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I am writing this based on my own sister's reaction when she had seen a check stub laying on the kitchen counter a few years back. She could not comprehend no matter how hard I tried to explain to her, that what she saw was not all our's. Well it was ours, but most of it would go back into the truck.
I will share road expenses that really are required unless we want our driver's to smell bad and be super skinny. Those expenses include showers, meals, and other odds and ends that are needed while on the road. These expenses are required to maintain our equipment so that it is safe for the highway's and roadway's. Also so our equipment meets all federal laws and requirements.
If you have any doubts about the cost stop and visit a truck stop and see for yourself. We stopped buying things at truck stops. We do all our shopping for just about anything we need at department stores. The prices are much lower, we can buy three time in a department store what we can buy in a truck stop, plus there's plenty of truck parking.
Now I see and hear some places (department stores & Mall's) don't allow trucks and this makes no sense to me at all why department stores and Mall's would forbid trucks in their lots. I guess I understand if driver's are dropping their trailers, or if their pulling sharp u- turns and taring up the lots. But if a driver is just parked to go shopping ... then what's the big deal? His money is and should be as good as anyone else's.
Sorry, but it's my own opinion again here... but this is another case of discrimination towards truck driver's. Funny isn't it? They don't seem to use their heads that if it weren't for these big trucks they wouldn't have a department store or mall to run, because there wouldn't be anything there to sell. It wasn't that guy in the small truck who originally drove across country, and got this merchandise to them. They (our truck drivers) are good enough to deliver the needs of consumers to the warehouse so they can store it, then the little truck gets all the credit. But they are not good enough to spend their money in your stores and park their trucks in your lots.
A very good example of saving money when you shop in department stores, automotive stores ... Is just the other day.... we needed a belt for the truck. We had called several service departments and truck stops and they quoted us prices ranging from $15.00 to $35.00 for this belt we needed. So we made two final calls to automotive parts stores and they had what we needed ... the price of this belt at the automotive store was $5.99 + tax. What a savings right? We were happy because now hubby could have enough extra for a meal or two and even a couple cups of coffee.
Another example of a great savings is oil... truck stops charge such a high price for a gallon of oil. Now this is a quote from when I worked at the truck stop I can not tell you what oil is now because I haven't purchased oil in a truck stop in a long time, but in 1988 a gallon of oil was $6.99 + tax. We buy all our oil at department stores, one gallon cost $2.99 which by the 1988 price saves us $4.00. Antifreeze ... well we pay $3.00 - $5.99 + tax for antifreeze in department stores and even grocery stores verses what truck stops charge. Sorry to bust their bubbles, but I worked at truck stops and I saw how quick they are to make a buck when winter rolls around. This place I worked at was real quick to jump a gallon of antifreeze $3.00 - $6.00 when winter rolled around. If a man ask me for a gallon of antifreeze, I'd ask him ... are you sure you want a gallon here? You can go right down the road to exit ??? and pull in the parking lot of that plaza (mini mall) and buy three for what you are buying this one for. Cancel that sale... he almost always took my advice and went to the mini mall. Yep... I was always trying to save him a dollar or two if I could.
Most driver's are not even aware that they can use common household things to service a truck. We use rubbing alcohol to get ice out of our fuel lines. Just pour a bottle into your tanks (100 gal. tank or bigger) and wait a few minutes and WA-LA! in no time that ice is eaten up and gone. You don't need this high priced stuff that truck stops charge. Something as simple and cheap as rubbing alcohol can save you from being stranded or froze up out there on the road. We always stocked up on several bottles and kept it with us. As most driver's know the winter's are hard on trucks and fuel is famous for jelling or freezing up... nothing a bottle of rubbing alcohol can't cure in the fuel lines. Not recommended to be used all the time because it will over time dry out the rubber gaskets and washers. But for an emergency it is excellent! It is also good for breaking up the ice in your airlines. So if you freeze up there is no reason to feel stranded and no reason for additional charges for service calls.
I pulled some really slick ones when I worked at the truck stop. I got the employee discount and that came in handy more than enough times for driver's. He needed a certain supply or something and he had to have it now. I'd tell him/her I'll get it just tell me the color or size because you can't walk over with me or they'll know what I'm up to. He'd stay on the other side of the display case looking through the glass like he was checking out a radio or something, I'd pick up the item ask if that was it and then I'd buy it with my employee discount for him. He made a deal... I saw a happy driver ... he could buy a meal or coffee now and that made my day.
