Cost for a week of work;
Truck (¾ ton) some where between an install pickup and a bucket truck for sake of argument.
Truck cost new $26,000
Value after 5 years and 250,000 miles (961 miles per week) $5,000 (if you're lucky)
So $.119 mile or $114.36 per week right?
What about; Gas, Oil changes, Breaks, and Maintenance, Tires?
Gas alone... If the truck gets 14mpg (good luck) that would be 68.64 gal a week. Lets say a price of $3.40 a gal. Its $3.55 here but South Carolina is at $3.20. $3.40 x 68.64 = $233.39 week.
Tires... If you get 40,000 out of a set of tires ($100 per tire) that come to about $10 per week in tire ware
Oil Changes (one per 3,000 miles) if they cost $30, then that come to about $10 per week.
So 961 miles per week costs over $367.75. Why? This does not including auto insurance or maintenance. So you have to never break down (or need an air filter, breaks, belts etc) in 250,000 miles. There is a reason the federal government lets you deprecate over $.50 per mile!
Hotel
The best I've ever gotten a hotel room for is $29.99 at a known chain like Red Roof, or the dreaded Knights Inn. Yea you can stay in one of the flea bag hotels where they don't change the sheets, tin foil is covering the A/C and hookers are beating on your door at 3:00am while their crack-head boyfriend is robbing your truck. For sake of argument lets say $29.99 night, because if your in California or NY that rat hole hotel cost just jumped to $79.99 a night. So our sake of argument $29.99 room winds up at $250 for 7 days because of mystery taxes and charges.
Food
You can only survive so long on Gut Bombs and McHell. A real restaurant cost about $15 dollars and up with a tip per meal. So for sake of argument lets call it $21.50 per day or $150.50 per week. Yea I know someone has made it a 6 months at a shot on Vienna sausages and pimento cheese sandwiches. I've done it my self but how long can you live as a sub human?
Ins
You have to pay workman's comp, General liability, auto, and usually an 1 mill umbrella. Does anyone here pay less then $2600 a year for all these????? That would come out to $50 per week.
Hotel Room $250
Truck $134.36
Fuel $233.39
Food $150.50
Ins $50
Tools & Supplies $200 (Meter, hand tools, Cell phone, etc, etc)
Health Insurance (do you even have any?)
$2000
-$1018.25
Take home before taxes $981.75
Minimum Wage is $7.25 a 60 hour work week at minimum wage pays $507.50
So if you're only working 60 per week, based on the numbers above you're making $14 per hour. Now take out the times you don't get paid, the times you're looking for work. The fact you're God knows where and miles from your friends and family. How may of you have a family at home? Ask you're self for how long. We should do a pole on divorce rate among cable contractors. When is the last time you saw your kids? What is your time not working worth. If I worked a McD's making $507.50 per week. I would be sleeping in my bed, at my home. Not in a hotel away from my friends and family.
