Arnold Announces Pay Cut

Arnold Transportation Services (a division of US Express) announced, through letters to all it's drivers, that there will be an across the board decrease in pay and benefits for all drivers, owner/operators, office workers, and mechanics. The least effected is the Southeast Regional fleet (only a one cent per mile decrease for o/o's) but all other compensations were cut almost, if not entirely, in half. Company President/CEO Thomas Glaser sights the bad economy, failures of banks, fortune 500 companies, and other factors for this decrease in pay/compensation.
I am leased onto Arnold and have been since before Aronold took over ownership from Silver Eagle 13 years ago (driving the same truck-can't see parking a perfectly good truck and making truck payments again). When US Express bought Arnold, we all knew the feces was going to hit the fan, and now it has. Will I be pulling my truck and going elsewhere? I don't know yet, all depends on how the miles fall. I have not seen anything over 2000 paid miles for a week in months but I am still making it (thank goodness everything is paid off). But I am looking and looking hard at moving on.

 

Mileage pay was cut 1 to 4 cents per mile for O/O's depending on what region one was signed up for. What was cut in half (not only for O/O's but for company drivers also) were the compensation pay for lay over, detention, breakdown, and holiday pay (which was taken away altogether). Personnal/Sick Days were taken away also. Annual Vacation days were rolled back as much as one week and the corisponding pay was cut in half. The aforementiond CEO says that freight rates are as low as they have ever been and since we (Arnold) are not a large company, we can not afford to be undercut by larger companies and stay in business. I take that with a grain of salt since we are part of a much larger conglomerate. My thoughts are that someone in the BIG OFFICE in Chatanooga is lining his pockets with what they are taking away from the driver. Company drivers that were making the top pay of .46/mile were rolled back to .40/mile. Benefits (medical/dental/etc) cost have risen steadily over the past year to become almost un-affordable for them. I asked several Company drivers how they were doing for miles last week and what I was told (truth or not) seems the new drivers making less than .30/mile are getting the lions share of the miles while the O/O's and older drivers are getting the dredges of what is left over. Typical business practice.

The Roehl driver getting over 2k miles/week. Good for you but I bet you go places we don't have to go. I used to run all the system, not only at Arnold but other companies I have worked for. Gone 4 weeks at a time, no home time when I did get home (best I ever got was 2 days). At least now I am home on weekends even though I could elect to stay out 2 or more weeks. I don't touch freight either. Everything is either Drop and Hook or Lumper Unload and there is never an argument with dispatch about it. I figure I have paid my dues in that line. Right now, that is the only good thing about where I am at.

Yes, I know this turned out long and most would not read it all but it is something I think needed to be said about this company. As always, getting enough drivers to stand to gether to stop something injust, well, everyone knows it won't happen. I have a perfect safety record, on time p/u and delivery record also. I drive an older truck but it is well maintained and will still be road worthy for a long long time yet to come. I also know that Arnold is not the only company to roll back pay/benefits. Look at what Schneider did and rumor has it that JB is going to do the same thing. Don't even ask about Werner as I have been told by some of their O/O's that they will see a larger pay cut than we took plus all their Home Depot stuff is getting cut out.

After rolling over a million accident/incident free miles with a company, I would not expect to be treated to a pay cut like we are.....Ride Safe

 

I guess the management figures that if they take at least one cent per mile away from us SE Regional drivers, they can hold the Corporate Christmas Party this year, invite all us drivers then dispatch us all on loads so we can not make it (this has been done before). Taint right man, Taint right! We all have to sign an addendum to our contract for the new pay rates by October 4th. Think I will go in with my on addendum stateing that my pay per mile and other compensations will be raised up to a much higher level come January 1, 2010 and see what they say. Now, if I can just get the other O/O's to go along with it.