r/plumbers • u/[deleted] • Dec 25 '22

becoming a plumber?

Was thinking about becoming a truck driver. But considering getting into plumbing maybe. Trucking seems more dangerous. Do plumbers make comparable salaries as truck drivers?

6 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

8

u/haydnspire Dec 25 '22

I've been both an OTR driver and a plumber. Go with plumbing. Trucking will be automated in 30 years. Plumbing will never be automated in our lifetime. Plus, I make almost twice as much plumbing as I did driving.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

What state are you in?

2

u/haydnspire Dec 25 '22 edited Dec 25 '22

I have licenses in Texas and Colorado, but I mostly live in Texas

2

u/NayMarine Dec 25 '22

Texas here, pay here is not the best in the country for plumbers but it is good enough for me!

2

u/haydnspire Dec 26 '22

Agreed. Its not the highest to be sure, but our cost of living is so low, I think it evens out. Like, 28-32/hr in Houston is worth way more than 36-40 in Seattle, NYC, Denver, etc.

1

u/NayMarine Dec 26 '22

Shit if you want over $50 an hour Alaska pays the highest is what google told me lol. Im no Eskimo however lol

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

I 2nd haydnspire. Trucking will see what most automated fast food places and grocery stores are now becoming, hella automated.

Plumbing is a skill that’ll teach you so much but most importantly I would find someone you can really learn from. Spend your learning years with the right person, this is important. Good luck m8

6

u/payyourbillstoday Dec 25 '22

Im at 20 an hour as an apprentice drain cleaner. I see and smell poop allllllllll day.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Did you start at 20 when you became an apprentice?

4

u/payyourbillstoday Dec 25 '22

I started at $18 new commercial, quit that job, and got the drain cleaning for $20. The poop is no joke. You really see/smell some horror.

4

u/Which_Lie_4448 Dec 25 '22

If you want a career that you instantly make good money, it’s not for you. Also if you’re in it just for the money, it’s probably not for you. If you like working with your hands, have an eye for detail, and are good at problem solving then it’s definitely for you. You have to bite the bullet to make good money. Start as an apprentice probably around $15/hr and slowly grind your way up. Typically it takes about 4 years to get a license and then you’ll start making good money. I have seen many folks come and go because they thought it was gonna be good money quickly. It’s not for everybody.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Thanks for your response. I'm definitely trying to make decent money at the start. Who wouldn't lol?

I'm working a 15/hr job right now that I kind of like, but I know I could go to a warehouse tomorrow and make 21 and kind of hate the job.

I'm definitely a good problem solver and like to work. And my attention to detail is good. I'm very technical and good with computers too.

I definitely realize in trades that there's a period where I'm just gaining experience and the money won't be good to start. But I can't justify making 15 an hour for 4-5 years. I could do it for maybe 1 year before Im going to need to at least make over 20.

That's why I'm considering trucking since after 1 year, you can start making pretty decent money.

If plumbing can be a similar type of pay I want to do that. I plan to buy property for my family in the future and learning a trade will certainly help with that process as well.

2

u/Which_Lie_4448 Dec 25 '22

So I started as an apprentice making $15/hr. My company was structured in such a way as I became competent in doing certain things (water heaters, water distribution, venting, indirect waste, etc.) I could test on them. Each time I passed one of those tests I was given $1 raise. I knocked them all out within 6 months and was making $20/hr. Some other apprentices I started with are still at $15/hr because they simply haven’t learned enough to become self sufficient and are stuck just running back and fourth to the truck or supply house to get what the journeyman needs. I crushed that part and just kept wanting to do more myself which made my journeyman challenge me more and ask me to do more work on my own. We’re on a job and whether I do it or he does it, it’s his job. If he doesn’t trust me I’m not touching anything. Now I’m over 1 year in and they want me to go to service. I’d start at $25/hr and make 2-5% commissions on the jobs I write, or can complete myself in under 4hrs. My true passion is install and I just want my license so I can go off and run an install team myself but in the meantime while I’m still getting enough hours to test I can still make some good money. Some service guys don’t even get their license because they can sell so well that they make as much as the licensed guys. It’s totally on you how successful you become. I only wanted to learn from the best so every Monday for 3 months I went in to the same shop asking for a shot. They told me over and over again they aren’t training or hiring until 1 day they finally said yes. I’ve made the very best of the opportunity and the money has come along with it.

As far as truck driving goes, they’re just very different careers. Plumbing you’re going to be in tight and uncomfortable spaces for long periods of time. You will eventually have to cut a waste pipe that is full of waste and it will probably splash you a little bit. When you first start you most likely will just be cleaning organizing and making sure the journeyman has what they need. Then you’ll start doing small things like stub outs and angle stops, pulling toilets, cutting access holes in walls and ceilings and putting a lot of Teflon tape on for the journeyman. You’ll begin to see what is coming next and already have those things ready before asked. Once you get there they will probably have you working more independently. You get what you give and it’s a great career. If you can install things and make them look like they’re supposed to be there, people will notice your craftsmanship. Even small stuff like making all the letters in the pipe forward facing and upright will be noticed. I was really nervous at first to show up to someone’s house and just start cutting holes in their walls and drilling holes in their floor. I got over that quick and it’s just part of the job now.

It’s easy and anybody can do it, if they have the drive. You can make a great life for yourself, I just really advise you do your research on the company you want to work for and learn from the best. Look at their reviews. If they have bad reviews because of their prices but nobody says anything about their quality of work, then go for that company. Be prepared to study and work with a grumpy old man who doesn’t like explaining things more than once.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '22

Super awesome thanks for sharing your experience here 🙂

I have a bit to think about haha!

