Pay?

I am contemplating a career. I have a few questions that I would like some very honest answers about. I was a police officer for 14 years had a very good and rewarding career however the politics of the job wore on me. I was offered a position with the number one health care provider and I accepted it in their security dept. I have been here for 5 years and I am totally disgusted. I was brought in under the impression the director would be leaving and I would be in that position however 5 years later he is still here and I am just a lonely security maxed out in salary of 14.52 an hour. I am a married guy with a daughter from this marriage and 2 boys from a second marriage. my current wife doesn't work so the financial burden is rested totally on my shoulders. my current salary is paying the bills but things are very tight sometime making it two weeks with 4.00 left in the bank. my question is this. this is a career I want to dive into for many reasons. one is I enjoy traveling but obviously cannot afford it I like the idea of being alone in the truck I am a solitary person that will interact however I like me privacy and alone time. I want to make more money for my family which leads to my question. each and every person here is either in this profession or has some sort of an interest I am asking is this a profession that I can increase my income and financially make it? will I increase my income? I am not one who will need to live an elaborate lifestyle while out on the road nor will I spend my money in the truck stops I will eat out of the truck most of the time with the occasional meal purchased and will need a few comforts but nothing more then a phone computer satellite radio and that is about it. any insight will be of great help

Brian has a thread with a week by week breakdown of what he made his first year as a driver. I gotta go to work but I'm sure someone could link you.

Actually, that thread is mine and I spent an entire year working on it.

Daniel B.'s Week by Week Income

That was my first year income starting at .28cpm and ending at .31cpm.

I'm almost done with my second year with a carrier that pays much, much better. I'm at .445cpm and I'm on pace to bring home exactly 50 grand gross.

Thanks Daniel I will be looking at it thanks. last night I came across your thread where you were biking that was some amazing pics and great idea of getting some excersise.

Thanks Daniel I will be looking at it thanks. last night I came across your thread where you were biking that was some amazing pics and great idea of getting some excersise.

Yeah I have the best threads about trucking on the Internet. I suck at answering questions but I'm good at making legendary threads.

Here's another one you probably don't know about. I made a journal of my day to day. My feats, my struggles, my concerns, my loads. It's the longest thread in TT history.

Check it out:

Adventures of Daniel B.

Just responding strictly to the topic of maximizing your income, you should see if there are any LTL carriers in your location. When there is one company terminal , there will be others. Unlike working for a truckload company, you'll need to be nearby a LTL terminal to work for them. LTL (less than truckload) will pay more than truckload, plus you will be home more. I don't know your needs or budget, but if you're looking for $30k to $60k gross a year, then truckload will suffice. If you're looking for $70k to $100k, look into LTL companies. Most folks choose OTR w/ a truckload company for the lifestyle, or perhaps they don't have LTL companies nearby that are hiring. Lots of prospective drivers don't even know about LTL.

I'm a rookie driver, about 3 months in, and I clear between $800 - $1000 a week after taxes, 401K, and benefits. I'm at .58 cpm , and I'm not at the top pay rate yet. I can get between 2500-2700 miles a week. I also work for one of the better paying LTL companies. I'm a linehaul driver, and typically linehaul drivers make the most in LTL. I'm also home every night and have two days off a week. My typical work day is 10-14 hours long, 5 days a week. That's including commute time to my terminal.

I have a whole thread discussing the LTL sector of trucking, including a list of LTL company names. LTL Trucking - My Linehaul Job

I always am quick to respond to questions concerning income and supporting a family, because those were questions I needed help with the most when I started researching trucking. Some guys and gals get into trucking for the OTR lifestyle. I got into trucking for a stable career to support my family. I make enough for my wife to be a stay-at-home mom, and I'm not gone for weeks at a time. If you're a family guy and want to make the most amount of money and get the best hometime, look into LTL. I know that when I started, it was a blessing to find out about LTL. Just trying to share the love.

As a fellow linehaul driver I second the above post

Woody

Thanks Daniel I will be looking at it thanks. last night I came across your thread where you were biking that was some amazing pics and great idea of getting some excersise.

Yeah I have the best threads about trucking on the Internet. I suck at answering questions but I'm good at making legendary threads.

Here's another one you probably don't know about. I made a journal of my day to day. My feats, my struggles, my concerns, my loads. It's the longest thread in TT history.

Check it out:

Adventures of Daniel B.

Daniel is also the most humble trucker on the internet.. :) Just teasing. I enjoy your threads.

Actually, that thread is mine and I spent an entire year working on it.

woops sorry, early morning and I thought your name was Brian XD

Actually, that thread is mine and I spent an entire year working on it.

Daniel B.'s Week by Week Income

That was my first year income starting at .28cpm and ending at .31cpm.

I'm almost done with my second year with a carrier that pays much, much better. I'm at .445cpm and I'm on pace to bring home exactly 50 grand net.

Daniel I did not realize Prime paid that well. If you are on track to make 50k net what are you looking at gross? 75k to 80k?