Although I do appreciate the, don't just abandon the truck and move on with your life pay, such as breakdown pay, detention pay (if your lucky), layover pay...


I want the company not to insulate itself against the countless foreseeable and unforeseeable loss of productivity issues that it shields itself from by not putting a value on my time

In till that happens this industry will be filled with, well, the undesirables.

Guys that drink on job or in the truck, ask for drugs or prostitutes on the CB, job hop, have very low standards of health and hygiene, have mental health issues, and some that are sociopaths. ( the other day I saw a driver at the rest stop with a dash full of doll heads leering at ALL the females, kids too)


There are companies in this industry that keep the standards and pay very low- comparative to liability, work hardships, hours...- by they're labor trafficking. How people think they will make a decent living at 26 cents a mile, HHG nonetheless, is beyond me.


All anyone has to do is look at the difference in the way local truck drivers are payed compared to the way irregular route carriers do, to know which employee is valued more.


At 80 hrs a week most people could average $15 dollars a hr doing all but the lowest forms of work, without the liability issues. This is an industry where companies under 75% turnover can boast. I guess the former employees made it big in the trucking biz and retired.

Unless things change, companies will get what they pay for. I see them everyday at the T/S.

Excellent post str.whl.hldr!

Higher pay will not change someones work ethic. Either someone has a good work ethic or they don't. If a driver, or anyone else for that matter, has a good work ethic, they will advance in pay and opportunities with most companies. Drivers are their own worst enemies. They expect top pay starting out without proving their worth to the company. Most will not stick around long enough to receive the higher pay. It isn't always the fault of the carrier. Drivers need to take responsibility for their own career path. The better companies will steer clear of those who don't stick around long. Job hoppers will never get the top pay. We don't talk much about work ethics. I have seen janitors and others on the bottom of the economic scale who take pride in their work. These people have a good work ethic. Some will gain an education while doing a good job at minimum wage. These people have something to offer an employer. I have also seen others who will barely do what they must to keep their job. They find all sorts of excuses as to why they should not stay with their employer or do a good job. They may say something to the effect that if they were paid more that they would do a better job. That is simply not the truth. These people will not do a job at any price. If you want to make more money as a company driver then you need to have a good work ethic. Plan on staying with an employer for at least a year or two. I have seen many new drivers come on this forum and talk about going with a "starter company." They will only stick around long enough and then go to another carrier. They don't look at the big picture. I have met people with these so called "starter" companies who are earning big paychecks. But they stuck around after they got their training and proved their worth to their carrier. There is no need to pay someone top pay who is only going to be with you for a few months only to go somewhere else for a few months. I think that if new drivers had a different attitude about starting out they would find the pay increase. Starting pay with these starter companies is low. If you look at it as someone paying you to learn a job, then the pay isn't so bad. Carriers assume a lot of risk when they put an inexperienced driver in a big truck.

Alright, GMAN, here I go again . .

I was issued a new truck last Thursday. I had "taken the day off" to get everything moved from old to new and to get myself situated. I didn't get paid for it though I should have been as it was certainly in the companies interest. Oh well.

I got up Friday morning and didn't have any fuel. I requested some, got some and began my 14 hour clock with the fill up at 0700. Ready, willing and able to go and, in the eyes of the DOT, on line 4, supposedly. I waited a little while and got a preplan with a wide open pick up window, 1000 - 1800.

Stop right there. You know what that means. If I get there and there's no one waiting, I'm in, loaded and on my way. If there are a few trucks waiting I have to give up my two hour grace period. If there's a pantload of trucks waiting, I give up my two hours and with the grace of God, detention might kick in. There is no expectation of efficiency because the odds are pretty good the driver won't get paid. The incentive is reflected proportionately to the benefit or consequences. Don't get me wrong. The forklift driver will be running his ass off as long as there are trucks to load. His employer is paying him and needs him to be efficient.

It was a live load and it required an empty, obviously. This terminal assigns empties on the basis of pick up time and I was told not to expect one until the back end of the pick up window.

