Switched To A Local Account

Maybe I logged in to the wrong place today.

Nope, you're in the right place.

WHEW! That’s a relief to read that. I’ve been completely off schedule since I got back in the truck driving for Knight, and running just about everything at night (no pun), sleeping during the day. Similar as Old School observed, was wondering a couple times if I was lost, too!

I'm going to double post this comment. This presentation is also going to be its own topic.

We're in the middle of a full moon right now and it certainly seems to hold true that it makes people lose their minds. I'm just absolutely appalled to see people who have been here for years calling us out for expecting people to back up their claims. Where the hell have you people been? Where do you think you are? I think you guys have become lost or confused.

We have never, ever allowed people to make claims without backing them up. Our name is Trucking Truth for God's sake. We've literally spelled it out for you. We named ourselves after our mission, and yet you're suddenly surprised to find out we don't allow people to make unsubstantiated claims or exaggerate their situation?

The website is named Trucking Truth because it is our mission to give people accurate facts. When we happen to be presenting our opinions on a topic we give very well thought out opinions based on many years of experience at the highest level and a long list of facts to back up our opinions.

For people to suddenly start revolting because we're demanding that someone back up their claims shows they've clearly lost sight of who we are and what we do. They're no longer interested in helping us with our mission. It's time for them to return to Facebook or Twitter or any of the plethora of websites spewing lies, fake news, and exaggerations. Maybe that kind of stuff will fly down at the local redneck bar on a Friday night, but it has never been tolerated here and never will be.

We're not interested in exaggerating the facts in order to inflate someone's ego. We're not trying to help people kid themselves or trick others into believing that things are a certain way when they're clearly not.

And for those who don't know me very well, let me help you understand something. After 25 years in this industry, you're simply not going to bullsh*t me. It's a terrible idea to even try. I'm not some Mary Poppins or Mother Teresa, and I don't conform to this new age "never offend anyone" kind of baloney. I'm not above calling you out on your claims and I'm not above making you look bad for trying to play me for a fool. In fact, I rather enjoy it sometimes. It teaches an important lesson.

For a rookie like Jamie to play me and the other experienced drivers here for a fool and make outlandish claims about doubling his OTR salary on a simple local flatbed gig for Home Depot that gets him home daily was a mistake.

Now that in itself is forgivable. He should've immediately recognized that mistake and simply said, "Hey guys, I'm sorry. You got me. I misspoke. I'm super excited about my new gig and exaggerated the pay. I'm actually going to make a little less than the average OTR driver would make, but I'm going to be home every night with my wife so to me it's well worth it."

He would've gotten a standing ovation! That's a beautiful thing!

We're always pumped to hear that someone has found a niche in trucking that works well for them. And we did, in fact, applaud him on finding a gig that suits him so well. That's our whole goal here is to help people understand the industry better so they can make the right choices for themselves. Jamie made a great choice. He found a gig that suits him well. We're thrilled about that.

But making an outrageous claim and then failing to back it up or correct the inaccuracy shows bad judgment and it's a mistake that I don't take lightly. It goes directly against our mission here at Trucking Truth. Our goal is to present the facts with 100% integrity. That means if you read something on our website you can trust it. Period. We won't mislead people with inaccurate facts or poorly formed opinions.

So I simply can't just let this kind of stuff go. I have to expose anyone who lies, exaggerates, or refuses to substantiate what seems to be an outlandish claim. I have to make sure that in the end, our visitors get the God's honest truth. They need to be able to make career decisions based on the information they get from us.

So it's a shame that Jamie made some poor judgments today. We're here to support him. He's a valuable member of our community, or at least he is when he's presenting honest and accurate information. But it's even a bigger a shame that some of our long-time members lost touch with the mission we're on and can no longer be a part of this amazing community.

I am not at all sorry for the way that we have handled this situation, and I'm not afraid to cut people loose if they no longer adhere to our high standards. This is who we are and what we do. It always has been and it always will be.

We will continue to insist that the information presented is honest and factual. We will continue to strive for 100% integrity. If this isn't your cup of tea I totally understand. In fact, I don't expect most people to fit in with our community. We're not here to serve the mediocre people of the world. We're here to help very ambitious people become high achievers in the trucking industry.

If you want to know the truth about how this industry works and what it takes to become a Top Tier Driver then you've come to the right place. If you're looking to tell lies, exaggerate to make yourself look better, present poorly thought out opinions, or criticize us for holding people accountable then you're simply not going to be around for long.

