Driverboy, the difference in mileage was an exaggerated example. I think drivers should receive an hourly wage for waiting for hours at a shipper or receiver. Many seem to place little value on a drivers time. It is past time for them to realize that a driver or owner operator's time is valuable. They waste drivers time because it doesn't cost them anything. If it cost their employer for a driver to sit for 3 or 4 hours, then they would be more concerned about getting the driver loaded or unloaded and on his way. While you may do your job well, there are many who may not. I have seen too many drivers who would take advantage of a system where everyone is paid the same wage. Paying everyone is not fair to those who are most productive. With a union, an individual worker who is more productive will not be compensated any more than the one who sits around and kills time. That mentality has killed a number of American industries. Paying all workers the same wage doesn't work.

 

Ditto. ALL of the Union places I ever delivered to were without hesitation or fail the most cluster-f&%^*d places that you had to p/u or deliver to. If it is a Union outfit you are going to... expect to sit awhile. :roll:

 

Yes, in my produce days hit a drop with unionized lumpers and always time for a movie or 2 in the bunk, I agree.

However as a driver, our lanes are setup, the windows are established, your payrate is the same everyday regardless of length of time taken to do it. There is little room for laziness, your fired if you miss windows, end of story.

A technical run with low miles may pay the same as a straight shot drop and hook in the county with twice the mileage as it takes the same time to complete.

Take all the time you want where the day allows, miss a window with an OBC validating your whereabouts to the minute every second of the run and you took too long ofr lunch or fell asleep and your done.

 

I agree with this, because I'm a kick ass go home early kind of guy. I work hard, I work extremely efficiently, and I do my job precisely, and as perfectly as humanly possible. I don't do well in an hourly shop, even without a union. Having to "milk the clock" drives me absolutely nuts.

On the other hand, I'm coming around to the idea of getting a union job, if some of these 95-year-old drivers would ever retire already. There is always some 12-year-old kid willing to work for $0.00009753 a mile, because he has no wife, no kids, no house payments. Competing with those twits sucks, because the end users of our transportation services have demonstrated that they are not interested in paying more for quality service.

I think I'd like to sign on to a union shop, and milk it until it goes Corn Flakes on me.

 

It's all about the benefits. 8)