phoneman said:
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Ok example: I am solo getting 40cpm for all miles driven. You are team getting 20cpm that the truck moves.
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Okay, you SAID it was an "example" so I won't call B.S. on the fact that you MIGHT be getting 40 cpm. :roll: Most solos are getting about .35 if they're lucky. But... they also spend 10 hours DOWN for every 11 driving. And if they drive 11 straight, they run out of hours before their 8 days (Usually around the 5 day mark.) So.... add another 34 hour UNPAID reset on the road. You're lucky if you get 2000 miles/wk average, TEAMS easily get over 5,000 miles at "split pay" and often get HOME every weekend!
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You have to live in that truck,
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No....
YOU have to "live" in that truck during all of your downtime! All "I" have to do is sleep while it's moving and drive when it's my turn. I don't need a T.V., a laptop, a refrigerator, books, etc. you get the point? I RARELY have to smell urine baked parking lots, or inhale the fumes from my own truck or others parked next to me for hours!
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and sleep with someone else driving, and the company is getting premium rates for the expedited load(which they are not passing on to you, that is why they love teams).
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My first company paid us MORE (to the truck) than they paid a solo driver. I think that is pretty common. So.... they ARE paying us more for expediting than they would someone who has to sit and idle away their fuel budget 10 hours a day.
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You are riding in a truck, double the mileage that I do, and doubling your chance of being in a accident, being driven by someone you have no control over.
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Those are valid points. I won't argue them. Teaming takes TRUST and a bit more GUTS than being a solo driver. See my sigline! Just driving a truck is taking more risk than other people... but, what if you were a traveling salesman? More miles on the road where SOME idiot could involve you in a fatal accident!
Ever flown on a PLANE?? Or taken a BUS? The most "frequent flyer" of all businessmen spend less time on a plane than I did in the military... with my life in the pilot's hands! [though I DID get hazardous duty pay for the risk!]
Regardless of what you claim, MOST solos get an average of 2000 miles per week for a GROSS paycheck of $700. They spend MORE money on the road during their downtime than I spend with more time at home. I gross $15,000 more a year for taking that extra risk and have MORE time at home. So, I guess I AM being rewarded for "expediting" my employer's loads.
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Trucking companies should be paying a premium rate to the team drivers. They're getting over like fat rats.
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Are they? A company that runs ONLY solos needs TWICE as many trucks, loses MORE money in fuel for idling, pays more in insurance bennies (if they offer them) MORE in truck insurance, etc.
Okay, maybe you're right. Team companies SAVE money while bringing in MORE revenues. But, you know what? During tough times... they manage to STAY IN BUSINESS! That means I have a job!
Don't get me wrong... I LOVE the few times I get to go solo! I'm just not ready (yet) to spend weeks on the road to make LESS money than I do "teaming."
And, as I've said before.... I believe ALL trucks should be TEAM operated! Almost ALL other forms of "commercial" transportation ARE! It saves money, reduces congestion on the roads, would reduce ACCIDENTS, and is beneficial to the environment!
And, if you're right that TEAM companies make more money, then just MAYBE we'd all get a pay raise! :lol:
But, you'll never convert the solo drivers out there. Remember... it's not a job, it's a LIFESTYLE! :lol: