Maxine is a long-haul truck driver in North Carolina. She loves her job, but she doesn't make enough to pay her bills. If you want to be on What We Spend, we'd love to hear from you. Write us at [email protected] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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a heads up before you listen this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only we are not financial advisors you should always do your own research and consult your own financial advisor before spending or investing your money please note that all income financial information and expenses in what we spend are self-reported what other jobs did you work before this one
I did have work for a city bus, and I came back to trucking, I want to say four years ago. And even my son, when he was little, I showed him the truck, and he said, my mom was driving the truck. I'm like, yeah, the bills got to be paid, baby. I saw it as a way to get my bills paid, and it seemed to have some enjoyment about it, I thought. And it does. We just need better pay.
This is Maxine. She is a 60-year-old long-haul truck driver based in North Carolina. How big is the truck? Oh, this is a 53-foot trailer. Oh, that's really big, right? That's it. Yes. Do people ask you to honk your horn all the time?
Sometimes, especially babies, and I don't mind. I've had babies myself. They're all grown and grandbabies. I don't mind. I love everybody's babies.
Maxine took time off for a few other jobs, but she's been trucking off and on for different companies since 2004. She's driven routes all over the country, but right now she works what's called a dedicated route, which means she's always delivering home goods for a specific company through the same stretch of the country.
We talked on the phone before she headed out from North Carolina for her next drive to South Carolina and then on to Louisiana. Maxine is one of about three and a half million truckers in the U.S. who literally make the rest of our lives possible. She is an indispensable part of American life. And like a lot of truckers, she is not making enough to get by. Maxine works hard.
Week after week, she barely buys anything. And still, she can't always pay her bills. And she is not alone. This week, we're going to follow Maxine through a week of her life on the road and hear the benefits and the price of life as a trucker. I'm Courtney Harrell, and this is what we spend. The first thing to know about trucking is that the pay is confusing.
You can get paid by the day, by the hour.
Companies typically choose how to pay based on the kind of route someone is driving. So hourly pay is more likely for local routes with frequent stops in a smaller area. But most long-haul truckers like Maxine are paid by the mile, not hours worked. How much you earn per mile is a calculation of a bunch of factors.
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