Motor carrier exemption to overtime pay! Petition

Again if you dont like the way you are paid, move on to another company or get your current company to change things. Dont force the rest of the industry to change just to suit your wants.

 

The bigger problem is drivers should be paid for all work done. No free labor .....
How you get there is irrelevant .

I've always said that truck drivers are lower that migrant farm workers when it comes to labor laws.......

 

'Love it or leave it' was a slogan during the Viet Nam era intended to stifle dissent. Used today on this forum to sweep under the rug that 100% turnover in OTR truckload means drivers walk away in droves, come back and walk away again. Point is, industry needs a labor overhaul.

If Gunner or anyone else doesn't like it, he/they can walk away...

Typical OTR driver puts in 2 work years for every calendar year.

 

Uh, lol. I make a lot more than .35/mile. And why would I get paid for sleeping? What job pays you to go to bed? And if you make double than $8 an hour, that's $16. I can't live on such a low wage. I'm not making fun of you, I'm telling you how it is. Should we get paid for chaining and fueling and things like that? Sure we should. But I'm not ready to make less money by going to an hourly wage. It's not worth it to me. I bring home on average from $1200-2000 a week. I cook in my truck so my expenses are low. Sorry I don't see it the way you do.

 

Let's also remember that if you pay some of them by the hour, because they suck at what they do, they will milk it to death. A trip from the east coast to the west coast should be 4 days. They'll drag it out 6 days. No thanks.

 

Doesn't work that way. Just like a pre-trip should take no more than 10-15 minutes unless there's an issue like a tire flat. Paid hourly hauling mail, had a tight arrival window in Cincy and a very tight 3:00 am back in Bloomington (IN). After 3:05, you were late. But the hourly pay meant that if doo-doo happened, like a snow storm or a break down, you were covered for your extra time and not working for free, donating the company your time.

That's the difference.

 

x2. That and this petition is a great idea...in concept. The reality of it is that if carriers were forced to pay over time for any time worked over 40 hours in a week...they'd just cut said drivers hours. i.e. You're complaining about working 60+ hours a week? Ok...we'll cut you to 30 hours (or less...so we can avoid paying for your benefits)...and hire another guy/gal to fill in for those other 30 hours.

Petitions like this ignore reality. i.e. The Affordable Care Act forcing employers with full-time employees (30+ hours/week) to provide health insurance. Derpy ######## didn't think of the obvious reaction from business...limit said employees to x < 30 hours/week so they don't have to provide health insurance. 'Muricans...incapable of grasping cause and effect, lol.

If you've got an issue with companies that pay low mileage rates and #### detention pay...go to another company. That and OTR/regional putting in 12+ hours a day for 60+ hours a week. You knew what you were getting into.

 

That's one segment of trucking. There are several different types of operations. There's a lot of steering wheel holders in this business. A lot of F-Ups that came here as a last resort and are still screwing up. Imagine them on hourly pay.

 

The quality of OTR truckload drivers and the inexperience of those drivers is directly related to the pay. Bring the pay up to a fair wage and retention will skyrocket.

It's a great job... warrants being paid for it.

 

That's the thing...any newbie getting into an OTR company can run the numbers to see that the pay isn't **** starting out. The retention is so bad because you have dummies that buy off on recruiters bull**** about grossing (or netting...depending on how ballsy the recruiter is) ~$1,100/week, steady miles, etc. The reality of it is that you're a new guy...you're going to get a **** truck that's going to break down, you're going to get the low paying loads, etc.

From an ethical standpoint, I don't approve of what the "megas" do. From a business standpoint, I totally get it. They make a killing off employing people that have a poor grasp of mathematics that want to be paid extra just because. If you want to be appreciated because you feel that you bring value to the table...go somewhere that will appreciate that. That isn't going to be solved by a mega throwing a few extra cents per mile at you/me.