Inverter in all trucks yet ?

I start squire training on 4/9/2018 out of the Phoenix terminal. I was told the same thing except .35 cpm my first 30,000 solo miles then .38 to .45 cpm depending on length of the haul. Shorter hauls pay more with longer hauls less. They do this to encourage drivers to take all loads. Not sure about anymore raises in first year but I will ask in orientation.

 

Forgot to mention all new trucks come with 1800 watt inverters. They will be installing 1800 watt inverters on all trucks but the new ones get them first.

 

If you have it in writing then that's good . I will have to wait till orientation to find out for sure. It could also be the area you live in. I know different areas pay different. The endorsements probably make a difference also. I only have a tanker endorsement but I am currently studying for my doubles and hazmat.

 

They paid .35 to top hands back in the early 90's Inflation consumed the rest of it. We should be paid a minimum of .80 a mile solo or salaried equally to 2000 gross weekly to make a proper living out of OTR Driving.

When I bought my 41000 FLD Short roof in 1994, freight rates were about 1.50 to 1.65 or so per loaded mile with about maybe 1.05 to 1.18 or so per mile to truck, insurance, required escrow for engine replacement and so forth. Insurance in particular. Fuel was number two in expected expenses. I had a 425 cat equivalent on a rockwell 9 which at the time was a total package for me in those days.

Today's trucks cost 150K, trailers only god knows how much and mileage rates start at 1.99 average in western states according to 2015 Cass Transport Status Reporting for Wall Street purposes and averaged about 2.50 or so midwest and 2.20 elsewhere. Other rates as high as 3 to 4 dollars a mile were specific NDA non disclosure agreements and not included in Cass Index. This covers ALL modes of transport in the USA with 2015 truck about 8% of tractors idle out of millions and 15% of trailers idle at some point each part of a quarter for up to 4 quarters in 2015 out of god only knows how many more.

I am not a owner operator for reasons long past the scope of this post, that story has been retold several times in my past time here on TTR.

As a company driver starting in the late 80's my best rate was 25% commission to whatever the truck made each week home on weekends running food to the NE, particularly hunts Point several times a week and seafood to Boston Combat zone near Chelsea market when oppertunities arise from Cape Cod and other areas deadhead to either Seneca Lakes for Salt south to Maryland or deadhead to Allentown for Dogfood south to Virginia out of the entire North East. Once in a great while I got loaded with paint products near new haven for points west into Ohio but bulkheaded as hazmat with food products in the cooled half of the trailer creating a problem for purposes of placarding and actually ignored food grade regulations somewhere on that few loads. I flat refused to haul any more out of there and got fired for it.

One of the reasons I have like 50 trucking jobs among other things in my life time. I stand up and tell em what for, they fire me and I go find something else to do.

Being paid 25% was better than being paid .24 and paid .35 until about 1998 when I was paid .39. That stayed until I was paid about .47ish or so in 2001 after my training wore off salary, Wife was paid .28 regardless of what she did that year with me. so truck was paid around .75 cents to the mile loaded.

There were times we did 7000 to 9000 miles a week. And still got payrolls of 0.00 due to pre-computer paperwork delays in being paid up to 6 to 10 weeks due to interchanges off late single drivers. We literally had to get a journel, about a foot wide, 16 inches deep, a inch thick ruled paper. Started to write everything down to the special trip number paid on all loads handled. A green check mark went against loads paid for that payroll, and a red X went into loads not paid. And the recpiepts stapled and retained. Once a month we went to FFE Lancaster to talk to vice president or to a Driver manager upstairs and make a claim for 6 to 10 unpaid loads and demand a comcheck in full. It usually came out pretty fat on the spot a hour later we would have it from the bank downtown wired to our account.

That caused our team to quit the company in 2001. HOWEVER> A chance interchange had us on a McKesson million plus dollar load from Jessup Md interchanged off a Solo going to Memphis from Linfield CT have given us a white gloved first class treatment you will NEVER EVER see in grocery, perishsble or crappy van door slamming BS freight.

We instantly found a contractor that did nothing but McKesson and back hauled the teams from Yakima with apples to Atlanta NW safeway so that they can rest up and get hours for another Memphis to Seattle medicine run. Otherwise we shuttled trailers into Little Rock from memphis by myself 24/7. the Pay? 40 something cents. But with that kind of money in 2001 combined with a 306 day service time out away from home with perdiem that came close to 14000 dollars in addition to about another 16000 in extra withholding each week for state and federal, something like 175 to state and 110 or so to uncle sam against taxes on 65 to 75K expected for the year gross. So that no matter what, we don't see taxes. (*it's paid, soemthing like 32000 or so total) and the refunds gave us a foundation to run on a new trucking year and then some.

An example of why that savings was so important was 9-11. Bin Laden's Attackers killed the people and destroyed our payroll company which was third party. We were told it will probably be months before we were paid. We could quit today, go get unemployment until they get paid going again and restart with no penalty or punishment. But at that time we had 14000 in the bank, with 9000 committed to replacing a storm damaged bathroom. That was enough money to run two people and continue mckesson medicines to the East Coast from Detriot and Memphis for all those hurt people for about 7 weeks until another payroll company was built and everything caught up again. We were given a small gift for our loyalty and not stopping that truck. Some drivers were in debt and could not work. SO they went onto unemployment through no choice of their own. To be fair I never saw them again.

My dispatcher? 23 years old fresh from the army. I never thought I would be dispatched by a Boy (*Relative to my age...) but this one once educated, taught and maybe a little listening on our part for his awesome story and life in the army with a baby on the way etc. Gave us a motivation to run good for this one.

I wonder if he is still dispatching. I hope so. He would need that pay for the kids in college by now. It's been just about 17 years or so.

 

What's the point of inverters when trucks won't idle?..eventually you'll have dead batteries from unsuspecting drivers not keenly aware of it...

 

Only 2016 and up trucks have inverters and not every one of those have them

 

I have a 2014 Volvo. It has an inverter.