Paid by the Mile

Summary

**Podcast Summary: "Paid by the Mile"
What We Spend – Audacy
Host: Courtney Harrell
Release Date: May 21, 2025

---

Introduction: Meet Maxine

In the episode titled "Paid by the Mile," host Courtney Harrell introduces listeners to Maxine, a 60-year-old long-haul truck driver based in North Carolina. Maxine has been in the trucking industry intermittently since 2004 and currently manages a dedicated route, consistently delivering home goods across specific regions. Her dedication embodies the essential role truckers play in maintaining the lifeblood of American commerce, transporting goods that keep shelves stocked and services running nationwide.

---

Understanding Trucking Pay Structures and Financial Struggles

The episode delves into the complexities of trucking compensation. Maxine explains the various payment methods in the industry:

• By the Mile: Maxine is currently paid by the mile, which is common for long-haul routes. "Companies choose how to pay you based on the route," she explains.
• By the Hour: Typically used for local routes with frequent stops.

Despite her extensive experience, Maxine's income has plummeted. Last year, she paid $44,000 in taxes but saw her weekly earnings drop from $1,600 to between $380 and $500 due to declining freight rates and fewer available loads. "I've had paychecks where it was zero, where I owed the company," Maxine recounts, highlighting the precarious nature of mileage-based pay.

---

Cost of Living and Mounting Debt

Maxine's financial woes are not isolated. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average trucker earns around $57,000 annually, which is slightly higher than Maxine's earnings. However, the unpredictable nature of mileage-based pay means that some drivers, like Maxine, may end up earning less than minimum wage if they spend excessive time waiting for loads.

Maxine has accumulated significant debt, primarily through debt consolidation loans meant to manage her financial instability. "It's from me not making the money that I need," she admits. Her monthly expenses include:

• Rent: $1,400 for a one-bedroom apartment in North Carolina.
• Utilities and Other Bills: Approximately $645 for her car and insurance, plus additional expenses for utilities, phone, and gas.

Despite these expenses, Maxine often resorts to using credit cards for groceries and essential supplies. She emphasizes the hidden costs of trucking, such as maintaining makeshift bathroom facilities, which require frequent purchases of paper towels and cleaning supplies. "I spend quite a bit because of toiletries," she notes, illustrating the day-to-day financial pressures faced by truckers.

---

Life on the Road: Maxine's Audio Diaries

The heart of the episode features Maxine's audio diaries, which chronicle a typical week in her life as a trucker. These diaries provide an intimate glimpse into her daily routines, challenges, and coping mechanisms.

Day One: A Good Start Maxine begins her week in Polk, Florida, describing a smooth morning drive and a brief, pleasant stop at a clean rest area. Despite occasional frustrations with drivers cutting trucks off, she successfully completes her deliveries.

Notable Quote:
"It's normal for cars to cut trucks off, but we trucks can't stop on a dime" ([Episode Transcript, 07:17]).

Day Two: Managing Supplies She visits a "Gas and Go" truck stop, where she spends $42.06 to stock her truck's freezer with essential groceries. Maxine highlights the importance of budgeting for bulk purchases to sustain her on the road.

Notable Quote:
"I have food in the freezer that'll last me a month" ([Episode Transcript, 22:40]).

Day Three to Five: Routine and Reset Maxine details her routine working within the 34-hour reset period mandated by regulations, which restrict truckers to 70 hours of work within an eight-day span. During these resets, she engages in personal activities like cooking, listening to music, and communicating with family, while keeping expenses minimal.

Day Seven: Packing Up Tough Decisions As financial pressures mount, Maxine shares the painful process of packing up her belongings and moving out of her apartment. "I don't believe [the industry] should leave truckers homeless" she asserts, expressing her frustration with the lack of supportive regulations in the trucking industry.

Notable Quote:
"No truck driver should be homeless. They need a home" ([Episode Transcript, 35:57]).

---

Industry Issues and Systemic Problems

Maxine's story underscores broader systemic issues within the trucking industry:

• Deregulation: Since the 1980s, deregulation has left truckers responsible for many expenses previously covered by employers, such as parking, supplies, and vehicle maintenance. This shift has exacerbated financial instability among drivers.

