Profile For Old School

I guess I missed a little something that went on in here earlier. I'm going to take a guess that somebody took offense and thought we were being unreasonable in asking for some numbers to support this claim that someone doubled their pay just by transferring to a different division within their company.

Here's the deal... we dedicate a lot of time and effort here teaching people how things work in this industry. One of the most confusing things for new drivers to understand is how the pay works. Everybody wants to make the most they can, but very few of them understand how you get that done. I've done well in trucking, but one thing that I know would be impossible for me to do is double my pay by switching jobs. It just doesn't happen.

We've repeatedly said how happy we are that Jamie is enjoying his new position, and we are genuine in that sentiment. He's a great member who has shared a lot of his struggles and triumphs in here. His foray into trucking has been very informative for newbies following along with both his victorys and his issues. We love this guy!

It would be really nice for him to give us some numbers. I don't know how he could double his pay with a simple move like this. An OTR driver can set his own standard of measure. He has power over his results. He can earn as much as he can legally produce within the rules and regulations. We see this all the time. Some folks get right in there and make it happen, but most of us rookies struggle with producing the kind of results we long for. That's why we stress sticking with it for one full year. Nobody figures this stuff out overnight. It's a tough career to bust into as a beginner.

He did say this...

over all I was on track to drive around 110,000 miles my first year

Okay, I'm speculating here, because it's all I can do at this point. Let's put a CPM rate to that. I don't know what he started at, but let's just say he was making 35 cents per mile. That puts his rookie pay at $38,500 for the year. Imagine if he had turned 135,000 miles. It's certainly doable for a rookie driver - I've seen plenty of them do more than that. His pay then goes up to $47,250 - a very respectable amount for a new driver.

If my first calculation is close, and I believe it is, then by doubling his pay he would be getting paid in excess of $77,000 now on this new account. This is a new driver. It just doesn't add up to those of us who've been out here for a while. That's why we are questioning this. We like facts because we are in the business of teaching people. You can't teach anything without accurate information and facts.

There's nothing critical toward Jamie in all this. C'mon we are all adults. We'd just like to know the facts before we present a bunch of misleading information to some information starved newbies. I think Jamie likes his steady consistent pay check - that's great - I'm happy for him. I just think he misspoke about doubling his pay. I'm hoping he will help us figure it out.

Congratulations Don!

We have fun with these dancing bananas, but seriously what you've accomplished is a big deal. There's a lot of people who fall short on this particular goal. I love hearing these anniversary reports. It shows me we've got some really good solid drivers in here, and you are one of them !

Mark, you kind of have yourself in a tough position. It would seem easy enough to just go through a "refresher" course at one of the many Paid CDL Training Programs. The problem with that is most of them won't consider someone who previously dropped out of a training program. You've quit twice during training. They simply see you as a high risk, and don't want to commit their resources to someone with that kind of record.

There are some options, but you're limited. I know Western Express has a program for folks in your situation. What they do is run you through orientation and then pair you with another driver in a similar situation as yours. Then the two of you work together as a team for a certain amount of miles. I'm not sure, but I think it's 40,000 miles. After you've satisfactorily completed the teaming portion of your training they put you in a solo truck and your on your own as a solo company driver.

You might also try contacting CFI and see what kind of options they offer. It seems we've had a few people in your situation get started fairly painlessly with them.

Foremost you need to recognize the extreme commitment this job requires. It's not easy getting started, and even more demanding to stay in the game. You need to put some skin in the game and hang tough. It's not unusual for us to have emergency situations arise at home. Most of the time we deal with them from the road and keep moving forward. I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I just want you to realize bad stuff happens - how we deal with those events is not typically the way folks with a 9 -5 regular job would do. If there's anything that separates the folks who are enjoying and succeeding at trucking from the many malcontents out here, it's a recognizable "hardcore commitment" to getting this job done under all the various circumstances that constantly push them to gravitate back to their former lifestyle.

Good luck Minnis! It's great to hear from you!

