It seems like everyone want's to rely on technology to help them do their jobs.That's all well and good when it's working.But as we have seen,technology sometimes fails us and we need to have a backup plan.If people aren't taught how to do things without computers, they are lost.
My 15 year old daughter will not get her DL untill she can prove to me that she can read a map and get herself home with one after being lost.
Don't get me wrong,computers are great tools as evidenced by what's happening on this site and others,but can not be relied on 100%...

OTR drivers are paid per diem each day you are on the road and have a permanent address other then your truck. You might have to pay up front but you get it back at the end of the year.

Get a shoe box and start filling it up with receipts because sale taxes you pay out of state and any ATM fees are also a deduction.

I understand that. That being said, if you pay $1000 a year for showers you will only get back around $330 above and beyond your per diem. That still leaves you with $660 you paid when you should be showering for free!

The $3.00 fee is free when you fuel with other companies. Even if you fueled Heartland Billed the fee. If you take an advance every week thats $150 of your money you spent to scale their loads, and again you only get back a third from tax deduction.

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If You see a big guy on a Red M109R in CT, don't run me over!

I don't know your tax situation, but I don't even spend close to what the standard deduction is even if I had to pay to shower each day.
Just about anything you have to spend money on OTR is tax deductible and if you are at home you would not be showering for free and would not be able to deduct any of it.

As far as the 3 dollar fee for cash advances is concerned that is a question which drivers should be asking about in orientation. Will I have to pay fees to get payroll monies, will I be able to take showers for free when fueling, does the truck have a APU or do you pay for Idle air, etc etc.

I don't think anyone can drive OTR without it costing some out of pocket money but it has been my experience after 16+ years that I get most of it back. I paid around $800 in taxes to the feds last year and deposited $2300 for a refund and will get another $600 rebate in May.

Either hire someone or do a little research and you will see that people that make the same as you and aren't on the road pay far more of their income to the tax man and still have to pay to shower each day. And at .50 cents a mile I just don't see it as a big issue if you are getting even average miles.

Eight hundred dollars........for a year of federal tax?? You mean eight thousand.

50cents a miles is great but if no miles then I would stick with a better company. Too many companies out there dont require Haz Mat. To receive top pay at Heartland you must have. Just look at those pubs at truckstop advertising Heartland you will see top pay for all the regions. I have some of prevoius students almost making that much. They also get showers every day. No thanks Heartland

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You are driving a truck not a PHONE BOOTH!!!!!!!!

I'm sure he is misstating something... For example my meal deduction alone is almost double the standard deduction.

But anyway, this post is about how bad Heartland is LOL, not a tax discussion.

XXX Just reread the post by BigBlue19. I understand what you ment by "standard" verses out of Pocket. You get such a big tax credit for being on the road you feel it offsets your other expenses.

I feel differently. Any additional expenses that can be avoided that directly effects my bottom line and that can not be reimburst 1 for 1 is money I shouldn't be spending. IE: Parking, Showers, Tolls to go home, Tolls to make my driving more reasonable with less stop lights, Truck wash, Comdata Fees, Laundry.

Showers and laudry are the only execptions I make now. If I can't shower were I fuel due to time, I pay for a shower if I need one later and can't get to the same Franchise I fueled at. If i'm running well I may stay out long enough that my 3 weeks of cloths need a wash before I get home.

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If You see a big guy on a Red M109R in CT, don't run me over!

Thanks for the info, I'm new to the site, not new to trucking, wish I had this site a few years ago.

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If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes.

Because of some of these posts I have seen about Heartland, I attempted to try and talk a fellow driver out of leaving our company and going to Heartland. I mean, if he really needs to go somewhere else, great, but what's the point of going to a company that does what has already been said on this forum?

Unfortunately, he was hell-bent on going. After getting on the road, the company wanted him to take a load that there was no way to get to on-time without going WAY over-hours. He refused it - and they made him sit for 24 hours without giving him anything. Then they gave him low miles for 2 weeks straight -before asking him AGAIN to take a load that would have him over-hours. That time, he not only refused, but quit. Called the general manager of our main branch and begged to get his job back - which the general mananger most graciously allowed him to do.

When reading these threads about bad trucking companies, I pretty much try to take a neutral approach in reading them and attempt to sift out anger and hate that is unwarranted versus those that are being rational, even if a little emotional (who isn't going to be when you get shafted?) and come up with a rational, somewhat calculated opinion of the company. This time, anyway, it worked. And didn't work - since the guy wouldn't listen (but then again, who am I?).

Still, it's a great forum.

Good reputable companies do not advertise, beware of consistent ads begging for drivers, and cell phone recruiters, and high pay offered per mile, they are all full of ####.