Seeking Solo Otr

I need drivers like you! but he is absolutely right Steven, most companies that are willing to start drivers out with either percentage pay or higher than .50 a mile also have requirements of at least 2 years with CDL's and OTR experience and as high as minimum 5 years exp. This is just how it is starting out in this business, but like he said if you show your dispatch your value then you will more than likely have more room to negotiate with your pay rate, either way hang in there, it pays off in the end! be safe out there guys!

Steven, I wish I had a dollar for everytime I've heard your story - I'd be overflowing with money! New truck drivers often think they are getting cheated. So what do they do? They start looking for another company. The person who came up with that old saying; "History repeats itself," must have been a truck driver. I say if history repeats itself, it means we aren't learning anything from history.

Sadly, truck drivers don't learn anything by repeating their terrible practice of always thinking the grass is greener somewhere else. Look, you're brand new at this. Why do you think you have all this value? You should be focused on building your value. Quitting your current job does nothing toward that.

As a new driver the only thing you have to recommend yourself is your first year's experience. Beyond that you are merely a new CDL holder who has little to no ability to be productive enough to command the highest levels of pay. You knew what you were starting at. Somehow you thought it was acceptable. What changed?

You can make close to 1,000 dollars a week at your pay rate. That's almost 50,000 dollars! Try doing that at McDonald's. Your problem is the same that all newbies face. Your new. You don't have the street smarts yet to turn the big miles. In trucking we control our own levels of productivity and therefore our level of gross pay. You've got to build your own reputation with your company and your dispatcher.

Are you aware that dispatchers have favorite drivers who get special treatment? It's true. We call them Top Tier Drivers. As a new driver that's what you want to focus on. You'll build your value, and you'll build your understanding of how to be hyper productive. Remember, this career is performance based. Any driver earning 50 cents or more per mile is held accountable. He/she has to be worth that much.

You'll control your pay by your performance. Having a CDL doesn't entitle you to anything. Being worth more than the average driver is a responsibility that you must shoulder.

Show Me The Money

I understand a new driver should get payed less. But consider that a McDonald’s worker gets 12hr base pay. If you work 70 hours as a mcdonalds employee you will get about the same pay as I would in an ideal week with ot.Fast food jobs are the bottom of the barrel and I’m getting the same pay as them. And that’s not even considering that I have to be in a truck 24/7, don’t get paid for stops. Also factor in the inflated cost of everything at a truck stop.Am risking getting tickets and not to mention my life. I’m also responsible for possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars a load in merchandise.

And also the truck school was way overpriced. They definitely are taking advantage of new drivers. 9k for a school that basically did nothing. They jack the price up so that you have to stay with them and work for low pay. In actuality I probably got like 500-600 dollars worth of “schooling” including wages and what it would cost to rent a truck for that amount of time. Reasonably that school should have cost 1200-1500 max.I got a total of like 2-3hours max inside a truck at the school. And as far as learning goes I could have learned everything in two days tops sitting at home. Most of the time at school was waiting around.

I understand newbs should get paid less but in my opinion anything under 45cpm is criminal.

Part of why I want to find another company is because I feel bad about myself enabling this company to rip people off.

I need drivers like you! but he is absolutely right Steven, most companies that are willing to start drivers out with either percentage pay or higher than .50 a mile also have requirements of at least 2 years with CDL's and OTR experience and as high as minimum 5 years exp. This is just how it is starting out in this business, but like he said if you show your dispatch your value then you will more than likely have more room to negotiate with your pay rate, either way hang in there, it pays off in the end! be safe out there guys!

Steven, I wish I had a dollar for everytime I've heard your story - I'd be overflowing with money! New truck drivers often think they are getting cheated. So what do they do? They start looking for another company. The person who came up with that old saying; "History repeats itself," must have been a truck driver. I say if history repeats itself, it means we aren't learning anything from history.

Sadly, truck drivers don't learn anything by repeating their terrible practice of always thinking the grass is greener somewhere else. Look, you're brand new at this. Why do you think you have all this value? You should be focused on building your value. Quitting your current job does nothing toward that.

As a new driver the only thing you have to recommend yourself is your first year's experience. Beyond that you are merely a new CDL holder who has little to no ability to be productive enough to command the highest levels of pay. You knew what you were starting at. Somehow you thought it was acceptable. What changed?

You can make close to 1,000 dollars a week at your pay rate. That's almost 50,000 dollars! Try doing that at McDonald's. Your problem is the same that all newbies face. Your new. You don't have the street smarts yet to turn the big miles. In trucking we control our own levels of productivity and therefore our level of gross pay. You've got to build your own reputation with your company and your dispatcher.