• Living Conditions: With dwindling pay, many truckers like Maxine are forced to live in their trucks, sacrificing personal comfort and safety. "You gotta give full trust to the company," Maxine explains, highlighting the vulnerability truckers face without adequate support.

• Debt and Housing: The lack of a living wage has led to severe financial strain, resulting in mounting debt and the loss of stable housing. Maxine's inability to keep up with her $1,400 rent payment exemplifies this crisis.

Notable Quote:
"The trucking industry needs to pay a living wage. No truck driver should be homeless" ([Episode Transcript, 35:29]).

---

Maxine's Future and Closing Thoughts

Despite her struggles, Maxine remains passionate about trucking, viewing driving as a source of calm and freedom. She dreams of a stable future where she can afford a home with land, possibly transitioning to teaching or reducing her driving hours as she ages. Maxine is also exploring additional training in phlebotomy to diversify her employment options.

"Driving makes me calm. The road can be healing" ([Episode Transcript, 14:21]), she reflects, emphasizing the therapeutic aspects of her job despite the financial hardships.

In the closing segments, Courtney Harrell acknowledges the persistent challenges truckers face and highlights the need for industry reforms to ensure fair compensation and support for those who keep America moving.

Notable Quote:
"We need rental caps all across the United States... a living wage" ([Episode Transcript, 35:29]).

---

Conclusion

"Paid by the Mile" presents a poignant exploration of the financial and personal toll of trucking through Maxine's experiences. It sheds light on the critical yet undervalued role truckers play in the economy and underscores the urgent need for systemic changes to support and sustain these essential workers. Maxine's resilience and dedication serve as a testament to the challenges faced by millions of truckers across the nation.

---

Credits:

• Host: Courtney Harrell
• Producers: Margot Gray and Kristen Torres
• Editor: Jonathan Menhivar
• Executive Producers: Maddie Sprunkheiser and Leah Rhys Dennis
• Music: Matt McGinley, APM Music, Pedro Alvira
• Special Thanks: Melissa Akiko Slaughter, Joel Lovell, Jenna Yspurman, J.D. Crowley, Maura Curran, Josefina Francis, Kurt Courtney, Hilary, Chef Shawn Cherry, Laura Berman, and Hilary Van Ornam

---

Notable References:

• Book Mentioned: The Big Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream by Steve Vaselli
• Industry Experts: Alex Leslie at the American Transportation Research Institute and Steve Vaselli

Transcript

[Courtney Harrell]

Summer's here and Nordstrom has everything you need for your best dress season ever. From beach days and weddings to weekend getaways and your everyday wardrobe. Discover stylish options under $100 from tons of your favorite brands like Mango Skims, Princess Polly and Madewell. It's easy too, with free shipping and free returns in store order, pickup and more. Shop today in stores [e-mail] or download the Nordstrom app the Starbucks Summer Berry.

[Maxine]

Refresher is officially back.

[Courtney Harrell]

Bold notes of raspberry, blueberry and BlackBerry shaken with ice and poured over raspberry flavored pearls. Try it with lemonade or coconut milk. Available for a limited time. Your Summer Berry Refresher is ready at Starbucks. A heads up before you 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?

[Maxine]

I did have worked for City Bus and I came back to trucking I want to say four years ago and even my son when he was little had showed him the truck and he said my mama's driving the truck. I'm like yeah, the bill's gotta 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.

[Courtney Harrell]

This is Maxine. She is a 60 year old long haul truck driver based in North Carolina. How big is the truck?

[Maxine]

This is a 53 foot trailer.

[Courtney Harrell]

Oh that's really big right?

[Maxine]

That's it, yes.

[Courtney Harrell]

Do people ask you to honk your horn all the time?

[Maxine]

Sometimes. Especially babies that I don't mind. I've had babies myself. They're all grown and grandbabies. I don't mind. I love everybody's babies.

[Courtney Harrell]

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 around 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 US 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. Courtney. I'm Courtney Harrell and this is what we spend. The first thing to know about trucking is that the pay is confusing.

[Maxine]

You can get paid by the day, by the hour, or by the mile. Yeah. The companies can choose to pay you in that way. I'm paid now. By the mile.

