"I don't advise going to Russia: I slept at most three hours a day." Truckers compare earnings and working conditions in Europe and Russia
A Belarusian trucker blogger, who has been waiting for a long time for the renewal of his residence permit in Lithuania, touched upon the topic of working as a truck driver in Belarus and Russia.
Illustrative photo: Nasha Niva
Europe vs Russia
In the video, the blogger says that he often receives comments asking why he works in Europe when salaries in Belarus and Russia have long been the same, and working conditions might even be better.
He himself works for a company in Lithuania, but has difficulties with extending his residence permit, so he is currently staying at home and waiting for a response from the Lithuanian authorities.
Because of this, he decided to look for those praised Belarusian and Russian companies himself to inquire about the conditions and salaries they offer.
The trucker says he has several acquaintances who work that way and notes that in Russia, payment is mainly not per day, as in Europe, but based on the number of kilometers driven.
One of his acquaintances is paid 13-13.5 Russian rubles per kilometer. He drives 20,000 kilometers per month. For the month, he earns 260,000-270,000 Russian rubles, which is about 2,900 euros at the current exchange rate. However, some commentators do not believe such a tariff.
Illustrative image. Photo: AP
The blogger himself says that in one Belarusian company that performs trips to China, he was told that on average, a driver would earn about 60 euros per day of work.
The man claims this is very little, because even four years ago, when he first started working in Europe, he was paid 64 euros at the start, and even then it was considered a low salary.
Many drivers gathered in the comments under the video, expressing their opinions about working in Russia.
"I won't go back there"
"In Belarus, I called companies, and my hair immediately turned gray from their conditions," wrote one user.
Another writes that for the sake of a pension, he was forced to work for a Belarusian company for almost a year and could have continued working, but didn't want to. He says that after working in Poland, he has no words.
"Our bosses are all so poor that sometimes you want to buy a loaf of bread and feed them," adds a retired trucker.
"When visa difficulties started, I tried working in Russia. In a year, I changed three companies, each time hoping for the best. I won't go back there. Work in Russia and in the European Union at this moment are incomparable things," writes another.
"You'll earn a stroke before 40 there, not money. Go to Poland and don't worry," advises another commentator.
"Russia and Belarus - it's not even worth thinking about, the conditions and roads are terrible, and accordingly, the salary is the same," a colleague dissuades the man.
"To earn normally in Russia, as I was told, you need to drive at least 1000 km a day, and there are no days off. You won't have a chance to sunbathe. After Europe, Russia will be a shock," writes another trucker.
Overall, the main complaint about working in Russia is the lack of a strict work and rest regime. While in Europe, drivers can be behind the wheel for no more than 9-10 hours a day and must take a 45-hour break once a week, these rules are not followed in Russia.
Illustrative photo: Nasha Niva
Naturally, payment per kilometer driven, not per day of work as in Europe, motivates drivers to drive more.
The highest earnings, judging by the comments, are for those who drive in dual crews and perform so-called express trips to Vladivostok. However, they rack up 40,000 kilometers a month, as the second driver rests only when the first is behind the wheel.
Many note that such a work regime, while bringing in more money, negatively affects health.
What do job vacancies in Belarus offer?
In Europe, Belarusian truckers without work experience can expect a salary of 85 euros per day. Experienced drivers can expect 90-100 euros. Car transporter drivers earn more - about 120-130 euros per day.
In Belarus, among international driver vacancies, the highest salaries promised are 8500-10,000 rubles before taxes. That is about 2150-2500 euros net.
Photo: screenshot from rabota.by website
Drivers who are required to perform trips on the Belarus - Kazakhstan - China route are promised 2300-2500 dollars (about 2100-2300 euros) per month.