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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:05:55 AM EDT
 A career truck driver on why his is no longer ‘a middle-class job’ Jobs in the trucking industry are increasingly threatened by technology and the rise of driverless trucks. But what explains the contradictory dynamic between fears of job elimination and a current shortage of truck drivers in the U.S.? The NewsHour returns to the unusual story of driver Finn Murphy, who left college and a literary family for the open road. Paul Solman reports. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:08:14 AM EDT
[#1]
Truckers I knew blew their cash on drugs and hookers, or made fat cash and no time to spend it.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:11:24 AM EDT
[#2]
We're still a long way from driverless trucks.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:15:06 AM EDT
[#3]
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:21:36 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:25:34 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What's the difference? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:26:20 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What's the difference? 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:27:27 AM EDT
[#7]
I think it’s similar to other fields such as manufacturing, welding, etc. Beginning in the 1980’s, “Society” deemed it to be an undesirable career for uneducated low achievers and it was represented as such. It was the dead-end hell that the movie protagonists were trying to escape. Everyone had to go to college so they could work in an office and not get their hands dirty.
Fast forward a generation, and here we are. Baristas with PhD’s and skilled trades desperate for anyone with a pulse. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:29:18 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
He's thinking a desk and a polo. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: What's the difference? |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:31:37 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Middle class is what working class people who don’t know any better think they are. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me. 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:32:30 AM EDT
[#10]
I'm 100% behind the idea of autonomous trucks if they can be programmed to avoid blocking the fast lane for 30 min. at a stretch by trying to pass another truck going 1 mph slower.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:37:20 AM EDT
[#11]
Guy drives countless miles hauling freight, and writes one book and they label him "author". Reminds me of the joke about the brick layer...
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:39:06 AM EDT
[#12]
FPNI. Never met a trucker without at least two ex-wives and some child support. And forget about robot trucks.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:41:32 AM EDT
[#13]
isn’t walmart recruiting right now? I saw $90k in the ad.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:41:43 AM EDT
[#14]
I did 1.7 million miles and I'm out. Wages have been flat, and inflation is rampant. The juice ain't worth the squeeze anymore.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:42:42 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We're still a long way from driverless trucks. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:43:44 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJlKVbOJpU
Jobs in the trucking industry are increasingly threatened by technology and the rise of driverless trucks. But what explains the contradictory dynamic between fears of job elimination and a current shortage of truck drivers in the U.S.? The NewsHour returns to the unusual story of driver Finn Murphy, who left college and a literary family for the open road. Paul Solman reports. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:48:35 AM EDT
[#17]
Gotta specialize, bro. Make your CDL work for you instead of the other way around.
I had the best financial year of my life in 2018.  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:50:04 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
FPNI. Never met a trucker without at least two ex-wives and some child support. And forget about robot trucks. 
Married 24 years to my 1st wife. I make just shy of 6 figures driving company equipment but I'm not an OTR freight hauler. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:51:36 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Middle class is what working class people who don’t know any better think they are. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me. An easy way I define it. Poor: has nothing. Working class: depends solely on work, and can't save. Middle class: depends on work and some assets, and can save. Upper class: doesn't depend on work due to large assets (passive income). |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:52:30 AM EDT
[#20]
A buddy of mine is hauling diesel to frac sites in the Permian and has sent me screen shots of his first 3 paychecks. I can't figure out how he's not going to break way over 100k. I might be joining him soon.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:56:13 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Gotta specialize, bro. Make your CDL work for you instead of the other way around. I had the best financial year of my life in 2018. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/69748/2015-03-23_20-582122_JPG-822979.JPG 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 1:59:21 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Truckers I knew blew their cash on drugs and hookers, or made fat cash and no time to spend it. He was homeless and spent almost no money for the duration of his OTR career. Year two he bought a house, rented it out Year four he bought another house, rented that one too. Year 5 he bought a flip, came off the road to fix it and sell it. Fast forward 15 years he owns a whole portfolio of rental properties and 3 mostly cash businesses. He wanted to be retired by the time he was 40 and for the most part he is. He isn't rich by any stretch (I mean on paper he is pretty well off) but he makes enough to support his modest lifestyle and his hobbies. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:01:19 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My CDL has been very good to me, I've made a hell of a lot more money than I ever did in the Navy. Specialized trucking is the way to go. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/119852/IMG-20170202-134336557-140980.jpg |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:02:13 AM EDT
[#24]
I don’t know WTF this guy is smoking! I know several hundred truckers. None of them make less than 70k a year and half are bumping or breaking 100k. Average truckers are not making 30k like he claims.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:04:55 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:Average truckers are not making 30k like he claims. 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:06:42 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This. Top programers are still unable to create driverless trucks that will pass another truck on a two lane highway only going .01 mph faster than the truck in the right lane. We could be decades away from a solution. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
We're still a long way from driverless trucks. We can't even automate rail, they can't turn and don't share their lane with anyone. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:10:04 AM EDT
[#27]
Lol muh unions and Republicans fault.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:12:14 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't know WTF this guy is smoking! I know several hundred truckers. None of them make less than 70k a year and half are bumping or breaking 100k. Average truckers are not making 30k like he claims. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:16:03 AM EDT
[#29]
All of the following info was stolen from Google.