[Courtney Harrell]

By the mile. Okay. 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. What you're carrying, how far you're driving, who you're driving for, and how many years you've been doing this. But no matter your rate, you only earn that if you're moving on the road with a truck full of goods. How much money do you make?

[Maxine]

Okay, so my, my taxes this year, I think it was 44,000.

[Courtney Harrell]

Okay.

[Maxine]

And it fell from grace. I was making like 1,600 a week. I saw my way of being able to get a home and a little bit of land and place to park the truck trailer. But it went from that to my checks could be 380, $480 in one week, 500 in one week.

[Courtney Harrell]

What happened?

[Maxine]

That's what I want to know. They say it's the rates and then the loads.

[Courtney Harrell]

Rates and loads. Basically, Maxine told me that these days there's less merchandise for her to carry and she's getting paid less to carry it. That is not just a Maxine problem. The freight market has been in a recession the last few years because when manufacturing, construction and retail markets slow down, there's just less goods to carry, fewer loads, and that means there's less work available, which leads to lower rates.

[Maxine]

And, you know, drivers get together and talk. If you can imagine, we're in the yard and we're walking outside talking to each other about loads. Like, hey, what's going on with you? What's going with you? We're all saying, you know, the low issue. And this young man that used to work at Walmart, he was like, I Might have to go back to Walmart because there's no lows. I got bills, houseport, blah, blah, blah. He was saying, and I prayed about it. I said, Lord, I don't know what type of mountains I gotta climb and what's gonna be thrown at me, but I can't keep going from job to job to job. Yeah, they all seem to have problems with loads.

[Courtney Harrell]

According to the most recent Data from the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics, the average trucker takes home about 57,000 a year. About 10,000 more than Maxine made last year. But remember, they're paid by the mile. So sometimes drivers like Maxine end up on the road for so long waiting for loads to come through that if they were paid hourly, they'd be making less than minimum wage.

[Maxine]

I've had paychecks where it was zero, where I owed the company.

[Courtney Harrell]

Oh, wow.

[Maxine]

Yeah, I got two paychecks in a row like that.

[Courtney Harrell]

Wait, why? What do you owe the company for?

[Maxine]

It's because I bought $500 advance from the next paycheck so I can make rent. Then say my next pay was only $480, then I owe the company rest of that advance and then it'll go into the next week as well. And if, say, that week was the week that the truck set up and between setting up and not having a load until the following week, then I won't have a paycheck that week either.

[Courtney Harrell]

What do you do when you don't have a paycheck come through or when you get a paycheck that's like, I owe money.

[Maxine]

Let me tell you. I came back to where I was living and sat down with the manager. I never left them alone. The manager of the apartment complex. I always showed up when I told them I was going to show up if I had money or not. And I signed a promissory note to pay within six months period. And he told me, he said, maxine, we know. I believe you'll pay. You've always told us what was up and was here.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah.

[Maxine]

And if I had nothing left, I made sure he got paid and my other bills got paid. My finance company, my credit card. I didn't ditch out on nobody.

[Courtney Harrell]

Maxine owes money to a finance company because she took out what's called a debt consolidation loan to reduce a bunch of her debt to one payment with a lower interest rate.

[Maxine]

So now the gameplay is I paid pay off the credit card and the finance company $296. With the finance company up the street, I think I got 1800 left on theirs. And then I have another finance company that I pay $450 to a month and there's 17,000.

[Courtney Harrell]

Is that debt from regular living expenses or is there a larger expense? It's just from.

[Maxine]

That's from me not making the money that I need.

[Courtney Harrell]

Maxine really doesn't have that many regular expenses. Her health insurance comes out of her pay, and then she spends about 120amonth on utilities, 80amonth on her phone, 645amonth on her car and insurance, and about 80amonth on gas. The biggest expense weighing her down is her rent, which is $1,400 a month for her one bedroom in North Carolina. But after all that, she often has to put her groceries on her credit card.

[Maxine]

I spend quite a bit because of toiletries. You have to have a makeshift bathroom. And see, the thing is, with truck drivers, a lot of times we don't have a bathroom. Or if they have one, they won't let us use it. And we can't stop the restaurants.