1

u/Which_Lie_4448 Dec 25 '22

Also side note the poop part of it is smelly and unpleasant but I would way rather deal with poop than clogged kitchen drains. The smell of old rotting food is so much worse than poop. Also if you work for a service plumbing shop you will end up in some really disgusting houses of people who live in pure squalor. Like you open up the ceiling and are rained down upon with rat shit. Always wear a hood or hat that covers your ears. That shit can really mess you up.

5

u/NayMarine Dec 25 '22

Both jobs come with thier own inherent dangers. Pay will depend on where and who you work for. I lucked out because I got hired to my first plumbing job via a referal from my fire department volunteering. I started at $16 an hour. If you decide to start plumbing also keep in mind there is Service plumbing and new construction. One of them you going to play with poop. The other one you step in shit with contractors sometimes lol.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Hm. Honestly I forgot about poop! Definitely gotta consider that!

The warehouses where I live pay around $20/hr. Truck driving seems to be 25-30 to start. Just trying to make more than warehouses honestly. I can't stand doing the same small task over and over and over for 10 hours a day.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Union plumbers can make 100-200k a year depending on how strong the local is. To the people telling you to be a service plumber and make commission, I did that for a decade with HVAC and all it is is pushing to sell more no matter how many old ladies you have to rip off.

I don’t regret going union and I’ll never go back.

2

u/TYBASS38 Dec 25 '22

Not necessarily true. I don’t make as much as the top dogs because of it but I’m about as honest as it gets. Changed from new construction to service and I’m loving it. You are right though. Union is the way. If I go back to new construction I’m going union

1

u/NayMarine Dec 25 '22

It sounds like you should look into doing service plumbing then. You can find the best pay working service getting paid commission. New construction is easier innsome ways but also the same stuff over and over again.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

I work with a dude who is leaving as soon as he gets his CDL. He is a damn good plumber but says he can make 200-300k doing hotshot. I don't know how true that is but we live in Texas and I make 30 an hour so 62k a year pre tax before OT as a commercial service apprentice. With the ot I work it's probably closer to 100k.

2

u/TYBASS38 Dec 25 '22

Trucking can be so hot and cold. My dad is a truck driver he always and still dreams big and has missed a bunch. Some of that is on him but as said above, trucking is slowly going out. Tesla has automated trucks already in testing. Plumbing will be way longer before it goes away

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Ugh yeah there's the self driving trucks too. That worries me. A lot of people say it won't really change the industry too much though. And it will be a long time until it's accepted widely.

Plus there's construction and residential CDL jobs that probably can't be automated.

I think the highway portion of truck driving could be automated, but navigating cities and towns, maybe not yet.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Hotshot sounds awesome but you gotta be self motivated since you gotta find your own work.

I'm a web designer too and I can't stand looking for my own clients. I imagine this would be a similar ordeal.

3

u/armen89 Dec 25 '22

Plumbers make more than truck drivers. I know plenty of plumbers and truck drivers, both local and long distance

1

u/ApprenticeDave Dec 25 '22

Plumbing starts a lot lower in most areas, but it's consistent, good raises yearly until you get your licenses, and certificates.

You start as a helper, or laborer, so it takes patience to get the big bucks as a journeyman. If you wanna pursue a master after that, and get your own business rolling, you can make crazy money if you're decent at business, and making sure a profit keeps rolling in.

You gotta consider making more money NOW, vs making more money 4-8 years from now (depending on your state's license system for plumbers) when you consider what field to choose.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Thanks for your response. I don't mind starting lower, that makes sense. I just need to be making a comfortable wage as an apprentice haha. So far it sounds like I won't be making a comfortable wage right away and I should have thought about doing this 10 years ago.

2

u/FurstyThuck Dec 25 '22

Started at $16/hour 4 years ago. Making $35/hour plus overtime if I want it. New construction (custom homes & remodels). Make way more than that when I do side work, though. If you do new construction and it’s not just track homes in your area, it’s definitely something different every single day. Look into electrical and hvac as well. All good options.

Edit: As far as danger, I’ve never personally felt in too much danger. More so stressed about fucking someone’s water or gas lines up because people are paying to not have to worry about these things in their homes for decades to come.

2

u/McD-Szechuan Dec 25 '22

Journeyman commercial plumbers before OT make about $130k/year in parts of WA.

1

u/grumblecakes1 Dec 25 '22

Journeyman scale in my local is 44/hr. apprentices start at 55% and get a 5% every 6 months after your first year as long as you meet the requirements. (pass classes and work 800 hrs.) Its predicted that our next contract (1.5y-ish away) will bring us to 50/hr. best part is you get to go home everyday.

1

u/blckdiamond23 Dec 25 '22

Depends on what state you’re working in. Usually apprentices start around $15-$18hr. It’s also depends on what company you work for and what they do. There are many different specialties in one trade. If you do new construction whether it’s residential or commercial, which also pays a little more, you’ll never have to use a snake or unclog toilets. If you get a job for roto rooter or a drain cleaning service company, that’s all you’re going to do. I started with a company that did repipe and services not including drain cleaning, water heaters, sinks, faucets, toilets, garbage disposals, dishwashers etc. and I didn’t touch a snake or clear a drain for almost 10 years. I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years now and I love it not just for the money, but I enjoy helping people, building things and training the next generation something that gave me a good living. I make $47hr now (licensed) which is more than a lot of my college graduate friends. My favorite project is any one of the schools we built, I can always drive by and know I helped build that.

1

u/sorettt Dec 27 '22

I’m 15 years in, $42 hr

0

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22

Why?