Why do team drivers get paid less???

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Roadworthy, Sep 1, 2007.

  1. Roadworthy

    Roadworthy Bobtail Member

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    Jan 7, 2007
    Sacramento,CA
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    I do not and have never understood why team drivers get paid less. they
    get the freight to the destination faster, in fact more than twice as fast since they can keep the rig moving almost 22 hours a day with 2 hours for fuel stops and inspections/weigh scales.
    Example:a solo driver gets say 35 cmp where a team gets to split say 50 cpm. So why do the team drivers get paid less? Is this a discount for the privledge of bouncing around in the sleeper for "8 hours" of sleep or maybe it is for the privledge of being cooped up like a chicken with some one that
    will eventually get on your nerves even if you are married to them. I get the feeling that team drivers are sheep in the pay department. They should get at least twice the pay of a solo driver for the same company.
    What am I missing, Ah! maybe it is too much thinking ABOUT THE MONEY.
    That is all it is about as far as I am concerned. I am making it my mission in life to get MORE MONEY for myself and all other truck drivers, be it instagateing work slow downs, stoppages, work to rule. We are getting
    wooped in the market place between the shippers and the companies
    with government coersion. Why no overtime for truckers on the road?
    Why no $$$ for all the freebees this industry mandates we do, wether
    that be pretrip inspections, detention time from the minute it starts, to
    waiting in line at the scales, fueling up ect. We have the power to
    demand and make changes for THE MONEY. Why not use this power and forum to communicate the strategies to make it happen. Feedback?:biggrin_25516:
     
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  3. MagicFingers

    MagicFingers Bobtail Member

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    Sep 1, 2007
    House Springs, MO
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    I think it's about equal in terms of annual salary (solos compared to teams). I think you hit the nail right on the head though. They don't get paid as much because they drive many more miles than solos do. So, if they were to split, say 80 cpm and drive 5000 miles a week, that would be ALOT more than solos make, so they do that to kind of keep things on an even keel so to speak. Of course, I could be wrong. I'm not a driver, YET.
     
  4. VULCAN1999

    VULCAN1999 World's #1 Grandpa

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    Jul 28, 2007
    Bunnell, FL
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    Think about your question, Teams don't get paid less ,the miles you drive your making 50 cents per mile or look at it like your getting paid 25 cents per mile when your not driving, how do you figure less. The only way you'll make less is if your company dosen't have the freight. Most companies will run teams to death, because the freight gets there much faster than a solo driver. Solo drivers get paid nothing whe the truck is sitting.
     
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  5. safetydog

    safetydog Bobtail Member

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    Sep 2, 2007
    taylor, Mi
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    Don't ever see a company paying a team the same as a solo it's just not going to happen the companies have to many takers for the positions and they get the job done, it's the same in every aspect of the industry they have a driver that will do it for the amount they have listed and so they are not going to change. (Truth is the companies look for ways to skim more money off the top in everything they do and the driver should always look to make more also but they won't so the companies win) Sorrry if that was off track but I needed to say it. As always good luck and be safe
     
  6. bandit24

    bandit24 Light Load Member

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    Feb 11, 2007
    Near Charlottesville, VA
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    If i understand team pay unlike solo pay, team pay may be 50 cents per mile or 25cent per mile per driver. The driver that is sleeping but is still making 25 cent per mile as long as the truck is moving.

    Team Pay: Drive 22 consectutive hours at 50 MPH average
    Fuel / Food Stops 2 hours to complete 24 hrs period
    1100mile @ $.50 = $550.00 / 24hour period.

    Solo Pay: Drive 11 consecutive hours at 50 MPH average;
    Fuel/Food/Rest break 3 hours to complete 14 hr period
    550 mile @ $.35 = $192.50 / 14hour period
    Solo must then take 10 hour off(Sitting still not making Nill)

    Seems that a Solo driver CAN make $192.50 per 24 hr period

    Seems that a Team Driver CAN make $275.00 per 24 hr period

    I may have over simplified this a bit, is so let me have it.. LOL
     
  7. safetydog

    safetydog Bobtail Member

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    Sep 2, 2007
    taylor, Mi
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    Yeah that's a little over simplified I think, you have to look at the actual amount the solo drivers make and the actual amount the team makes, but for explination purposes lets look at your figures. The team only has two hours not three for lunch break and so forth but you gave the solo driver 3hrs.? why? your not compairing apples and apples, if the same solo driver is given the same break then he can go the same as the team but would receive half the pay it really comes out to be the same (no one out there is going to pay you to sleep as extra) it still works out to be the same with as far as I am concerned, and I speak only for myself, some major draw backs I don't want some one else in the truck with me that much or that long. Another draw back it really doesn't pay for a team to take short runs they won't get all those big miles because there are a lot of companies going coast to coast, good luck on all those miles they promised(get it in writting). The main problem is everyone thinks that I can have a highschool education and become a rich truck driver (the fault of lying recruiters and companies) that I'll make at least a 1000.00 every week................NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, just with any job that is performance based paid there are good weeks and bad weeks the miles have to be spread around to everyone........this is basic truck management stuff is it really that hard to figure out. As always good luck and be safe.
     