[Courtney Harrell]

What do you do? You.

[Maxine]

You gotta make it. Some people buy buckets and make good poetry.

[Courtney Harrell]

I see.

[Maxine]

You know, and it goes into the garbage bags. And then tie it up and get it in the garbage can. And now if something happens, like a disaster, like it accidentally spills over the whole floor, and now you gotta clean that whole floor up.

[Courtney Harrell]

Oh, God.

[Maxine]

So I buy a lot of paper towels, garbage bags and things like that. Cleaner and things like that. Yeah, like I'm looking at right now, I got. Last night I went and got paper towels and I went to Dollar General and I shopped Dollar General quite a bit. $15 each. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 rolls.

[Courtney Harrell]

Oh, okay.

[Maxine]

I got it on. On each side, the big giant rolls. Okay. Now I'll go through a whole pack of that in about five days.

[Courtney Harrell]

Whoa.

[Maxine]

See, those are things that people don't know. That's a lot of expense. And you gotta have that each week. And you're gonna run out. Yeah, you try to run out on payday.

[Courtney Harrell]

Supplies like Maxine's paper towels aren't typically covered by trucking companies. Some companies do offer per diems to help with those kinds of travel costs, but there's no law requiring it, so more than half of trucking companies just don't. Despite that, despite the low pay and the loads and the makeshift bathroom, Maxine loves driving her truck. How did you get into it? Initially, I kind of.

[Maxine]

Well, after life hit me, I looked at, you know, you have the B and the C Plan? Yeah, because originally as a child, you know, it was medical, the medical field and nursing. I kind of click with that, you know, and I, I had the issues. That was horrible throughout my, my youth and I went through a lot of abusive stuff.

[Courtney Harrell]

I'm sorry.

[Maxine]

Oh, yeah, he was a monster. But when I got into my adult life and I started looking at, you know, other plans and my father always said, you know, you're really good with driving. My mother said that too. I would help with the church members, especially elderly church members, and get them to church. I'll give you an example. When I started driving buses, I had one of the most toughest instructors to check me and when he told me, he said, maxine, you're putting me to sleep. I was like, dang, I got it. You are tough. If I could put your butt to sleep. Amen.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah. I mean, that is impressive. Wow.

[Maxine]

So when I got my chance to learn how to drive the trailers, I did.

[Courtney Harrell]

So you had your parents saying you were a good driver, but what else was it about, about trucking that made you be like, oh, as soon as I get the chance to do that, that's what I'm going to do.

[Maxine]

Just driving makes me calm. Driving calms me down. I feel safe when I'm driving and that's probably from my background, my childhood and teenager and stuff. Just be in a space where I feel comfortable and it worked out.

[Courtney Harrell]

Maxine went to trucking school in Kansas where she learned a bunch of driving techniques that would help once she was out there on her own. Like how to turn no matter how long the wheel span, how to keep control through high grade hills, how to see the road in front of a long nosed truck. And she learned a healthy respect for the massive machines, learned to stay vigilant all the time, and she loved it. What is the best part of the job?

[Maxine]

Knowing that you're doing something meaningful. The importance of getting the goods there and you know, just feeling like that you're doing something good that needs to happen.

[Courtney Harrell]

You're getting stuff to people that they need.

[Maxine]

Right. And getting into the little towns that need things and it's hard for them to get because, you know, having empty shelves, not a, not a happy town.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah, I, I think a lot of us associate driving on like big, long open roads the way that you do with freedom. Does it feel that way to you?

[Maxine]

You feel that you do? Yeah. You, you definitely you, you feel that you can, you feel that mostly when you first start driving, when, when you're new to it. That's your first feel like, wow, the freedom of doing this and I'm on a meaningful job and it can be healing. The road can be actually healing. Whatever you've been through in your life or still going through, everything is fresh and new and it feels so good. And you are meeting people and the food on the road. Truckers seem to know the best places to eat and you can feel that freedom.

