How much did truckers earn in past decades? 1990s? 1980s? 1970s?

As far as salaries,..
In 1987 I started out making $8hr driving a 1982 International 1600 flatbed for a towing/transport company. By 1991 I was getting 30% commission on everything I did, towing and hauling equipment pulling a 3 axle RGN. I averaged $600 - $1000 a week after taxes. Was rarely gone for more then 1 - 3 days. Very good money back then.

Hurst

 

Oh, I'm gonna say 35,000 feet and your planes wings suddenly snap off?
or
You are, Rodney King and your Ex is, the L.A.P.D.?

 

started delivering textile machines for a manufacturer in '84 for $14/HR.

working 10-12 hr days.

NC to Iowa,Tx, Quebec and Ontario and all points in between.

job entailed breakdown and setup, pack and move, to a van trailer.

heavy labor at times. stayed in a motel during work at mill site and the company paid for meals also.

left in 2000 when the industry and the co started dying.

making $18/HR. 18

 

When mom died and I got what was left of her IRA, I gave $1500 to Queen Bee.

 

Everyone feels entitled when money gets involved.

Hurst

 

In the early - mid 80's my father was an O/Op for TNT running double team. I believe the tractor rate was in the range of .94 cpm for the owner & his truck AND ... the co driver was a union company driver supplied & paid for by the company. Thats right!! Those trucks ran Vancouver to Montreal return every week or a Vancouver - LA - Toronto triangle. Those old Freightliners & KW cabovers averaged over 1000 miles per day. That was over $900 / day gross to the O/Op. There were years in the 1980's my father grossed $300,000. A fully loaded truck was just shy of $100K, and fuel was around a $1.00 a gallon. And the teamster contract stated that if they could not average 49 miles per hour due to weather or heavy traffic they were paid by the hour for that portion of any trip. The company drivers back then were splitting .39 - .44cpm. And yes we kept some of those pay stubs as proof. The rates today are a joke.

My first trucking job in the late 80's was non-union and paid .30cpm, by early 90's I bought a truck and had an overnight Union LTL run at $1.12 / mile and $38.79 for work / wait time. Any trailer picked or dropped outside of our terminals paid me an additional $50.00. By 1996 my tractor rate had increased to $1.17 / mile, and $39.83 work / wait time. I was paying my relief drivers .36cpm.

Now 20 - 30 years later, companies advertise rates that still don't compare, which is why I left the industry 6 years ago. Society wants to pay peanuts, they can live with the results crashing and banging over and into everything, and piss bottles and garbage along the way.

 

Started out in 82 @ .19/mi. Then .23/mi. After that it was by the hr. $15/hr to now $20/hr local were the wages around here for the last 10 yrs. However, that might pay the bills & equipment was sub standard so joined the Teamsters in 92. Traveled 11 western seasonally. That work paid $25-33/ hr. + bennies & retirement.

 

I started in about 1982....I was at 28 cpm back then and that was considered good pay in my area.
By 1992 or so I remember the 32 to 36 cpm range.
That is still about the going rate for most 1-2 year experienced drivers.

The way I am paid now has improved to averaging 45 cpm or if under 2500 miles a week, 1000 dollar a week pay minimum no matter if I only run a couple day trips or whatever.

Plus I get Per Diem and free health,life,vision and dental,short term.long term.disability included.( Huge plus that is not deducted from my pay at all)

So yes the mileage rate has increased slowly over the years.
I think some outfits are slowly improving for driver retention due to the market being flooded with drivers who do not want to work..
And I have seen several others offering free health insurance.

 

I started in 87 in Minneapolis as a beer hauler running the brewery in St Louis ..18cpm ...in the summer and around holidays when we were busy we ran hard and 4 hrs sleep a nite was the norm .

 

I started driving in Aug. of '78 and went OTR for a small fleet owner, was a teamster Union driver, drove in a 400 mile or so radius of Milwaukee doing around 2,000-2,500 a week, would be at $750.00 - to over $1,000 a week, a few " Exclusive Use " loads would put us well over a grand a week. The owner got a bug up his butt and pulled all his trucks off the company, then worked out of the Union Hall as a casual local making $10.60 hr. in '79-'80. Back when Schneider Transport now Schneider National was all Teamster those drivers were all in the mid 40 grand a year and home on weekends.