Without that context you are really making some confusing statements to new people here trying to figure this career out. You guys may not realize that there are thousands of people who read these conversations without ever actually joining up as members. We do them a great disservice by saying you can quit OTR before you get your year in or even really get the hang of it and then make double your pay.

That's not "Trucking Truth." So we need you to be candid at this point. You set this up - please give us a number sir.

Jamie c'mon man - shoot straight with us.

How much are you making now?

That would give this convoluted conversation some context.

This is a good conversation. I'm glad we're having it. As you can see there's a lot of confusion about truck driver pay. I think it all boils down to the fact that most people simply have a hard time adjusting to performance based pay. It's hard to determine what you're actually making as a rookie (like Jamie), when you really don't have any track record but a few struggling months of still trying to figure out what you're doing.

Once again we are discussing a situation that reinforces the things we teach about sticking it out for one full year. At a minimum, it will take that much time to get yourself established. It takes several more years after that to be able to start producing in a meaningful way that produces a good comfortable income. Look at what Jamie said - I think this is what has thrown his calculations off...

I make a set amount of money everyday

That was never the case for him as an OTR driver. It's a comfort level that he's content with. It seems like a lot because he's not accustomed to being paid that way as a driver. It would drive me insane! I want to be turned loose to my own set of standards. I like to write my own rules. Don't put any limits on me - I want to prove my own worth and Run With The Big Dogs. If I have the chance to make a couple of thousand dollars per week, by George I'll shoot for the moon and take my chances. Sometimes I'll git 'er done, sometimes I'll come up a little short, but I will sure give it my best try everyday I'm out here.

It's not something everybody is comfortable with. We see it often. People have trouble adjusting to this lifestyle, and the unique way we earn our keep. I've always taken the approach that says, "Show Me The Money!" Then I go out there and shake that sugar tree until I start to get some results. That takes determination and commitment. An acceptable comfortable steady income is always the enemy of that approach.

I have no problem with Jamie's choice, but I can't see it as doubling his pay. He simply wasn't getting it done OTR the way he needed to make some good money. I think we're all happy for him. He seems quite happy with his new situation. We're just concerned with a few of his statements being a little misleading to other newbies in here.

I'm going to add one more thought here. Everybody labors over this whole idea of having to pick the perfect company to start with. It's total baloney. These trucking companies are all so similar, and a rookie OTR driver doesn't really have a clue what he's getting into anyway. Charles, wherever you can get started will work just fine. The only critical variable is how you conduct yourself as a newbie.

Please don't let yourself be so disappointed. Rookie drivers just need a place to start. That name on the truck doors isn't going to help you or establish you in this career. Your success at this rests solely on your efforts and abilities to be productive and safe. The company will give you a shot at it, but the results are all up to you.

Charles if you were of any value at your old job I'm quite sure they would take you back. Just explain what happened. They will understand.

Now, as far as being "shifty" goes... you were the first one to throw a kink into things. I'm curious... how much time did you drop out of contact with them? You said you had a family memorial to attend. That's a couple of days at most, maybe three if you have to travel. How long did you leave them wondering about you?

You don't even need to answer that, but you need to realize how critical communications are in the logistics business. If you took your time and didn't bother keeping them updated regularly, you may have blown it.

Okay let's move on - that's what you need to do now. We always teach people to line up several pre-hire agreements. These companies are not obligated to you by any means. I got rejected countless times when I determined to get my trucking career started. Each of them said, "We have better applicants that we chose." What? I was spotless - 30 years at one job! When I finally had three or four pre-hires set up, I got started. Guess what happened? I got sent home from the first three orientations I attended.

Yeah, you need to have multiple companies lined up when you're ready to start. It's a crap shoot for them as well as you. Just move forward and try again, but get yourself some backup companies lined up to fall back on.

Good for you - I'm glad to hear it!

I love free food!