[Courtney Harrell]

After the break, we'll dive into Maxine's week. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from Ebglis. After an initial dosing phase of 16 weeks, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Lebricizumab LBKZ a 250mg per 2ml injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults in children children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. EBGLIS can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Ebglis. Before starting Ebglis. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about ebglis and visit eglis.lilly.com or call 1-800-LilyRx or 1-800-545-5979. I'm Emma Greed and I've spent the last 20 years building, running and investing in some incredible businesses. I've co founded a multi billion dollar unicorn and had my hand in several other companies that have generated hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. The more success I've had, the more people started coming to me with questions. How do you start a business? How do you raise money? How do I bounce back from failure? So it got me thinking, why not just ask the people I aspire to the most? How did they actually do what they do? I'm so incredibly lucky to know some of the smartest minds out there. And now I'm bringing their insights along with mine, unfiltered directly to you on my new podcast, Aspire with Emma Greed. I'll dive into the big questions everyone wants to know about success in business and in life. Through weekly conversations. You'll get the tangible tools, the real no BS stories, and undeniable little hacks that actually help you level up. Listen to and follow Aspire with Emma Greed an Odyssey Podcast available now. Wherever you get your podcasts, this episode is brought to you by State Farm Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

Audio Diary Day one I'm recording in Polk, Florida in a company tractor trailer at a rest stop today. I started my morning out as usual. You start your pre trips starting inside the truck and then outside the truck, checking everything out thoroughly. After things are clear you can get on the road. You start your travel and it was a really good morning for travel. Very nice, very nice drive. I kept driving to around 10. Took a quick break in the Florida Welcome Trucks rest stop off of 75 south which was a very very very nice looking rest stop. Very clean looking. I got to talk to a few people as I went about my business. So I didn't hang around long, had to get back, do a 30 minute break and got back on 75 south. And you know cars are gonna cut through traffic and cut the trucks off. That's pretty normal. The better thing is not to cut them off and not to get in front of them. Some cars will speed as if they're going to keep their speed and get in front of the truck and then all of a sudden slow completely down to almost a stop. And they love to do this going downhill. You're carrying maybe £44,000 more, £43,000 more. The last thing you need is a car almost coming to a stop in front of you. You trucks are pretty strong, but they're not perfect and they can't stop on a dime. So you do the best you can with what you got to work with. Anyway, I got the load where it needed to go. I detached from my load. Then I found my empty trailer to attach to and went out to find a parking spot which is not always easy, but I felt very blessed to to find One at a rest stop. And that. That has been my day. I'm still in Florida and I'll be moving out in the morning.

[Courtney Harrell]

Maxine had already bought the food she needed the day before, so her total for day one was $0.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

This is audio diary two. After I got up, I usually kind of check out the scenery. What's going on with movement? Can I move the truck? Is there someone that's going to be blocking me? Then from there we have what's called the EOD in the truck. This is a tablet and some computer tablet. So all of our messages and work information comes through that. And what we do during the day, if we stop, all of our movements and information goes on that. So we can correspond with a company and they can correspond back with us. When you get your GPS set, everything checked out and you're personally ready to go. I did all of that this morning and headed toward more east. My goal was to get to Jacksonville area so I can keep moving toward Alabama. I got to a stop. Truck stop. This is a little different. This is called a Gas and Go is where I perched tonight. The Gas and go, it's like a mini grocery store. They have everything from frozen meats, which I did need for my little freezer in my truck. So I grabbed up just a few cold items for that freezer. Some turkey sausages, some corn. I think I got sweet peas, which I love sweet peas, especially with my rice. And throw those items in the. In the fridge. And I tried their potatoes. They got a little deli in there. They make the best wedge potatoes. Also, I saw a little brownie and I almost didn't allow myself to have it, but I did and I'm glad I did. That was a very, very good brownie. So I spent tonight $42 and 6 cents, which is crazy. But I now have food in the freezer that'll last me a month.

[Courtney Harrell]

Are you in the truck right now?

[Maxine]

I am, yeah.

[Courtney Harrell]

Will you just kind of describe the inside of it to me? Like, what would I see if I was in there?

