CRETE - A Year in Review

Net income is a rather irrelevant number. There are too many things that affect it from one person to another. Things like how many dependents you have, if you are married or not, what state you live in, what level of insurance you choose, 401k deductions, etc.

But I did promise to post my last pay stub to support my claims so here it is:

The final numbers are in and it looks like my initial estimate of my YTD pay was a little high. So here are the actual numbers and a the copy of my final pay check that I promised earlier in this thread:


My YTD pay on my final pay check of 12/27/07 for miles run through 12/21/07 was $60,857.19


Final Pay 2007 ..................................................................$60,857.19
Less: First paycheck 2007 for last week of 2006........................- 575.23
Add: First paycheck 2008 for last week of 2007
including 1week pd/vac # $1154...........................................+ 1743.57
-------------

Gross pay for 2007 ............................................................$62,025.53


Here is a copy of final paycheck of 2007, you'll have to take my word on the adjustments.

 

If you'll take a look at my original post, you will see i red that the unpaid miles does include bobtail use of the truck during my downtime. I don't abuse the privilege and it has never been an issue with the company.

 

I started this thread with last year’s numbers and thought I would go ahead and continue with weekly updates.

Warning: Strong potential for scattered rambling thoughts.

The first week started out slow as I expected. Holiday weeks, especially Christmas and New Years, have the potential of low productivity.

I returned to work 12/31/07(Monday) and was asked to deliver a 3stop load that was dropped by another driver. It had two drops in Phoenix and one in Tucson. A rather crappy load (169mi plus $60 stop pay) but I assumed I would end up with something like this and accepted the load and hoped for something better when I was empty(I’m not really that naive, but I like to hope for the best and expect the worst).

Put in my MT call at noon and was informed “no freight available, check back in 3hr” Again, not surprised and I headed off to the truckstop and watched a movie on the laptop. Three hours passed and I sent a message asking if any load were available “not yet”. Sat another hour and was given a load that picked up in the Phoenix yard the next day(Tuesday, or any time B4), and delivered in LA first thing Wednesday morning. That’s 124mi deadhead and 327mi loaded, just great.

Decide to head off to Phoenix and PU my load so I can get going first thing in the morning. Ended up getting a late start, I was definitely in no hurry and arrived at our Ontario drop yard by 6pm and settled in for the night.

Wednesday started out good with a 7am delivery 5mi up the road. It was a live unload and was done in about two hours. MT call goes in “no freight, check back in 3hrs” who would have guessed. Went back to the drop yard and had the chance to talk to another driver. All he did was ##### about how he had been sitting since yesterday and all they sent him was a 700+ mile run to Utah that delivered Friday afternoon, and how he wasn’t getting any miles, couldn’t even get 10,000 miles a month, been with the company 6 years, can’t figure out why he’s not getting miles, etc.

Well, here is why he’s not getting miles.

He sent a message to dispatch refusing to take a 700mi run that delivered in two days. Dispatch tells him there are 11 drivers waiting on loads (I’m one of them) and this is all that is available at this time. He then called his fleet manager, ####### up a storm and eventually is allowed to refuse the load. He also stresses that he expects to remain next inline for a load and is told by his fleet manager that he won’t loose his place.

After letting this driver unload on me about how miserable he is I eventually manage to get away and head over to my truck and wait for a load. Ten minutes later he’s pounding on my door. I’ll spare you the details.

Anyway, around 4pm I get a load offer “can you deliver this load tonight”, it’s a loaded trailer sitting on the other side of the yard and delivers 35mi away at 9pm (pays $35 plus mileage). Yup, the day just keeps getting better (I hope you sense the sarcasm). I don’t hesitate and accept the load and send in a message “happy to help out, keep me in mind if you come across a good load”.

15 minutes later I get a thank you and a preplanned load going to Mobile, AL(2052mi). D/H pickup with a Monday morning Delivery.

Guess who is sitting in his truck still waiting for a load when I pulled out that night.

I make the delivery, head over to PU the other load and call it a night.

Now it’s time to drive to Mobile, AL. It’s late Thursday morning and I have a 2000 mile run ahead of me. I can do it two ways.

Take my time, run 500 miles a day and work 8 hr days.(perfect option for a driver that is happy with a 2500 mile weekly average).

Or

Drive three 11hr days with two stops a day, one for fuel and one 10min leg stretch. If I do this I figure I can arrive in Mobile with 35 ½ hrs to spare if nothing goes wrong (it did). Thus giving me time to get in a 34hr reset and start the new week fresh.

I arrived in Mobile at 7pm Saturday evening with just enough time to do a reset and checked into a hotel.

Results of Week 1

Phoenix, AZ to Tucson, AZ…………………. 169mi
Tucson, AZ to Ontario, CA………………….. 451mi
Ontario, CA to Buena Park, CA……………....36mi
Irwindale, CA to Loxley, AL…………...……2052mi

Total miles……………………………………2708mi

2708 mi X .42 = $1137.36
Stop pay…………...60.00
Shag pay…………...35.00
Total………… $1232.36 What can I say, they can’t all be good weeks.

 

WEEK TWO



Well, since I was able to get a restart in this weekend, I’m looking forward to a fresh start and a better week.

