One of the reasons I don't work the recruiting side on this board is because of people like you. Get mad, stay mad, die young. Nice life to have.
But now's as good a time as any to make an exception. So, let's break it down, shall we?
I said that...made it pretty obvious. Strike one against you.
Find anything I said that is a lie? I have no need to lie and I certainly have no need to justify myself with an unkown messageboard poster. Strike two.
Rand Mcnally , aka shortest possible miles
I said that, too. Strike three.
But let's go on anyway.
Actually, it's 3% to 8%, from the last report that I saw. But either way, they're short miles. Never said otherwise. Never said I support it, either, so don't make the mistake of thinking I'm all for it. Quite the contrary. It simply is what it is.
That should be a strike, but I'm feeling generous and will let you off on this one.
Average pay rate in the mid $60's ? LMFAO . Right .
Let's have some fun with math.
Some 60% or more of our drivers have over 7 years of experience. More than half of those are running on the OTR board or regionals that pay a BASE of $.49 per mile. Even at the overall FLEET average miles of 2300 (120K per year), that's a BASE yearly pay on mileage alone of around $59K. Factor in an average yearly safety bonus of $1,200 (about 94% of our drivers hit that) and you're over $60K...say it with me slowly so you understand.... aaaavvveeerrraaagggeee yearly
bbbaaassseee mileage pay.
With me so far?
Now, when you factor in detention, green miles, unload pay, referrals, and any other of a dozen different extra pay options we have, there are indeed a few drivers that are over $80K. More are in the $70's. Many are in the $60's. Many are in the $50's. The Average, however, is right there in the 60's. I see the numbers...I see the pay. I know what I'm talking about. You don't.
Strike four. Is this Japan rules?
So with the short miles everyone is driving 150,000 miles a year ?
Getting paid for 120,000 miles would probably have you driving 130,000, going by the averages. Fair? Depends on how you look at it. But we're not paying peanuts, either. If the average yearly salary is in the $60's, I don't see that you have any room whatsoever to complain about it. This isn't CF or Yellow or ABF or any other number of union gigs where they pay by the hub. Drivers that don't like it can go there. As a matter of fact, Yellow was even advertising on THIS website for quite some time. I'm sure it's a shock to see a union gig having to resort to advertising the same way as all us regular OTR carriers.
However, from a purely opinionated view, as far as practical miles go, I'd love to see it happen here. Don't know that it will, but I think it would be a nice touch.
Still, that would be strike five. We're down to Little League rules now.
Because to get in the mid $60s , that's what you have to drive , since they pay you nothing else .
Green miles, detention, load and unload pay, stop pay, referall pay, pay just for the hell of it. I mentioned this already.
Stike six. You'd have 2 batters out already under regular rules.
Company guys going over 80k ? How many ? one ?
Small handful. Never said it was a lot.
New batter, 2 down, 2 outs.
Strike one.
More than a few.
Strike two.
Are you Sheepdancer's brother ??
Stupid comment. No reply necessary, but I'll give you time to remove your foot from your mouth on that one.
How about there great vacation plan that maxes out at 2 weeks , you forgot to tell everyone that .
The question wasn't asked.
Strike 3.
3 outs.
You lose.
Now that I have that out of the way, I'll address that vacation thing. I don't like it. I think it needs to have a 3 week level and it's something that has been discussed numerous times in the past.
See, here's my deal. I hang around on this board answering a plethora of PM's about Heartland, but doing what I can to help drivers in general with general questions regarding qualifications, DAC, MVR's, contacts, and whatever else they can come up with. I stay away from public threads about ANY company, including my own, for the most part because of just this issue. I love the company I work for, but I am no yes-man. Never have been. Never will be.
From your point of view, if you're mad at a company, this is a public message board, so fire away. As long as you keep it clean, more power to ya. I won't delete it...I won't lock it...even if it's my company. All that is asked is that you follow the T.O.S. Nothing more.
From my point of view, you are one driver miffed about something he heard or experienced...on a board of thousands of posters...on an internet of hundreds of trucking sites....in a world where of the millions of drivers that drive on our roads, less than a tenth of a percent of which make use of a messageboard.
Insignificant comes to mind.
In the end, I don't let it bother me and you shouldn't, either. It accomplishes nothing in the end. I will answer short questions at times, when they are posed to me, as I did here. However, I will usually avoid the discussions...there is simply no need to have to go down this road when someone with a stick turned sideways feels the need to start a fight. There are drivers on this board that don't like Heartland. I don't find that to be a particularly disturbing thing, to be honest. Heck, Highwayman, who drove for us for a while, but has a number of issues with us and really OTR in general, is one of my favorite posters. I like the guy because he is articulate and fair, even if he doesn't like Heartland.
I've never come on here expecting everyone to like Heartland and I don't feel the need to have to come to my company's defense every single time someone is angry. No one is perfect...no one has 100% of what every driver is looking for and I know that as well as anyone. But what we do have, appeals to a great many drivers... enough that retention is near the best it's ever been and we are experienceing double digit driver growth this year.
Do we lose drivers that we shouldn't lose, though? Absolutely. Are there some policies that could and should be changed? Absolutely.
But as with everything in life...sometimes it simply is what it is.
However, there is one final thing to add. The stigma of recruiters gets on my nerves at time, just like the stigma of truck-drivers probably gets on yours. I am no more a slick-talking snake-oil selling evil bastard used car salesman than you are a 1-shower a month drug-using billy big rigging family killer.
You see my point?
Stereotyping sucks....for everyone.
My job is to recruit drivers. My job is to tell the truth. I get paid a salary for it, enough to make a decent life for my wife and children. And I sleep well at night. You don't have to like Heartland...I never asked you to. But afford me the respect of doing everything I can to treat drivers the right way. I've been here more than five years, never lied once, and that respect is something I have earned.
Heartland Express
Originally Posted by Twilight Flyer
