Profile For Bob J.

My first year OTR with Schneider (dry van) I made $40k. Second year was about $48k. I got five days home time per month. I'm in my third year driving (with a different company), I get home weekly and should make $48k-$50k.

I started right here on TT and got my permit on my 53rd birthday. You can make much more than me (especially in food or beverage distribution).

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the response! I am assuming that is gross right? That's kinda where I hope to be at.

My other posts never made it to the thread that I posted last night and I can't remember what they said exactly so just wanna ask, are my numbers correct? Is that what a driver making .34 CPM can expect to make on a monthly basis? Is there anyone here who happen to make .34 CPM that wouldn't mind sharing what your typical total net pay is monthly? It would be greatly appreciated to help with my decision making.

Thanks Old School for your insightful information. I think there was some misunderstanding though. When I say go to school and work at the same time, I am referring to school during day and work at night. No differnt than someone going to a private school and still working at night. It would only be during the CDL classes phase and I would be 100% commited to my new company when I start actual orientation and OTR training.

Also I am not saying I wouldn't do 3000 miles. If that is available to me I will and can but from what I have found in research, the average miles offered to a driver especially reefer is 2500. With that being the average, I must use that as my judgement amount.

I guess what I'm getting at is $2200 a month average for a driver? At least one paid at .34 CPM? This is the main question because it is lucridious for me to leave my home each night job to drive OTR just to make the same money you know? I am looking for a job that pays me more. That is another reason I am looking at driving. Not to make the same money as I am now just with more expenses.

Thanks again for the responses so far!

The question is; why do you want to be a driver?

It's something I have wanted to do since I was little. My dad has been a driver for over 20 years and I married into a family of drivers. It's in my blood!

Different companies do it differently, but many paid you while in training...some pay while you have your permit, some don't.

Also their is no pay until you go with a trainer which is about $400 a week

Just remember that 34cpm is starting pay. You will get pay increases over time. How long have you been with your current job making what you're making now?

I have been at my current job for 3 years. Also I figure there is some type of increase over time but no mention of it on their website nor did the recruiter mention one. I'm sure a penny or two after 6 months or a year wouldn't be a huge increase in pay though.

Be sure to ask about the program. "Company sponsored program" does not necessarily mean at that terminal and going home every night.

At prime you go to orientation and get on a trainers truck then drive all over the country with your permit. Would be impossible to work a job.

Different companies do it differently, but many paid you while in training...some pay while you have your permit, some don't.

The company training is at the terminal. The school is actually right across the street. You are there for 3 weeks to get your CDL and then go with a trainer for 6 weeks.

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking for a long time about driving. I have done some research and the only real option I have to me is a trucking company about an hour away that has a company sponsored training program. Now I say that is my only option because I cannot afford to go 5 to 6 weeks without a paycheck so I will have to keep my current job while I am in training and then can quit it when I go to leave with a trainer so I must go with a company that is somewhat local. My question is this though, doing the math on a company driver making .34 CPM doing the average 2500 miles per week would come out to be about $650 a week net. Now considering taking about 3 days hometime on that 4th week of the month (only getting about 500 miles), that driver would make about $2200 a month (650+650+650+250). That is about what I am making now at my current job. To me, it really doesn't make sense to leave a job that has me home ever night to go OTR and make the same amount of money at the end of the month. I would need to make a lot more than I do now to make it worth it. Does this sound about right? Is that what a driver making .34 CPM can expect to make taking 3 days off every 3 weeks?

Also I know there are other factors to consider that would make the pay higher sometimes such as HAZMAT loads or getting more than 2500 miles at times but I would like to base the decision off the usual amount I would make. Thanks in advance for all your help!

Hey guys. Thanks so much for the replies. I haven't really given much thought as to what type of trailer I want to haul. After looking at several companies, I was just noticing the trend that most training was unpaid which is hard on a family man. It is nice to know that Prime offers that loan during training which helps some. I currently make about $500 a week in my office job (after taxes and benefits comes out so about $700 before) and while it does pay the bills, that really about it as my company allows no OT. Bottom line, I would like to make more and like how the earning potential seems higher in trucking since it's not hourly. The more miles you run the more you make sounds good. Just gotta figure out how to get through the training thing and go solo without putting my families financial situation at risk.

Why do trucking companies make it so hard for someone to get into trucking? To clarify what I mean, it seems like every company out there assumes everyone can just go 6 weeks or more without making a paycheck to attend training. The only company I have found to figure out a solution to this problem is Roehl as they pay you from day one $500 a week while training to get your CDL and then $90 a day while with a trainer (unfortunately they do not hire from my state). I mean I don't mind attending training for 3 to 4 weeks to get my license but once training is complete, you have a week of orientation and then the next week would usually be your first week with OTR trainer and then you would receive your first paycheck the following week. That adds up to about 6 to 7 weeks you have had to go without making any money which is impossible for a man who has a wife and two kids to support. What are you supposed to do? Not pay your bills for a month and a half??? I mean the whole reason one would attempt to get into this field is to better their families lives by increasing their income. If trucking companies really want quality drivers, they should create a way for people to get into this field without putting their families financial stability at jeopardy.

And yes I understand there is the private school route, however, for someone living paycheck to paycheck and can't afford private school, that's not really an option. Not to mention, I would have to try to do that on top of working a full time job. Not really the best plan when schools in your area only offer during the day, week day classes.

I want to sincerely thank everyone for their responses and apologize if I offended anyone with my initial question. This was just a curious question to see why truckers choose what they do. I know it's not for everyone and didn't mean to put down on the profession. To answer some questions I was on this site as I was told about it by a friend that is considering trucking so decided to check it out. After reading several articles about if trucking is for you and found articles on this site saying if you have young kids trucking was not for you and to wait until their grown I decided to see why some still choose it. I currently work in the IT field and absolutely love it, however, may find myself in trucking as a second career later in life when my kids are grown. Again thanks for the responses and insights!