I did similar with shower's ... charging a man because he wants a bath that's a bunch of bull... I won't give all my secrets out because it might mess it up for all the good employees out there. No man should be told no he can't take a shower or bath because he didn't fuel or because he don't have any money. Let these people go out there on the road for a while, let them lump a truck all day long and be in real need of a shower and have someone tell them no. I'm sure they wouldn't like it with the shoe on the other foot. Chances are that man/woman will spend at least $1.00 in your truck stop whether it be on a cup of coffee, a video game, a pack of cig's, what ever... so let him take a shower!!! He's not interested in stealing your towels or your keys... he just wants to feel better so he can lay down a sleep. How many people out here want to lay down and go to sleep with dirt and sweat all over them? HA! I DIDN'T THINK SO!
Paper towels in truck stops range from $1.29 to $2.00 for a roll of paper towels. Why would someone pay this when you can get two for a dollar in most department stores? Window cleaner.. now this one floored me. Just last week we walked into a truck stop and they had window cleaner regular price $4.29 on sale for $3.19. Give me a break! I can buy the extra large bottle of window cleaner in the department store for any where from .99 to $1.29.
Let me tell you... it made up for the times my manager screwed me. I was required to take a lunch break... required even if I didn't want to. This little jerk would take over on my register during my break. Well I was always coming up short ... prior to mandatory breaks I was seldom short, and if I was it wasn't much more then ten cents or a quarter. But when everything changed I was coming up any where from $25 to $50 short. Well I got paid that week and noticed the deduction from my check and I hit the roof! I called everyone into that room and lowered the boom on them. I said I will not take full responsibility for this. If he don't take half the responsibility then the walls of this place will cave in and I'm going to start sending driver's across the street! Bottom line! I made them pull my records on shortages and they saw I was never this short!
He says you can't do that because he was paid a flat rate. Plus why would I need to take money? And I ask the same question? And said, you can't do that I have children to feed. I told them keep him out of my register when I am on break. If he needs to run a register make him have his own drawer! But don't let him touch mine again! ever! Yep.... he paid half... I won! He ended up with his own drawer when I took breaks too. Isn't it amazing that neither of us came up short when I demanded the changes.
The first week I started there a driver had an oil change done on his truck. Ha! I charged him for the oil and that was all. They tried to nail me on the extra $99.00 in the right hand column. Yeah Right I said... I battled them on that one to and I won. I told 'em if they would have put everything in the same damn column no one would make a mess up. And you tell me you can read what that says in the right hand column? Can you? I told them the shop will take half the blame with me because they didn't use newer carbon so someone could read that. I could tell there was something written there but I thought it was just a list of what they did to that truck. There were no dollar figures or dollar signs.
And no I wasn't fired ... I quit! I learned a valuable lesson from working at the truck stop and hoped that I had educated a few of the driver's I met and help along the way. Stay out of Truck Stops! Their a rip off! You really are not all that important to some of the people in there. Once in a while you'll find a smiling face, a caring heart and when you do, you can bet she/he won't be there long. A truck stop is no place for a person with a caring heart to work. I'll explain some of what I saw on another page...
Anyway's back to where I was about my sister and the check stub. There on the counter was a stub for $2000.00 a whole weeks work and a whole week from home. So what was deducted from this check was as follows.... This based on a whole year not week to week or month to month. That would take up too much room. These are an Owner Operator's figures if there are some company driver's who would like to share figures for me to include please write me and help me out.
1. Total Gross Income (no taxes deducted they are our responsibility) $72,533.40
The following is all the maintance and cost involved with running that truck
2. Fuel cost for the year $ 23,984.26
3. Tolls for the year $ 2,892.09
4. Parts $ 2, 538.29
5. Labor $ 730.47
6. Com Check Charges (charges we are charged to advance money from our checks for the truck or personal use $ 249.63
7. Phone (because not every place has toll free number's and we have to bill the calls to our home phones) $ 178.23
8. Truck Insurance $ 2, 892.07
9. Fuel Tax (required by all driver's who own their own trucks) $ 1159.00
10. Truck Tags & License (License Plates) $ 2,311.71
11. Interest $ 467.97
12. Repairs $ 6414.17
13. Misc. Expenses $ 357.80
14. Management Fees (It was a lease purchase plan and they required that they handled all the book keeping on the truck) $1347.21
15. Trailer Rental $ 2,544.00
16. Card Service Charges (fuel card) $ 359.00
17. Health Insurance $ 2592.07
18. Workmans Compensation $ 912.00
19. Weight Tickets $ 24.00
20. Faxes $13.00
21. Truck Wash (twice a month sometimes more. Seldom in the winter do we wash it because we do it ourselves at the car wash with truck bay) $ 360.00
22. Oil Changes $ 312.23
23. Pick up charges $ 100.00
24. Truck Lease $18,936.00
TOTAL SPENT $ 71675.20
Gross wages - $72533.40 - $71675.20 = $858.20 left to survive on.
