NOT HAPPY! Is this as good as it gets?

[ChikinTrucka]

OK, so I get this really awesome job that pays 35 for long haul, over 400 miles, and 40 for short, under 400. Now I find out that almost all my runs are just over 400, but almost always less than 500 miles. And, they add the dead head miles to the run, so if I thought it was under 400, it suddenly becomes over 400 and pays 35 anyhow.
So a typical run looks like this:
day 1: 4 to 9 hours to load, drive 200 miles.
day 2: drive 200 miles, spend day unloading.
day 3: dead head for 2 hours, spend day loading.
day 4: drive 450 miles, wait for shipper to open.
day 5: unload, drive 3 hours to shipper.
day 6: drive 500 miles, go home.
TOTAL: 1600 miles: $560, about 10 hours detention: $160. and $60 for tarping.
Oh, yeah, just to make it more fun, it's mostly Northeast traffic and PA mountains. I'm not getting those easy Midwest miles.
Is this the norm, or should I be looking for a better job?

[dle]

Sounds almost (not quite) like when I was on the Southwest Regional board at Werner. It was a sliding scale based on the total length of the run.

[mdgardner963]

OK, so I get this really awesome job that pays 35 for long haul, over 400 miles, and 40 for short, under 400. Now I find out that almost all my runs are just over 400, but almost always less than 500 miles. And, they add the dead head miles to the run, so if I thought it was under 400, it suddenly becomes over 400 and pays 35 anyhow.
So a typical run looks like this:
day 1: 4 to 9 hours to load, drive 200 miles.
day 2: drive 200 miles, spend day unloading.
day 3: dead head for 2 hours, spend day loading.
day 4: drive 450 miles, wait for shipper to open.
day 5: unload, drive 3 hours to shipper.
day 6: drive 500 miles, go home.
TOTAL: 1600 miles: $560, about 10 hours detention: $160. and $60 for tarping.
Oh, yeah, just to make it more fun, it's mostly Northeast traffic and PA mountains. I'm not getting those easy Midwest miles.
Is this the norm, or should I be looking for a better job?

It Takes time for them to put you in the loop i would at least give a company 6 months then start ragging on your dispatcher right now explain you need some miles at least 2500 a week min. see what happens. :evil: :evil: Big Dog Kicks

[Fredog]

OK, so I get this really awesome job that pays 35 for long haul, over 400 miles, and 40 for short, under 400. Now I find out that almost all my runs are just over 400, but almost always less than 500 miles. And, they add the dead head miles to the run, so if I thought it was under 400, it suddenly becomes over 400 and pays 35 anyhow.
So a typical run looks like this:
day 1: 4 to 9 hours to load, drive 200 miles.
day 2: drive 200 miles, spend day unloading.
day 3: dead head for 2 hours, spend day loading.
day 4: drive 450 miles, wait for shipper to open.
day 5: unload, drive 3 hours to shipper.
day 6: drive 500 miles, go home.
TOTAL: 1600 miles: $560, about 10 hours detention: $160. and $60 for tarping.
Oh, yeah, just to make it more fun, it's mostly Northeast traffic and PA mountains. I'm not getting those easy Midwest miles.
Is this the norm, or should I be looking for a better job?

my week pulling a tanker
day 1... 45 minutes to shipper, 30 minutes to load. 295 miles (5 hours) to customer 1 hour to unload. load pay $230.00
day 2 back to same shipper, same deal
day 3 leave customer go 200 miles to pick up next load. 1 hour to load, 4 hours to customer. pay $250.00 leave tank at customer to be unloaded and reloaded. bob tail home for the night
day 4, pick up loaded tank and take to same customer as day 1 and 2 same miles and pay head back to same shipper as yesterday
day5 take load to same customer . arrive Friday at 4 pm, leave tank to be unloade monday, go home for weekend
4 loads for week total gross $960.00 left monday at 2 pm, home friday at 5:30 pm
works for me

[Windwalker]

OK, so I get this really awesome job that pays 35 for long haul, over 400 miles, and 40 for short, under 400. Now I find out that almost all my runs are just over 400, but almost always less than 500 miles. And, they add the dead head miles to the run, so if I thought it was under 400, it suddenly becomes over 400 and pays 35 anyhow.
So a typical run looks like this:
day 1: 4 to 9 hours to load, drive 200 miles.
day 2: drive 200 miles, spend day unloading.
day 3: dead head for 2 hours, spend day loading.
day 4: drive 450 miles, wait for shipper to open.
day 5: unload, drive 3 hours to shipper.
day 6: drive 500 miles, go home.
TOTAL: 1600 miles: $560, about 10 hours detention: $160. and $60 for tarping.
Oh, yeah, just to make it more fun, it's mostly Northeast traffic and PA mountains. I'm not getting those easy Midwest miles.
Is this the norm, or should I be looking for a better job?

