"There's no time for life here." A Belarusian on working as a truck driver in the USA

How it all began

Pavel followed in his father's footsteps.

— My dad worked as an international driver back in the USSR. In the 1990s, he and his partners opened a Belarusian-German company – I can't even remember the name now. My father himself drove the MAZ-64229. I still remember the license plate of that truck: KV1212," says the interlocutor. — Then I also got behind the wheel of that MAZ; I was 20 years old at the time. By then, I had just finished my first year of institute and passed my exams. In general, one could officially work as a driver in international cargo transportation only from the age of 21. I left in June, and in July, I turned 21. I decided that a month's difference was nothing terrible. That was 1995.

— I didn't go alone, of course, but with an experienced partner. We transported copying equipment from the Netherlands to Moscow – that was our regular route. In general, I drove that summer, and in the autumn, I returned to my institute studies. That's when my trucking career ended: my first venture into the profession lasted only three months, and honestly, at that moment, I thought such an experience would be the only one in my life. Cargo transportation disappeared from my life for a long time.

Moving to the USA

Pavel got the idea to participate in the Green Card lottery from relatives.

— A chance event helped. About a year and a half before that, my wife's sister and her husband applied for a Green Card and won. I drove them to Poland for their embassy interview. I looked at it all and thought: "Why shouldn't I try?" As a result, I filled out the form, played – and also won. In 2022, I moved with my family. It wasn't easy; the move cost me 20,000 dollars," shares the Belarusian.

Павялічыць

— Did you go to the USA to work as a driver, or did it all happen spontaneously?

— I went to America with a certain confidence, as relatives were already living there. Thanks to them, I wasn't heading into the unknown: I immediately had housing and a specific job. I didn't even think about trucking then; I planned to engage in some business in America. First, I got a job at a company that installed and serviced garage doors. I worked as a regular employee, but not for long. I quickly figured things out, bought a Dodge pickup truck, a trailer, opened my own company, and started working as a subcontractor. But it wasn't that simple. I had to work very hard! And this was in Texas, where the daytime heat is over 40 degrees Celsius! I even fainted a couple of times from overwork. And I was earning peanuts. Something had to change... So I rushed to my brother in Miami.

I love you, baby

The man admits that things didn't work out in another state either. One of the reasons was poor language proficiency.

— What didn't I try! I even tried to organize my own glass processing business, but things were tough. It's incredibly difficult to develop something of your own there, especially without good English. And I had huge language problems at that time – I couldn't say a thing. Besides the school "Stand up" and "I love you, baby," I knew virtually no words. Now I can more or less communicate, but back then it was very difficult. Meanwhile, money was melting away: I needed something to live on, to rent housing, and I also wanted to save up for my own property. At some point, I realized I had to go into trucking – at least they pay stably there.

I studied for a CDL license (for driving heavy goods vehicles, buses, and vehicles with hazardous materials. – Onlíner's note) in Miami. After studying, I got a job at a company and worked as an employed driver for the first two years. I gained experience, got used to American roads, and then took the next step – bought my own truck.

Павялічыць

— How much does an employed truck driver earn in the USA?

— I was paid 25 percent of the freight. In America, there are generally two main payment methods for employed drivers: either a fixed rate per mile, or a percentage of the freight – the cost of transporting the cargo. I had the second option, and I earned about 10,000 dollars net per month.

— With what kind of schedule?

— The schedule is tight: three to four weeks on the road, then you return home for 5-7 days. However, if a trip passed through Houston, where my family lived, I could park the truck in a paid parking lot and spend a couple of days at home. Sometimes, at the end of my work shift, I would simply drive the truck to the company's base in Chicago, leave it for maintenance, and fly off for a vacation. The company fully paid for my round-trip airfare. In that regard, the conditions were great.

But even so, it's hard to maintain this rhythm for long. I periodically quit trucking, trying to build some local business again. I wanted to be closer to home, as such work is a huge stress on relationships. In America, unfortunately, 90% of truck drivers' families break up. And unfortunately, this statistic did not bypass me – my wife and I eventually divorced," Pavel says sadly.

Павялічыць

Own truck

The man doesn't hide that buying his own truck added more worries: vehicle repairs, accounting, and independently searching for cargo. But at the same time, Pavel notes that he gained more free time and long-awaited independence from the constant pressure from the company and dispatchers.

— At the beginning of 2025, I finally decided it was time to work for myself, and for about a year, I worked under the Power Only system – which means you have your own tractor, and you rent trailers from various logistics companies. Primarily, I transported goods for FedEx – isothermal semi-trailers, as well as reefers. Later, I started cooperating with a large American transport company, Koch Trucking, which transports food products across the country.

— What kind of truck?

