Hi All, Just a few quick questions. I am a Student driver with Werner. When I was hired on they said my rate of pay would be 27 cmp, a little lower if I wanted to run all 48. Now, 3 weeks in to my training i find out "a little lower" means 22 cmp with a 4 cpm safety bonus. So I guess thats 26 cpm if i don't get in any accidents right? They also take off 1 cpm if you want to participate in their per diem program. Is that low for the industry? It seems awfully low, but I have no experience. What other options do I have? Is the per diem program worth the 1 cpm i have to give up? Does anyone know how often Werner gives raises? I seem to remember something about 6 months and 1 year. wish i would have written it down.
Look at it this way, How many miles can you put on in a ten hour period, well depending on the weather and traffic. Ok lets say you do an average of 50mph in ten hours, 500 miles, multiply that by .22cpm then divide that by 10hrs which = $11.00 per hour. yes that's low. Get your driving time in with Werner then find a better paying trucking job.
Are the rates posted as a solo driver or are you still with a trainer? I'd like to see all drivers quit ANY company who "charges" (penalizes) a driver to run the per-diem program. That said, I don't recommend per-diem anyway but a "charge" to run per-diem takes the cake. There is too much liability that today's driver has to assume (on behalf of the carrier) to be paid less than 32 cents (in 2012) as a new driver. New driver or not, the demands, expectations, and skills required demand MUCH more than 28 cents/mile. It's no wonder new drivers don't stick around. A safety bonus model is good but if the base pay is far in the toilet, all the safety bonus in the world really makes little difference. Plus, sometimes a quarterly safety bonus is taxed at a higher rate to further add insult to injury. ... and then these mega-carrier bottom feeders wonder why they can't keep decent beginner drivers with great potential.
You don't have any now if you want to remain in the industry. Just stick it out. Werner seems to be at the bottom of the bottom feeders - - they take it to a whole other level. But they allow pets!
Con-way Freight (not truckload) frequently hires student drivers in Buffalo that start at $18.75 or more hourly, check that out before any OTR garbage.
nah, i was thinking he could have his pet become "commercial company" on the side when they park in the evenings for extra cash. I bet it'd be wildly successful.....
