- affects disability wages & life insurance that are based on gross income
- affects unemployment pay rate
- affects vacation pay rate " "
- affects social security " "
- affects workmans comp rate? (not sure as i heard they calc ur mileage for this)
- affects anything based on gross wages (loans, credit cards, etc)

company pays less taxes overall FICA,State, Local, unemployment, work comp. and also pays you less CPM

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Well we laid a strip fer the Jersey Shore
An' prepared to cross the line
I could see the bridge 'as lined with bears
But I didn't have a doggone dime
I sez Pig-Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck
We just ain't a gonna pay no toll
So we crashed the gate doin' ninety-eight
I sez, let them truckers roll, 10-4
"Convoy"

I'll take the 80% write off at the end of the year.

Assume you work 50 weeks

3 weeks out earns 3 days off, thats 6 days a week

6 days a week times 50 weeks times 24 hours a day = 7200 hours

$36000 divided by 7200 hours = $5.00 an hour

Now you could argue that you aren't working 24 hours a day. However, I submit that you cannot spend that time with friends and family, that you have little control over your time, you are missing out on your kids growing up, time with your spouse, you are neither at home or at a place of your choosing, therefore you are working.

I'm not saying this is bad. If you enjoy what you are doing then you are blessed. Think of the guys that are stuck in factory jobs for 20 years and hate every minute of it. If driving puts a smile on your face then you are where you belong.

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LostSoulCA
Visalia, CA
My Truck Videos are located on Youtube.com search for lostsoulca

NOT ONE RED CENT TO ILLEGALS or PROGRAMS THAT DIMINISH THE CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES

I view the travel as being fun...I am sure once that gets old maybe I will view it differently.

Besides OTR diriving is a means to get to a better job like local dedicated, or union jobs. The pay is better and you are not away from home. If companies want more loyal OTR drivers I agree the pay needs to be much higher to sacrafice your free time day in and day out.

You hit the nail on the head. For most, OTR is basic training for better opportunities.

The travel is basically seeing the country from the interstate. When you are dispatched they don't provide much sight seeing time. I don't care how many times you drive I80 in the west, it still looks the same. You basically get to see the signs to the places you want to see.

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LostSoulCA
Visalia, CA
My Truck Videos are located on Youtube.com search for lostsoulca

NOT ONE RED CENT TO ILLEGALS or PROGRAMS THAT DIMINISH THE CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES

I agree about seeing the signs to the places you want to see....but for a guy that grew up in a flat state with nothing but corn growing I like seeing anything...hills, mountains, large bodies of water, sand...anything other then boring IL landscape.

Seems like Werner is yet another company who knows it won't keep many drivers for long and therefor won't matter much in the long run if they take advantage of them on the way. The advertisements about paperless logs were enough to make me run the other way. I may be nitpicking but that's not a bonus in my eyes. Kind of a trivial thing to try and lure drivers with if you ask me. How is that enticing? Maybe I'm just one of those guys who just doesn't get it.

It seems as though very few over-the-road companies have respect for their drivers these days and show it with a metaphorical slap in the face at every turn. It's easier to take advantage of an employee when they are just a number and a voice on the phone. It would would be much harder if there were daily face-to-face contact like in other industries. It's just sad. We expect scam artists to try and scheme our money from us, not sign our paychecks.

Companies such as Werner probably pray all their drivers don't get on these boards and educate themselves at the same time. They would be out of business.

Sad thing is there are companies out there that care about their drivers, but they can't compete with likes of werner cause they move freight cheaper, at DRIVERS expense. Therefore those better companies get forced to lower their standards and/or lay off drivers in order to survive. It has become a RACE TO THE BOTTOM and it ultimately affects everybody. Newbie and experienced.

The problem is multifaceted. Per Diem will guarantee a paycheck, but on the other hand you feel like you are working for peanuts. One hell of a catch. I will do this with Werner until I can find another job. It seems that Werner is out to mess over their drivers, whether newbie or oldies. Seems the Trucking industry is really going down hill.
Who said the economy is improving?

The trucking companies can only lose so many good drivers before they will be forced to up the ante. Trucking companies can only drop their rates so low and still pay people enough to keep them around. Eventually the price cutting will come to an end because nobody can survive on low margins, or afford to keep people interested in this career.