Back when I first started, my dispatcher said they were going to run me "between the hills" for a while first. I spent six months running out of WI, to just short of PA, and just short of CO. I remember hearing other, older drivers, talking about things that happened to them, and I remember thinking that it HAD to be exciting.

Then, on my way back from my first trip west, I got half way down Donner and saw another one of our trucks that stopped to cool his brakes. Another truck coming down lost his brakes and rear-ended our guy. Our driver was out of the truck when it happened, but the other driver was being air-lifted to a hospital, and there was paper from our load all over the place. Our trailer exploded, and the load with it. The truck that rear-ended him was also totalled.

As far as I know, when a company gets a new driver, first of all, they want him to get used to driving. Get a little experience behind him. They're trying to "ease the OH MY GOD syndrome". Second, they want to see just how this guy is going to perform on the road. Will he speed, will he make his appointments on time, and things like that. They're also listening to "feedback" from their customers that you have been to in order to see what kind of relationship you will have with people you have to deal with.

Not long after I first started pulling flatbed, I got my dispatcher upset with me. Load, tarp, run, untarp, unload, and get the next load, and somehow, I still managed to get 3300 miles a week for two weeks. After that, they decided to give me more normal runs.

[ChikinTrucka]

If you can't remember if the light was green or red when you went through it, you need a break....

Wicked good advice, I think I've done that. Or, did you ever wonder if you passed your exit but can't remember? Get out the map, check the milepost, oops, I went by it...time for bed!

[Windwalker]

No, actually. I have not. I have a GPS screen with my course plotted and can see at a glance if my exit is coming up... even in dense fog. And, it leads me right into the customer's location... NO MISSES, NO U-TURNS, NO ERRORS.

[whispers65233]

No, actually. I have not. I have a GPS screen with my course plotted and can see at a glance if my exit is coming up... even in dense fog. And, it leads me right into the customer's location... NO MISSES, NO U-TURNS, NO ERRORS.

Looking for a good GPS system for my truck. Which one do you have? thnx

[Mattangcobra]

I have a Cobra nav2100. DO NOT buy this one. Sucks is an understatement.

[Windwalker]

No, actually. I have not. I have a GPS screen with my course plotted and can see at a glance if my exit is coming up... even in dense fog. And, it leads me right into the customer's location... NO MISSES, NO U-TURNS, NO ERRORS.

Looking for a good GPS system for my truck. Which one do you have? thnx

I used to use DeLorme and an earth-mate, but didn't like the map format they switched to in the last one I got. Now, I'm using Microsoft Streets and Trips. The receiver is more sensitive, but the map on the screen could be better. Wouldn't mind going back to DeLorme if they would go back to the old format for their map. The newer one I have(not the newest anymore) also seems to have some bugs in it. And, the addresses are not as accurate as the older version.

[matcat]

TomTom all the way, no truck routing, but awesome program none the less (Just use common sense about truck routes is all)

[ChikinTrucka]

Has everyone forgotten how to be COURTEOUS.
If you've forgot, it means.
respect for and consideration of others

And not driving 10 feet off someone's bumper and flashing your high beams at them. All it takes is a little patience.
Thanks Mattangcobra, it never hurts to be reminded....

[Mackman]

man when i read this i think of Venezia all over again. Thank god i get paid by the hr. now

[wildkat]

Man, it never ceases to amaze me how you guys keep getting screwed by the way you are paid...

Company drivers only making 35cent/mile???? OMG our company guys would fly off the handle if you told them that...our guys start at 52 cents/mile, they don't donate ONE seceond of time, they literally get paid to do everything, right down to fueling the damned truck at the end of their shift!