Stop right there. The company was ready and willing to have me sit for 9 - 10 - 11 hours because it was convenient though not at all necessary. I wasn't costing them anything, right? I explained that my 14 hour clock was ticking and under this scenario, I wouldn't be able to run the load. The response? What about a split sleeper?

How do you like that? Not "Then we'll get right on it!" The default response was to further inconvenience me and to perpertrate a felony while we're at it. Do you think that would have happened if I was getting paid and that the schmuck had someone breathing down his neck to see that he was working efficiently as opposed to conveniently?

I've been at this for awhile and was able to get around it thanks only to my experience and managed to lose only a couple of unpaid hours.

The problem is that these frauds and felonies are perpertraded on the new and inexperienced and experienced but ignorant Drivers, everyday. They don't know any better. All they know is that it means miles and what difference does it make if I start this load at noon or midnight.

You and I both know that these shanannigans go on everyday. It happens at every company and it represents an enormous amount of money. If that crap was converted to cost and that cost was reflected in freight rates, there would be no such thing as cheap freight.

In my world, whether the Driver was brand spanking new, or me, if we were being paid, the appropriate and efficient solution would always be the default. If all the individual cogs are working efficiently then the whole machine works more efficiently. In the business world, that means more money.

In your world, there will always be bad apples conspiring to subvert the interests of the employer and you conclude it could never work. Better aka fairer pay will NOT attract and retain better employees and, in the long run it's in everyone's interest to hang on to the lowest common denominator at the expense of the top performers.

The ignorant stay, the disgruntled regurgitate themselves and the fools like me try to get things changed.

I won't disagree with you about some shippers wasting the drivers time. I rarely sit for very long without letting the shipper know that I am on the clock. I don't want my drivers sitting waiting to get loaded or unloaded, either. I think in a perfect world we would collect detention from a shipper or consignee for sitting for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, there aren't enough carriers and owner operators who are willing to stand their ground on this issue. Unless a carrier collects detention from the shipper or consignee he cannot afford to pay the drivers. It is basic economics. You cannot pay out more than you collect in. Margins are very slim in most segments of this industry. The way I usually handle it is that if a shipper keeps me waiting for an unreasonable time and refuses to compensate me for my time, then I won't haul for them again.

There are ways to split your sleep berth and make it work, but when you sit for extended periods of time you are not going to feel like running very long. I won't run when I am too tired. I also don't expect any of my drivers to drive beyond what they feel is safe. I would rather lose a load than take a chance of having an accident and someone getting hurt.

I think most drivers want to do a good job. They know that if they are not running they are not making money. The problem comes in with the minority of those who waste time, abuse their equipment, etc., Unfortunately, we all pay a price for their inefficiency and abuse. The one area that we can agree is that there are those who waste our time and we should be compensated for that waste. On the other hand, with the slackers that will not happen in most cases.

There are some things which are part of the job description, such as doing logs, fueling your truck, checking oil, tires, etc., We could break it down into smaller increments where the driver would be paid for doing those things, but the total pay would likely not increase. From the employers point of view, there is no way to know for sure that the driver checks the oil, tires, etc., until you see the evidence such as irregular tire wear.

We all want to make more money. If the driver wants more equitable pay, then he should seek a company who would pay him a percentage of the line-haul rate. I keep coming back to this method of compensation, but if a driver thinks the company is making too much money or he isn't getting a fair share of the profits, then he would find out very quickly what they are making and he would be getting his FAIR share of the revenue by taking a percentage rather than running by mileage. The more the company makes, the greater his compensation.

I completely agree. But I was referring to the low pay equals lowly employees and high turnover.

Or just have more miles if on mileage pay.

One of the few reasons I haven't left the industry. BUT most company drivers end up working hrs that are uncompensated. That alone shifts even more of the true cost of doing business on the driver. Working six hours for $5 will make any one question their employment. Happens all the time. And for someone with many choices it stings the pride.

If you hang in there and learn your craft you will see the bigger paychecks. There will always be those who want to start out at the top even though they have little or no skills. This is a profession where proficiency comes with doing. You can't learn how to drive a truck out of a book. You can learn how to pass the written test out of a book. The only way to learn how to drive is to get behind the wheel and practice. The longer you practice the better you will become at your job.

