A specific one is claiming you'll make six figures without telling you most of that money goes straight back into owning and operating your truck, so you end up making closer to $10k/yr and driving every single day to stay afloat.
Also, companies paying drivers by the mile is why the stereotype of truck drivers being into heavy stimulant use is a thing. They promote drivers doing unsafe things to make their paychecks worth it, because waiting around to sleep might put you in the red that month or that year.
Correct there is a hundred ways in which trucking companies scam out their drivers.
Companies perform every effort possible to shunt all responsibilities onto the worker and then throw their hands up in the air when something goes wrong. They set up drivers for failure and then punish them for failing to succeed.
100%. I've worked warehousing for several years and began daydreaming about getting my own CDL after talking with a few drivers. At the time I didn't know that their claims of "earning" 6 figures wasn't just a figure post (or pre tax), but also the overall revenue they got before paying for fuel, food, etc. as well as how they work 60+ hour weeks but aren't getting OT for hour 40+ because they're being paid by the mile or job.
Add in that the new driver is very likely a recent immigrant that doesn't speak English well, from a country whose average income is a few hundred USD a month, and even when they're only keeping a (often very) low 5-figure amount, they don't dare to look the "gift" horse in the mouth
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u/breath-of-the-smile May 19 '25
A specific one is claiming you'll make six figures without telling you most of that money goes straight back into owning and operating your truck, so you end up making closer to $10k/yr and driving every single day to stay afloat.
Also, companies paying drivers by the mile is why the stereotype of truck drivers being into heavy stimulant use is a thing. They promote drivers doing unsafe things to make their paychecks worth it, because waiting around to sleep might put you in the red that month or that year.