Owner/op's working for 98 cents/mile! I was making that in 1991! I get 1.62/mile for EVERY mile, $42/hour for work time, ZERO donation of time, $50/drop, EVERY drop.

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong down there, but sounds to me like most companies got you by "the short & curlies"

[Fredog]

Man, it never ceases to amaze me how you guys keep getting screwed by the way you are paid...

Company drivers only making 35cent/mile???? OMG our company guys would fly off the handle if you told them that...our guys start at 52 cents/mile, they don't donate ONE seceond of time, they literally get paid to do everything, right down to fueling the damned truck at the end of their shift!

Owner/op's working for 98 cents/mile! I was making that in 1991! I get 1.62/mile for EVERY mile, $42/hour for work time, ZERO donation of time, $50/drop, EVERY drop.

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong down there, but sounds to me like most companies got you by "the short & curlies"

and what company would that be?

[gmh]

Man, it never ceases to amaze me how you guys keep getting screwed by the way you are paid...

Company drivers only making 35cent/mile???? OMG our company guys would fly off the handle if you told them that...our guys start at 52 cents/mile, they don't donate ONE seceond of time, they literally get paid to do everything, right down to fueling the damned truck at the end of their shift!

Owner/op's working for 98 cents/mile! I was making that in 1991! I get 1.62/mile for EVERY mile, $42/hour for work time, ZERO donation of time, $50/drop, EVERY drop.

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong down there, but sounds to me like most companies got you by "the short & curlies"

Well that's because compared to the Canadian dollar, the US dollar is worth... Oh, wait a minute :sad:

[wildkat]

I am leased on to what you guys, at least by your standards would be a small regional carrier that runs exclusively in the North, Alberta & Northwest Territories.

No such thing as a fleet Manager....our dispatcher (there's only one) knows what we like, where we like to go & how many miles we like to put on & he aims to please, we all exchange favours & all are returned. I guess out of our main terminal there are about 40 company units & 25 or lease op's plus a spattering of what we call trip leasors (independents). And the other terminals likely have about 50 or so company truck between them & a dozen or so lease ops.

For instance, I usually run about 16,000 miles/month (our HOS are different up here) & usually work every other weekend, mostly 5 days/week home every couple of days for a ... well it's all night work (linehaul) so I get home in the mid-afternoon & go back after midnight, so for 12 hours or so that's for the short trips (less than 600 miles)... anyway this weekend is my weekend off, but my dispatcher called me this morning to ask if I'd be interested in a Yellowknife trip (1900 miles round trip), NOT tell me I had to do it...ASKED me if I wanted it. Trip pays over $3000 gross for 2.5 day rounder... I said "yes"...he wouldn't have called me otherwise, why bother me on my weekend off for a piddly trip?

I certainly do my share of short stuff (for me short is 600 miles), but mostly my run is Edmonton to Yellowknife, I usually do 5 trips in 2 weeks, can be a brutal run, but I like it...check my "Deep Freeze" post in Women Forum...give you a good idea of what I do.

[wildkat]

Man, it never ceases to amaze me how you guys keep getting screwed by the way you are paid...

Company drivers only making 35cent/mile???? OMG our company guys would fly off the handle if you told them that...our guys start at 52 cents/mile, they don't donate ONE seceond of time, they literally get paid to do everything, right down to fueling the damned truck at the end of their shift!

Owner/op's working for 98 cents/mile! I was making that in 1991! I get 1.62/mile for EVERY mile, $42/hour for work time, ZERO donation of time, $50/drop, EVERY drop.

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong down there, but sounds to me like most companies got you by "the short & curlies"

Well that's because compared to the Canadian dollar, the US dollar is worth... Oh, wait a minute :sad:

99 cents last time I checked gmh

[gmh]

99 cents last time I checked gmh

I'd look it up, but don't want to get depressed. Last time I was in CA, one US greenback would very nearly get you one twonie (toonie?)

Shoulda saved my change from that vacation.

[wildkat]

99 cents last time I checked gmh

I'd look it up, but don't want to get depressed. Last time I was in CA, one US greenback would very nearly get you one twonie (toonie?)

Shoulda saved my change from that vacation.

I just checked it now...they are even 1 USD = 1 CAD

Yup..toonie! :wink: :wink:

When I was running stateside it was 1 CAD $ = 66 cents US & believe me...THAT hurt!