Good point, but agreeing to a haul then not delivering is bad business :lol:

The old way of business is just not cutting it anymore. With lots of carriers advertising practical miles over hhg, this should move the industry forward for both shippers and drivers.

 

Well it was a Saturday and the wheels weren't turning and they were parked in a Sears lot for more than 10 hours. And I noticed when I drove by to go to church on Sunday morning they were gone. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that they weren't making any money because an OTR company will only pay layover AFTER 24 hours. That is, if they even pay it at all. From what I understand about Heartland, it's lots of sitting around all day and running short-haul at night.

There's a grocery warehouse a few exits up from where I live and on Sunday night, there's always a line of trucks parked on the street and on the off-ramp for an early Monday morning delivery. So for all that time, those guys are stuck there in the big truck without making any $$$$.

Hey if that's what makes those guys happy then so be it. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Speaking for myself at least, I really don't like working weekends. And if for whatever reason I had to, I'd want to be paid for each and every one of those hours I was sitting because I value my time. But that's just me.

 

Even, I, who have been in this industry for a very short time see this. How much money are companies losing with such a high turn over rate? Accidents rates will be higher causing insurance to be higher. I say keep your experienced drivers and pay them more, in the long run the company will be better off.

 

Its called "getting ahead of schedule" :wink: When us OTR guys can do it, we like to get places early so we can make deliveries quick so we can reload quick. Believe it or not, sometimes we actually get all 10 hrs of sleep :lol:

 

And there's no way they could have been on a local delivery making hourly wage?

Is this the first time you've noted that it's okay to be a long haul driver if that's what someone wants to be?

Not everyone can get a job at an LTL terminal. They aren't everywhere. If you live in BFE Mississippi, you can likely get a job driving long haul, but who's going to make the 90 mile drive (each way) to Memphis 5 days a week for an LTL job?

 

I've seen local jobs for $10/hr, I've seen local jobs for $28/hr.

I've seen otr jobs paying peanuts, and otr jobs paying, well, MY 1099 :lol: :wink:

Sometimes my truck sits for a few days, not making money. I also work weekends, consecutively! However, I take months off in the winter (as does my father) to leave the country. Vacation time? ha! I run when I want, and how I want

Its a balance beam. How hard you'll work to make the cheddar, or what sacrifices you'll make to do a job. The best advice I ever got was...'The jobs that pay the most, require the most sacrifices." Then CR England came along lol

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

The truth is, many OTR companies recruit from areas such as BFE :wink: Also, lower income areas are popular recruiting grounds because of job availability.

 

So you assume I have no other deductions? You know that little phrase about assuming? Didn't anyone teach you what it makes you look like?

Just saying, Rev.

 

Nope. I will tell you the truth, we are a medium to longhaul company. We really just run the eastern have of the states so the average length of haul is a little over 500.
Everything I tell the driver is on a website if he wants anything in writing.
As far as promising miles.....I can tell you what the average miles are for that run. Which is also on the website. Whether you are an above average driver or not is up to you. You cant promise me that you will work harder than average, I cant promise you above average miles. I can tell you I have hired quite a few above average drivers who do better than what i tell them. I can also tell you I have hired quite a few drivers who told me they were above average drivers and they were not.

As far as the 40cpm....Yes, if you are in IN, OH, PA or KY...you will start out at at least 40 cpm. Fleet average out of that area for miles is about 2500 a week. Now, I will be honest with you. If you only have 3 months exp, most likely you havent become an average driver yet, you are still learning. Miles arent handed to you. There are way to get better miles that you will learn in time. So I would say count on 2300 miles a week average until you learn the system. 40cpm x 2300 a week = 920 gross a week. Not a bad paycheck for a newbie and probably way better than you are making over there.