New Driver Pay And Relationship Question

Hello, new driver here. I had two questions for you Veterans out there. 1) My pay sucks. I have been driving for a little over 6 months based out of the Pacific NW. I am working or on duty everyday and I am getting $125/day and .41 cents per mile overage. I made more money as a security guard. I have been driving for 6 months, had a preventable accident at 3 months (backing). When should I jump and to where so I can make better money. I quit my apartment and moved full-time into the truck. I really like trucking for the freedom and office view. I am eligible for retirement 10 years (SS).

2) Is there a trucker dating website? I am getting lonely but don’t want to take on the responsibility of a dog even though I would love dogs. Any tips appreciated!!!

Stay safe!

Hello John and welcome. This site has really streamlined job searching for drivers. If you click the Jobs link from the menu on the upper left hand corner of the page, there will be a relatively straightforward application that can be filled out and submitted. Once submitted it will be sent to multiple carriers. The preventable could make it a bit challenging as some companies would require a year without any preventable. But don’t let that discourage you and apply anyway. Let them be the ones to tell you no, so it never hurts to try.

I can’t answer anything about a dating site for truckers, I’ve never searched for one. Best info I could give on that would be to Google search for a truckers dating site. Maybe someone here can have a tad bit more input. Best of luck to you!

Your situation sounds a lot like mine was. During my first 8 months, I calculated that I was making about the same money as if I were working at McDonald’s. Seriously.

Then I went to a company that required minimum 6 months experience. I didn’t have a perfect record either. No road accidents but a few parking lot incidents including one while backing. I still got hired and started out at .55 per mile, now at .60. I live in my truck and drive an average of about 3000 miles per week. So my pay has been very nice, I am on pace to gross over 70,000 this year, plus I get my SS benefits. I never fault any driver for trying to improve their situation if the money is not adequate. The wisdom frequently mentioned here is to try and stay with your first company for a year and that is sound wisdom. But there can be exceptions. The danger in moving to another company is inexperience in evaluating another company with only 6 months of driving with only one company. Making knee jerk decisions usually result in only making a lateral move that is no better than the first one. It is really important to find out as much about the new company as possible before making a move. I recommend finding a driver from that company to talk to, talking to more than one driver from that company is even better. There are many aspects about company compensation that go beyond what they pay per mile. The due diligence will help you avoid the lateral move issue. If you change companies, you want to be as sure as possible that it will improve your situation and not just be more of the same.

I moved to a reefer company and I think reefer does tend to pay a little more. After my initial apprehension about going reefer, I am glad I switched from dry van. It has worked out well. Drivers that do some type of specialty work get paid a little more it seems. Reefer, tanker, flatbed all seem to pay more than dry van as far as I can tell. And as a driver gains experience, they should naturally increase their earnings if only by becoming more efficient and qualifying for more accessorial pay and bonuses.

I will comment on the relationship part of your question in another reply.

So my pay has been very nice, I am on pace to gross over 70,000 this year, plus I get my SS benefits.

I don’t mean to be rude by asking this and I’m really sorry if it comes across that way.. Is this pretty standard for what drivers are making OTR right now? I’ve been thinking about going OTR again but 70-80k would be a pretty big pay cut from what I’m doing right now. Again, I don’t mean any disrespect by it, just curious what the pay is generally like right now because we all know advertised cpm doesn’t paint a very complete picture.

There is a dating site for truckers on the web somewhere that I have come across before. As suggested previously you would have to search for it, if it is still in existence. I don’t have any interest in dating sites because i don’t want to add any complications to my life at almost 71 years old. Raging hormones are not a factor anymore, lol. I love a dog, but have also held off on that because of the same reason.

It seems to me that finding a compatible companion for driving would be very difficult. Being cooped up with a virtual stranger in a truck might yield a very bad experience.

The saying that comes to mind here is “Be careful what you wish for, it may come true “.

This is not to say successfully dating as a drive is impossible. I’m sure there are some success stories. But I think horror stories are more common. There are a few women I know who think would make wonderful companions on the road, but I think their husbands would object, perhaps violently.

