[abc123]

new question here

[brian]

fuel surcharge is on top of the rate the truck gets from the shipper, its to offset the price of fuel and fluctuates day to day and company to company.

[rank]

No FSC doesn't cover "all the fuel" costs. It's an extra amount tacked on top of the rate to offset the costs when fuel prices are high.

70% sounds like that was what a percentage carrier was paying O/O's. There is an invoice....I beleive it's law to make it available to the driver. However, things can be manipulated. Take for example TMC. They run the load through their in house brokerage department before it gets to the driver. The brokerage gets a cut and the driver gets a percentage of a smaller amount. i.e shipper pays TMC 5,000. Brokerage takes 1,000. Load now pays the driver 30% of $4,000 instead of $5,000. Cool, huh?

[abc123]

what usually makes more money, cpm or %, for company driver and o/o?

[Twilight Flyer]

what usually makes more money, cpm or %, for company driver and o/o?

Depends on the company and the type of freight they pull. If you get with a company that pulls a bunch of cheap freight and they are paying you percentage, you're going to starve. I've talked to more than a few drivers in that boat. If you happen to get with a company that pulls premium stuff only and pays percentage, you'll do great. And I've talked to a number of drivers doing that, too.

On the flip side to that, CPM is going to be a more stable option. Even lower miles, you'll do better than someone getting paid percentage for cheap freight.

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by abc123

im not a driver but i have some questions after visiting some company websites.

1. when they write 100% fuel surcharge, does that mean they pay for all fuel?

2. when they say 70% pay per load, how do you know how much the load really is, or does it have paperwork?

3. it seems that when any company comes up in discussion they are all bad, what companys do you guys think are good to drive for?

appreciate answers, thank you

A surcharge can be either a percentage of what the load pays or a certain cents per mile over and above the actual haul rate. Rates can vary from one carrier to another and one customer to another. The fuel surcharge should be consistent with everyone, but that isn't necessarily the case.

If you want do know what the load pays, and you are leased to a carrier who pays percentage, you should ask to see the confirmation order, if you have doubts as to the carrier's honesty. Unfortunately, there are some carrier's who may play games with their owner operators.

When you lease to a carrier who pays percentage, keep in mind that they probably have rates which range from cheap to high. It is normally up to the owner operator to find those loads which pay the most.

It is difficult to advise you as to which company is best. It depends on what you want and the type of freight you wish to haul.