Home time well training ? (X-post prime)

I am with Werner... and during training you can get hometime.. however, to encourage new drivers to just go straight through the 275 hours of training they offer a $500 bonus... so, if you take nome time during the 6 to 8 week training period you forfiet the bonus...

After training once your assigned your truck you get your first load which delivers near your home.. you deliver your first load and then take the truck home for a few days of home time...

 

Two years ago my husband was in your shoes. Here's the things to remember.

You get your weekly training pay for every day you are available for dispatch. (600/7=$85.71 a day before taxes) You take 3 days home time and you reduce your paycheck by $257.13.

If your trainer takes home time and you decide to stay on the truck you will get your full amount because you were available for dispatch even though you weren't going anywhere.

If your trainer keeps running while you're home, it may take a little time for them to swing back through and pick you up. Flexibility is key.

Any time you are off the truck you aren't accumulating your miles so it will extend your training time.

**Disclaimer** Numbers are reflective of pay from two years ago. Always double check information with your dispatcher.

 

At Prime it's something you arrange with your trainer and fleet manager, subject to the availability of freight to get it done.

 

Between BrenYoda883's and Johns's Girl's responses, it sounds like six in one, half a dozen in the other.

If you DO stay on the truck the whole 8 weeks...at $20.00 a day to eat, times 2 days in the sleeper...you will spend nearly $320.00 of that $500.00 bonus, just to eat. (yes, we know...Wal-Mart, groceries, yadda, yadda, yadda....are you REALLY gonna do that)

On the other hand, if they DO pay you as John's Girl says...you cover your extra costs of sitting---and get your bonus---but was John's Girls' old man with Werner as well? Because it could be different at other companies.

My experience has been NO AMOUNT OF MONEY is worth not getting home time. Not only do I enjoy home time, I NEED it. That 34 hour restart is not just for my logbook...it is also for my brain.

I can see where it would be a tough decision for a newbie...but as an experienced drive; I'm going home.

 

$20 a day to eat??? Dang man... that's insane. Hit the Walmart and cut it to $10 or less.

 

That gigantic $500 dollar bonus really comes out to like $8 dollars extra per day.....WHOA!!!!!

 

Think of that $500 bonus as an extra week's pay...

You get done with training sooner, AND extra money? Sounds good to me!

 

Maybe. But its only $8 a day. But its also $500 right when you are going to be buying stuff that you need on your own truck so you aren't in your trainers anymore. (Cooler, GPS, All the things you saw your trainer had that you liked and never though you'd need.) Don't scoff at $500, specifically after a period of training where you were making no money followed by very little money.

 

That "no money" would be $600 per week guaranteed or 12-cpm whichever is greater before taxes and deductions...

And the "very little money" would be 43-cpm plus a variable fuel bonus up to 6-cpm paid weekly. Average miles would be something like 2400 to 2800 per week.

Do they still teach basic arithmetic in the great white north?