It's that way with anything you do, really. You will never take the next step up the ladder if you are constantly returning to the bottom rung. I have seen that in my life, anyway. I have waffled between two careers and have never excelled (financially) in either as I would have if I had stayed with one.

There are too many people who expect to be paid top pay when they first start out. They have little or no education, little or no experience, yet expect top pay. It takes time to learn a craft or trade. Any job you do requires a learning curve. Some professions take longer than others. It isn't difficult to learn the basics of this business, but it does take time to hone your driving skills. Anyone who drives the roads can attest to that.

GMAN and BlooMoose are right you have to earn the right to be able to demand, and get, the higher paying jobs. You also have to be able to handle what that high paying job entails ! When I started I was in a cab over (that was older than I was) and a 40 foot flat and worked my way up. Very often today I drive along thinking "what if they had put me in something like this way back then ?" I would probably have killed a lot of people including me :(
With any job you have to start at the bottom and work your way thru the lumps.
If I was to apply to Swift or Werner or ???????? now they wouldn't offer me the .28 CPM (or whatever their starting is) (not that I am going to :) ) it would be "based on experience".
Stick with it and build that experience and then you can get the better paying possitions.

This is truck driving you can add a vail of mystique an mystery to it ...but it's not a trade that takes years to master ...For most on here only pulling dry van I would say 6mo-1yr and you pretty much learned your craft... Not trying to discredit you I'm just saying the job is pretty well mastered in 1yr sufficiently so a company should'nt be able to justify a driver only earning 25-30k and working 24/7 for 4-7wks by claiming it's a rookie wage thus a fair one.

Keeping the whole monetary issue out of it, I've heard it said many times that as soon as you think you're a master at your craft (driving), then it's time to get off the road because you're a danger to yourself and to the motoring public.

I agree that when you hit that magical year of experience, you should not be considered a rookie and your pay should increase drastically. But at 1 year, you are nowhere near a master at your craft, not only in driving but in anything. I've talked to 30 years drivers who say the same thing about their experience. When you think you know it all, you're in trouble.

Just sayin'

You know, we hear this conversation out on the road everyday and I ask the driver saying it, you still learn about truck driving every day, What have you learned today. You know what the answer is, I don’t know but I learned something.... lol this is just my opinion but after 30 yrs I have been driving its just the same thing, but a different day!!! Now I ask you TF, what did you learn yesterday?????? I also believe you cant master your craft in 1 yr also!!!

Well I wouldn't say any one person knows every subtle nuance about every aspect of driving I don't ...But let's be real if you're pulling a dry van it's not a 30yr science to master the task ... you either can or can't dirve well ...I've asked a few drivers to elaborate on their specifics of what major awe inspring things in trucking take more than a couple years to grasp sufficetnly well after making a statement like...I've been driving for 30yrs and i'm still a rookie, and I've yet to be enlightened with an aswer supprting the statement ... :roll:

I don't think someone with a year of experience should still be considered a rookie, but I don't think they have mastered this trade, either. You can learn the basics in a year but I would not consider that as having mastered the profession. It doesn't take all that long to learn the basics, but becoming proficient takes a while. I doubt you will find many in this industry who will be earning less than $35,000 after a year. Most should earn between $30-35,000 their first year. Their level of compensation will increase with their experience, as it should. I have thought for some time that we need to have different levels of drivers based upon their skill level and experience. It would make it easier for carriers to evaluate drivers. Most carriers primarily base their pay on two factors. They pay based upon the years of experience in the industry and how long the driver has been with the carrier. It isn't a bad way to do it but I think that the better drivers should be evaluated a little differently. If a driver is more proficient, then he should be compensated accordingly. At this point, that isn't necessarily the case. Part of the problem is with the drivers themselves. They don't get their way about something and they are off to the next company. Rather than trying to work things out with their current employer they just get angry and leave. It is easy to complain about the low pay in this industry. I don't think that is true. Pay is low the first year, but that should be expected in any new endeavor. On the other hand, there aren't many new jobs where you can train for a few weeks and earn $30-35,000 your first year without a degree or formal training other than a few weeks of driving school. There aren't many jobs where you are in so much control of your income as a truck driver. Most carriers pay by the mile. The more miles you drive the bigger your paycheck. You are not limited by an hourly wage. For the most part, you decide when you run. With most jobs, you come in and punch a clock at a certain time and clock out at a certain time. There are few jobs where you can exercise that much control over your job and income. That doesn't mean that you have no one to answer to, but it does offer flexibility. There are drawbacks to the business, as with any other. There are some things I would like to see changed. That would be true with any industry. You are not going to find the perfect job. It doesn't exist. You are not going to be happy 100% of the time with any job. You just find one that has more things you like than dislike.