I check out of my hotel and get started at 5am and make my delivery just outside of Mobile. It’s a 6am D/H. It is uneventful and I put in my MT call and receive a 3 choice load offer. 1. Florida (500mi w/appoint live U/L) Yuck! 2. Kentucy (680mi w/appointment delivery) more downtime than I care for, but would be great for a driver content with 8hr work days. 3. Dallas, TX (635mi Drop/Hook PU and DEL) Load is scheduled to deliver anytime Tuesday, but if I get moving I can have it there today.

I take the Dallas run and can be there with 30mins left on my log, but its 5pm and you don’t go anywhere in 30mins during Dallas rush hour, so I hold up for the night at our terminal. I can deliver early in the morning and get out of Dallas B4 the AM rush.

Tuesday starts at 5am, I’m off and drop my trailer and am offered 3 loads again. Memory fails me, but I take the shortest one offered because it is a load that PU at the same place I just delivered to and is going to Kansas City, KS (507mi). Delivery is scheduled for the following day, but it is a D/H and I can be there today with 2hrs left on my log with a good chance of getting another load in the area(a driver more content with shorter days could take a 10 break at this time). This will give me time to PU the load and head over to our terminal to do some laundry.

I deliver my load, do a MT call and am quickly given a one load offer that is a D/H PU just up the road and is a 2 stop delivery to MN(650mi plus $30 stop pay). Yuck again, but it keeps me rolling.

I arrive to PU my preloaded trailer that was supposes to be ready at noon. It is now 6pm and I am told load is not ready, “should be ready by 10pm”. Oh well, so much for laundry night. Customer has overnight parking, so I start my 10hr break, start my detention time, play on the computer for a bit and hit the sack.

Wednesday starts at 5am. Trailer is loaded and ready to go. The first stop is in Rochester, MN (400+mi) but not scheduled to deliver until Thursday morning. Its insulation going to a small business and I figure I would have a good chance of U/L early so I can get as close as possible to the 2nd stop to deliver early the next day. I get there around noon and find out no one can unload me until 5pm or so, no problem, better than the next day. 4pm and I get the knock on my door to back to the dock. I’m unloaded by 5 and decided to spend the night.

Get started at 5am again, don’t want to start the 14hr clock too soon, could have an adverse effect on getting a load later in the day. Make it to the 2nd stop in Marshall, MN(200+mi) after a nasty little snow storm and am U/Led by 9am. If I had gone strictly by the load assignment it would have much later in the day and the chance of getting a load would have been less likely.

MT call goes in and get a one load offer within 5mins. D/H PU in St Paul, MN with a scheduled D/H delivery to Kalamazoo, MI(706mi) the next day, Friday.

Everything goes as planed (except another snow storm in WI) and trailer is dropped by 9am. MT call goes in,”no freight available at this time, check back in 3hrs”. I knew it was too good to be true.

Three hour go by and I send in a reminder, reply “working on it”, 20mins later I get a one load offer. D/H PU in Lima, OH(180mi DH) and deliver anytime Monday (that means Drop and Hook and I can deliver it anytime B4) to Pinedale, LA(1006 mi LD) Yeah, no more snow! I jump in the drivers seat(still have time to make it close to my PU today). Park at a truck stop 15mi form my PU.

Saturday starts at 6:30am, PU is uneventful and I start driving. Hours are getting short, but if I push is I can be in LA by Sun afternoon with 3hrs left of my 70hr. As I drive into Nashville I contemplate stopping at the TA to do a 34 restart. Downtown Nashville is only a 1 mile walk and they have so many great bands and awesome food. If I do that I will deliver by Monday, on time, but would be 10hrs into my next 70 clock plus would have to spend Monday night in Pinedale and be ready to go Tuesday morning. Instead I opt to push on, spend the night south of Memphis and make my delivery early Sunday afternoon. This now leaves me with a possible opportunity. I put in my MT call. I only have 2.75hrs left for the next two day. I know from experience that loads offered out on the weekend often have enough downtime to fit in a 34reset, especially if it’s a drop/hook delivery. I wait for my load offer knowing that if it’s a load I cant deliver because of an available hour issue, all I have to do is send a message telling them I’m out of hours and will do a reset. If, however, a good load comes up that I can work into my schedule, all the better.

15mins after my MT call I receive a 2 load offer. Both are D/H loads, one to New Jersey(1300mi with appointment delivery) I don’t think so, I wouldn’t have been able to make that due to hour restrictions anyway. The other load PU 180mi away, is a D/H, and has an open delivery date going to Ogden, UT (2087mi). Life is good. I head on down to my PU and drop the trailer at the shipper with no time left on my 70hrs. Head over to the truck stop 1.2 miles away and spend my 34hr reset in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, can’t have everything. New Orleans is only 30 miles away and I contemplate bobtailing over, but decide not to. At least I get to watch the Cowboys dream get crushed once again on the truck stops Big Screen.



Week Two Results: miles include dead head. Monday, Jan 7 through Sunday, Jan 13

Mobile, AL to Coppell, TX………………....…634mi
Coppell, TX to New Century, KS…………..507mi
Kansas City, KS to Marshall, MN…………..650mi
St Paul, MN to Kalamazoo, MI……….……..706mi
Lima, OH to Pinedale, LA…………......……1186mi
Pinedale, LA to Reserve, LA……...………..192mi


Total Paid Miles:…………………….…………..3875mi
Actual Miles = 3969

3875 miles # .42 ………………….$1627.50