[Maxine]

Well, when you get in and you'll see the steering wheel, the seats, and all of the electronic equipments and things. And then there's a bed. I don't have the best hips and back. So I have two mattresses, cubbies in the front and in the back area there's cabinets. I put food in and I. I have some cooking things so I can cook. A little glance and that's G, A, L, A N, Z. Those things are wonderful. Refrigerator and a Little oven. I've had the refrigerator oven in here. The refrigerator. I bought the oven. One of the drivers had a glance and he gave me a glance.

[Courtney Harrell]

How do you cook in there?

[Maxine]

Well, I have a little pan. We have an inverter that you can plug it up to. And a buddy of mine gave me a coffee pot that boils water in seconds. So I get my teas. I love teas. I like lemongrass tea. Oh, it's so good. Will put you to sleep so quickly at the end of the night. Has the best stuff.

[Courtney Harrell]

As long as Maxine stays at her current job, she's always driving the same truck. So all these things in her kitchen plus the tea and the extra mattress and an old picture for son's basketball team make the truck she spends so much time in feel more like her own.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

This is audio diary 3. I started my day pretty much the same. I made the two and a half hour drive from that gas and go to the Alabama 280 West. And that was for the delivery of the the freight and I got it there a few days early. So they allowed me to park the trailer and then I could bob tail out. And the part of the truck that's only the truck without the trailer is called a bobtail. So I bobtail out. I headed to the Loves. It was about 45 minutes, maybe 53 minutes away through the, through the mountains and those. It had its high points and low drops, you know, lots of curves in the road. But once I got to the Loves I did go buy a Taco Bell and, and get a quesadilla. I spent $8 and inside loves I spent another $8. So that's a total of $16 for the day. I made a park here at the Loves and that would put me into a 34 hour reset time.

[Courtney Harrell]

Your 34 hour reset is the amount of time you're required to take off before starting a new work week. So a driver is only allowed to work 70 hours in an eight day period and then they have to take that break.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

So in this time most drivers like to do their laundry touch base with their families. They'll have showers. Usually they have other little restaurants inside side so they can do a little bit of shopping. So I did not have to do that this time because I've already picked up some things during the week that was needed for the truck. That is usually what most drivers do on a 34 hour reset. I will be talking to you tomorrow.

[Courtney Harrell]

Total for day three, $16 at Love's Truck Stop.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

This is audio diary four. This is the end of my 34 hour reset for the 70 hour clock on the truck. So that means I didn't drive today. I went into the truck stop store. I went in there because I have a swelling feet sometimes and it didn't go down. I noticed. So I went in to get something for it. Got a little gel like icy thing you can either throw in the refrigerator or you can heat it. They had it half price around it off just $15. And I got some hydrous drinks. And there was something else because My total was 26 for the day. I got me a wonderful shower. I got to talk to family and I got to do some music.

[Courtney Harrell]

Maxine loves to listen to music while she drives. Mostly gospel, rock and roll, a little country, but she also loves opera and she loves to sing. So in her downtime she's learning to sing. O mio babino gad.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

I didn't want to get too loud so even though I'm in the truck, I don't want to disturb anyone. So I just kept it to a minimum. Draw the curtains. We have like a blackout curtains and I'll draw the curtain sometime. I'll open it because it's sitting behind the curtains all the time. On your time off it can get dreary so I'll open it so I can see out and things like that. Some truckers mingle. I'm not a good mingler so I. I'll find something to do in my truck. You know, I have some knitting needles here somewhere. Right there. Probably later on try to get a little tiny sewing to make something. But that has been it.

[Courtney Harrell]

Total for day four, $26. You know that feeling when someone shows.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

Up for you just when you need it most?

[Courtney Harrell]

That's what Uber is all about. Not just a ride or dinner at your door. It's how Uber helps you show up for the moments that matter. Because showing up can turn a tough day around or make a good one even better. Whatever it is, big or small, Uber.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

Is on the way.

[Courtney Harrell]

So you can be on yours.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

Uber on our way.

[Courtney Harrell]

This episode is brought to you by Nespresso Vertuo coffee machines ready to enjoy the bold flavors.

[Maxine]

Of barista quality Nespresso iced coffee at home.

[Courtney Harrell]

Simply fill a glass with ice and press the brew button on your Vertuo pop machine to enjoy rich double espressos roasted to stand up even when chilled. Refreshingly bold iced coffee, refreshingly easy to make at home.