  8. HereticalFaction

    HereticalFaction Bobtail Member

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    Jul 13, 2007
    Philadelphia,Pa
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    The following is more thought-experiment than hard-won experiance:

    Bandit is right.

    If Teams got the same CPM as solos, the pay would be equal since they can drive at least twice the miles. You might think that this leaves teams in a worse position since teams don't load/unload any faster than solos, but in fact, even if teams paid the same as solos:

    - The teams abillity to deliver "priority" freight quickly makes them more valuable to the company, since they can carry priority and regular freight, thus with more options they will wait less for a load. (IE, as a dispatcher with a team on my board:
    ---I will have more options for freight to give them
    ---I will be more ready to send them farther out of my companies normal freight lanes because I can rely on a higher density of possible backhauls
    ---If a company doesn't pay deadhead miles, there will be more loads to chose from closer, so less loss from deadhead)

    - The high effective speed means that teams will likely get a higher proportion of high-milage runs, since these runs maximise the benefit of their speed. This means a better proportion of driving vs. loading time.

    -The truck is moving while you sleep. Since you run 24 hrs, you can trip plan through dense traffic areas at better times. This means MUCH less idle time. As a company team you will earn higher fuel bonuses, as a lease/oo team you will pay less for fuel relative to payable miles, plus any fuel bonus you might get through a companies abatement program.

    - Company teams are the exception, especially with the "Priority" companies. More often, teams are OO or lease, so two drivers split truck payments and insurance, tags, trailor payments, etc. this can mean thousands a month per driver.

    - In the special case of the married couple who drive as a team, they also share household expenses, so twice the income translates into MORE than twice the quality of life and twice the rate of savings. These teams don't have the stress of a spouse at home and the constant scramble for home time. Home time kills earnings.

    On top of all these factors which don't consider CPM, is the fact that teams DO get paid more CPM than solos.
     
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  9. dancnoone

    dancnoone "Village Idiot"

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    Mississippi
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    From where I stand, a former team driver.

    Your statement (less pay) doesn't make any sense. You're getting paid for miles you never even drove. Even if it is at a reduced rate, it is higher than 60%, therefor you are making 20% more than a solo per "actual " mile you drive.

    As a solo driver I got .37 a mile, while as a team, I split .45 a mile.

    As a solo, I averaged 2600 miles per week. Or $962.00 a week

    As a team, I averaged 5000 miles a week. Or $1125.00 a week.

    I used to make more...averaged about $1500 a week before the powers that be, decided that a team should get a day off while away from their family.

    If the team is husband and wife. ALL the money goes to 1 household.
     
  10. TheRumRunner

    TheRumRunner Light Load Member

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    Sep 6, 2009
    Louisville, KY
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    Well, against my better judgment I am now currently running team since I wanted to make more money and although my paycheck is technically "higher" than before, when I crunch the numbers I feel am making less due to all the factors:

    1. bouncing around in the back while trying to sleep (yeah right) is still "on call" & working as far as i'm concerned since I am also being "delivered" to a new location to bring freight back saving them normal deadhead mileage.

    2. the high risk of having to put your life in someone else's hand (perhaps a goober) & sleep in a moving truck for 8-10 hours should be highly compensated and receive hazard pay.

    3. you are not home or enjoying your time off, you are stuck in a pod (jail cell) with another person for 22 hrs day with no real privacy or at will bathroom use.

    4. all this extra bulls@#t for .22 mile on maybe 4500 miles vs. .36 mile for maybe 2500 as a solo?????? definitely not worth it... the company is raping team drivers as far as im concerned since they are making ridiculous money on our pain and suffering.. driving as a team should be paying no less than $1 per mile EACH for all the crap & liabilty we take on running as a team.
     
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  11. BearGator56

    BearGator56 "The G stands for GOOD!"

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    Apr 11, 2006
    Orlando, FL
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    I know this is an old topic, but it's the first I've seen it. Companies are NOT getting "riduculous" money for running teams. On the contrary, most freight is paying the same rates unless it's a hotshot type load.

    Both drivers should make $1/mile EACH? Considering most freight out there is paying less than $2/mile you would be making $0/mile pretty quickly when your carrier went out of business.

    Teams can be a benefit for both the driver and the company. The driver stays rolling, and has the potential to make a higher salary through the increased miles. They're not stuck waiting 10 hours for their break to end. The company has expensive equipment that's not sitting idle. More miles in a week is more money for all parties.

    All the extra BS? I drove solo and think there's just as much or more BS to go with being a solo driver. I'd rather be rolling than sitting anyday. Those days when you get stuck at a shipper/receiver for 4 hours and you run out of hours are now gone. You have a partner with fresh time to drive when you're out.

    Sure, there are issues with your team partner if you don't know them. Don't run teams if you can't handle being in close quarters with someone or have trust issues. It's your CDL, and your choice.
     
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