Comments By Tom L.

I just got my WIOA finalized. Ended up taking longer than anticipated almost 2.5 months. You just have to grind it out. WIOA is paying the entire cost including buses. I start school on Jan 4th complete on Feb 4th and have the freedom to pick between any of the companies without being an indentured servant for 6 months or a year. If you qualify and can wait I think it is worth it. I will also not be rushed in to picking a company or division when I complete the CDL training this way.

60 years old. Starting CDL school Dec 14th. I am in excellent health still work out etc.

Background: IT/Accounting professional ERP and CRM software system implementation for 25 years. Career was "offshored". Became mortgage originator just prior to the "Great Recession" Ooops.

Hoping to find company that will appreciate my clean driving record etc. and allow me to be home weekends!

I just found out my WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) grant has been approved and I will start CDL-A training on December 14th. It took about 2 months but this way I have a little more freedom in terms of who I go to work for when I obtain my license.

Thank you for the replies to this "newby"!

From the research I've done comparing similar trades/professions it appears commercial truck drivers are considerably under payed. Undoubtedly this is a huge contributing factor to the shortage of professional drivers. Like many industries you have a large group preparing to retire over the next few years and already a considerable lack of qualified replacements.

This in an industry that simply cannot "offshore" the jobs as for instance the Tech industry has. I saw my billing rate as a computer information tech worker plummet due to this and now simply cannot compete with workers/programmers from other areas of the world who can provide service from anywhere there is an internet connection.

I suspect that .CPM will increase dramatically for drivers as competition for their services increases over the next 6 months to a year.

I haven't looked at the fuel costs factor yet, and wonder if the lower cost of fuel due to the oil glut is having any effect on company profitability? I am sure some of the Owner/Lease operators might be able to speak to that.

Tom, take what you'd expect from most 'normal' careers and throw it out the window. There's a reason why they say trucking is a lifestyle, especially in the truckload sector. I can appreciate your background, but trying to force .cpm into an hourly rate will only frustrate you. Unless you're comparing trucking gigs that actually do pay by the hour, it's better to keep in mind what these drivers are sharing and to think in terms of miles, averaged out by the week or the month. I think in monthly terms. There is flux in trucking that you'll have to account for when budgeting and planning.

Your right 6 string. Do you take a guitar on the road? Been trying to decide if I should take one once I get my own ride!

Just starting out you can estimate to drive around 2,500 miles a week and make somewhere around $35,000 your first year.

That makes pretty good sense. I calculated 37,500.00 but I had forgotten to back out the first month at a training rate.

Just kind of interesting that a company doesn't pay a little more to a driver it entrusts a 100,000.00 tractor, 20,000.00 trailer and cargo worth $$???? to. Seems like there is really good upside potential as the industry tries to attract drivers and realizes basic economic theory, such as supply and demand!

So I'm a newbie here. Going to school hopefully Nov. 16 - Dec 16th.

Late career change from tech and accounting.

I'm just looking at rates per mile for company drivers. So if the maximum speed you can cruise at is say 60 mph (55 here in So Cal) then if we take rate X speed that is the maximum hourly rate you will earn. allowing for stops to refuel etc. rate drops significantly the more you start and stop.

So say starting out you are offered .33 per mile and you can maximally drive 60 mph your rate is 19.80/hour

What are you realistically going to average over the course of a day 50 MPH? So 18.00/hour?

Just curious as I'm trying to re adjust life style costs!