[Maxine]

Visit nespresso.com to shop now.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

Hi, this is Audio Diary 5 now what I want to explain is like the days that I was not moving, you don't get paid for that. If the truck breaks down, you're not paid. It can be just bad equipment, shoddy equipment, or something went wrong. If something happens and you get to a consignee and say they cancel, you don't get paid. You should get paid something because you're, you're in the vehicle, you're on duty as an employee, but you don't get paid. Expenses for us, like gloves, hammers, things like that, that is all on us that you need for your truck, expenses for GPS that'll run you probably between 400, $1200, that's all on us. If you're needing parking and there's no more free parking, my experience is between 20 and $30. There's some that's higher and there's some as lower as 17. I don't think I've ever seen it lower than 17. So that money you may or may not get back, a lot of times you won't get it back. There are some companies, I've read that they will pay it back and that's a toss up. And if you got a load and a truck responsibility, you want to make sure nothing happens to it. So we're caught between a rock and a hard place.

[Courtney Harrell]

Can I ask, like this part of your job that's like, okay, I don't get paid if all of these things happen with my truck or with the load. How does that make you feel?

[Maxine]

You feel abandoned?

[Courtney Harrell]

Maxine kind of is abandoned. Ever since the 1980s, the trucking industry has become increasingly deregulated. And now there's no law that says trucking companies have to cover expenses like parking or supplies. So it's left up to truckers to figure out how to get through the job and then how to pay for life outside the job. And for Maxine, she can no longer make both things work.

[Maxine]

Once I was going through this over and over and over again, my rent got behind. And for a whole year it stayed behind until the point where, yeah, this I could not renew because I didn't make enough money to pay the $1,400 rent.

[Courtney Harrell]

After months of working 14 hour days and waiting, waiting, waiting for her pay to improve so she could catch up on bills, Maxine was forced to make a really hard decision. She decided she had to give up her apartment. After day five, she headed back to North Carolina and started packing up.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

As I look around, I'm not liking this. I'm not liking Packing everything and getting all this stuff in storage, it's one of those things that you don't want to have to go through. I've been there before. And when you believe an industry should be stable and it's not, you know, I tell myself everything is for a reason. You know, take this time to pay down all your debt and maybe I could get that land and a little house on there, or build a house on there and I'll have place for a tractor and trailer. A small business, the apartment. I'm always keeping everything up as I go. Thank God it's clean, carpets clean, still looks new. They won't have a problem with finding someone, but I just hate it, hate going through it. It's daunting, very painful. And the finances is crazy. We need rental caps all across the United States. There's nothing wrong with making a profit. Everybody's for profit, but not so much that you're killing your citizens. Makes no sense. And the industry, the transportation industry need to pay a living wage. All of us, from trucking to bus, city buses, we need a living wage. No truck driver should be homeless. They need a home. They need land, they need a home. They need a place to put securement for loads that they're gonna take out the next day. They need that. I don't believe it.

[Courtney Harrell]

Where did you go stay after you left your place?

[Maxine]

I live in the truck.

[Courtney Harrell]

You live in the truck full time?

[Maxine]

I live in the truck full time. And see, let me tell you, that's scary because now you're giving full trust. The company that I came from have quite a bit of truck drivers that are living in their vehicles.

[Courtney Harrell]

How do you all talk to each other about that? What do you say to each other?

[Maxine]

I'll ask them about the pay. When we get together and we start talking about pay, they'll mention that they live in a truck so they could get their bills paid. I've talked to a guy, he was talking about him, him. He was telling me that him and his wife, you know, had to give up their home.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah.

[Maxine]

And I'm like, okay, that's how they're making up for the pay and the non pay. And he told me, he said, you might want to try that. I said, not voluntarily. That was during that time. Yeah, yeah. I did not, I did not see that it was going to happen. And see, from here, it would be on the street. Now you got truck drivers retiring on the street.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

This is audio diary 7. I'm in North Carolina, where I live. I'm home and the only expenditures I did is preparation for the truck when I leave out. I'm hoping to leave out Friday, they have me for Monday, but I, I need to make some money for this week. So I spent between, let's say approximately $20. I think the paper towels is, let's see. Yeah, that's about the only thing that I bought. But I am home, just moving, putting stuff in storage and it's very scary. I'm so scared about this thing. I love my little apartment, but I gotta go.