The company gave you a new truck to drive and you are upset that they would not pay you to take your personal items out of the old truck and put them into the new truck? I would be thrilled to have the new truck.


I agree that there are shippers who waste our time. This is something that the ATA should address with their members. If most carriers went along with this then things would change. Unless the majority agreed to make this part of their agreement with shippers things will not change. Carriers should be compensated when their trucks are kept waiting excessively. Drivers should also be compensated for having their time wasted. However, carriers cannot afford to pay drivers to sit when they are not being compensated. Until the industry stands up on this issue things will not change. I pay my drivers percentage. If we collect detention then the driver receives his fair share of that revenue. It is an industry challenge.




I disagree that this happens at EVERY company. I have NEVER expected any of my drivers to run illegally. NEVER!! I agree that there are some who do, but not all. It is up to the driver to say no.


There are good drivers and bad. I don't think there are always bad apples conspiring to do anything against their employers. There are enough to impact the industry in a negative way. There are sufficient numbers where paying an hourly wage for all their time will not work. When people are paid by the hour there is no incentive for them to perform at peak levels. They will only do what is necessary to keep their jobs. Not all, but some. Some people will do their best no matter what they are paid. Better pay is earned based upon the employee's performance, as it should. Other than detention for excessive waiting times at shippers, I don't see that there is anything that is unfair about the pay. And with detention, the carrier cannot afford to pay detention unless they collect it. If an employee will not do his best at the lower wage then there is no expectation that paying him more will enhance his job performance. Employers will pay top performers more than those who perform at mediocre levels. Paying drivers mileage or on percentage works for both the driver and carrier. It provides compensation for performance and has accountability. The only area I see that should be addressed is detention time. That needs to be addressed by the industry as a whole.

That is where the money is for the companies maybe, as long as drivers are paid piecework style, as in mileage pay. But in reality the driver takes it up the A$$ sitting in docks twice a day and trying to stay within the 14 hour rule.

A lot of carriers who pull vans do drop and hook. That maximizes the drivers time and minimizes his down time.

Many don't.And we all know that the load is always ready when the driver arrives to.:rolleyes:

I know you own trucks Gman and take full advantage of the free labor provided by your drivers. You may be able to sugarcoat it with your employees, but many of us know who makes the Big $$ off the piecemeal pay system.

My drivers don't work for free. I pay a percentage of everything the truck makes except the fuel surcharge. You should not assume things about my business that you have no way of knowing. I just paid one driver over $1,400 last week. I doubt that he feels he is working for free or minimum wage. :rolleyes:

So how much does the truck make sitting in a loading dock?

So, one driver hit the jackpot and made $1400 last week, how many hours did he work to get that? I know you pay percentage, but did the guy do it in 40- 50 hours? Or was it more like 100? Big difference there sport. You don't pay on a 1099 by chance, do you?

I didn't ask him how many hours he worked and I haven't received his logs as yet. What difference does it make? He is making good money and is running legal as far as I know. Most of the drivers I have had over the years consistently average a decent paycheck. I don't usually push my drivers. They pretty much work at their own pace. I don't like waiting, but it is part of this business. If you can't deal with it then you need to find something else to do. There are always things people don't like about their jobs. I don't care if you make minimum wage or $100 million dollars. There are always things people don't like about their jobs. You just find a job where you can deal with the positives as well as the negatives and go from there. Perhaps you are too worried about the little things. If you do your job well the money will come.

