Originally Posted by
AU96
Fatty,
I wasn't trying to denegrate truck driving, the point that struck me was the training required compared to the training, time and money investment, and sacrifices that pilots make to get to that first airline gig, and the compensation a pilot can expect these days. And thanks for the info about truck driving, I had heard there was good money in it. I just still have this impression, (and call me egomaniacal), that for the sheer responsibility we assume (passengers' lives), risk (airplanes do crash), and skill required (contrary to what some say here, I still don't believe that your average joe could be a competent airline pilot), that airline pilot pay should be head and shoulders above truck driver pay, even starting. And sorry for the run-on...
Pilots are willing to accept a large portion of their compensation in the form of job satisfaction. It is a fact that college educated people will take an interesting sounding job or promotion over wages and benefits. Night school trained truck drivers will not. They need real money before they will show up for work.
This thread is timely and ironic. Just yesterday I was offered a truck driving job by a business acquaintance. The wages and working conditions I was offered as a new truck driver are better than what most regional airline captains get. Not only would the company would pay for my training I would be home every night and would get total control over my schedule.
I was told years ago by a former aviation employer that "
pilots are a dime a dozen". Yesterday I was told by my business acquaintance that "
intelligent responsible people who can test clean of drugs are hard to come by in the trades". I have value as a truck driver but none as a pilot.
SKyhigh