In the trucking industry there are many types of trucks and types of driving. To break it down into sections is simple and very difficult at the same time. I will try to explain them as we go and tell you why we break them down to drivers not the trucks used.
First off we will start with the one everybody knows and hears about on a regular basis in the news and blamed for more then they will ever get credit for. This is the over the road drivers. These are the drivers that leave state lines and most time sleep in their trucks day after day. Most will spend a month on the road then home for 4 to 5 days. There is one day off for each week spent on the road if you’re going to make money at it. Now in this section there are two types of OTR or over the road driver. These are long haul and regional drivers. A long haul driver will drive across country, and will go to almost anyplace as long as it has miles to it. Where the regional drivers will only go into the surrounding states or regions of the US and do not stay out for as long as a long haul driver.
Now the long haul driver normally gets paid per mile, and the more miles they drive the more they make. Now benefits are limited at best, the pay is a joke or worse, and it only gets better from there. Now if you have ever talked to a recruiter then you have heard that you will make bank driving, you will see the US, you will make new friends and meet interesting people, and you will hear more home time. But what you do not hear is for the big money that means you don’t go home. You will most of the time be paid on a catch phrase called post office miles. What is post office miles you may be asking? Well its simple you drive from folsum Ca, To SLC, UT. Now your miles may be 936 miles that you drove. But when you’re paid you may only get paid for 875 miles. Now your thinking what the heck is that about right? Well it’s a cute program that takes the miles from the main post office in each of those cities and that is what you’re paid for. Why the difference well you drove past the main post office and did not get paid for the extra miles. So most companies know that you are working for free most of the times your only dealing with about 25 to 30 miles but at times and places you will get taken by as many as 100 miles. Now when you think of it at .32 cents per mile there is money from your pocket. API cek ongkir
Now that you think about the money, and you hear how us drivers are making bank well let me correct that vision. Okay we make lets say .32 cents per mile, now you have a speed limit of 65 in most places and you can run for 11 hours total in 24 hours. Now you will not make 65 miles in an hour so you have to be real so giving you 55 miles an hour average is close. So now you are making about 190 dollars a day right? Well you can forget that, because you are spending part of that to live on the road, and remember you are not getting paid for all the miles you drive so you’re making before expenses, about 17 dollars an hour. Now take from that food, laundry, and extras like cd’s, movies, books, or any number of other things like showers (yes you pay for them to). So your average week on the road will be more like half that so you can keep your self from going insane and you can survive.
But you will get to see a lot. You will see highways all over the US, Mexico, and Canada if you want and sign with the right company. All from the wheel of a truck, and moving on a time table to get the load down the road, remember that is what you’re doing is making the money.
Now why is regional different then long haul, well they are home more, every other night or so, the pay is slightly less, and they do more turn a round’s and hit more docks. Meaning they are not driving the miles the long haul drivers do. But they have their own set of problems and money, and time you are allowed to drive is among the top. But they also pay for lumpers, these are people that load and unload the trucks to the driver can catch some sleep, eat or just not have to fight the loading of their trailer. These drivers are normally set to a normal route or destination, they take the same type loads to the same places and just do turn a rounds having more set days off and more of the same road.
Now we have local drivers and they very a lot, these are the trucks and drivers that are home every night, and work at jobs like delivering furniture to your door, or dump trucks, or any number of other jobs that keep them right there near their home. They make less money normally; they work with equipment that is designed for less travel, and haul more. These folks are the ones that are normally the last stop for what ever the other two drivers hauled. For instants if you go to your local store and pick up a toy chances are that the little toy has seen about 3 to 5 trucks. That’s right we move it to the manufacture, then to the warehouse, then to a distribution center, then to the store. As the saying goes “if you have it, it got to you by truck”, no we don’t want to mention train, because how did it get to the train okay, that’s right it got there by truck.
I want to say that in every piece of this industry you will be lied to, you will be cheated, you will be put in places you never heard of, but each day can show you something new and wonderful. It’s a career that takes someone special to hang on, and it takes heart. You must live day to day alone, hour after hour. You must be determined, safe, smart, and far more then that. You must be able to live with little family and home time. All ends of trucking are demanding, and all will pull you away from family and friends. It’s just the type of industry that you sign into. Rather you’re driving an 18 wheeler, or you’re pulling a small flat bed straight truck. They will all have one thing in common, a commercial driver at the wheel. Some one that is supposed to be professional, and a cut above the rest of the drivers on the road.
So you see when you sign your name and take your CDL commercial drivers license test. Remember what I have said here. Soon you will find out to.
Smith 
