I have seen people say no to taking a 1099 job

Also, I would like to add that with 1099 you might not get holidays paid or any vacations.

 

Working as a contractor is not necessarily bad, I did it for a few years way back when AND made a good deal of money! I DO NOT recommend a green driver do this for lots of reasons some of which have been articulated VERY well on these boards. EYES WIDE OPEN before you sign on that dotted line!

 

I did the 1099 thing for 6 years. One I worked for 5 years, and another for 1. The only real advantage to me, is that those jobs give you a source of income if you have a less than stellar record. I had a positive drug test and later an accident on my record so I had to give time for those be far enough in the past to go with a company that's more reputable. The big lie is that you make more money. Sure you do, if you don't pay your taxes. They may pay 60 cpm, but if you take away say, 10% for taxes, that's in line with what W2 company would pay an experienced driver. You aren't getting benefits. All insurance and social security is on you. No vacation time. Next thing, 1099 companies don't have the most modern equipment usually. Many owners are cheap, and will cut corners in terms of truck maintenance. I had that issue with the first company. The owner was so cheap, he only put a 250 dollar limit on the card for fuel per day. You tell me, what tanks are being filled up with amount of money? At one point, he set the amount of fuel for what you needed(in his mind) to make that run. The other Chicago based company that I did for a year took out money for "escrow." 2k to be exact. When I quit, I didn't get that back. I didn't even care. I hit a deer with that company, and he charged me 2500 for the deductible. He says the rental car places do it and that's his excuse. Blah blah blah. I signed that contract knowing that I was going to get ####ed. I just needed to make it a year for things to fall off and then I could move on. Obtaining enough miles to make a check can be difficult. They operate only off of spot market freight, and these companies haven't built a big enough rapport, or have a strong enough safety score in some cases to get loads that pay great all the time. The Chicago companies are overly reliant on running the east coast and northeast. They feel that's the only loads that pay worth anything, pretty much taking what nobody really wants to take. I had weeks where I was having difficulty even getting 2000 miles. They will sit you and have you wait until a top dollar load hits the board. Some weeks you won't work everyday. Then many of them are DOT targets. Owners will say run at night, or bypass scales because of less than equipment. I got myself in some trouble early on in my career because I hadn't matured in many ways. I paid the price for 8 years. I had to kick my addiction first, then I made it work because I had a family. I was lucky enough to still be able to drive while I was rehabbing myself and career. These companies are for rehabilitation purposes only. For a short term, it isn't bad. You cannot make a career out of working for these companies.

 

Yes. If you fall behind, just make sure you contact the IRS.

 

You can take that home with the right W2 company.

 

I would like to amplify something @bryan21384 has stated. I see no real benefit that comes from driving general trucking in the 1099 environment. When I was working as an independent contractor I was doing repo's and for a short time doing drive-a-way. I HIGHLY recommend a driver NOT touch 1099s for general driving. In my case when I was doing repo the guy I worked for paid for all my expenses and I took a percentage of the contract. Again, if humanly possible stay away from 1099 work in this business, UNLESS you are FULLY versed on the business side!

 

That must have been a tough slog. I'm not doubting one word of it. But I will just add that those are not the only types of 1099 gigs. The 1099 check I got yesterday was $7935.14 - that's AFTER the company took its healthy cut - for 7 days of pulling a company dryvan 2700 miles in 66 hours on ELD.

1099 is not inherently evil. It's a tool, and as with any tool, different people use it for different things. Just like if somebody robs a bank with a gun, that doesn't mean guns are evil.

 

What expenses do you have to pay out of that $7900 check? Besides taxes.

 

Everything except ELD airtime, plates, permits, and truck insurance. Those are already deducted. It's my truck, so I gotta pay all the fuel, tolls, maintenance, and repair, plus my own pay, benefits and taxes, plus whatever else has been mentioned.

 

I avoid the number 1099 all together. It’s just not a good number in my experience.

I’m the 1099 person to enter the gate at the game? “Well hello young lady! Here, get on in here!”. That makes me 1100!

My RPMs show 1099? No no no! I slow down to 1098 or bump it up to 1100.

I see a sale on a great looking piece of furniture for $1099? Nope! “Yes, I’m interested in the coffee table, but only if you’ll take full price. I’m just comfortable paying $1099.

So, as you may have already guessed, I would politely decline a 1099 job offer.