— It was a used Volvo VNL, manufactured in 2017, with 805 thousand miles on the odometer (about 1.3 million kilometers. – Onlíner's note). For an American truck, these are normal figures, as their engines reliably run up to 1.5 million miles. They asked 36,000 dollars for it, but I managed to haggle it down to 30,000. Buying a truck is only half the battle, as you can still pour a lot of money into an old rig. But I was lucky: before the sale, the clutch was replaced, and a new turbocharger and fresh tires were installed, so the tractor was in excellent technical condition.

Pavel started earning more than a regular employed driver. He now had the means to buy his own trailer. The choice fell on a flatbed – a platform for transporting oversized cargo.

Павялічыць

Everything depends on your "record"

In America, every truck driver has an official driving history – a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). This is a government database where all violations are recorded: speeding, accidents, fines. When a truck driver says: "I have a 'clean record'", it means he has no violations, and any transport company will gladly hire him under good conditions. Pavel mentions MVR in the context of the relationship between the carrier and the shipper.

— For finding loads across America, there are special programs – so-called load boards. But you can't just go in there and take any order you like. In American logistics, everything is strictly tied to your reputation and work history – what is called a "record" here. This "record" is essentially like a driver's rating in Belarusian taxi services, only the stakes here are many times higher. This database reflects everything: your accidents, fines, violations of work and rest regimes, as well as the overall reliability of the company under which you are registered. If you or your company has a bad rating, brokers simply won't entrust you with valuable cargo. You'll have to settle for cheap, low-grade work. A clean and impeccable "record" is the main pass to expensive and profitable orders," notes the interlocutor.

— How does an American truck driver's work shift go?

— I always start my morning with exercises; I have a pull-up bar installed in my cab. I cook my own breakfast: I make porridge, eat eggs with avocado, and drink coffee. There is no dangerous gas equipment in American trucks; everything runs on electricity. I have an autonomous diesel generator installed – it powers the air conditioning and equipment, and in winter, Webasto heats the engine and cabin. After breakfast, I always inspect the truck, check the oil level, and then head out.

According to American laws, you can drive for the first 8 hours without stopping, then you are obligated to take a 30-minute break. I snack on fruit while driving. After the break, you can drive the remaining 3 hours.

In total, 11 hours of pure driving are allowed within a 14-hour workday in the USA. After this, the truck must stop for a full 10-hour rest. In total, according to the rules, no more than 70 working hours can be completed per week.

— Is this time controlled by a special inspection agency?

— Road control in the USA is very strict; everything is tied to the so-called weigh stations. That's where the police and transport inspection conduct checks. Fines for violations here are enormous, but money isn't even the scariest part. The main problem is that any violation is entered into both your personal "record" and the "record" of the company you work for. The system is set up so that one mistake immediately hits the entire business: your rating instantly drops, brokers stop giving good loads, and the cost of insurance rises. Truck drivers in the States can be fined for many things. Most often, they get caught speeding. They also very strictly monitor weight and dimensions.

"Much is similar to Europe"

Pavel says that drivers on both sides of the ocean face similar problems.

— Parking in the USA is a perennial problem – there's a catastrophic shortage of spaces. On average, parking costs 20 dollars per night. However, after dark, finding an empty spot is impossible. Because of this, many drivers violate rules and simply stop on highway exits. This is prohibited; the police chase them for it, but people simply have nowhere to go.

There are also thefts in parking lots; in criminal areas like Houston or New York, you need to be very vigilant. Fuel is rarely siphoned, but anything not securely fastened gets stolen. For example, expensive aluminum ramps, which I used for loading equipment, were stolen from my trailer. Many drivers not only lock their cabs at night but also additionally secure the doors from the inside with cargo straps.

— There are also other road "surprises": traffic jams, hurricanes, floods. And in America, there's a huge problem with wild animals. Just yesterday, I almost hit a deer – it jumped out right in front of the hood, and I barely managed to swerve. To protect against them, truck drivers install massive "kangaroo bars" on the front. True, I already managed to bend mine recently when I got stuck in mud while bypassing on the shoulder.

— So, is all that movie romance about American trucking not real?

— Romance is romance, but mostly it's hard and exhausting work. The work volumes here are colossal. If you're an employed worker, the company requires an average of 650 miles per day. Now, in my own truck, I drive 750 miles (about 1200 km) daily. Everyone works differently: some drive alone, others in a two-person crew, and then the truck doesn't stop for 24 hours.

Speed limits in the USA depend on the specific state. Somewhere, the maximum is 65 miles per hour. But in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Arkansas, the limits are more lenient, allowing acceleration up to 75-80 miles per hour. By our standards, 75 miles is a respectable 120 km/h.

"I wouldn't get involved a second time"

The man openly says that he wouldn't get involved in such an adventure a second time.

— I wouldn't advise anyone to move here. America is not at all what it used to be. Due to inflation and the crisis, living here has become incredibly difficult; people scramble from paycheck to paycheck, paying endless loans, bills, and mortgages. There's no time for life here. In Belarus, I had a small glass processing business, a hobby; I was into rally, building a racing car. There, I had soul; here, it's a constant race for survival in "must, must, must" mode.

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