I think what Gman is saying is right, if you work by the mile or % you are a hussler and a worker and can make money ! You have the chance to make big $$$s or little $$$s, up to you. If you work by the hour or week you are just sliding with what the boss is willing to give you, and you will accept. That $1000 load (pay check) you you hauled last week might have been a $2000 load (pay check) if you were on %.
Fixed wages will never make you rich, or even comfortable. Have to go out there and make it happen.

Sounds like migrant worker pay to me. The more veggies you pick the more you make. If there aren't any ready, or you have to wait for things beyond your control, then you get squat and it doesn't cost the boss anything. I thought sweat shops were a thing of the past, I guess not.

In with the subject of demanding this and that I have to agree. Jobs are harder to get now, and for me even harder trying to get back out to work.

I personally do not make demands, least I do not think I do. I can careless for Pete's anyway. Seems every Company I drove a Pete for, I did not make money with anyway, so I have a mental block against them. When asked where I like to drive or willing to drive, I always put it I prefer, but will go where sent. As for home time, When asked, just get me through the house once a month, Now I have to get a B12 shot once a month, so my body will make the Blood it needs to run.

That's funny, Gman. The difference it makes is if the guy worked even the legal amount of hours with no log book shenanigans at all, it took him 70 hours to make the $1400. I doubt it was a true 70 as you had to throw in the disclaimer that he runs legal "as far as I know", which means he turns in legal logs and that is all you care about. My question is, does he make that every week, or is it a once in a while thing?
I can make the same money in a 50 hour week on the clock, working local, getting paid for every minute I am working, whether the wheels are turning or I am waiting. Why should I sit for free because of someone else's bad planning as you expect your drivers to do?

Walking Eagle, while you think there is more incentive to work harder when you get paid percentage, I think it is my job to work hard no matter how I get paid. When I did work for percentage, I never knew if the boss was telling me the true rate. Even Gman says he doesn't count the fuel surcharge part of the rate. Who knows what else in the rate he thinks the driver does not deserve a percentage of? That's why I like an hourly rate. My employer and I agree on that rate, and there is question of what I get paid. If he thinks I am not giving him an honest day's work for that wage, he has the option of firing me. Seems pretty simple to me.

Nice try Eagle, but so does is the percentage/mileage driver. You are just sliding with what the boss/dispatcher is willing to give you, and you will accept.

To you, I am sure it makes no difference. If you can find drivers willing to give away their waiting time and deadhead for free, it is to your advantage financially. To the driver, it should make a difference, as his percentage of the above mentioned is $0.



I did just that. Get paid from the time I open the hood in the morning till I turn the key off at the end of the day.Even when I do a road trip, like last month when I got sent to WV to PU a piece of equipment with a lowboy. I got paid from the time I started my PTI till the time I shut the truck off, except 1/2 hour for lunch each day, including fueling.I also stayed in company paid motel. The difference is I don't work for some 1099 paying, no benefit no paid holiday, no paid vacation fleet owner, getting paid xx% of the 70% of what the truck makes.

Sure, $1400 is great money per week. I do that, or more regularly in 5days, M-F. When your guy does it in 7 days, ( 70 logged, hours, we all know it is more like 100 actual) it is chump change. Sweat shops went out years ago in this country, except for OTR trucking. Hey, more power to you GMAN, if you can keep finding chumps, go for it, but don't be surprised when they finally figure out they are getting the dry shaft and quit.:D

I do and it has.:cool:

I cannot baby sit a driver, nor do I want to. I expect my drivers to run and log legally. Since I am not in the truck with them I have no way of know for sure if they are telling me the truth or not. So, as far as I know they are running legal. If I find they are doing other wise they are history. I will not jeopardize my business for anyone. You work by the hour. Unless your employer is sitting in the truck with you there is no way he can tell if you are working all the time that you are on the clock. I suspect you are not.





