What is the fairest way to be paid?

[Pedigreed Bulldog]

Calspring,

It doesn't matter what type of truck you are driving, hourly is the only true way to be paid for all of your on duty time. And overtime after 8 hours is just icing on the cake.

All other forms of compensation will cheat the driver. And it will cheat them in many ways such as shorter paid miles compared to actual miles driven. All other on duty time such as pre/post trip, breakdowns, fueling, Traffic, scales, permits and the big one, waiting to load or unload. There are more, just pick one.

I don't work for free and neither should you or anyone else. Good luck on your search.

THERE IS NO INCENTIVE TO WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY WHEN PAID BY THE HOUR! Which is precisely why I would NEVER offer "hourly" pay to an employee who had no direct oversight by myself or another member of management. It is too easy to milk the clock and get paid for time they don't spend working, which is a form of stealing. The FAIREST way to pay is by the load. The load pays $XXX.XX to the driver. That amount should be enough so that if the driver did his job efficiently, it would average out to a decent hourly wage for the time he actually spent working. If you screw around, though, you'll average less per hour. Find ways to improve your efficiency and you can earn more...because you're doing the same amount of work in less time....leaving more available hours to haul another load.

Mileage pay can be skewed either way...the company can pay HHG or shortest miles, which typically shorts the driver....or the driver can be paid hub miles, in which case the company will have to pay for OOR miles and "extra" miles the employee might drive when he gets lost.

Personally, I prefer working on percentage...and percentage is the only way I would consider paying a driver. The rate includes loading, driving, unloading, and any other item associated with hauling the load.

What a lot of folks don't realize is that those items (loading, driving, unloading, and any other item associated with hauling the load) is included in what you get paid no matter WHICH method of payment you operate under. This is why the mileage pay for flatbeds is higher than the mileage pay for dry vans...because the driver is responsible for more "non-driving" tasks in order to haul the load. It is also why a lot of companies will have increased per-mile rates for shorter hauls, because the "non-driving" tasks take up a larger portion of the driver's time.

No matter HOW you are paid, you are being paid to haul the freight from point A to point B...which includes everything necessary to successfully complete that haul. You aren't doing "unpaid" work. It is already factored into whatever method of payment the company you work for is using. Let's use $20/hour, for example, to look at a hypothetical 1200 mile haul. At a 60 mph average speed, that brings you $0.333/mile. A 15 minute fuel stop is $5...which is necessary every 900 miles...so that would be $0.005/mile. Add a 15 minute post trip per 600 mile day for another $0.008/mile. 30 minutes to load, and 30 minutes to unload...another hour in time for a 1200 mile load....so that's another $0.016/mile. So, that's a whopping $0.362/mile.

Whether the company spells it out for you or not, you ARE getting paid for the time....ALL of the time....that it SHOULD take you to haul the load. If there are delays which extend that time, most decent companies have auxiliary methods of payment in place (i.e. detention) which will pay you for that extra time.

[RALPHMANBEARPONY]

I personally get paid by the load.Im also getting hosed.My loads seem to constantly
be in high traffic areas,and the vets get the quick drops,and back to the rack.
Im not doing too well being paid by the load,hell I would do better getting paid mileage.
Part of being the new guy I guess.
edit
ooops..just saw cement..Im hauling gas

[Grouch]

that's a whopping $0.362/mile

Are you saying this is good or bad? I was making this in 1975 and even the non-union LTL carriers are paying in the high 40s now, with compensation for dropping and hooking, it is the "bottom feeders" that are still paying in the 30 cents range, those that are still racing to reach the bottom.

[Pedigreed Bulldog]

Are you saying this is good or bad? I was making this in 1975 and even the non-union LTL carriers are paying in the high 40s now, with compensation for dropping and hooking, it is the "bottom feeders" that are still paying in the 30 cents range, those that are still racing to reach the bottom.

That depends upon your idea of what is "good" or "bad". If you think $20/hour is not a good wage, you probably won't like $0.362/mile either....even though they provide very similar earnings. If you would like to earn $20/hour and consider that to be a good wage, then $0.362/mile would be a reasonable rate to work for.

[transam pete]

rick g will agree with anyone that doesnt make sense

[074344]

That's a very narrow view of the world you have.

Nothing narrow about it. If you want to be paid for all of your time, hourly is the only way. Thats just common sense.

If I'm being paid by the hour I have nothing driving me to do a better job, or to figure out how to do the job more efficiently.

So what you are saying is that your willingness to get the job done in a timely manner is some how compromised? Great character on your behalf.

I'm gonna go as slow as I possibly can.

I guess your not willing to help the company succeed. Nice work ethic!

They call those union jobs, and they don't help the company succeed.

It seems that you are jealous of union workers? Good grief. They made their choice, you made yours. Stop it!

I would say the fairest way to be paid is whatever you agreed to in your contract when you signed on to that company. If you don't like it, or think it isn't fair. Move on...

