US truck driver Pim becomes an Internet sensation

[NanLaew]

14 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

...A lot of things go on at some truck stops, that don't really have much to do with driving a truck.  Just saying.. open your minds to other ways she could be making 1 million baht a month.

Wow!... that's a bit of a sewer y'all got opened up between your ears there.

[overherebc]

1 minute ago, DLock said:

 

How many times do people have to post the link?

 

 https://www.indeed.com/salaries/Owner-Operator-Driver-Salaries.

 

With just a few keystrokes in Google, you have the world's knowledge at your fingertips.

Well, make a wild guess where I got the figure from.

Google for the word that means a question asked that doesn't require an answer as it is part of a discussion.

[gk10002000]

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

Wow!... that's a bit of a sewer y'all got opened up between your ears there.

there is no way she legally made 1 million baht a month driving a truck.  Truckers in the USA are limited I believe to about 750 miles a day to legally drive. That varies a bit depending on the speed limits on the roads they travel on.  If she drives 30 days @ 750 miles per day = 22,500.  Miles.  Now 22,500miles  x .45/mile = $10,125 USD.  At 30 baht to 1 USD that becomes 303,750 thai Baht.  So unless she is some sort of fantastic custom delivery truck driver, there is no way she is making 1 Million Baht by simply truck driving.  Maybe her face book, or blogs bring in other monies.

 

1. DOT Rules: A truck driver can drive for up to 11 hours for every period of 14 consecutive hours that the driver is on-duty, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

   2:  A majority of trucking companies pay between $0.28 and $0.40 cents per mile according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. A few companies do pay up to $0.45 cents per mile.

[Oztruckie]

More likely the truck was grossing 33k usd a month,no driver would ever make those sort of dollars a month,good on her for getting out and having a go.

[lexilis]

Various people here STILL don't seem to comprehend the distinction between "truck driver" and "owner-operator". A US truck driver may make $50k-$60K but a long distance owner-operator is providing the truck (costing up to several hundred thousand dollars for the full rig) and can make the amount claimed. 

[Assurancetourix]

2 hours ago, jonclark said:

and for a 16 - 18 year old girl to drive a truck in Thailand

 

At what age can we pass the heavyweight license in Thailand?
certainly not at 16 ...

 

In France and in many european countries to drive a maxi truck or a coach you must be 21 years old minimum .

It's been 14 years that I live in Thailand;
I was driving  semi trailors and tourism coaches in Europe for 40 years; here I like to photograph heavy trucks and coaches and I have never seen a woman driving a truck or a big coach .
To drive a song theo, yes, it is seen from time to time, but a " sip lo " or even more wheels, I wait to see, maybe one day ...

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, JaiLai said:

Yeah but why does she need to broadcast it, there's plenty people in every country that come from humble beginings that go on to great success without having to let the world know.

 

45,000 followers......why?

I take it you aren't at all that up to speed on social media? Never mind, neither am I but did you miss that it's the Nation that claims she's 'broadcasting' in her Isaan dialect to her fellow Isaan speaking, Thai fans?

 

A frequent Thai basher's complaint is how pathetically, herd-followingly parochial Thai people can be, keeping themselves to themselves and their introspective and small-world ways are some of the things that allegedly make them the 'laughing stock of the world' to coin an unimaginative and frequently used trope.

 

Now we have an enterprising young Thai making the best of her opportunities overseas and sharing this with her kith and kin back home. Whoa! Can't have that now can we?! A Thai person being a success, showing a bit of gumption and breaking ALL the stereotypes that the Thai bashers hold dear and love to recycle here? That's... that's... HERETICAL!!!

[guzzi850m2]

No wonder Thais thinks all westerners are rich.

[jonclark]

2 hours ago, DLock said:

 

Most posters are happy she made a success of herself.

 

But you miss the point, or as a Thai apologist, choose to.

 

Thailand can never provide the same opportunities granted by most western countries. They are xenophobic, scared and protectionist of foreigners gaining any foothold or taking any jobs or money from Thais.

 

Nothing wrong with pointing out the obvious, unless you prefer to just ignore it like a proper Thai.

 

Your call.

 

 

Sorry, but I think you missed the point.

 

I was focusing on the content of the OP. A young lady who has overcome some probably very difficult obstacles to make a success of her life in the USA - Well done!

 

I was not letting the rights / wrongs of Thailand as seen through a western lens interfere with her success as clearly that has nothing to do with her. 

 

I am sure however that by keeping up the barrage of anti-Thai sentiment which is doled out daily on TVF will really motive Thailand to reconsider its xenophobic, scared and protectionist approach to foreigners.....either that or it will just serve to reinforce it. You decide. 

 

So after two decades here you do not need to lecture me on the opportunities (or lack of) Thailand provides, been there, done that, wrote the book. And I am still here and successful, and I have a very wide circle of mainly Thai friends none of whom display the characteristics you describe. And maybe that is it. People rant on about how racist / unfair Thailand and Thais are, attract like minded Thais who rant on about how despicable etc foreigners are. As the old saying goes ' Birds of a feather, flock together'. 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by jonclark

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Barry343 said:

If it said 30000 to 40000 baht the story would be possible believeable, unless she was carrying contraband.

 

https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/09/news/economy/truck-driver-shortage/index.html

 

Trucker compensation has been going up 8% to 12% a year in recent years, according to Bob Costello, chief economist at the ATA. That's a lot higher than wages for the rest of Americans, which have barely budged recently.

The median annual wage for a trucker that works for a private fleet, such as a truck driver employed by Walmart, is $73,000, according to ATA.