The fuel surcharge is to offset the higher costs of fuel. It is not part of the rate. I have a contract I sign with all new drivers. It explains how I pay. The fsc is excluded with me as it is with most other carriers unless you own the truck. I pay on everything the truck makes other than the fsc. And my drivers are welcome to see the rate confirmations if they request it. They can also talk with the broker or shipper any time they wish if they doubt that I am telling them the truth. And no, the driver does not deserve to receive a percentage of the fsc unless he wants to pay his percentage of the fuel costs. When a guy works on percentage or mileage you know if he is producing. So does he. If he works by the hour you have no way of knowing how much time he spends doing his job or playing video games.

So, $1400 is chump change, eh? Sweat shops? :rolleyes: Do you really know what a sweat shop is? When I was a company driver I wasn't working 100 hours per week to earn a decent living. Of course, I didn't count the time I went to the toilet, showered or had a meal. I only count the time a actually WORK.

$1400 is chump change if it takes 7 days to make it. I know in your world you are trained to look at the amount, but a smart driver looks at how much time it takes to make that money.

As far as production while on the clock, it isn't too hard to figure out if a driver is slacking, all one needs to do is look at what he got done at the end of the day. If I have x amount of loads to do or x amount of machines to move, they had all best be done or there better be a good reason why not. If am hauling stone or dirt, the time on each ticket pretty much explains if I am slacking or not. Most of the time the trucks are also being paid by the hour, so the boss doesn't really care how long it takes, but the customer we are working for sure does.

Wink Wink, nudge, nudge.:) And you wonder why the Gov. is pushing for EOB's?

Now, what about the 1099 thing? Or the no benefits? Or the free wait and deadhead?

Obviously you don't understand what a sweatshop is. It is when an employee gets low pay for the amount of hours worked, long hours no benefits, usually piecemeal work where he gets no money for idle time beyond his control, and free room and board. Sound familiar?:D

I see...everyone should believe you because you are so honest, but according to you, I am a liar. Just because you are not honest, don't assume everyone else isn't. As PTD explained, there are many ways for a local driver's boss to know if he is working or slacking, just as there are many ways for an OTR drivers boss to know the same.

I worked for percentage in a dump truck for ten years. Every time my boss raised the rates, it was because of the fuel costs. I received my cut of that rate raise every time, because my percentage was based on what it cost to move the load. I only received 32% of the cost because the owner paid for the fuel and other business expenses. The fuel is one of the major parts of the rate, no matter what load of bs you sell to your drivers.


That's funny. How does the driver know that you are showing him the real rate confirmation? You assumed I am dishonest, so I have to assume the same for you. By the way, how many companies let the driver past the dock and into the office to confirm rates? In my very short over the road stint, every customer I visited had a designated area for drivers, and none of those areas included the office of the guy who set the rates with the shipper. Of course, I am sure that person would answer a phone call from your drivers to confirm the rate. Do your drivers still believe in Santa Claus?


I already addressed this, but since you bring it up twice, I will address it again. How come a big time businessman like yourself can't figure out how much time it takes to get loaded, drive however many miles it takes, and then get unloaded? All the trucking companies I have worked for can do this, how come you can't?

you must work a ton of hours m-f to equal or best $1400 wk...because at 50hrs you would need to be at 28hr to gross $1400 and around 30hr to best $1400...and $1400wk is about 70k a year...how is 65-70k chump change ?...where do you work .

Actually, Big Jeep, you only need to be making around $25 an hour to reach $1400, because overtime kicks in after 8 or 40 depending on who you work for. The good non-union companies in our area pay that or more to get good drivers. Prevailing wage at the union companies ranges from $28-33 an hour depending on what contract the company is working under (pit hauler, road work, general construction, etc.). An easy 10 hour day, in which the driver gets paid for every minute he is at work easily gives a driver around here a $1400 paycheck. Most companies work harder than that, giving a driver a bigger paycheck.

The difference is that $1400 in 5 days here is kind of ordinary, while for Gman's driver it seems like it was the exception, not the rule. As PTD said, it is only chump change if it was earned in the typical OTR driver fashion, log 70, work 90 or 100 hours.

No


Bingo, we have a winner!


