$1400 is chump change if it takes 7 days to make it. I know in your world you are trained to look at the amount, but a smart driver looks at how much time it takes to make that money.

As far as production while on the clock, it isn't too hard to figure out if a driver is slacking, all one needs to do is look at what he got done at the end of the day. If I have x amount of loads to do or x amount of machines to move, they had all best be done or there better be a good reason why not. If am hauling stone or dirt, the time on each ticket pretty much explains if I am slacking or not. Most of the time the trucks are also being paid by the hour, so the boss doesn't really care how long it takes, but the customer we are working for sure does.

Wink Wink, nudge, nudge. And you wonder why the Gov. is pushing for EOB's?

Now, what about the 1099 thing? Or the no benefits? Or the free wait and deadhead?

Obviously you don't understand what a sweatshop is. It is when an employee gets low pay for the amount of hours worked, long hours no benefits, usually piecemeal work where he gets no money for idle time beyond his control, and free room and board. Sound familiar?

 

I see...everyone should believe you because you are so honest, but according to you, I am a liar. Just because you are not honest, don't assume everyone else isn't. As PTD explained, there are many ways for a local driver's boss to know if he is working or slacking, just as there are many ways for an OTR drivers boss to know the same.

I worked for percentage in a dump truck for ten years. Every time my boss raised the rates, it was because of the fuel costs. I received my cut of that rate raise every time, because my percentage was based on what it cost to move the load. I only received 32% of the cost because the owner paid for the fuel and other business expenses. The fuel is one of the major parts of the rate, no matter what load of bs you sell to your drivers.


That's funny. How does the driver know that you are showing him the real rate confirmation? You assumed I am dishonest, so I have to assume the same for you. By the way, how many companies let the driver past the dock and into the office to confirm rates? In my very short over the road stint, every customer I visited had a designated area for drivers, and none of those areas included the office of the guy who set the rates with the shipper. Of course, I am sure that person would answer a phone call from your drivers to confirm the rate. Do your drivers still believe in Santa Claus?


I already addressed this, but since you bring it up twice, I will address it again. How come a big time businessman like yourself can't figure out how much time it takes to get loaded, drive however many miles it takes, and then get unloaded? All the trucking companies I have worked for can do this, how come you can't?

 

you must work a ton of hours m-f to equal or best $1400 wk...because at 50hrs you would need to be at 28hr to gross $1400 and around 30hr to best $1400...and $1400wk is about 70k a year...how is 65-70k chump change ?...where do you work .

 

Actually, Big Jeep, you only need to be making around $25 an hour to reach $1400, because overtime kicks in after 8 or 40 depending on who you work for. The good non-union companies in our area pay that or more to get good drivers. Prevailing wage at the union companies ranges from $28-33 an hour depending on what contract the company is working under (pit hauler, road work, general construction, etc.). An easy 10 hour day, in which the driver gets paid for every minute he is at work easily gives a driver around here a $1400 paycheck. Most companies work harder than that, giving a driver a bigger paycheck.

The difference is that $1400 in 5 days here is kind of ordinary, while for Gman's driver it seems like it was the exception, not the rule. As PTD said, it is only chump change if it was earned in the typical OTR driver fashion, log 70, work 90 or 100 hours.

 

No


Bingo, we have a winner!


Let me rephrase that.........$65-70k a year is a good wage, as long as it doesn't take the chump 7 days a week living in a truck, home once a month for 2 days to make it, then it is a chump wage. Guys like Gman will tell you how great that is, but he has a vested interest to pay his drivers the least amount possible, as long as he can keep finding chumps, more power to him.

I worked for a landscaping company a few years ago as a drive/ mechanic. In the summer, we worked 7 days a week, like 80+ hours a week, time and a half after 40. My gross was right at $3000 per week, take home $2000. After a couple months of that, I got burned out big time, but the $$ was worth it. There is no way I would work the same hours dwelling for a measly $1400 per week. That is wher the chump change part comes in.


A medium sized excavating company.

 

Very well put .. agree 100 %

 

When a person takes a job with any company, the act of taking the job in the first place is an implied agreement to provide the work it takes to get the job done. It does not matter if it's percentage, by the mile, or by the hour. Just taking the job says you will do the work for that pay. With dry-van, it's pretty much cut and dry. Reefer, not much different. Flatbed could mean a variety of different details that must be done. But you have already agreed to do what it takes for the amount of pay you get. When you start complaining about what you have to do, you are backing off on your agreement. Think about it. Signing your application is sort of like signing a contract. So, refusing to do part of your job is sort of like "Breach of contract".

I've gone into customers where you have to drop your empty, hook to the loaded trailer and pull it out of a dock, then re-hook to your empty and put it into the dock. Then, finally, you are free to take the load and leave. I also know of drivers that have dropped their empty, hooked to the load and left. "I don't get paid for a double drop and hook". Believe it or not, that constitutes BREACH OF CONTRACT. And, I also know of companies that have lost contracts with customers because of that. I have no idea how many times I have made 3 and even 4 drops and hooks at a customer to put someone else's trailer in the dock. No company I have ever pulled for has lost an account because of me. A couple even got more freight because of "favors" for customers. When my current company cut back the number of trucks, they made a special effort to tell me they were NOT letting me go.

You do the job you were hired to do, for the pay you, yourself, agreed to accept.
And, you do it SAFELY.

That's how you stay in a company's good graces, and that's how you get your pay raises.

 

I wouldn't let a driver go that volunteers to do all kinds of free labor either, Yankee Turbo.

I remember a company I worked on percentage, decided at one Cold Storage they wanted us to shuttle trailers in and out of the dock to save the $25 spotter charge on each. Nobody would do it, beyond the trailer we were hooked to when we checked in, if they needed that one in a dorr, no problem. But to spend part of my 14 hours doing charity work, no thanks.

I suppose if you worked there they would have had one volunteer. but they couldn't understand why we didn't want to help the company save money.

Funny how none of us got fired, I guess they didn't need the money that bad.

 

Well I took a warehouse job and now am taking a yard jockey position it's only 20hr for me to start ,but Im only pulling trailers around the brewery ...hell the warehouse at only 14hr paid more consistant than GTS did and technically more if broken down to the hour ...I like driving OTR I just don't like making 30-35k a year for living at the job 24/7 for 4-6 wks in a row with no real life ...I took the warehouse position while waiting for con-way TL to call...which they did ,but in those 2 weeks I got back to the gym hitting the weights ,and kind of wanted to continue to do so and get jacked again ,so I inquired into hostler positions and got that offered so no more OTR for now and tons of free time to pursue personal ambitions like getting back to 5 wheels on the bench before I'm to old to do it again .

 

Cops are WAY underpaid. The good ones do it because they LOVE their job.

Teachers are WAY underpaid. The good ones do it because they LOVE their job.

I'm a company flatbedder. I'm paid percentage. I LOVE my job. I also do it well. Because of this I get a LOT of the good paying loads because usually more is expected by the customer and the company is CONFIDENT on my ability to get the job done.

I also live in the South and I bet my "chump change"$1000 to $1400 paycheck goes WAY farther than the "average" paycheck stated you make due to the fact the cost of living is much lower here...

I feel I'm an honest, hard-working man supporting his family and making his contribution to society in fine style AND I'm happy with that...

And that's wrong...HOW?