I didn't realize that truckers could do so well

[rbV5]

Most truckers don't do nearly as well.

In 2004, the average annual pay for a truck driver was $34,920, and for a construction worker it was $37,890, according to the Labor Department.

Union truck drivers make on average about $60,000. About 10 percent of all truck drivers in the country are unionized, an economist with the Teamsters said

Link


Since 2004, wages may have gone up a bit, but fuel prices have gone up dramatically as well. Most truckers I know struggle to make ends meet, are overworked and see their families far too little.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: mcvickj
No way I could do that for a living. The tend to get drowsy during long drives.

I would be intersted to see a few pictures of rig.

They're on my wife's lappy. I'll see if I can put up a couple when I get home.

Here they are.

Outside Shot

Inside Shot looking back

Inside Shot looking forward

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Dunbar

Originally posted by: Queasy
My wife is helping her cousin find a home in the Atlanta area. He is a trucker and I never realized they could make that kind of money. He's pulling in $200k+ and he takes 3 month off during the winter months so he doesn't have to drive in the bad weather. Yeah, gas is expensive but part of that $200k is his trucking company reimbursing him for gas & mileage on his truck.

What was his income on his tax return? Since he owns his own truck, a lot of that $200k could go towards the maintenance, gas, insurance etc. Since trucking is largely unskilled labor, and there's no shortage of competition, it is quite obvious that generally pay isn't that great compared to hours worked.

Like I said, company pays him back for gas and mileage. I'm not sure what his insurance and maintenance costs are.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Nice rig. Couldn't live the life though.

 

[Kyanzes]

Awesome. Would even try, but it's a lot of money and it's also about 8000 miles away 😛 But it really is awesome.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: B00ne
200k that seems insane - I searched and it seems that here in Germany only 4% make more than 35k and the vast majority makes less than 25k. But that doesnt really surprise me - it's basically unskilled lobour and eastern europeans will do it for maybe 20% of that. Very few truckers are self employed.
On the other hand trucking is way more expensive here too: much stricter laws regarding driving and rest hrs and the allowed top speed is 50mph (it is continuously recorded)

Silly Hasselhoff loving Germans. 😉

 

[MetalMat]

Operators at my job at Halliburton make about 8 an hour starting, up to about 18 an hour for the very senior ones from what I understand. And they get payed crazy overtime, when you are at a well site you are always on the clock, so if you are on site for a whole week (it can happen and has happened before, usually it ends up being an 80-100 hour week though) that is 280 hours, 240 hours of that being overtime.

Thats 7200$ before taxes in one week at 18 an hour :shocked: Taxes gonna eat about half of that though. Most operators make more than starting engineers, even though senior engineers easily make over 100k.

 

[daveymark]

Originally posted by: AbAbber2k
Nice rig. Couldn't live the life though.

not even with those hot young male mouths waiting at every truck stop? It's a gay man's fantasy

you might want to reconsider

 

[fitzov]

Yeah it's great until you come-up on stopped traffic and can't stop and become a meat sandwich between your trailer and someone else's