Let me rephrase that.........$65-70k a year is a good wage, as long as it doesn't take the chump 7 days a week living in a truck, home once a month for 2 days to make it, then it is a chump wage. Guys like Gman will tell you how great that is, but he has a vested interest to pay his drivers the least amount possible, as long as he can keep finding chumps, more power to him.

I worked for a landscaping company a few years ago as a drive/ mechanic. In the summer, we worked 7 days a week, like 80+ hours a week, time and a half after 40. My gross was right at $3000 per week, take home $2000. After a couple months of that, I got burned out big time, but the $$ was worth it. There is no way I would work the same hours dwelling for a measly $1400 per week. That is wher the chump change part comes in.


A medium sized excavating company.

Very well put .. agree 100 % ;)

When a person takes a job with any company, the act of taking the job in the first place is an implied agreement to provide the work it takes to get the job done. It does not matter if it's percentage, by the mile, or by the hour. Just taking the job says you will do the work for that pay. With dry-van, it's pretty much cut and dry. Reefer, not much different. Flatbed could mean a variety of different details that must be done. But you have already agreed to do what it takes for the amount of pay you get. When you start complaining about what you have to do, you are backing off on your agreement. Think about it. Signing your application is sort of like signing a contract. So, refusing to do part of your job is sort of like "Breach of contract".

I've gone into customers where you have to drop your empty, hook to the loaded trailer and pull it out of a dock, then re-hook to your empty and put it into the dock. Then, finally, you are free to take the load and leave. I also know of drivers that have dropped their empty, hooked to the load and left. "I don't get paid for a double drop and hook". Believe it or not, that constitutes BREACH OF CONTRACT. And, I also know of companies that have lost contracts with customers because of that. I have no idea how many times I have made 3 and even 4 drops and hooks at a customer to put someone else's trailer in the dock. No company I have ever pulled for has lost an account because of me. A couple even got more freight because of "favors" for customers. When my current company cut back the number of trucks, they made a special effort to tell me they were NOT letting me go.

You do the job you were hired to do, for the pay you, yourself, agreed to accept.
And, you do it SAFELY.

That's how you stay in a company's good graces, and that's how you get your pay raises.

I wouldn't let a driver go that volunteers to do all kinds of free labor either, Yankee Turbo. :)

I remember a company I worked on percentage, decided at one Cold Storage they wanted us to shuttle trailers in and out of the dock to save the $25 spotter charge on each. Nobody would do it, beyond the trailer we were hooked to when we checked in, if they needed that one in a dorr, no problem. But to spend part of my 14 hours doing charity work, no thanks.

I suppose if you worked there they would have had one volunteer. but they couldn't understand why we didn't want to help the company save money.

Funny how none of us got fired, I guess they didn't need the money that bad. :D

Well I took a warehouse job and now am taking a yard jockey position it's only 20hr for me to start ,but Im only pulling trailers around the brewery ...hell the warehouse at only 14hr paid more consistant than GTS did and technically more if broken down to the hour ...I like driving OTR I just don't like making 30-35k a year for living at the job 24/7 for 4-6 wks in a row with no real life ...I took the warehouse position while waiting for con-way TL to call...which they did ,but in those 2 weeks I got back to the gym hitting the weights ,and kind of wanted to continue to do so and get jacked again ,so I inquired into hostler positions and got that offered so no more OTR for now and tons of free time to pursue personal ambitions like getting back to 5 wheels on the bench before I'm to old to do it again .

Cops are WAY underpaid. The good ones do it because they LOVE their job.

Teachers are WAY underpaid. The good ones do it because they LOVE their job.

I'm a company flatbedder. I'm paid percentage. I LOVE my job. I also do it well. Because of this I get a LOT of the good paying loads because usually more is expected by the customer and the company is CONFIDENT on my ability to get the job done.

I also live in the South and I bet my "chump change"$1000 to $1400 paycheck goes WAY farther than the "average" paycheck stated you make due to the fact the cost of living is much lower here...

I feel I'm an honest, hard-working man supporting his family and making his contribution to society in fine style AND I'm happy with that...

And that's wrong...HOW?