DYNASTY HVY

My understanding is that the trucking industry has the same problems as the airline industry, too many ppl willing to work for the lowest common denominator and that in the end has an affect on everyone involved in both industries and for the foreseeable future it will stay that way because too many ppl get used to making less than what the work schould actually be paying.
Fred has a word for it and it's called the comfort zone.
ALLY

pilot1278

"but this brings back the age old question, did you become a pilot because you wanted to make lots money, or because you wanted to fly for a living?"

Actually, it's this mode of thinking that is killing any chance of newer pilots having a shot at a decent wage. I used to think exactly this, and it just doesn't work when you've put so much time, money and effort into flying and are now struggling with a family. At some point, family is going to come first and your dreams get farther down the list.

DYNASTY HVY

It used to be both and the operative word is used to be.
ALLY

SkyHigh

We live in an area that transports large amounts of agricultural products from the processor to the big city port. The local trucking companies hire drivers who can pass a drug and TSA background check. All of the work is day trips. In America apparently is it difficult to find a constant supply of non-felons who are responsible and sober. A local container driver can start at 36K and work up to just over 50K. I got my initial information from a tenant who is an owner operator. He makes two trips a day and does very well.

My entire point is that a guy can invest 6 weeks to get a crummy job as a commercial truck driver who barely makes a living or blow a fortune on flight training and four years in college to get a crummy job that barely makes a living. It makes more sense to get your CDL then your commercial instrument. It seems that as a truck driver you can get a job in most any town even during a massive economic down turn.

Skyhigh

SkyHigh

The main point of this thread is that pilots can be compared to truck and bus drivers. And, it is really sad.

Pilots have a lot invested into their careers and the compensation received is not in balance with the price of entry. I have a family to support and a life to live. Today aviation employers offer less wages and make it more difficult to be able to fit a life into your career.

Flying is fun and satisfying but it needs to be able to provide for a life as well. When compared to other professions purely on the level of income versus investment aviation looses. It makes more sense to be a truck driver.

Skyhigh

tomgoodman

According to a reliable television show, bus drivers can be compared to sewer workers. Interestingly, Ed Norton was much happier than Ralph Kramden. Maybe attitude had something to do with it.

welle036

There are two types of truck driving, the long haul driving where you earn your money by driving; your paid by the mile. All the really negative stuff on this thread is related to this job, it is as bad as most of the posts describing it as being. There are niche areas where people are successful and happy in it, but the majority is in my opinion not very good. I think the walmart drivers are pretty happy, and some of the guys that deliver cars seem to like it.

There are also jobs where a cdl is only one aspect of the work. These jobs most likely will require you to do manual labor to unload the truck. Local delivery jobs pay hourly and keep you home every night. I know a lot of guys that do this job and it pays well with good benefits and allows them to take care of their families. Some guys use the job to pay off debt or save up money for education so they aren't saddled with debt when they move on with their careers. As a pilot I wouldn't knock truckers by overestimating your abilities or suitable income, the most advanced aircraft I have flown is a piper seminole, but driving the truck challenges me just as much as flying airplanes.

SkyHigh

My attitude changed after I grew up, got married and had children. Before that I could sleep in a hangar and happily gave everyday to my employers.

Now I have mouths to feed and a family to raise. Maturation changes your focus. I need to provide for my family and to have the opportunity to be a meaningful presence in their lives. Aviation commonly does not offer offer a living situation anymore and attitudes change when your basic needs are not being met.

I just came from reading UPS and SWA threads. Some of those guys haven't been with the company a year yet and their attitudes have already gone negative. Their needs and expectations are not being met.

A sewer workers expectations are low to begin with. No one deludes themselves that they are entering a "fun" profession. They have no specialized training to pay for or dreams to uphold. No one is fighting to crawl down the manhole. As a result sewer workers have a huge advantage in negotiating wages and other compensation.

People get into aviation when they are young dreamers without the perspective of the needs of a spouse and parent. I believe that the industry is taking advantage of that.

Skyhigh

tomgoodman

That's true of all professions, and reality bites everyone after a decade or two on the job. High income and "home every night" is of little value to a worker who hates his cubicle, his assembly-line station, his precinct patrol area, or his firehouse. He is likely to bring his dissatisfaction home with him, transmit it to his family, and then wonder why nobody is happy with all the "stuff" he buys. I was a UAW metalworker at one time, and I understand why so many of my colleagues dreamed of "twenty and out". But most of them continued to answer the factory whistle for many more years, as their spending (but not their happiness) rose to match their paychecks. They were as trapped in their careers as any disgruntled pilot, and for the same reason: money.

My point is not to defend the airline career choice, but to urge caution before rejecting it in favor of something which may be no better. I do agree that if aviation is not providing a young pilot with even a modest level of income or job satisfaction, and is unlikely to do so in the future, then of course he should try something else.

Rnav

Good post Tom. Your right it doesn't matter if your home every night if you hate your job. I believe sometimes we as people let our jobs define who we are and it encompasses our lives. So some will not be happy no matter what. In the end its each individuals value system and priorities that will determine how much job satisfaction they will have either flying a plane or driving a bus/truck. Its a shame that there even has to be the debate about finding a career outside of aviation, especially since I believe we all love it so much or else we wouldn't be here.