Profile For Sabrina A.

Hey Sabrina! Trucking has so many confusing terms. Things like "dedicated" and "regional" are thrown around so much it's hard for new folks to understand how it all works. Then there's a lot of confusion about the pay. We hear words like "mileage" and "performance based," or even "hourly." It can be very confusing.

I don't want you to be confused into thinking your man is getting a "salary." That's one word you won't hear when it comes to a truck driver's pay. What he's getting is what Western Express is guaranteeing him as his "minimum weekly pay."

What that means is they are going to pay him "mileage" pay, but they guarantee him to get the minimum pay of $1,500.00. If for some reason they don't keep him busy enough to earn that much, they will make up the difference on his paycheck. They know this account well enough to know they can keep him running hard enough to earn that much.

It also means he better be doing a great job or he won't be on that account for long. They will not allow him to waste any time or not be highly productive. They fully expect him to do what it takes to earn that much. If it's their fault he has a bad week, they will cover it. If it's his fault they will be asking questions and expecting better results quickly.

That's what he's getting into. Don't fool yourself into thinking he's getting a salary. He's getting a job where he is going to have to really hustle and earn that 1,500. If he can't keep up the pace he will not stay on that account for long.

It's a great opportunity, but it's no luxury position. It will be a daily challenge. He can earn some good money like that, but just remember he's not getting paid when he's on home time. He has to work work work to earn that money.

Hi Old School

Jason speaks highly about you. You worked for Western Express. I have so many questions. Jason said he signed some kind of contract the he had to work for the company three months. Why would they offer him a contract like that? He did say he would be a day cab driver. Aren’t day cab drivers regional? Would he be driving all over Long Island or stay within the tri-state area? He told me they guarantee him $2,500 a week. They didn’t say anything to him about mileage. They told him flatbeds and lease drivers get paid mileage. He also said he gets paid training pay since he’s out with a trainer.

Indeed states Western Express is out of Brentwood NY, that’s 20 minutes from our hours. Could that be the terminal he would be going out of, Do day cab drivers come home every night? I’m very confused.

Hi everyone

Thank you so much for all your replies. So, Jason t from LI went through the orientation. Passed the written test with a 96 and the driving test with a 98. Now he’s waiting for his start up package email.

I’m not sure what you call it, but he will not be driving a flatbed. He does have to still go out with the trainer for 70hrs of OTR. After that he will be on salary guaranteed $1,500 a week.

Here on Long Island NY we do see Western Express drivers. He’s not sure if he’ll be regional or OTR. They did ask his if he would be interested in signing on for 3 months or more. He agrees and tomorrow he has to sign a contract to that effect.

As for the hotel. He moved to another hotel called Extended Stay INN. Much nicer place and clean. He’s paying for his own room.

My question is, if he’s on salary, isn’t that regional since they’re not paying him $0.55 a mile or whatever it is?

He wanted me to tell you all thus far Western Express has lived up to all the things they promised. He said the hardest thing so far he had to retake the DOT physical since NY screwed up his records.

Since Jason drove to PA (only 2hrs from our home) they’re going to make arrangements for him to bring his personal truck home.

Hi everyone

Thank you all for responding. Now that I have a little better understanding that it’s the drivers decision to stay out longer than two week.

I guess the ultimate question is how do your partners/spouses and or kids feel about you being gone for long periods of time?

I’ve had people tell me they would be OTR for six months to a year straight. To me that’s nuts. You can’t just live in that truck 24/7 you would go completely insane.

I’m just not quite understanding how you can drive for two weeks straight and only get two days off. In reality it should be drive two weeks straight and get one full week off to rest, then go back on the road.

Now I was also told that you be a salary employee if you don’t wish to lease the truck. Is that true?

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Hi BK

Thank you for responding. I would love to be a ride-along, unfortunately that would not be possible. I work for the government (not the post office) and we have kittens.

I would love for the spouses of the drivers to come forward. As much of support system the drivers have, we on the other end need that same support system.

There’s an old saying “Teamwork makes the dream work”. We all must work together. So if anyone has any advise, we’re all here to listen. Thank you.

Hi Sabrina. Thank you for posting, you bring up a very important issue. And don’t worry about the typos, we know what you are saying.

We don’t hear enough feedback from the wives/significant others of drivers. Just speaking for me, I would be very interested in knowing more from the “wife” perspective.

But I do know enough to say that it is a very unique and challenging lifestyle for couples. Like any successful relationship, it needs to be a two way street. We concentrate on the driver, but the other person at home is no less important and cannot be ignored. It has to be a team effort.

With certain jobs, like OTR, the driver will be on the road for extended periods of time. Maybe several months before getting home time. One way the industry has dealt with this is by allowing drivers to take a passenger. This arrangement varies by company. I don’t know what the policy is at Western Express. But if a family has children at home, ride-a-longs may not be possible.

So yes, the truck driving demands do not work for every couple. And the $170,000 per year is pure BS. I’ve never even seen such an advertisement like that, unless it’s for an owner/operator. Beginning company drivers will make about 40 to 50 the first year and there will be a lot of sacrifice along the way.

I hope your post opens the floodgates for other wives:significant others to post about their experiences and perspectives.

Hi

Thank you for writing back. Can you fix the title of this post? Auto correct stinks. It’s supposed to say “The Wife Of A New Trucker”. The hank you.

So basically you’re saying he can be on the road for months at a time? Ok well this brings up a good question, how do your spouses deal with the trucker being away from home for so long?

This website is great for the truckers point of view, what about the families point of view? Where is our support?

Hi everyone.

I want to start off by saying that I’m not a truck driver, nor do I plan of becoming one. My husband who many of you may know as Jason t from LI is trying to break into the world of trucking.

Tomorrow, August 28,2023 he start orientation for Western Express. In my heart of heart I wish him the very best. I know it’s not easy getting into the trucking business. I have an uncle who’s a tractor trailer driver for the past 35yrs, 20 of those years he was OTR. I already know it’s a very tough life and can be very lonely.

I think there’s a misconception about the trucking business that really ad truly needs to be clarified. I think one of the big reasons why people such as my husband are so attracted of the idea of being a trucker is the misleading advertisements. “Become a truck driver and make $170k a year”. What they don’t say is in order to make that $170k a year, you have to LIVE in your truck for a year straight, drive for thousands of miles without a day off.

Which leads my to this post. So as I said my husband starts orientation tomorrow with Western Express. Of course the recruiter Sarah promised him the world. Two days orientation and two weeks with a trainer. Somehow I find all of this to good to be true. There’s a catch here somewhere.

Right now they have Jason staying at The Red Roof Inn. He sent me pictures of his room. I have to say it’s DISGUSTING!! GOD know when the bathtub was cleaned. Gross!!!! This leaves a bad taste in both of our mouths. I told him to leave the roaches in Pennsylvania please.

I want to know the REAL story behind this orientation. I want to know exactly how long will he be gone for? Will he be gone a week, two weeks, six months, a year? As his wife of a truck driver what exactly can I expect?

I read all about Western Express, they talk a good game but what EXACTLY is the reality they’re not advertising? I do know this, at the present time he’s not a flatbed driver. So since this is Trucking Truth, lay it on me. Please give me the reality thank you.