To ALL Chicagoland drivers....

Driver, I dunno if that outfit is even still around, but there's no shortage of 1099 outfits, and a driver CAN stay busy with 'em, plus many of 'em run out & back so the driver is home more often. Downside is you'll be doing your own taxes later, and, as I said, the benefits are generally nonexistent. I just did it because that run suited me at the time... I had an elderly mom (now deceased) who needed someone to help her with heavy yard work and whatnot, and that job gave me an extra day or two on the beach to knock out those tasks. Simple dry box job, easy Southern Route (mostly out west where it's more wide open once you're out of the cities), and no surprises as far as loads went... you look around, I'm sure you can find something similar, aye? Just my $.02 on the subject...

 

How about a 1099 outfit from West Sacramento? Their accent is 100% American and the owners were born and raised in Dixon on a dairy farm.
They're perfectly honest but they're cheaper than Wal-Mart underwear. They do agricultural harvest work and six months experience with them is like six years anywhere else. They pay by the load and they have it down to a science. They run the back roads, farm roads, county roads, and stay off the Interstate and away from scales.
They'll gladly show you what you're making and if you don't like it...well, you have a lot of company. They don't care if the drivers discuss pay among themselves 'cause everybody gets paid the same. No benefits, no OT, no breakdown time, no delay time, and you run until you can't run anymore. HOS don't mean much during harvest.
They always have a full crew, most of whom speak little or no English, and I don't know of anyone who ever went back for a second year. Funny thing, but just about the time the harvest trucking falls off to nothing the border cops show up with their big green buses, make a couple of big raids and a lot of drivers turn out to be undocumented. Believe it or not the drivers always get paid before they get on the bus headed south, or north as the homeland and ethnicity dictate. East Indian and Chinese go north, Hispanics go south.
The company goes out of business shortly afterward and starts up again the next year under a different name and number in time to hire drivers for the next season.
Agriculture still rules much of California.

 

When you say "taxes" do you have to do payroll taxes or just regular income tax? If just regular income tax, I don't see how that would be different from being a company driver.

 

I just have an issue where you get out that broad brush, and say EVERY CHICAGO LAND company. Do you even live in the area?

 

1099, you the driver are solely responsible for paying all federal income tax and state taxes that apply.

 

You want to know what attracts drivers to these companies? it's the pay per mile they offering. Most start at .75 cents a mile or better for company driver. Compared to the industry average of 55 to 60 cents from megas etc...
Now some of them will offer both, 1099 and. w2, most of them run there business to the letter of fmcsa law and will complain about log violations etc

Besides I suppose now being illegal 1099 ain't bad but you just need to pay your taxes. Anyhow of you messed up got fired and in a pinch these guys will still hire ya in a hot minute just remember that.