Want to stay broke? Work for Conway!

Points are both in negatives and positives. Compliments from drivers, customers, office staff etc award in positive points. Additionally, attending round table discussions, safety meetings etc also earn you positive points. Safety isues, customer complaints, gross log violations etc result in negative points. Its a very liberal system in all actuality. When I converted to a contractor, I had 74 points. ( to the good) Getting to around -20 is where you need to start worrying about termination. As with any company there are "immediately terminating" infractions and these would take precedence over the point system. For instance I heard rumor that an 8 year driver riding around 10 points was immediately terminated due to a MAJOR complaint from one of our biggest customers. It was said that he had a verbal altercation that almost turned physical after a security guard told him he was speeding on their property and not using flashers as the policy requires. I also heard of the rear ending issue that double yellow spoke of. I would like to add that the ecm records just about everything and I heard it revealed a complete lack of safety guidelines when they downloaded it. (Multiple critical events and excessive speed etc.) I am only referencing this because overall Conway is a very understanding company that has a pretty liberal policy regarding termination. In fact I am very good friends with several of our old CFI guys and this is one of their collective complaints. Hope the info helps.

 

Surfer Joe, i dont and never did work for Conway --it seems like you gave it a good shot.
You all would have to agree that 2 different people have 2 different outcomes in the same company even if you did everything that was asked of you and did it well .
There are so many variables that could make or break you in trucking --not to mention as a company driver, dispatchers and DM's that may be lazy can break you too.
Lucky has a part in it too, listening to a talkative Black Jack dealer once who spoke these words "luck has more to do with it than anything" he stated that he watched some of his "regular's and the worst players come in time after time and always go home winners. And also watched the Most disciplined mathematical regular players lose frequently .

 

$107k take home? are we talking about the same company that pays $.93 cpm plus $.40 fuel surcharge??? Correct me if they have bumped it up since then.

Lets assume you get 144,000 miles (you must be going home once a year), I mean 12,000 miles a month, really? You expect me to believe you get 3,000 miles ON AVERAGE, every week. Ok, lets assume in a magical world you do.

Moving on: 144,000 miles x $1.33 = $191,520 GROSS not including layover and detention and other crap.

144,000 divided by 6 (mpg) = 24,000 gallons at $4 per gallon = $96,000 just in fuel (when using dispatched miles, not even odometer miles).

That leaves you with less than the $107,000 you claimed, and you still haven't made your truck payment or taken maintenance, taxes, insurance and all other expenses you have.

Now explain, where the hell are you getting those figures from? And please correct me if I'm wrong. Are you getting MASSIVE fuel discounts? Are you doing 55 mph and getting 9mpg? How are you pulling this off?

 

6mpg is a horrible assumption. $4/gal is almost as bad. Between the excellent specs (for fuel mileage) of ex-conway trucks & the fuel discounts, a competent driver/businessman ought to have ~45cpm fuel costs.

I've been keeping track just as a company driver, and using the "cash" price on the sign and filling up at whatever station works best for my HOS, my fuel costs are 49-50cpm. And that's setting cruise against the 65mph governor 99% of the time plus idling as much as I want (including 4 days straight this past week in sub zero weather).






And I've done an average 12,750 miles/month for the last 2 months -- IC's generally do better than company drivers when it comes to loads. That said, we are in agreement on the pay scale -- which is why I'm currently a company driver...

 

50 cpm for fuel with the fuel discounts and getting 7mpg? And what would the truck payment for one of their retired T660s be? How much goes into the maintenance and tires account? What's the true cpm profit after all this fixed expenses are dealt with? $1.33 - $.50 = $.83 to work with. How much would an IC be left with?

 

That is without the fuel discount (I don't know exactly what IC's pay). I'm just using the cash price posted on the truck stop's billboard knowing the actual cost is less... With no idling and cruising at 61-62mph I could average 8mpg. But since there is no mpg bonus, I set cruise at the governor and I don't hesitate to idle if its hot, muggy or super cold...

An ex-conway Prostar can be had for $60,000: http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=4550609
($400/week at 10% financing for 3 years with 10% down)

An ex-conway T660 can be had for $66,000: http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=4533697
($450/week at 10% financing for 3 years with 10% down)

I don't know what his situation is -- perhaps he owns the truck outright? Perhaps he is running 55mph and getting 9mpg... Maybe home is where he parks it?

Running the numbers for myself, I am confident I could expect $75-80K as an IC running 130K miles... $1.35/mile - .45 fuel - .16 truck payment - .10 maintenance - .02 insurance - .01 misc (HUT, etc)

= 61cpm ~= $80,000

If I owned the truck outright that would be 77cpm ~= $100,000

I used $1.35 instead of $1.32 because detention/layover/border pay runs over 3cpm for me now (besides -- I would hope layover pay is larger for an IC).


Here is the CWTL IC worksheet if you want to play around with various numbers for yourself: https://www.con-way.com/en/truckload/ownerop/Questionnaire.aspx

 

Your numbers are bit too optimistic.