If you're capable of living up to the high standards we've set then you'll be granted the privilege of being part of this amazing community. You will never find a more caring and helpful group of high achievers anywhere. The moderators here have achieved the highest levels of success in this industry. They thoroughly enjoy their careers and they love nothing more than to help others find the happiness and success they've found. Our Moderators are a hand-picked selection of the best of the best which includes driver trainers and award-winning drivers, all of which are highly experienced and highly valued by their companies.

It's not anyone's right to be a part of this special community, it's a privilege. But it's also our privilege to be the ones you trust in guiding you through the process of getting your trucking career off to a great start and achieving your goal of becoming a Top Tier Driver. We take that trust very seriously. We value our integrity above all else. We do know exactly what it takes to reach the highest level in this industry because we've all done it, and we've sustained that level for a long time. We've also thoroughly enjoyed our years on the road. It's been a labor of love for us, and we hope it will be for you too.

Our forum is not a democracy. It is not a sounding board for the peanut gallery. It's a classroom. We're a group of highly experienced drivers who have achieved and maintained the highest level of success in trucking. We love what we do and we'd love nothing more than to share our love of trucking with you and help you down the path to achieving the same level of happiness and success for yourself. We're happy to answer every last question you may have, and we'll often answer others you probably wouldn't have thought to ask.

So please, ask us anything! We're happy to have you and we'll certainly enjoy helping you down the path to success in the trucking industry.

I guess I missed a little something that went on in here earlier. I'm going to take a guess that somebody took offense and thought we were being unreasonable in asking for some numbers to support this claim that someone doubled their pay just by transferring to a different division within their company.

Here's the deal... we dedicate a lot of time and effort here teaching people how things work in this industry. One of the most confusing things for new drivers to understand is how the pay works. Everybody wants to make the most they can, but very few of them understand how you get that done. I've done well in trucking, but one thing that I know would be impossible for me to do is double my pay by switching jobs. It just doesn't happen.

We've repeatedly said how happy we are that Jamie is enjoying his new position, and we are genuine in that sentiment. He's a great member who has shared a lot of his struggles and triumphs in here. His foray into trucking has been very informative for newbies following along with both his victorys and his issues. We love this guy!

It would be really nice for him to give us some numbers. I don't know how he could double his pay with a simple move like this. An OTR driver can set his own standard of measure. He has power over his results. He can earn as much as he can legally produce within the rules and regulations. We see this all the time. Some folks get right in there and make it happen, but most of us rookies struggle with producing the kind of results we long for. That's why we stress sticking with it for one full year. Nobody figures this stuff out overnight. It's a tough career to bust into as a beginner.

He did say this...

over all I was on track to drive around 110,000 miles my first year

Okay, I'm speculating here, because it's all I can do at this point. Let's put a CPM rate to that. I don't know what he started at, but let's just say he was making 35 cents per mile. That puts his rookie pay at $38,500 for the year. Imagine if he had turned 135,000 miles. It's certainly doable for a rookie driver - I've seen plenty of them do more than that. His pay then goes up to $47,250 - a very respectable amount for a new driver.

If my first calculation is close, and I believe it is, then by doubling his pay he would be getting paid in excess of $77,000 now on this new account. This is a new driver. It just doesn't add up to those of us who've been out here for a while. That's why we are questioning this. We like facts because we are in the business of teaching people. You can't teach anything without accurate information and facts.

There's nothing critical toward Jamie in all this. C'mon we are all adults. We'd just like to know the facts before we present a bunch of misleading information to some information starved newbies. I think Jamie likes his steady consistent pay check - that's great - I'm happy for him. I just think he misspoke about doubling his pay. I'm hoping he will help us figure it out.

Frankly, I'm much more interested in what a TopTier driver who works 80hrs a week makes in a year. What can OTR drivers who reach the pinnacle of their profession hope to make? I'm happy with my 45 - 50hrs a week an $70K year LTL home every day doing P&D. Just what IS the other end of the trucking spectrum?

Frankly, I'm much more interested in what a TopTier driver who works 80hrs a week makes in a year. What can OTR drivers who reach the pinnacle of their profession hope to make? I'm happy with my 45 - 50hrs a week an $70K year LTL home every day doing P&D. Just what IS the other end of the trucking spectrum?

That's a great question. First let's start with some better numbers.

Part of the time you put in involves commuting to work. That should be added to the 45 - 50 hours of actual on-duty time you're putting in.