[Courtney Harrell]

How much money would you need to make to be able to reliably have a home again?

[Maxine]

I need to go back at least with the economy being the way it is. Between I'm saying 14 and 16, that should do it. That's not going to put me a week if.

[Courtney Harrell]

If the job is paying so far below what you need to meet your basic needs. What is keeping you in this job?

[Maxine]

The trucking industry is one where if you move around too much you won't get hired. Yeah, that's what I know about it. Yeah, it's. It's a flip of the coin. So you gotta stay stable a few years in something whether it's good or bad, you know.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah.

[Maxine's Audio Diary]

And.

[Maxine]

And I'm thinking just pay everything off. Yeah, I can see myself doing that. Live out of truck and pay and pay everything off. Then maybe within months or half a year things will change back.

[Courtney Harrell]

Are there other jobs besides trucking that you could imagine having more stability in.

[Maxine]

Without training? I've taken up some phlebotomy on the side here, just on my own, just reading and I have thought about it and I am looking of what can be done. And I've also thought about. There's drivers I've talked to that drive part time and they have a second job. So I'm joshing some things around. I'm a worker and I do the work that I can do. I try to stick to what I know and what I can do.

[Courtney Harrell]

We talked before about the freedom you would feel on the road. Do you still feel that when you're driving now?

[Maxine]

I do, I do. And I look forward to a refreshing feeling. I do want to be able to go home and have a little garden and get on my back, my back porch. I got a lot of southern in me and fall asleep on a. In the chair, the little couch outside that I would design for myself.

[Courtney Harrell]

When you're talking about your long term future that you are imagining for yourself your dream of this land, does that include trucking or is your kind of like long term dream, leaving trucking behind.

[Maxine]

It definitely includes trucking because I could see myself driving less.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah.

[Maxine]

As I get older in life and you know, it's going that way. It depends on what life throws at me. I mean, I could end up teaching it.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah.

[Maxine]

You know, but I don't know what it is about the trucks. I think it's because we were. We live in it, work daily with kind of becomes a part of you, you know.

[Courtney Harrell]

Yeah.

[Maxine]

And leaving it can be like a divorce. You gonna need some counseling.

[Courtney Harrell]

In the weeks after recording the episode, Maxine was still living in her truck and saving money towards the future. But she did get one piece of good news. Her company is getting her a newer tr. Thank you to Alex Leslie at the American Transportation Research Institute and Steve Vaselli. They both helped us understand the trucking industry for this episode. If you want to know more, check out Steve's book, the Big Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream. What We Spend is An Odyssey original podcast. It's written and hosted by me, Courtney Harrell. Our producers are Margot Gray and Kristen Torres. Our editor is Jonathan Menhivar. Our executive producers are Maddie Sprunkheiser and Leah Rhys Dennis. Theme song and original music by Matt McGinley. Additional music from APM music mixing by Pedro Alvira. Special thanks to Melissa Akiko Slaughter, Joel Lovell, Jenna Yspurman, J.D. crowley, Maura Curran, Josefina Francis, Kurt Courtney, Hilary, Chef Shawn Cherry, Laura Berman, and Hilary Van Ornam. If you want to be on what We Spend, we'd love to hear from you. Write us at whatwe spend podcastmail.com hey everyone, I'm Jen Hatmaker, host of the for the Love podcast. Every week I'm joined by my dear friend Amy, and we dive into the good stuff. So it's real stories, honest conversations, super inspiring guests who help us make sense of life and love and faith and just this whole messy middle. We talk about career pivots, we talk about parenting. Teens and young adults dating again. Hello. And just all the ways we're still becoming. We laugh, we sometimes cry. We definitely learn. And we certainly don't take ourselves too seriously. So whether you are chasing purpose or you're rebuilding or maybe just trying to keep your plants alive, there is a seat for you at our table. New episodes drop every week, so hit subscribe and come hang out with us on for the Love.