The Labor Department pegs the median annual salary for all truck drivers at around $40,000.

 

If you take the median annual salary for all truck drivers at around $40,000 and multiply it by 30 (US/THB Forex rate) it comes to 1,200,000 THB per annum, or 100.000 thb per month.

[RJRS1301]

Was this article fact checked?

I fail to see how a truck driver (delivering legal goods) could earn that amount of money per month.

Is this another fine example of Thai journalism?

 

[lelapin]

Is it possible that the money quoted includes her activity on Facebook

[neeray]

3 hours ago, JaiLai said:

1M baht a month, think that might be a little bit exageratted........just a bit.

Not exaggerated at all. I know truckers that are making double and triple that amount.

She's still learning the ropes and should have many green lights ahead of her.

 

Go Pim go.

[RJRS1301]

2 minutes ago, neeray said:

Not exaggerated at all. I know truckers that are making double and triple that amount.

She's still learning the ropes and should have many green lights ahead of her.

 

Go Pim go.

Per month as drivers only ??

 

 

[DLock]

5-pages on a 6-page thread dedicated to disputing money of a young Thai girl truck driver made good.

 

Priceless.

 

 

[neeray]

1 minute ago, RJRS1301 said:

Per month as drivers only ??

 

 

Nowhere does it say (unless I missed it) that she is a driver-only or an owner. Nor does it say whether that is gross or net. 30,000 would have to be "owner" and "gross". Thus, her actual net would be much, much lower.

Typical news media reporting with many important details omitted.

[overherebc]

You are all wrong.

[RJRS1301]

15 minutes ago, neeray said:

Nowhere does it say (unless I missed it) that she is a driver-only or an owner. Nor does it say whether that is gross or net. 30,000 would have to be "owner" and "gross". Thus, her actual net would be much, much lower.

Typical news media reporting with many important details omitted.

The report stated One Million baht PER Month, (30,000USD per month)  you stated you knew drivers making several time greater than that.

My question was , are the drivers of whom you wrote, of making more than ONE Million baht per month " driver only" employed and not owner drivers

Edited November 7, 2019 by RJRS1301

[neeray]

25 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Per month as drivers only ??

 

 

See my post below.

[bkk6060]

4 hours ago, JaiLai said:

1M baht a month, think that might be a little bit exageratted........just a bit.

That is most likely for the entire business as they have numerous trucks.

[FarFlungFalang]

2 hours ago, JaiLai said:

No i  most certainly do not have or use FB, i despise it ( plus i only have 2 friends ).

 

If she's not bragging why mention the 1M p.m? Could quite simply have said "i'm a truck driver in the US living the dream", no?

 

I think it's great she's done something and got out of this place, i don't think it's great she's showing off but......that's the Thai way...

I think somebody else wrote the article so maybe they could be blamed for the impression she is bragging some authors sometimes use artistic license which can give false impressions.

[Assurancetourix]

Whether in France or the USA, transport fares are always pulled down
so a guy on his own with a single truck, if he is currently 3,000 US dollars a month can feel happy;
many work for a lot less than that and some even work for free, so much is the cost.
You should know that a new tractor Actros costs  110,000 euros = 122,000 US dollars
to this we must add the price of the trailer, Gas Oil , insurance vehicles and goods transported, maintenance (oil changes, tires, ..) direct and indirect taxes ... and if there is a little money the salary of the driver ....

Edited November 7, 2019 by Assurancetourix

[bkk6060]

39 minutes ago, neeray said:

Not exaggerated at all. I know truckers that are making double and triple that amount.

She's still learning the ropes and should have many green lights ahead of her.

 

Go Pim go.

Sorry, very false.

No truck driver with a lone rig in the US makes 70 to $100,000 a month.

None.

Unless of course they are hauling illegal items.

[Jai Dee]

Several off-topic and troll posts have been removed.

[Don Mega]

Does her mum and dad actually believe that million a month is from driving trucks.........

[Longcut]

4 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

If she owns / leases her truck, that can be real. But, it wouldn't happen every month.

 

As an owner operator, this rule wouldn't apply.

Besides, the US has never really seemed to enforce this policy.

I worked with 2 green card holders that finished their careers, through retirement, working highly sought after jobs. The union even accepted them. Neither had any skills that would entitle them to be selected over citizens.

I never heard of any occupations prohibited for aliens. I know many Laotians that are truck drivers in the U.S..

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, Berkshire said:

At least it's a noble profession and not, say, a massage therapist.

What is so "noble" about being a lorry driver especially ?

 

What is wrong with following a profession as a massage therapist? 

[Berkshire]

25 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

4 hours ago, JaiLai said:

1M baht a month, think that might be a little bit exageratted........just a bit.

That is most likely for the entire business as they have numerous trucks.

That would change the entire narrative of her story.  The article implied that Ms. Pim went out there on her own and is now making THB1 million a month driving trucks.  It didn't say anything about daddy's company raking in that money or Pim making money online or anything else. 

 

I've got no problem with Ms. Pim, in fact, I think she's a little cutie.  But telling her fellow Thais that she's making that much in America just driving trucks is extremely misleading, if not outright untrue. 

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, Psimbo said:

Thai lady does well and earns her way in life- Thaigeezers pick holes in her story. I am sure she is far more content with life than they are. 

Always wid da negative waves Moriarity, always wid da negative waves. ????

Thaigeezers [sic]? It's the farang ThaiVisa-geezers that are picking holes in the story!

[Orton Rd]

Sad when a Thai women doing something as ordinary as truck driving is deemed a 'sensation' They are not all dumb hookers, air heads and lazy losers.