
Why is .29 cpm bad?
Well, look at it like this: at say 2,600 average paid miles per week (remember, you'll get ripped off about 10% or so from your hub miles), that's $754 on the gross. Now that's before taxes, FICA, social security, 401k deductions, health insurance deductions, yadda, yadda, yadda. So it's like $475.00 take home per week...and then you've got to figure road expenses. Would not be a bad wage for 40 hours per week, but in OTR trucking you'll work double that with no overtime after 8/40 hours because unlike just about every other blue collar job, trucking is exempt from the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act). On top of that, you get to sleep in a truck. So the hourly breakdown is like $9.00/hr to work round the clock, live in truckstops, not get laid, and not see home for 2 weeks.
So you say, "gotta start somewhere, right?" Fair enough. But consider this: company drivers for Kimberly Clark in 1985 were getting .25 cpm. How do I know this? Because my uncle drove for em'. And these guys were out 3 days hauling 48' trailers around. Now you guys are out for 2+ weeks dragging 53' monstrosities around bumping curbs and pissing everyone off and less hometime...for .04 more than guys 23 years ago were getting.
If you don't hit anything and keep your nose clean, you might move up to a better-paying gig. But there's not many of those jobs left, and the pickens get slimmer with each passing year as more and more good-paying outfits get undercut by fools running for eight-ball shifters and rebel flags. Besides, it's not a drivers market anymore and probably won't be for the forseable future so the competition is fierce for those remaining gravy trains.
So alot of people like you who thought .29 cpm wasn't so bad found out the hard way that .29 cpm WAS bad after all the hours they put into the job and they say "F this!" and leave the industry...at least the smart ones do...hence the astronomical turnover rates at these OTR companies. Now the companies go the government and cry bloody murder that they can't find any drivers so the government figures no Americans want these jobs, so why not let all these illegal aliens on the dole get CDL's and collect taxes and prop up the bankrupt social security system? And so .29 cpm today will be like top-rate in trucking in 10-15 years...although it may very well be .ppm = Pesos Per Mile.
So to quote the great Paul Harvey "now you know the rest of the story!". And no I'm not drinking or on pain meds...crazy perhaps....but there is a point to be made here. Actually I'm just trying to make folks think about where this industry is headed and so maybe they'll think twice and go get a real job.