Am I just overreacting?
Posted by Own_Seaworthiness229@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 39 comments
Hey guys im currently im my TNT phase with prime been out here for a few weeks and maybe im overreacting but when im driving late at night and get to think sometimes I just feel like im being used so my trainer can make even more money.
what I mean by that is im not someone who watches other people's money but when your talking to other truckers about how this week your grossing 8k, 9k, 10k I know its just gross pay not net you know still has to pay taxes , pay for the truck, ect but for me im seeing 650$ and on a good week 750$ cant help but feel like im being hard done by when im driving 10 and a half hours almost every night.
i dont know maybe im just bitchin maybe im overreacting but then again I didn't leave home and my family for 650-750 a week , but then again also I guess you gotta start somewhere
post_mah_bone@reddit
Where else are you gonna get time behind the wheel? Do you want to sit in the passenger seat watching your trainer drive while you eat bon bons?
Brooklynj-718@reddit
Don't go off duty..your money stops..my trainer wanted me to go off duty every chance he got...I told him if I'm off duty I'm on the bunk watching you tube..I don't do shit if I'm off duty.. absolutely nothing..no gassing up..no getting paper work...no live calls..Your only getting paid by the HRS ..he gets all the miles..stay on duty as much as possible.. your all welcome đ
GreyGhost878@reddit
That's the way. Stick it to em. Until you're stuck 50 miles from home on a Friday evening and you only have 26 minutes left on your 70 and have to take a 34 there. Company doesn't give a sh!t how many hours a week you burn. It only burns you in the end.
Brooklynj-718@reddit
Lol. Who sent you..tell prime to give you a raise..lol ..50 miles from home..lol
charonco@reddit
I love how you're laughing at them when you obviously don't know what you're talking about. Prime does not pay by the hour. They pay by the mile. When you're in training you get a flat rate and then I think they recently added something for extra miles over and above what they expect. As an OTR driver what this person is talking about happens frequently. You've run out of on duty time and wind up having to sit somewhere for 10 hours because you need to recoup some hours just to make it another 50 miles.
Brooklynj-718@reddit
Maybe you're right..I started with prime bout 2 years ago..it was 12 dollars an hr. We did 5000 miles in a week and I got none of it...I'm with TMC now and it's so sweet getting paid percent..no more chasing miles...also..I think you're wrong... Can anybody confirm prime TNT pay..I think they still only pay 12.56 on hr and no Miles for trainer..
charonco@reddit
My comment was more about on duty hours. With prime it's a flat rate for training and then I think they added something in the last couple years earn more than what the flat rate is, but I don't know anything around that. I do know that you don't want to be wasting on duty hours.
Old_Resist_9845@reddit
Bro im in prime tnt I literally just drove an 11 hour shift while my trainer slept the whole time and im feeling the same wayđ But i remind myself âIâm the the one that needs the training not himâ im getting paid $1,100 a week before taxes
ChoomBurner@reddit
Does it really feel like training if your partner is asleep the whole time you are driving?
Genuinely asking because I will be joining Prime soon.
Tromboneofsteel@reddit
Not prime, but I can say I learned nothing from my trainer after the first couple loads. I was a better driver than him from the start, at least I didn't set off the lane departure warning every 10 seconds. It was like 3 loads to get used to doing the paperwork, a couple tips for backing, then 3 weeks of learning nothing new and getting zero sleep.
Boot camp took less of a toll on my mental, not even kidding
ChoomBurner@reddit
Sounds like the most challenging part of this whole process is gonna be memorizing the pre-trip, and overcoming sleep deprivation.
MegaDuck71@reddit
Itâs been awhile since I did it and it may have changed.
Phase 1: Train to get CDL Phase 2: Drive two weeks with a trainer riding shotgun with you. Phase 3: Team with a trainer.
Phase 3 is more about learning how to run the truck than learning how to drive the truck. You also have a safety net if you get in trouble with an experienced driver. Itâs not perfect.
ChoomBurner@reddit
Makes sense.
MegaDuck71@reddit
Yes, as a new OTR driver, you are overreacting. Is your trainer making money off you? Also, yes. When I was asked if I would train, when I was working for them, did I train? Hell no!
It takes a special person to want to train. Suicidal. Letâs team with a stranger, try to sleep with a noob driving, and get woken up when your trainee screws up or has questions? Yeah, not for me. For me the training was not lucrative enough to pursue.
ChoomBurner@reddit
It does sound crazy when you put it that way. How much extra do TNT trainers actually get paid?
Tromboneofsteel@reddit
My trainer said he was making 10cpm on top of his normal pay for training. Combine that with a truck that's always going to be moving, it doesn't sound too bad.
Not good enough that I'd ever consider training someone, but not bad.
ChoomBurner@reddit
Damn. I feel you, that does sound like pretty good money though.