If you get lonely on the road and can’t cope with it, perhaps you could try team driving for a company that specializes in team driving. That doesn’t appeal to me at all, but it might work for you.

So my pay has been very nice, I am on pace to gross over 70,000 this year, plus I get my SS benefits.

I don’t mean to be rude by asking this and I’m really sorry if it comes across that way.. Is this pretty standard for what drivers are making OTR right now? I’ve been thinking about going OTR again but 70-80k would be a pretty big pay cut from what I’m doing right now. Again, I don’t mean any disrespect by it, just curious what the pay is generally like right now because we all know advertised cpm doesn’t paint a very complete picture.

Pianoman, no worries, your question is fine.

I do think my pay is fairly common in OTR, but at the same time I know my company is on the low side of the pay scale. One driver from my company switched to another reefer company and he makes between .64 and .68 per mile depending on east coast or not east coast. Plus his benefits are much better than before. We don’t get any paid holidays and now he does.

Sounds like you have a good paying gig right now. Maybe Walmart might be an option for you with your amount of experience. I think Turtle once said he is grossing about $120,000 per year as a Walmart driver. (Please correct me if that is wrong). For me, that would be crazy money to make, but I don’t have enough experience yet to qualify for Walmart. Plus I don’t know what all their requirements are or if they are currently even hiring more drivers in these economic conditions. From everything I’ve been told, Walmart is one of the best driving jobs. Perhaps one of Walmart’s drivers can provide an update.

I was at a truck stop parked next to a Johnsonville driver and we were both waiting to go a short distance to our delivery appointment. According to him, Johnsonville’s total pay package is considerably more than what I make. They have 10 paid holidays (I didn’t even know there are 10 holidays). But they have a small fleet, 50 trucks, and they want their drivers to live nearby their facility in Wisconsin. But he gets a 6 figure gross pay per year.

So yes, I believe you can find a better paying OTR job than the one I have, but it still might be a pay cut for you.

The first year is always the hardest and it will be the lowest paying. That is just how it is.. As you gain experience and knowledge start looking at different companies. But for now if you can wait, I'd wait until the economy improves and you gain more experience. Cannot give you advice on dating relationships, I was married with kids when I started driving.

A friend of mine is making .65 cpm while I'm making .54 cpm. The reason I'm making more money than he is, is because I run 12 to 14,000 miles a month while he's doing around 10,000, give or take a few hundred miles. I also get some bonuses thrown my way every so often. I think it's cuz I'm an old lady...72... and the company is amazed at what I will do, like chaining up in the winter time, working on reefers if somebody walks me through it, etc.

Would making a six-figure income be nice? Sure, cuz that would help me pay off my bills a lot quicker and I can slow down. However, there's more to life than money and I like being valued. Would I be valued at a six-figure company? Possibly but unless it's a special niche, those companies are larger as a rule and I don't like large companies.

As for specific trucking dating sites? I've never heard of any, but I cultivate friendships and talking on the phone with my friends and family fills up the lonely hours. I finally met one guy that has become pretty steady in my life but with his driving hours and mine it's hard to meet up and spend any time together.

Laura

I think it's cuz I'm an old lady...72... and the company is amazed at what I will do, like chaining up in the winter time, working on reefers if somebody walks me through it, etc.

Laura

Laura, why are you working so hard at 72? Its time to relax and enjoy the retirement years. I am set to retire at 62 1/2 in 5 more years. I think its amazing you are still able to bust it out and I applaud you for the work effort. Something the newest generation fails to do..

I think it's cuz I'm an old lady...72... and the company is amazed at what I will do, like chaining up in the winter time, working on reefers if somebody walks me through it, etc.

Laura

Laura, why are you working so hard at 72? Its time to relax and enjoy the retirement years. I am set to retire at 62 1/2 in 5 more years. I think its amazing you are still able to bust it out and I applaud you for the work effort. Something the newest generation fails to do..

Dan, Laura is really just a teenager with a new boyfriend. Nobody can slow her down and she is my role model and they are not making that model any more. Lol