[repete]

Originally Posted by Eightstack

I'd have to agree with jimjim!! You really ought to consider yourself lucky to even have a job!! I'm leaving the construction business in Florida to go OTR. Figure that one out.....but without house ONE being built anywhere, what else can I do. I think at $500 to $700 a week will at least keep me out of bankruptcy. And like I use to say in construction.....you have to learn to take the bad with the good!!! Hang in there.....something will happen one day....something good hopefully.

Seeeeeeya........

Ever think about heading to Galveston TX? Building trades are HUGE down there right now, if you can swing a hammer your hired.

[belpre122]

Originally Posted by Eightstack

I'd have to agree with jimjim!! You really ought to consider yourself lucky to even have a job!! I'm leaving the construction business in Florida to go OTR. Figure that one out.....but without house ONE being built anywhere, what else can I do. I think at $500 to $700 a week will at least keep me out of bankruptcy. And like I use to say in construction.....you have to learn to take the bad with the good!!! Hang in there.....something will happen one day....something good hopefully.

Seeeeeeya........

Try more like $400.00 to $500.00 if you are to operate like jonp is. Factor in your road expenses ....meals/laundry/coincidentals (of which there are many many in the OTR gig).

I appreciate your positive attitude, but time and experience show me that in short order you will be back here completely frustrated and defeated wondering "how in the hell" am I supposed to make $500.00 a week, and be away from home/family/friends for days/weeks at a time. You will be saying $500.00 is barely enough to cover my personal road expenses! Much less trying to cover all of the responsibilities at home! (which you will NOT see much of anymore). No way Jose! It's a house of cards/Ponzi scheme where these companies run you for for less than minimum wage pay, require you to live in a box for free, expect you to pay for all of your road expenses and treat you worse than you could have ever expected.

Let's see $500.00 for a full week in a JB Hunt hot-box......7 days x 24 hours= 168 hours of your time given to JB Hunt for that $500.00
= $2.97 per hour that you are gone from your home/family living in a truck.

My friend the McDonalds full time Breakfast employee. Works 4AM to 2PM, Monday thru Saturday at $8.00 per hour............
40 x $8.00 hour = $320.00
20 x $12.00 hour = $240.00
Total = $560.00 per week gross.

He shows up for ten hours a day, six days a week, and the biggest stress on his shoulders is whether he put cheese on a biscuit. He is off at 2PM daily to do whatever, whenever and however he wants to do until reporting to work at 4AM the next morning. He has every Sunday off to do as he pleases to include spending that with family. No "under load," no nothing. He is free to do as he pleases. I only use him as an example because he is a former JB Hunt scrub regional driver that saw the light and got out. He even has some benefits from being a MickeyDs full time employee.

So...in the end. $560.00 a week, home every day. Zero stress. Job stability for sure) I will let you guess what his reaction is when asked if he would ever consider going back with a coolie carrier situation like JB Hunt.

The MickeyD's analogy is actually much closer to home than most would like to admit. If I were to lose my local job and was looking at only a scam situation a la JB Hunt, etc. Without thinking about it a second, I would have spatula in hand and be asking the proverbial "fries with that?" before I would go back to coolie carrier OTR trucking.

[Double R]

Belpre122,

When you use this analogy, quit doing this way:

Let's see $500.00 for a full week in a JB Hunt hot-box......7 days x 24 hours= 168 hours of your time given to JB Hunt for that $500.00
= $2.97 per hour that you are gone from your home/family living in a truck.

NOBODY IS PAID TO SLEEP WHEN THEY ARE AWAY FROM HOME. That includes business people who travel weeks at a time for their jobs. They have road expense too. The 24x7 is inaccurate. And yes, I know the BS reply that you come back with about have to babysit the freight and all that.

Yes, MC D's does pay more but the way things are right now, everyone should be happy that they even have a job and at least are getting some kind of money.

[belpre122]

Originally Posted by Double R

And yes, I know the BS reply that you come back with about have to babysit the freight and all that.

Yes, MC D's does pay more but the way things are right now, everyone should be happy that they even have a job and at least are getting some kind of money.

OK Double R.......we could probably find some common ground. But the "having to babysit the freight and all that" is far, far, far from BS.

BTW..........be back in about 8 or so...........going to bed..........in the bed......in my bedroom.....at my house....:lol:

[Double R]

Originally Posted by belpre122

OK Double R.......we could probably find some common ground. But the "having to babysit the freight and all that" is far, far, far from BS.

