Flatbed with flat pay per load

I agree with your points which is why I thought the flat rate per load was a good compromise, especially when the owner explained why they switched to the payment method. I used to average $1500 per week at another small company but they kept putting me on tarp loads. With the $200 per load, I can still make that $1500, even more, cause I only need 2 loads to get $2k. Plus, If I like that you get paid even if you don't get unloaded that same week. For example, if I load on Friday but can't unload until Monday, I get the $100 for the PU in that week check. I will get the $100 for the drop in the next week check. They pay weekly. With the DH being limited, I can realistically get 2 loads completed and pickup a load on Friday to drop on Monday. Now if they did not have the DH restricted to 80 miles, I wouldn't consider it because, no matter how efficient and fast I am, long DH would likely limit me to only 1 load per day so I would be restricted to $1k per week. I need at least $1500 per week. But based on the responses of others on this thread, it sounds like my goal of $1500-2k is too low. How much should I expect for weekly gross without tarping and low DH?

 

You might be right but even if I get quicker at it, it does not remove the risk involved. It's a firm no for me on the tarping, until the brokers and/or owners start compensating appropriately.

 

Hi, load commodities vary but they haul whatever fits on the 53ft and does not require tarping. I am comfortable with all forms of load securement, no issues there. I just don't like tarping. They don't guarantee a certain amount of loads per week because the driver has a lot to do with that. I would be suspicious if they did. However, they did say they always book a load ahead of time so they don't wait until I finish a load to book the next load. The next load will already be booked before I even pickup the first load. Therefore, the number of loads per week or per day depends on the driver, the shipper and traffic...all things which are out of the owner's control. Without excessive load/unload wait times and traffic jams, I know I can get in at least 2 loads, possibly 3 per day. I know there may be days when I may only get 1 load in because issues do happen in trucking. I just want to make sure I am not setting my standards too low. Noone has told me what I should be expecting per week, if 1500-2k per week is not enough for short loads with no tarping.

 

That's kind of my thinking because it's not like I am signing a contract. I thought that pay per load was decent and I like the simplicity of it. If I get 2 loads on and off that trailer, I know I made $400 for the day. It does not matter what they were paid for the loads or how low their rpm was or how long I drove, etc. It is a new approach for flatbed payments so I wanted to get some other opinions. So far, they are the only company I've encountered that pays this way. If I find that I am only getting 1 load per day then I move on. They said their other drivers average 2-3 loads per day. They only hire drivers with 2 years flatbed experience and they have to have experience with all types of load securement so I feel like it is an apples to apples comparison. I have 2.5 years experience and I know how to properly secure all types of flatbed loads.

 

Ok so you provide a different perspective as an employer. Coo! Yeah I had cpm on the brain when I first started but I think that is because that is the traditional payment method in trucking. However, I quickly realized that does not apply to flatbed because most flatbed loads significantly drop in rpm when you are going OTR so it really does not benefit the company to drive from coast to coast with a load when they can make the same or better rpm within the same state or just by going 1 state over. 28% is fair. This company said they also used to share their ratecon with the drivers when they paid on % but they had a couple of drivers that were always questioning if the ratecon was accurate. I get it, as the owner, you show your hand and still get questioned because some previous owner rigged a ratecon. Plus there was the other side of % pay when they had to book a high paying rpm but with a low rate. As the driver, we only benefit when the load rate is high. We don't care and are not impacted by a $1 rpm on a $1400 load. Our pay is the same, even if it is a loss to the owners...so I get that side, too. Flat pay per load will eliminate me investigating the ratecon and eliminate the owner from having to investigate my mileage. It may be a win/win. I will see.
As an owner, would you ever consider flat pay per load? Do yo get a lot of headache or suspicion from the drivers paying by %?