Are you aware that dispatchers have favorite drivers who get special treatment? It's true. We call them Top Tier Drivers. As a new driver that's what you want to focus on. You'll build your value, and you'll build your understanding of how to be hyper productive. Remember, this career is performance based. Any driver earning 50 cents or more per mile is held accountable. He/she has to be worth that much.

You'll control your pay by your performance. Having a CDL doesn't entitle you to anything. Being worth more than the average driver is a responsibility that you must shoulder.

Show Me The Money

Yeah, well with that attitude after just starting to drive, you won't be out here very long. You're so new, you don't know what you don't know. You are apparently of the mindset of "it's us against them". You want benefits, better pay, and perks? Get out here and EARN THEM.

I've driven for over a half million miles in four years, zero accidents, all OTR and make less than 45 cents per mile at a company that I want to drive for. I don't feel CFI owes me anything, and I definitely am not of your "entitlement for nothing" thinking.

Because their pay is very hard to find reliable information. They also don’t explain everything and if you ask someone they tell you to ask someone else. I was expecting to start around 40 after doing research. This company claimed they pay 12k higher than the competition. They say first year average is 50k.

1) Prime is one of the top paying training companies and it takes 975,000 miles to get 50cpm. I'm at 4 years and at 48.25cpm. with my bonuses i average 55cpm. Still.... you are suggesting you are as good as someone with 7 years experience.

2) Division is going to make a huge difference. So flatbed, reefer and dry van will pay differently. i know dry van drivers with 2+ years experience making 43cpm. So unrealistic expectations is correct.

3) i totally understand the high cost of living in Cali is an issue. move to another state or put your stuff in storage and live in the truck for a bit.

4) according to you, you did research and wound up in a low paying company. Why? there must be something in your history that prevented you from a higher paying company if it was only money that was important. if so, those issues havent gone away.

I don’t have any hard feelings toward this company. My dm gives me good loads as of late. My last load was 1800 miles. The only problem is the pay is just not good. If you are happy making 45 cpm after four years that is good for you I guess. I feel like you should be getting 55-60.

I actually don’t mind the driving, and am comfortable doing this job. I will probably be doing this for a few years (3-5). But I’m not trying to be stuck in a truck until I’m 50 years old. I want to have a life and that’s why I want to be compensated appropriately.

I don’t have an us vs them mentality or an entitlement mindset.

Yeah, well with that attitude after just starting to drive, you won't be out here very long. You're so new, you don't know what you don't know. You are apparently of the mindset of "it's us against them". You want benefits, better pay, and perks? Get out here and EARN THEM.

I've driven for over a half million miles in four years, zero accidents, all OTR and make less than 45 cents per mile at a company that I want to drive for. I don't feel CFI owes me anything, and I definitely am not of your "entitlement for nothing" thinking.

in my opinion anything under 45cpm is criminal.

So what are you gonna do?

Forget about CPM for a few minutes. How much is an acceptable amount of money for you to be earning per year? Remember, this is a performance based business. You earn your pay by being productive. In the real world you don't get a trophy for just showing up.

You are laying the blame for your lackadaisical earnings on your pay rate. You can't get away with that when you're talking to a bunch of truck drivers. We know how you make money at this. What you're doing is exposing your inability to be productive. It's killing your pay. It's draining your vitality. It's fomenting bitterness and regret.

The best thing you could ever do for yourself is make a full blown effort at making this job work for you. Let me explain with a personal example. I started driving at a lower rate than you. I started at 27 CPM. I busted my tail at that rate for two reasons.

1) I was grateful to have the job.

2) I understood that I had no intrinsic value. I was determined to build my value.

Would fifty thousand dollars be an acceptable year's pay for you? That's what I earned that rookie year. You owe it to yourself to try to develop yourself into being a productive professional. That's how you do well at this. Your rookie year is going to be foundational for your future career. Right now you are building a terrible foundation. It's one of blaming others for your poor results. It's all because they lied to you or they don't pay enough. If you want to spend the rest of your life under that deception, you're making a great start at it.

You are the only one who can change this dynamic. A higher CPM rate will not improve your outlook or your ability to be productive in a competitive environment. You are so focused on rates that you've lost sight of the goal. The goal is to be the best most productive driver on the team. Without the drive to excel you will fall flat out here. This is real competition. Right now you are falling short. The cure is to figure out how to become proficient and effective at your job.

Last paycheck I did over 3k miles and still grossed only 800$. That’s pretty bad. 50k is supposed to be the average but I feel like I would have to be doing more than average to make less than that.

in my opinion anything under 45cpm is criminal.

So what are you gonna do?

Forget about CPM for a few minutes. How much is an acceptable amount of money for you to be earning per year? Remember, this is a performance based business. You earn your pay by being productive. In the real world you don't get a trophy for just showing up.