JOliverScott@reddit
If you're still riding with a trainer then yes you're getting pretty low pay but that's what the training phase is like. If you weren't aware of this before then this will be an unfortunate realization at this point but the first year kind of sucks in terms of pay because until you've proven yourself a safe and competent driver you're a risk to any carrier so the ones willing to take a chance on you are not the ones paying the good wages. It's basically the 'paying your dues' phase of trucking. Get your CDL, get all you can out of training, get a year under your belt without any major damage or tickets, and you can take your pick of most of the jobs out there. Only an elite few may require more than a year - like the coveted Walmart fleet type jobs usually require two years experience and a clean driving record but even at the one year mark you can level up pretty easily at a majority of carriers. Also they'll all magically have your number as you approach that threshold so expect to start getting offers and requests to apply that simply didn't exist before you had the necessary experience.Â
Also, don't fall into the trap of comparing company driver pay to owner/operator pay because they're two completely different scales. Company drivers aren't paying for the truck, the fuel, the insurance, the registration, the operating authority, the technology, the compliance, the cost of finding the loads, and of course the employment and pension costs. If you think you want all of that headache then by all means pursue owner/operator opportunities but be warned in advance that it's extremely difficult if you don't already have a financial cushion and the programs that carriers promote to own your own truck and be your own boss are extremely predatory and designed for you to fail because it's to their advantage.
charonco@reddit
This is exactly what I did. Walmart is actually 2 and 1/2 years. I did exactly 2 years 6 months and 2 weeks at prime and then came to Walmart.
Brilliant_Rabbit7916@reddit
Stick with it bruh, I felt the same way but once I got my own truck I realized it was all worth it. Stay the course
Whitehoneybun666@reddit
Thatâs the reason I didnât go with prime when I started out that 40k miles with the trainer or whatever it is thatâs just way to long 4 weeks max is all I could do
Trappin4DaSport@reddit
your a new company driver mind ya business and learn how to drive man đ
zdw0986@reddit
Youâre TRAINING numbskull. Of course heâs making more money to train you, heâs taking the risk of you killing him or at the very least damaging the truck/cargo which puts him oos until it gets resolved
PraiseTalos66012@reddit
Yes you're overreacting.
Your comparing experienced owner operator pay to brand new in training company driver pay.
Also your talking about your after tax pay and comparing it to not just pre tax but also pre expense pay(for an owner op).
An owner op making 8k is probably only making around $2k after all expenses and taxes, maybe not even that.
Do you really think you should be getting paid the same as a guy who has years of experience and owns his own truck?
TruckinTuba@reddit
Thats definitely owner operator pay, when I was an owner, I was also a trainer, we took one team load that paid the truck ~7800 Saturday morning to Sunday night, as a trainee, he only made $450/week I asked him before we took the load, because as an owner I can say no, but dispatch said it was the only load nearby, and the trainee was okay with it
Playful-Excuse-272@reddit
I was trained through Prime inc program. Back then it was 50k miles. And I drove countless nights. It sucks. But remember the end goal.
Tru3insanity@reddit
They all started where you are.
Gonzotrucker1@reddit
The whole industry is using you.
thatguy32503@reddit
I just finished TNT about a month ago so I know exactly what youâre saying. I definitely drove more than my trainer but thatâs because I hate sitting still. Think about it this way. The more miles you drive, the closer you get to your 30k and the closer you get to having your own truck. This is just another part of the training that you agreed to. It was never hidden from you.
Silent-Room-4987@reddit
Op, you're forgetting how much risk that trainer is taking with a complete stranger operating his truck. Someone he knows for a fact has never driven something that big. When, not if, you screw up he is the one that has to pay for it. 1 single drive tire is over 1k. The deductibles are massive. Ever hear the phrase "no risk no reward"? Well, you're the risk. Another thing to think about is that you're paying for his knowledge. If at any point you feel that information isn't worth it tell the him, the training dept, or his dispatcher. Once you're out of tnt the pay is a lot better.
homucifer666@reddit
Only 750? Last I heard Prime guaranteed $900 for trainees regardless how much you worked.
Look into whatever you signed in your contract. If that's not what you're getting, you need to talk to someone in payroll.
Also don't pay attention to $8-12k/week that he's bragging about; he gets to keep a fraction of that. The highs for independent contractors are high, just like the lows are low.
Nero8762@reddit
gross is $900, thatâs his net pay.
timbocf@reddit
Yes. I trained with Wilson, kind of a sister company to Prime, and they totally make money off of you. Do your training, get your CDL then GTFO
MadMysticMeister@reddit
8k to 10k sounds like owner operator pay, 750$ seems normal training pay for a company driver, itâs what i made at least for maverick when i was trained. If you feel used itâs because you are, the company sees you as a tool for profit in the making, and your trainer sees you as the training bonus you are, and you help them run their miles. This is normal, just stick with it and do your time, youâll be out soon enough. If you miss your family then you picked the wrong industry, that is a normal feeling, but otr is a lifestyle of hard work and solitude; Iâm sorry. Long term you can go local in the future, i did two years otr and went local oil field.
Defiant-Medicine3014@reddit
Gotta pay your dues bro. Your trainer was in the same position at some point
planetbuster@reddit
youre comparing company driver pay when youre new, bottom of the barrel, to what are obviously owner/op numbers?
k dude.
Be-It-coin@reddit
Suck it up Buttercup. It's the way it is in trucking. Everyone of those gĂșys had to do the same thing.
Vegetable_Plant2214@reddit
Quit whining and do your miles.
HatedReaper@reddit
Dont feel used or jealous. Use that shit as your motivation to eventually get your own truck to make that much money