Agree

[Mike Hunt]

Originally Posted by Double R

NOBODY IS PAID TO SLEEP WHEN THEY ARE AWAY FROM HOME.

You are wrong sir.

Wal-Mart drivers are paid for their sleeper-berth time. How do I know this? My buddy down the street has worked for them for 20 years. He gets paid right off his electric logbook. So do many other private fleets they pay their guys for sleeper berth time too.

Now consider this: a Wal-Mart driver is paid a fixed rate everytime he drops/hooks a trailer. And here you got these franchise carriers pulling Wal-Mart loads you know your JB's, your Schneiders, your Swifts, etc and these guys get nothing.

Nowadays I man the counter down at the local AM/PM and then I work part-time laying tile for my buddy's handyman biz where I get paid under the table. I'm making the same money I made living out of a truck. I eat better. I sleep better. I live better. I spend quality time with friends and family. And I'm paid better. So I figure this lifestyle of actually having a life and eating good food and excersing and not spending all my time alone behind the wheel of a truck will add more years onto my life. Ain't that sad?

[Double R]

Originally Posted by Mike Hunt

You are wrong sir.

Wal-Mart drivers are paid for their sleeper-berth time. How do I know this? My buddy down the street has worked for them for 20 years. He gets paid right off his electric logbook. So do many other private fleets they pay their guys for sleeper berth time too.

Now consider this: a Wal-Mart driver is paid a fixed rate everytime he drops/hooks a trailer. And here you got these franchise carriers pulling Wal-Mart loads you know your JB's, your Schneiders, your Swifts, etc and these guys get nothing.

Nowadays I man the counter down at the local AM/PM and then I work part-time laying tile for my buddy's handyman biz where I get paid under the table. I'm making the same money I made living out of a truck. I eat better. I sleep better. I live better. I spend quality time with friends and family. And I'm paid better. So I figure this lifestyle of actually having a life and eating good food and excersing and not spending all my time alone behind the wheel of a truck will add more years onto my life. Ain't that sad?

WALMART is a private carrier. There is a BIG difference between PRIVATE carriers and common carriers. I drive for a PRIVATE carrier. Guess I should have said most but then again not everybody on this board is as anal as you.:moon: Everyone can't drive for WALMART or get the pay and benefits that they get.

Now consider this: a Wal-Mart driver is paid a fixed rate everytime he drops/hooks a trailer. And here you got these franchise carriers pulling Wal-Mart loads you know your JB's, your Schneiders, your Swifts, etc and these guys get nothing.

Have you ever worked for a common carrier that has trucks DEDICATED to Walmart? If not, then are you sure that they don't? Some common carriers that have dedicated Walmart trucks DO pay the drivers hub miles, D/H pay, backhaul pay, and delay pay.

[fireman932003]

My average pay check AFTER road expenses, taxes and insurance is around 350.00. That sucks for being away from my family and friends. BUT, on the other hand, I do have a job in an economy that is to say the least, lacking in the employment sector! Everyone in my town is on a hiring freeze! No one is hiring. My advise to anyone looking to change jobs right now is you are better off staying where you are at. Now, 350.00 a week is nothing when it comes to truck driving but when you have been in another field for yrs and now there is no work available then it does not seem so bad to only make 350.00. Its better than nothing! Just my 0.02!

[Double R]

Originally Posted by fireman932003

My average pay check AFTER road expenses, taxes and insurance is around 350.00. That sucks for being away from my family and friends. BUT, on the other hand, I do have a job in an economy that is to say the least, lacking in the employment sector! Everyone in my town is on a hiring freeze! No one is hiring. My advise to anyone looking to change jobs right now is you are better off staying where you are at. Now, 350.00 a week is nothing when it comes to truck driving but when you have been in another field for yrs and now there is no work available then it does not seem so bad to only make 350.00. Its better than nothing! Just my 0.02!

:thumbsup::clap:

[Jimbpard]

Originally Posted by Double R

Yes, MC D's does pay more but the way things are right now, everyone should be happy that they even have a job and at least are getting some kind of money.

Amen!
It would suck BIG TIME to have to look for a job in the Pittsburgh area right now..
I've never seen it this dead in the 3 or so years that I've been looking to get in/been in the industry.