You are laying the blame for your lackadaisical earnings on your pay rate. You can't get away with that when you're talking to a bunch of truck drivers. We know how you make money at this. What you're doing is exposing your inability to be productive. It's killing your pay. It's draining your vitality. It's fomenting bitterness and regret.

The best thing you could ever do for yourself is make a full blown effort at making this job work for you. Let me explain with a personal example. I started driving at a lower rate than you. I started at 27 CPM. I busted my tail at that rate for two reasons.

1) I was grateful to have the job.

2) I understood that I had no intrinsic value. I was determined to build my value.

Would fifty thousand dollars be an acceptable year's pay for you? That's what I earned that rookie year. You owe it to yourself to try to develop yourself into being a productive professional. That's how you do well at this. Your rookie year is going to be foundational for your future career. Right now you are building a terrible foundation. It's one of blaming others for your poor results. It's all because they lied to you or they don't pay enough. If you want to spend the rest of your life under that deception, you're making a great start at it.

You are the only one who can change this dynamic. A higher CPM rate will not improve your outlook or your ability to be productive in a competitive environment. You are so focused on rates that you've lost sight of the goal. The goal is to be the best most productive driver on the team. Without the drive to excel you will fall flat out here. This is real competition. Right now you are falling short. The cure is to figure out how to become proficient and effective at your job.

I feel like I would have to be doing more than average

Bingo! You're starting to understand!

The problem is you are content to be average. If you can find inspiration to perform at a level that is considerably above average you will excel at this. You need some inspiration. Right now all I hear from you is desperation. There are a million or more truck drivers who sound just like you. I'm trying to help you break free from the status quo. You need some inspiration.

You're a rookie. That's your biggest problem. You must commit to developing yourself into a professional. It will never happen with your current attitude. Work hard on increasing your reliability, productivity, and establishing a great working relationship with your dispatcher. One full year of that and you'll realize how misguided your concerns about CPM rates are now.

Work hard on increasing your reliability, productivity, and establishing a great working relationship with your dispatcher. One full year of that and you'll realize how misguided your concerns about CPM rates are now.

I can't stress how critical it is to understand this. You want to make big money because you have big goals. That's awesome. That's how it should be. Now to achieve those goals, focus on what you must do to become the best truck driver possible.

Over time, your pay will be equal to your awesomeness. Becoming awesome takes time. It won't happen in your first year. You can become very good by the end of your first year. You can become excellent by the end of your second year. It will take 3 - 5 years before you gain the experience and knowledge it takes to consistently perform at an awesome level.

You'll get there if you keep your focus on becoming the best you can be. Don't lose sight of the fact that you must consistently reach the highest performance level in order to reach the highest pay level.

I’m not sure how you came to that conclusion. Let’s just do some actual thinking.

How can I possibly make “awesome money” with a pay of 29cpm? It has nothing to do with my performance. It’s simply **** pay.

10 hours driving = maximum of 650 miles. 650*.29=188.50 That means in the best possible scenario I make 18.50 an hour for the time that I’m on the highway. Factor in the fact that you have to spend time at drop/pickup doing papers finding,empty trailers, cleaning trailers, coupling,driving up and down grades, traffic, weather, stoplights, low speed limits, weighing and reweighing loads(because they don’t give a **** about your time and will overload you),finding empty parking spots, fueling, pre/post trips you would have to be an idiot to call it good pay let alone great. 18.50 is hardly even decent pay in itself.

My last 4000 miles I averaged 50 mph. And I drive with max speeds possible. So it’s not like I’m making 18.50 before factoring in all other factors. It comes out to 14.50 an hour for just the time that I am driving. And the last 4000 miles I did were on ideal highways with hardly any traffic. My mph still averaged out to only 50 even though I drive at 65 the majority of time on highway.

Previous to the last 4000 miles my average was only 43 mph because of traffic and weather and I was in California.

You aren’t going to convince me that I need to improve my performance because the majority of time I am waiting for loads. Dealing with other people’s bull**** and I don’t get paid for any of it. I’m basically waiting to get onto the road so I can finally start earning some **** pay.

Work hard on increasing your reliability, productivity, and establishing a great working relationship with your dispatcher. One full year of that and you'll realize how misguided your concerns about CPM rates are now.

I can't stress how critical it is to understand this. You want to make big money because you have big goals. That's awesome. That's how it should be. Now to achieve those goals, focus on what you must do to become the best truck driver possible.

Over time, your pay will be equal to your awesomeness. Becoming awesome takes time. It won't happen in your first year. You can become very good by the end of your first year. You can become excellent by the end of your second year. It will take 3 - 5 years before you gain the experience and knowledge it takes to consistently perform at an awesome level.

You'll get there if you keep your focus on becoming the best you can be. Don't lose sight of the fact that you must consistently reach the highest performance level in order to reach the highest pay level.