So you see that even truck driver's wives have to work to help make the ends meet at times too. Things decrease some what once the truck is paid off... provided that the maintance and all the stays down. Sometimes there are loads that pay better than others and that will either make up differences for a bad load, or it will put a driver a few dollars ahead. But there really are no big bucks in being a truck driver. Who ever said the truck driver is a rich man was badly mis-informed.
There are the taxes at tax time. This almost always sets the driver (Owner Operator) way back because he's responsible for his own taxes most times. Until my husband gave up his own truck and chose to work for someone else we were in debt to the I.R.S. for $32,000. Each year that debt is paid when my husband files taxes... because if he's due a refund the I.R.S. keeps it and deducts it from what we owe them. But it is a never ending battle because the I.R.S. has an interest rate out of this world (we always referred to them as Fryer Tuck and King John) there is no Robinhood to bail us out. They have a penalty that is added also to what you already owe the I.R.S. . The way we figure we'll probably die before the I.R.S. is paid because of all their added interest and penalties.
If a driver has to take time off for family emergencies, he gets sick or other things arrise this puts a major hurt in his pocket.
Some other things I did while I was working at the fuel desk. Since I rode with my husband for so many year's we had a book with oddle's of phone numbers to get back hauls or loads. I made a list of all these numbers. I noted who had flat-beds, refers, dry box, low-boy etc. and I would stand behind the fuel desk and watch driver's watching the load board for a while then I would finally ask them ... what kind of trailer do you have? Where are you trying to get to? Will you need an advance on the load you haul? I would then start making calls to find driver's loads... Sometimes I would have to find two partials for a driver, but he was just happy to be getting out of that truck stop and rolling again.
I'll share my "I recall stories" later on another page.... some sad stories but they'll touch your heart I know they will.
Everyone is being completely unfair to the man/woman who supplies us with everything we use and need ... everything from cars and horses to clothes and food ... these are the men and women who make it all possible for you to go to the stores and car lots to make these purchases... without them you'd be driving all over the place yourself to make such purchases....
Driving a truck is not a vacation. It is very hard work. These men/women work very hard. They truly do deserve to be treated better than they are. Look at them as humans, not as dollar signs... you'll see that most are truly wonderful people. They have hearts of gold, they'll give you the shirt off their backs if they feel you need it more than they do. They love to brag about their families and their children as much as anyone else does.
1. Your husband works to feed your families... my husband works to deliver the food that feeds your families
2. Your husband works from 9-5 and sleeps with you each night... my husbands works all day and night and don't sleep with me until the weekends or sometimes it's weeks at a time.
3. Your husband spends holidays with you ... Some truck drivers don't get to go home for the holidays ... they don't even get to see their newborns, their children's first anything... unless they quit their jobs, spend money to fly home, or have it viseo taped.
Chances are you and the truck driver have a ton of things in common. He/She has the same worries you do...
These guys are not bad because they drive truck. He's bad because of what other's say. Most times people don't even take time to make their own judgements or opinions about them... just because so and so said it's true... it must be true. He's no different than you are... the only thing that makes him different is his job title.
We have days where we worry where the next meal will come from, how will we buy the boys the shoes they need? We let bills go to make sure the boys have shoes and clothes that they need and food on the table. Bill collectors call us all the time too. We worry where Xmas will come from?
He worries if he'll get home in time to watch his sons baseball, football or basketball games... their excellent athelets ... excellent! Headed for sports scholarships (fact) because every single minute dad had free he spent with his boys teaching them, playing with them. Dad did it! Mom just encouraged and edged them on, dad was the one who worked with them. He wants to get home to see how their doing. He hears all the great stories on the phone and can't wait to get home. He's not on the road ignoring his family. He takes very good care of us, he loves us and he'll do what ever is within his powers to make sure we have what we need and that he's there for us when we need him.
Give him a break..... He drives Truck because it's what his daddy did, and it's what his daddy showed him. He's done it for 27 year's... his daddy would be very proud of him if he were here to tell him. You can't steal his dreams their all he has...
Just about every little boys says I'm gonna be like my daddy when I grow up ... our own boys say it now ... and it just so happens so did my husband when he was a little boy ... And he is "JUST LIKE HIS DADDY". His dad would be proud of him for not being a quitter when the chips were/are down, for putting up with so much and for taking care of his family.
What is a Truck Driver? most treat them like they are criminals, or like they are dirty. Truck Driver to most is a dirty word ... Now I looked this up and the definition of Truck Driver is as follows :
Truck Driver : Occupation : A man/woman who drives truck ..... and in that one thing that really sticks out is "A MAN/WOMAN!"
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Brigette