Ah! Now we have something we agree with.

[074344]

THERE IS NO INCENTIVE TO WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY WHEN PAID BY THE HOUR! Which is precisely why I would NEVER offer "hourly" pay to an employee who had no direct oversight by myself or another member of management. It is too easy to milk the clock and get paid for time they don't spend working, which is a form of stealing. The FAIREST way to pay is by the load. The load pays $XXX.XX to the driver. That amount should be enough so that if the driver did his job efficiently, it would average out to a decent hourly wage for the time he actually spent working. If you screw around, though, you'll average less per hour. Find ways to improve your efficiency and you can earn more...because you're doing the same amount of work in less time....leaving more available hours to haul another load.

Yes. Why take away money from your precious bottom line by paying the driver an hourly wage? You know darn well that any time the wheels aren't turning, the driver makes nothing. I don't care if it is by the load or mileage, you and I both know the driver gets screwed. Sleep well.

Mileage pay can be skewed either way...the company can pay HHG or shortest miles, which typically shorts the driver....or the driver can be paid hub miles, in which case the company will have to pay for OOR miles and "extra" miles the employee might drive when he gets lost.

Again, just another way to screw the driver. Hub miles is the only way to go if you are paid mileage.

Personally, I prefer working on percentage...and percentage is the only way I would consider paying a driver. The rate includes loading, driving, unloading, and any other item associated with hauling the load.

Which rate? Your rate? As for unloading, how could you possibly figure out the rate for loading/unloading. You can't. What if a driver is held up for hours on either side? Do you just say that it is "factored in"? Another wat to cheat the driver.

What a lot of folks don't realize is that those items (loading, driving, unloading, and any other item associated with hauling the load) is included in what you get paid no matter WHICH method of payment you operate under.

If that's the case, it's no wonder that drivers get cheated out on money and why the turnover rate is so high. Either way you slice it, loading /unloading would take a crystal ball to figure out how much time it would take on either end. Mine is broken. Just like everyone else.


This is why the mileage pay for flatbeds is higher than the mileage pay for dry vans...because the driver is responsible for more "non-driving" tasks in order to haul the load. It is also why a lot of companies will have increased per-mile rates for shorter hauls, because the "non-driving" tasks take up a larger portion of the driver's time.

That's why hourly pay should prevail. Except for your company because we all know that you take care of your drivers.

No matter HOW you are paid, you are being paid to haul the freight from point A to point B...which includes everything necessary to successfully complete that haul.

Agreed.

You aren't doing "unpaid" work.

If they are not being paid by the hour, they certainly are doing unpaid work.

It is already factored into whatever method of payment the company you work for is using.

No it's not. How can it be factored in? What about all the delays that one encounters on the road? How can you ever factor that in? You can't!

Let's use $20/hour, for example, to look at a hypothetical 1200 mile haul. At a 60 mph average speed, that brings you $0.333/mile. A 15 minute fuel stop is $5...which is necessary every 900 miles...so that would be $0.005/mile. Add a 15 minute post trip per 600 mile day for another $0.008/mile. 30 minutes to load, and 30 minutes to unload...another hour in time for a 1200 mile load....so that's another $0.016/mile. So, that's a whopping $0.362/mile.

Whether the company spells it out for you or not, you ARE getting paid for the time....ALL of the time....that it SHOULD take you to haul the load. If there are delays which extend that time, most decent companies have auxiliary methods of payment in place (i.e. detention) which will pay you for that extra time.

These drivers do not get paid for all of their time. Period! Paint it however you want. They know better!

[paullie]

Here's my thinking on it. I've worked per mile, per hour, and per load, that's the easy part to figure out. The real question is how am I paid when I have a blow out and sit on the side of the road for 4,5 6 hours?? What am I paid for waiting at the dock?? Some outfits pay you XXX per mile and that's it, that's fine when you are rolling but when you get to set for a day or three for free, well that sucks but yet plenty of us truckers do it??? The "best" driving job I had was paid by the mile, XX for an unload which took 45 min as the normal, breakdown was by the hour, wait time was by the hour and we got an hour a day paid for fuel/pre-posttrips.

[MNdriver]

I find it interesting the older hands look at the situation differently than the newer steering wheel holder wannabe.Pride, giving an honest days work for an honest days pay,and doing a good job are ideas that seem to be forgotten by the new generation. I find this quite often in the work force.

Not enough employers are willing to offer an "honest days' wages though....

[PayCheck]

It doesn't matter how you pay a driver as long as it's a fair paycheck.

Hourly is fine, if your a good employer you should be able to attract good employees.

By the load is fine to, it's bulk cement you go to the same 10 places all the time. It won't take long to figure out how long an average load takes.

Mileage pay on bulk cement can be unfair to the driver, unless it's a really good CPM. I won't work mileage on bulk cement for less the 55 CPM.

Bulk cement is a lot like milk tanker and all the milk guys I know get payed by the hour.