I ran them through the worksheet, only difference is I used 6.5 mpg as it was my personal average using a T660 with them. I also used the $450 weekly payment that you talked about. I also used 130,000 miles per year which in all honesty is not what I got after a year with them. When my first year hit I was at 119,000. And I ran hard, but they always screwed me coming out of Florida, being stuck on short southeast runs that didn't pay squat. I guess if you live in Laredo you could pull it off. Anyway, this is how it looks:



This is what I would've made had I bought the truck I was using and kept my driving habits the same way. While it is more than what I was making as a company driver it is less than what I make now locally. So I guess I made a good choice. Still, it's not as a bad as I thought it would be when I ran the numbers back then. I became friends with an O/O there, he already had two trucks besides the one he always drove, always paid cash for old beaters, that was his strategy, he was doing good but it never convinced me. You might have seen his ads in Joplin. Last I heard from him he was gonna put a team together in a newer truck.

 

Wow, I guess I was controversial? This is really funny to me although insulting as well! First off, I am not a liar. I've lied once in my life and that was to my Grandmother when I was 11 about taking a Vernors out of my Grandpa's stash. Second, EVERYTHING that I claim can be backed up with proof.

I'm sure that I will miss something but:
1) Since September 20'th (IC contract date) I've averaged 7.1 mpg. (Some weeks were significantly lower and higher based on freight lane, choice to top off tanks etc)
2) I travel about 70 mph on average.
3) I have the #2 ECM program completed at Ron's Truck Service in MO. Being ungoverned, my hosepower, boost, etc are optimized. That said, this truck likes 70 mpg. It gets better mpg at 70 that 65-67. She starts drop off significantly around the 72.5 mph range. I.E. 6.2-6.6 mpg.
4)I have an APU and VERY RARELY idle.
5)Unless the truck is going to be off for greater than 5 minutes, I leave it running. (Less fuel used than when cranking)
6)I check fluids and tire psi DAILY. This optimizes mpg in that my equipment is always at optimal fuel/air levels.
7)I run 25% Lucas stabilizer to 75% oil in the truck. FYI, it keeps the truck running smoother, cooler, cleaner resulting in better mpg.
8)Immediately up taking delivery from Conway, I changed/cleaned/or replaced:
A) Delta crossover tubes (improved MPG)
B) Differential Pressure Sensor (same)
C) Intake Manifold Pressure Sensor/Temp Sensor (same)
These items were completed immediately following 2 double dose fuel treatments with Lucas Fuel Stabilizer/System Cleaner.
The above items were observed clean at delivery. I ran the cleaner, and rechecked/replaced the items due to excessive carbon immediately following
treatment.
6) I live on a very tight budget because I am of the belief that my hard earned money is better spent in Jamaica/Mexico/Belize/Puerto Rico etc. That said, I have a toaster over, crock pot, microwave, cooler, and fridge. This allows me to shop and stock up at Meijer, HEB, Safe-Way, Walmart etc and purchase enough food/beverage to eat and drink out of the truck until I have a chance to replenish my supplies.
7) I go home monthly for 2-4 days. This is done very strategically to ensure that highlights allow my miles to stay high. I've built GREAT relationships with dispatchers at my home terminal so that I never have to wait when I return or take some crap load into a bad lane!
8) I go home 2 times per year for 7-10 days so that I can unplug and recharge the batteries so to speak. (I just stayed home over Thanksgiving for 8 days)
9) I PICK THE BRAIN OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SMARTER THAN ME EVERY CHANCE THAT I GET! THIS ALLOWS ME TO CONSTANTLY EVOLVE AND LEARN THEN EVOLVE SOME MORE. FROM DRIVING HABITS TO DOMESTIC HABITS THAT I HAVE ON THE ROAD, EVERYTHING WAS DERIVED FROM SOMEONES ELSE'S IDEA. (I put this is caps because it is by far the MOST IMPORTANT of the above items)

A couple other points: Detention is 70% of whatever is billed to the customer. (I made $400 sitting in Ardmore OK for 8 hours). Positive relationships with dispatchers, weekend/night staff, local terminals etc is priceless. I just about always get the loads that I want. When something bad comes along I make a phone call, discuss the companies need, take it and get something amazing behind it. EXP: Crap load into Marion NC with a lot of down time followed by a 1550 mile run that I can knock out in 2 shifts resulting in a 3200 mile XMAS week and 24 hours down of my reset before next weeks starts! You have to be diligent in understanding freight lanes, trends, fuel stops, good areas to be weekdays vs weekends etc. If you do, you can maximize your miles EVERY WEEK.
Now, I have been an IC since 09/13. This settlement total shows is through 12/20. Thats 92 working days. Of which I was home for 8 over thanksgiving and 2 other 4 day stretches. Do the math, question it, then do the math again. Short of telling me that I am some paid blogger, you really shouldnt have a doubt.
My truck number is 46450. Look me up, call on me, stop me if you see me at a T/S, customer etc. I am always willing to share what I've learned and how I do it with others. I know that in the grander scheme of things I have a ton more to learn and look forward to every conversation in hopes that I might gleam something from someone to help me streamline my operation a little more.

I will be honest, my motivation is really 2 fold in putting these numbers out in the world. 1, I would love the recruiting bonus I get if you decide to come on board and drop my name and or truck number when you get hired. 2, Trucking does not have to be what the status quo has become. There are GREAT companies out here both large and small and in between for that matter. It's not always bad, you don't have to always get screwed, you don't have to be worth less than the gum on the bottom of a restaurant table. Most of your success is driven by relationships (in my experience), and the rest is driven by your willingness to do the hard work. (TY Kevin Rutherford) View attachment 59909

 

What does "Tractor deductions" mean -- is that your truck payment ?