Also, drivers are only able to put in 70 hours of on-duty time every 8 days.

LTL drivers do exceptionally well with regard to pay and benefits, no question about it, especially when you consider the fact that you're home every night. The wages a top tier OTR driver will make are very much in line with what a top tier LTL driver will make. Some OTR guys these days are in the $75,000 - $80,000 range, and I've heard of some heavy haulers that are doing even better than that. But I think a fair wage for an experienced Top Tier OTR driver these days is about $70,000 - $75,000.

These jobs also afford completely different lifestyles. Most of the top tier OTR drivers also get the opportunity to have a tremendous amount of variety in their job and they also get to do some exceptionally fun things during their travels. The most recent example is Turtle, who sometimes gets to train students, which he thoroughly enjoys, and sometimes takes his wife on the road which they both thoroughly enjoy. He just recently took some time off out West and rented a car so that he and his wife could go to Yellowstone National Park and celebrate their anniversary. I mean, how sweet is that???

So both LTL and OTR are fantastic options that pay very well but afford drastically different lifestyles. For an OTR driver, their life is filled with variety and adventure, and they're travelling almost all of the time. For LTL drivers every day is almost exactly the same and you return home each night. Both are great options, so it's really about choosing the lifestyle that suits you best.

I feel despite possibly having lower pay than other aspects of trucking, OTR drivers have got it made. I'm sure it gets lonely being alone so frequently, sleeping in a different state every day but it sounds like quite the adventure. Not knowing where the next day will take you and being able to request time off anywhere you want without paying the airfare to get there sounds incredible. If the driver lives out of their truck the money goes much farther for them than a driver doing LTL. Factor in house and car payment, auto insurance, electric etc. They dont have and that paycheck goes much farther even if you periodically eat out or get a hotel. If I only worked the 4 days a week as we are scheduled I'd get about 50 hours and gross about 79k for the year before our quarterly bonuses (I'm willing to prove it if there's any doubt), but if we didnt get to pick our route daily I'm not sure I'd enjoy it and stick with it. After a while driving the same roads, hitting the same docks gets boring and routine like that drives me crazy. Money isnt everything if you dont care for the job. I'm not saying you don't like your job Auggie, but far too often people get hung up on what pays the most per hour or CPM without taking the entire "benefits and perks" into consideration to get your real compensation. To me, being happy with the job I'm doing is worth more than any money. It all comes down to what someone is happy with doing. There are aspects of OTR driving I would absolutely love, but there are many perks of my current job I enjoy as well.

I'm happy with my 45 - 50hrs a week an $70K year LTL home every day doing P&D. Just what IS the other end of the trucking spectrum?

Auggie69, that's a fair question, and I think the answer will indicate why we balked at Jamie's declaration of doubling his pay.

First off you have to realize I'm not really in this strictly for the money. I'm at a point in my life where I don't really have to be out here. I'm one of those people who are "hard wired" to be productive, and I love being adventurous. My wife tells me I have the perfect personality for this lifestyle/career. I love this job! My wife asks me quite often, "So, when do you think you'll stop doing this?" My answer has always been, "The day I stop enjoying this will be my final day on the road."

When I say I typically work 80 hours a week, it's somewhat of an exaggeration, but I want folks to realize that I do a little bit of work that is done while I'm "off duty." When I'm trip planning, scanning paperwork, and sometimes even part of the time I'm tarping or securing a load, I don't always allow that time to burn up my 70. This is "Trucking Truth," so I'm being honest with you why I indicate working more than the 70 hours.

Just a couple of weeks ago (as the month of June came to it's close) I looked at my gross earnings up to that point. I took a screenshot of it which I'll include here. It totalled $39,534.53. So, it looks as though I'm on track to take in $80,000, which is equivalent to my previous year. I'm also going to get some sort of an increase in my pay. I never know what they will do on that. The standard is one cent per mile, but last year I was granted five cents per mile. I just never know what's going to happen there. My dedicated account has contracts that actually determine my pay increases and fortunately Knight has proven to be some good negotiators at this. Here's the proof of my wages...

It's probably difficult for the linehaul and/or P&D drivers to understand the fringe benefits we get as OTR drivers. It's definitely part of the package that attracts me. I've been to so many cool little sports bars and diners over the years. Some of them are regular stops for me. Some of them know me and the owner will come sit down at my table just to hear some "tales from the road." It seems to lighten their load and provide them a relief valve from their routine duties. There's one little Vietnamese woman down on the gulf coast in Mississippi that always brings my bowl of Pho to my table herself. I can usually hear my waitress go back to the kitchen telling her, "The truck driver is here - you know the one that loves your Pho." Then there's Jean's Place in Cressona, PA. She always greets me as I enter the door with a hearty, "Hello stranger, come sit down and tell me where you've been lately!"