Middle-class income is between 67 percent and 200 percent of the average median income. In 2016, middle-income households earned between $45,200 and $135,600 a year. Student truck drivers earn $41,000 a year on average. CDL truck drivers can expect to earn $66,000 a year on average. OTR CDL truck drivers earn the most, with salaries averaging $82,000 a year. Team truck drivers earn an average of $71,000 each per year. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:19:05 AM EDT
[#30]
Walmart is starting to hire drivers at $90k a year, but if minimum wage is $15 an hr and you work 70 hrs a week, can you be a retard still? Yes you can.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:42:41 AM EDT
[#31]
All I know is I couldn't do that for a living and I respect anybody that could! It's like oil-rig workers and train engineers with long tedious family destroying hours. They earn every miserable penny.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:50:13 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
https://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/anim_wave.gif Married 24 years to my 1st wife. I make just shy of 6 figures driving company equipment but I'm not an OTR freight hauler. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
FPNI. Never met a trucker without at least two ex-wives and some child support. And forget about robot trucks. Married 24 years to my 1st wife. I make just shy of 6 figures driving company equipment but I'm not an OTR freight hauler. 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:50:59 AM EDT
[#33]
I try to cut truckers slack. Dealing with idiot drivers that don't understand basic physics while slowly getting truckers back is tough.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 2:59:17 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Buddy of mine parlayed 5 years of long haul trucking into a little real estate empire. He was homeless and spent almost no money for the duration of his OTR career. Year two he bought a house, rented it out Year four he bought another house, rented that one too. Year 5 he bought a flip, came off the road to fix it and sell it. Fast forward 15 years he owns a whole portfolio of rental properties and 3 mostly cash businesses. He wanted to be retired by the time he was 40 and for the most part he is. He isn't rich by any stretch (I mean on paper he is pretty well off) but he makes enough to support his modest lifestyle and his hobbies. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Truckers I knew blew their cash on drugs and hookers, or made fat cash and no time to spend it. He was homeless and spent almost no money for the duration of his OTR career. Year two he bought a house, rented it out Year four he bought another house, rented that one too. Year 5 he bought a flip, came off the road to fix it and sell it. Fast forward 15 years he owns a whole portfolio of rental properties and 3 mostly cash businesses. He wanted to be retired by the time he was 40 and for the most part he is. He isn't rich by any stretch (I mean on paper he is pretty well off) but he makes enough to support his modest lifestyle and his hobbies. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 4:25:00 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Guy drives countless miles hauling freight, and writes one book and they label him "author". Reminds me of the joke about the brick layer... You laid the bricks in fifty Churches, but do they call you George the Church Builder? You laid cobblestones that make up the village roads, but do they call you George the Road Maker? but you get caught screwing just ONE Goat and you are forever "George the Goat Fncker!" ... . 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 4:46:08 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don’t know WTF this guy is smoking! I know several hundred truckers. None of them make less than 70k a year and half are bumping or breaking 100k. Average truckers are not making 30k like he claims. do the "several hundred" trucking friends of yours (whatever) talk about what they have to pay out? payments on a $200k rig if they are O/O-OTR? how about fuel cost...ever see the reciept on 300 gals of fuel? repair cost, CAFE standard compliance, tires? that $70k dwindles down fast. break it down by hour (since they often dont get paid when the truck isnt rolling) they dont make alot for a non 9-5... a few co's pay good, but thats not 1st or even 3rd year drivers. $100k plus - thats 15-20yrs in with lots/special of endorsements. of course, all your "hundreds of drivers" that you know, told you that already Im sure.. 
