Quit Otr After 7 Months

I didn't mind the work so much, but the pay was horrible. One week out of 4 I'd make a decent check but 7 days out and getting 350 dollars for it was too much.Worked too hard for free too many times..spent most Mondays haggelling for lay over pay days..would come home to the family to say we have to tighten up...no money...I honestly can say putting in all those hours at minimum wage would had been a better idea. I ate cold food all the time so no one can say I blew it on food. They say most good companies want a full year otr...here I am with 7 months licking my wounds trying to find a local job with a serious trust issue towards any otr company....any advice anyone?

I've gotten a few $350 take home myself. What do you consider "working for free"? Drivers get paid for miles rolled, and those other things are usually for some kind of waiting.

Yes, the one year mark is a good thing, but it's not carved in stone anywhere.

What company were you working for, Dan? There's drivers from nearly all the national companies here that can help you understand things. And it helps if you could tell us a f'rinstance of two.

Trucking Truth members don't go for wild stories (yours isn't too far out!) and we'll help you figure out what's going on.

I didn't mind the work so much, but the pay was horrible. One week out of 4 I'd make a decent check but 7 days out and getting 350 dollars for it was too much.Worked too hard for free too many times..spent most Mondays haggelling for lay over pay days..would come home to the family to say we have to tighten up...no money...I honestly can say putting in all those hours at minimum wage would had been a better idea. I ate cold food all the time so no one can say I blew it on food. They say most good companies want a full year otr...here I am with 7 months licking my wounds trying to find a local job with a serious trust issue towards any otr company....any advice anyone?

Wow, sorry to hear that. Although I do not know the company you were working for or the circumstances, that doesn't sound right at all, you were running less than 1000 miles per week (?). 650-750 gross (before taxes) per week is where you should be. Did you ask your DM what the issue was?

What company were you working for. I think expecting an average of 600 a week take home at the very least isn't unreasonable at all right now. If you were being shorted on that while staying out for long times you may have been at the wrong company. I don't think you should bail on the industry. Later I'll email you my w2s year to date and company so you can see what you should be averaging, I encourage others here to do the same so he can get a good picture of different companies current average pay.

Sorry to hear your disappointment Daniel F. It is stories like yours that make me think twice about getting into trucking. I would love to drive but $350 a week won't cut it for me. If you could perhaps elaborate on your particular case and what you think the issue (s) were, it would help a newbie like me out greatly. Good luck in your next job.

Sorry to hear your disappointment Daniel F. It is stories like yours that make me think twice about getting into trucking. I would love to drive but $350 a week won't cut it for me. If you could perhaps elaborate on your particular case and what you think the issue (s) were, it would help a newbie like me out greatly. Good luck in your next job.

Rob his case is not the norm. I think you can expect 40k a year minimum gross these days from any company, if anyone knows different please correct me.

Thanks James. That's what I am basing my numbers on, about $40K first year then up from there. I'm just curious to see what went wrong in Daniel F's case.

Sorry to hear your disappointment Daniel F. It is stories like yours that make me think twice about getting into trucking. I would love to drive but $350 a week won't cut it for me. If you could perhaps elaborate on your particular case and what you think the issue (s) were, it would help a newbie like me out greatly. Good luck in your next job.

Rob his case is not the norm. I think you can expect 40k a year minimum gross these days from any company, if anyone knows different please correct me.

Totally agree with this.

I need to make $2000 a month minimum or its not worth it to me. I go by monthly earnings because bills are due monthly. If I make 300 one week and 700 the next that's fine as long as I make at least 2g's a month net.

I think people who make horrible pay the first year are waiting for dispatch to assign them a new load instead of calling them when you are close to being done with the,current load. Those dispatchers might have 50+ drivers they deal with and completely forget about you. That's why I'm calling every time not relying on them to remember me.

I need to make $2000 a month minimum or its not worth it to me. I go by monthly earnings because bills are due monthly. If I make 300 one week and 700 the next that's fine as long as I make at least 2g's a month net.

I think people who make horrible pay the first year are waiting for dispatch to assign them a new load instead of calling them when you are close to being done with the,current load. Those dispatchers might have 50+ drivers they deal with and completely forget about you. That's why I'm calling every time not relying on them to remember me.

Not a bad idea, but it may not have the effect you are expecting. Yes it will certainly show them a "can-do" attitude and a willingness to work.

A good planner knows well in advance when their drivers are expected to be available. They will need to see a consistent ability by the new driver to first conduct your business safely and second to prove that you can reliably make your deliveries on-time without issue. Then you can expect better runs and less time sitting between loads. For the most part the first 3-6 months is a fully paid extension of your training. As you absorb the learning curve, your ability to earn will go up as the curve begins to come down.

Showing them you "want to work" is always good!