I've been to so many wonderful places. Beaches in Florida and California. Mountains in too many states to name. I'll never forget some of the passes like Salt Flat in Utah - it's as breath taking as it is dangerous in winter. It makes my heart pick up it's paces, it regenerates my youthful sense of adventure. I have some beautiful photos and memories of hauling copper from the mines in New Mexico and Arizona. Going through that valley formed by the Salt Fork river is incredibly rewarding.

I could go on and on about places I've taken my 34 hour breaks, including each of my children's hometowns. I've three daughters and their husbands who love to have me for the weekend when it works out. There's no other job on earth like this one, but it takes special people to do it. I'm very fortunate to be one of those who feels I'm living really large out here. The wages are nice, but it's the adventure that hooked me into this.

Brett said it best when he made this summary...

So both LTL and OTR are fantastic options that pay very well but afford drastically different lifestyles. For an OTR driver, their life is filled with variety and adventure, and they're travelling almost all of the time. For LTL drivers every day is almost exactly the same and you return home each night. Both are great options, so it's really about choosing the lifestyle that suits you best.

I guess I should explain why I blocked out my net earnings. I was concerned the low number would puzzle some of you. I max out the legal percentage of the money I earn doing this and have it directly go into an investment plan. Like I said, I'm not doing this for the wages. I don't necessarily need the cash flow.

I feel despite possibly having lower pay than other aspects of trucking, OTR drivers have got it made. I'm sure it gets lonely being alone so frequently, sleeping in a different state every day but it sounds like quite the adventure. Not knowing where the next day will take you and being able to request time off anywhere you want without paying the airfare to get there sounds incredible. If the driver lives out of their truck the money goes much farther for them than a driver doing LTL. Factor in house and car payment, auto insurance, electric etc. They dont have and that paycheck goes much farther even if you periodically eat out or get a hotel. If I only worked the 4 days a week as we are scheduled I'd get about 50 hours and gross about 79k for the year before our quarterly bonuses (I'm willing to prove it if there's any doubt), but if we didnt get to pick our route daily I'm not sure I'd enjoy it and stick with it. After a while driving the same roads, hitting the same docks gets boring and routine like that drives me crazy. Money isnt everything if you dont care for the job. I'm not saying you don't like your job Auggie, but far too often people get hung up on what pays the most per hour or CPM without taking the entire "benefits and perks" into consideration to get your real compensation. To me, being happy with the job I'm doing is worth more than any money. It all comes down to what someone is happy with doing. There are aspects of OTR driving I would absolutely love, but there are many perks of my current job I enjoy as well.

Oh no. I fell into this job because I was not getting hours with FedEx Express. I was getting paid $15hr and getting about 20hrs a week. I could barely hang on. Then I heard about FXF hiring and TRAINING. Couldn't get there fast enough. I didn't know OTR or even driving semi-trucks at all from shinola. All I knew is that I would literally triple my pay.

Applied, accepted, trained and then unleashed. I could have chosen nights with dock work or days with City. I choose days. FXF was kind enough to break me in gently and I've done OK over the past four years. The good thing is my bid is such that I have variety. Some days I work City, other days I do Road run of 3 or 400 miles.

Alternatively, I do get sucked into some BS. Last week I was drafted to help another center and had to deliver into downtown Alexandria, VA. Never been there. Never want to go back. It took me 80 minutes just to go 30 miles.

But, that's the variety :)

I guess I should explain why I blocked out my net earnings. I was concerned the low number would puzzle some of you. I max out the legal percentage of the money I earn doing this and have it directly go into an investment plan. Like I said, I'm not doing this for the wages. I don't necessarily need the cash flow.

Thanks, OS. You were the one I was thinking of when I was wondering about Top Tier drivers and their earnings.

Hopefully, one day, I can work for the pleasure of it rather than necessity :)

I figure I can retire from FXF at 84 and get a decent pension plus my 401k :)

Auggie said: "I figure I can retire from FXF at 84 and get a decent pension plus my 401k :)"

Hehe, I can relate to that! Auggie, if that's truly the case I hope you live until 104 or beyond. How old are you now? Are you one of us "old guys"?