What we really want to do is move out of Iowa and drive truck, preferably team

There's no reason for you to relocate if that's your goal. You can live in Iowa and work for a company from Tennessee, or any other state for that matter. All the companies running team trucks prefer husband/wife teams. You can sell all your junk and live on a truck together for a few years. If you can't save any money with that plan then the problem doesn't stem from your level of pay.

Welcome Michael.

You may enjoy participating in a more recent conversation. This one is almost 2 years old!

Hey Stephen, those are some good questions.

Truck driving is all about productivity. It's an asset based business. That means they make money by keeping their assets (trucks) busy. On the flipside of that is that you, the driver, make money that same way. Drivers who can get a lot done make a good solid income. That's why you're going to be paid "by the mile." You're actually going to be responsible for how much you make.

How many hours you work may or may not reflect how productive you are. I make great money doing this, but what I really enjoy about this career is the sense of adventure that comes with it. I've got to warn you - there's already a slight tendency in your question that sounds like the typical "never happy about their job" truck driver. There's hundreds of thousands of these people. They claim they're over worked, under paid, and seldom allowed to be at home. You are already wondering, "are they gonna fight me." That's not a good way to get started at this. What they both want and need is for you to be productive.

I can't tell you how many hours you'll be working, nor can I know how many miles you'll drive each day. I can tell you that you'll probably work longer hours than you ever have before, and you'll be exhausted at the end of each day. It's not unusual for me to work the equivalent of two full time jobs each week (80 hours). It's not unusual for me to drive 600+ miles on any given day. It's also not unusual for me to be loving every minute of it. All the challenges, the planning, the execution of the tasks, and the consequences of my efforts are both energizing and rewarding. This job has instant gratification for me. Every day is another battle ground victory - it's pure pleasure.

Get it settled ahead of getting started. Make a Commitment to being the best truck driver on the face of the earth. Don't get started with that "us against them" mentality that you've already started nourishing by reading all the nonsense on the internet. Your research is poisoning you. That's why you're asking if you're going to be fighting with the company to go home every two weeks. I can promise you this - when you can consistently knock out 3,000 miles each week, you'll have no problem getting home.

The way you get respected and rewarded in this career is to be productive. Let me warn you - rookies are not consistently productive. Therefore you might not be going home every other weekend like you want, or if you do you might not be making very good money. Either way you aren't very valuable to the company like that. What makes you valuable and gives you leverage is that you develop yourself into a Top Tier Driver. Always focus on improving your results. Stay focused on being the best. Forget about there being some kind of war between the company and it's drivers. Great drivers get great results and great treatment. You give them the results they need and they give you the treatment you want. It's so simple that a fourth grader could figure it out. Yet many drivers are continually banging their heads up against this problem regularly. My dispatcher once told me that One Out Of Five Drivers Does A Great Job. Be that one unusual driver and you'll be scratching your head at how all those other drivers are so miserable doing this job.

Rick, thanks for pointing out DPF vs DEF. It's confusing, and we truckers often will call the DPF filter a DEF filter. I did it inadvertently in my previous post. I was referring to the DPF filter.

I really should have clarified my remarks. I know they replaced one of mine in a Volvo at 300,000 miles, and they told me that was a scheduled maintenance item. The problem with me throwing that out there is that they are constantly changing our maintenance programs. As they gather data on the results they continually adjust how and when they take care of maintenance issues. This is probably common in large fleets.

When I first started with Knight we had to bring our trucks in for maintenance every 7,500 miles. Now we do it at 25,000 mile intervals. The large fleets aren't bashful about spending money on maintaining their equipment, but they want to make sure they aren't spending unnecessarily. They monitor the results they get and adjust their programs trying to be as efficient as possible without interfering with the driver's productivity.

Usually those DEF filters are replaced around 300,000 miles. At least that's been my experience at Knight.

Are these scheduled maintenances a drop-everything-and-get-to-a-terminal priority, or can it be put off until a more convenient time?

Typically they will route you in at a convenient time. That's not a drop dead pressing matter. They want to do certain maintenance on a schedule, but it's not usually a "drop-everything-and-get-to-a-terminal priority."

