whats good pay for owner to give driver. percentage vs per mile

Cpm is working harder for your money instead of smarter imo, would a driver rather do ~$1400 a week on 1500’miles or $1400 a week on 2800 miles, personally I wouldn’t want my truck running any more then it had to to make a fair days pay for a days work

 

The problem with percentage is the driver is dependent on you making good deals for them to get paid good. After all 100% of zero is till zero. When they are asking, it to make sure you know enough of the industry to get good paying loads. The fact you are asking this question, to me, makes that doubtful.

I would insist on you following the law by paying on a W2 (in most cases a 1099 is illegal) and a cpm with the option to switch to % and back on a scheduled basis.

That way if you can't run your business correctly, you're lack of experience effects me less by paying cpm, and if you do know your business I can switch to % as that gives me an incentive to make us both more money.

Putting it on a schedule, something like once every 6 months or even a year means you won't have a driver flipping every week and making your job harder.

 

I'm running Meijer loads for JB Hunt right now. My last 940,000 miles have been primary round trips between mid Michigan and southern Wisconsin. It gets me home most nights to interact with the family but now that the kids are older being home all the time is less crucial. I always liked the idea of being my own dispatcher and now I have an opportunity to see I how the reality compares to the fantasy.

 

Very well said.

 

If you have no loads you are getting paid $0 no matter which way he is paid, unless he is offering a weekly minimum

 

That’s likely because the respondents are ‘company driver mentality’ folks.

Business and percentages, and perception thereof, is a learned skill.

 

Very true. But if he's picking $1 / mile loads because he thinks the truck moving, even if it's not actually paying the bills. is better than getting a properly paying load he's harming the driver.

That's my point. % pay is 100% dependent on the owner knowing the business. With him asking that sort of question here I have doubts he does know the business.