Jesús, a Spanish truck driver, left his home country for the United States, hoping better pay would make the move worthwhile. Now he spends fourteen hours a day behind the wheel, seven days a week, with no days off. The higher salary comes at the cost of exhaustion and a life spent almost entirely on the road.
"I earn 180 euros per day," Jesús says, but the reality is more complicated. US trucking rules allow up to eleven hours of driving within a fourteen-hour work window, and drivers can work up to seventy hours over eight days. In Europe, the limits are stricter: nine hours a day, fifty-six hours a week, plus mandatory rest periods that cannot be skipped.
In 2023, the American Trucking Associations reported a shortage of over 80,000 truck drivers in the US, pointing to intense demand and pressure on existing drivers.
The numbers are tempting, but the trade-off is clear. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the average truck driver’s annual earnings at about 49,600 euros, almost double the 24,000 to 30,000 euros common in Spain. That extra money comes with long hours and little rest. "I have no days off. I work from Monday to Sunday, fourteen hours every day," Jesús says. The job is physically tough and mentally draining. He admits, "I have my work very romanticized because I love it, but it wears you down psychologically."
Rest is hard to come by. In Spain, drivers must take eleven hours off each day and forty-five hours between work weeks. In the US, the minimum is ten hours daily and just thirty-four hours before starting a new week. That difference shapes daily life. Jesús misses roadside stops in Spain, especially a simple "bocata de lomo con queso," and is tired of the fast food at most American truck stops.
Even with the sacrifices, Jesús believes the work matters. "Thanks to people like us, supermarkets have food, pharmacies have medicine, and homes have bricks," he says. The work gives him purpose. It also takes a toll. The American system rewards drivers who can keep going, not those who seek balance. As reported earlier, chasing higher pay often brings hidden costs, whether in factories or on the road.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says violations of hours-of-service rules are among the most common infractions found during roadside inspections in the US. Fatigue is cited as a contributing factor in thousands of crashes annually. In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that drowsy driving was responsible for at least 91,000 crashes, underscoring the safety risks of long shifts.
Data from elespanol motor shows a wide pay gap between Spain and the US, but the cost is clear: more money and less time for life. The US system puts productivity first, leaving drivers like Jesús to manage long hours with little rest. For anyone considering the same move, higher wages in US trucking come with real sacrifices. A better life on American highways is possible, but the price is paid every day behind the wheel.