A big Congratulations from me!

Junkyard Dog, I don't know if you realize what a big deal this is or not. In my opinion it's a major accomplishment, and a major step toward a successful trucking career. Not many people who attempt this career make it through their first year, and many quit after accomplishing that one year mark. We see it all the time. Trucking companies wish they didn't see it all the time, but unfortunately they do. Most people give up long before they ever get to where they can begin to enjoy success at this. It truly is an extraordinary job that requires extraordinary people.

You did good!

Welcome to our forum Dylan!

2nd company to drive for but my first didn't seem to expect me to switch between days and nights nearly as often, this time around it's been 3 times in just a week, is that normal or am I at a bad company?

Dylan, every new driver now days is plagued by that nagging question, "Am I at a bad company?" I think it's silly but I understand why it bothers everyone. All over the internet people are telling us how this or that company is "bad." For an experienced successful driver it makes no sense. I have close friends who are making top dollar and very happy with their careers at most of the companies that are slandered online. How can that be? How can people be successful and happy working at places like Swift, C.R England, or Western Express? Are you aware that each of those companies has a long list of "Million Miler Drivers?" You'd be surprised at how many really talented successful drivers are employed by the companies that are ridiculed online. All that slanderous internet information is total garbage.

In this career you want to move as much freight as you possibly can while being efficient with the time spent getting that objective accomplished. That's how it works. That's how you make money. That's how your employer makes money. I flip schedules from night to day every week. I make some great money, and my dispatcher knows he can count on me to get things done. We call effective productive drivers Top Tier Drivers.

I realize it's difficult and perhaps really demanding for a new driver to develop this practice of being able to flip back and forth. The thing about doing this is that it makes you a much more attractive employee. Everything about trucking is performance based. The folks who can get the most done get the best loads. They eventually become the top earners and are favored in many ways by their dispatcher. There's no fair or equitable treatment of drivers in this business. The best drivers get the best treatment. I can assure you that the best way to get yourself to the top in this business is to be willing to do what it takes. Sometimes part of that is driving at night.

Don't get all hung up on whether your company is good or bad. It's a futile concept that will keep you unhappy in your career. Focus on being the most productive driver you can be. That's the simple formula for success at this.

I agree with turtle. Going solo as opposed to continuing to team in a non productive situation is a no brainer. Nobody is going to label that as being a trouble maker or complainer. It looks more like a guy that wants to make a go of this. Go for it - you'll be able to figure this stuff out better on your own.

Now I know it’s my first year in trucking and I should be realistic about how much money I am going to make

Welcome John! That's a good approach to this. This following statement has me puzzled though...

I did not want to jump into a lease without getting experience (as per countless online advice) so I figured to maximize income as company driver I’d go team.

You've demonstrated three common misunderstandings about trucking. The first one is that you'll make more money as a lease operator. Secondly is that after you have experience leasing is a good idea. And that third bit of false information is that a team driver makes more money than a solo driver.

I'm not sure where you're doing your research, but I'll warn you there's a lot of really bad information online. You've obviously stepped deep into some of it.

Realistically you should make between 40,000 and 45,000 your first year. It's possible to do a little better, but those numbers are a pretty good average. Going lease or team isn't going to change that, and more than probably will make it worse. So... I personally think you made a blunder that you might want to go ahead and correct.

You're focused on trying to find the right type of trucking situation that will maximize your income. Big mistake! Here's how you make the hig bucks in trucking. You focus on being the most productive driver that you can be. It's very simple. It has nothing to do with teaming, leasing, or even which company you are at. All the focus is on you and how you get the job done.

This career is performance based. Our pay is performance based. Team drivers and lease drivers are still dependent on their performance, yet they have extra variables that can hurt their bottom line. Solo company drivers have only themselves to blame for their success or failure. They have much more control over their results. Personally, I'd get myself on a solo truck and start figuring out how to be a top performer.

Here's a few articles that might help you understand what I'm talking about.

What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver

Hanging With The Big Dogs

Show Me The Money