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Posted: 1/27/2019 4:51:43 AM EDT
[#37]
Working class - low pay - just making it paycheck to paycheck - most often renters - about 60% of the population
Middle Class - Better Pay - Able to save funds for homeownership and to send kids to college. - about 35% of the population Upper Class - Often doesn't need to work due to Generational Wealth - Passive Income - Those without Generational wealth have very well paying Professional careers (Lawyers, Doctors, C level Management, ect...) - about 5% of the population Truck drivers work 70 + hour work weeks, often far away from home for weeks at a time. When home, just a quickie turn around and back out again. ad in Poor Accommodations, unhealthy greasy roadside food, and always being on somebody else's schedule.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 5:02:26 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me. But truck drivers for the most part have always been fairly well paid I'm a diesel tech and most drivers I know make the better part of$30 hour, some more. Before my dumbass brother quit his trucking job he was making 80k year with OT. Had every weekend off and was home every night. Worked 9am till done m-f Man he's such a dumbass |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 5:21:39 AM EDT
[#39]
I’m fringe class like Frank Reynolds
When I’m not washing my hands in a toilet I’m drinking out of it. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 5:23:47 AM EDT
[#40]
I work for FedEx Express as a courier. Everyone has been saying the same. Amazon is big here, they have a fleet of delivery drivers, yet year after year, our volume has increased.
We're not too worried.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 7:01:56 AM EDT
[#41]
Maybe all these poor destitute federal workers should become truck drivers.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 7:35:04 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I try to cut truckers slack. Dealing with idiot drivers that don't understand basic physics while slowly getting truckers back is tough. For all the whining this place does about truckers passing each other up hills, passenger vehicle drivers are typically worse drivers and in many instances just above brain-dead in terms of driving ability. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 7:38:34 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Working class - low pay - just making it paycheck to paycheck - most often renters - about 60% of the population Middle Class - Better Pay - Able to save funds for homeownership and to send kids to college. - about 35% of the population Upper Class - Often doesn't need to work due to Generational Wealth - Passive Income - Those without Generational wealth have very well paying Professional careers (Lawyers, Doctors, C level Management, ect...) - about 5% of the population Truck drivers work 70 + hour work weeks, often far away from home for weeks at a time. When home, just a quickie turn around and back out again. ad in Poor Accommodations, unhealthy greasy roadside food, and always being on somebody else's schedule. If earned $700k per year, but spent it all so that I was dependent on the next paycheck to make my Ferrari lease payment, could I consider myself Working Class? |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 7:45:33 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Guy drives countless miles hauling freight, and writes one book and they label him "author". Reminds me of the joke about the brick layer... It's a graduation of sorts. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 8:06:33 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Does that count all the Swift and Werner drivers I see at truck stops that look like they should be out hijacking container ships instead of driving like professional FUCKTARDS on Americas interstates? |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 8:06:50 AM EDT
[#46]
$2900 a week after fuel. Everything I buy for the truck is a tax writeoff. Plus per diem.
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Posted: 1/27/2019 8:21:07 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don’t know WTF this guy is smoking! I know several hundred truckers. None of them make less than 70k a year and half are bumping or breaking 100k. Average truckers are not making 30k like he claims. Have a friend who is a fleet manager and says the same. If you have a clean record and can piss clean, money to be made. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 8:23:47 AM EDT
[#48]
I love driving and I do well when I play Euro truck simulator. The only problem I have is backing up the truck in the loading Bay sometimes. I think truck driving could be my backup if I'm desperate for a job. What is best truck driving job out there?
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Posted: 1/27/2019 8:25:26 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Middle class is what working class people who don’t know any better think they are. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
When was truck driving ever middle class, seems solidly working class to me. |
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Posted: 1/27/2019 8:36:01 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think it’s similar to other fields such as manufacturing, welding, etc. Beginning in the 1980’s, “Society” deemed it to be an undesirable career for uneducated low achievers and it was represented as such. It was the dead-end hell that the movie protagonists were trying to escape. Everyone had to go to college so they could work in an office and not get their hands dirty. Fast forward a generation, and here we are. Baristas with PhD’s and skilled trades desperate for anyone with a pulse. |
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