Opinions on new OTR hourly pay?

@Michael-CO

When politicians excluded truck drivers from overtime protections in 1938, they were covered by the 1935 law that outlined their working hours. In 1966, an amendment to the FLSA again codified that truck drivers would be excluded.

not going into politics but that’s why they don’t have to pay truck drivers OT.

 

During my training at Schneider this came up. Someone asked about it and the answers weren't real clear. The men who were answering (I think they were DTLs) said they were having a meeting about it later in the week and that for Schneider OTR it would be a combination of cpm for driving and hourly for on duty not driving. Basically they said that it would get you paid for the time you spent pre tripping or fueling but you wouldn't want to milk it because you will be making more driving.

 

Problem is the feds get big money from lobbying groups who opposed a federal rule on detention pay.

 

Just based on things I have seen over the last 30 years the largest enemy of the rank and file CMV operators are most of the people that run the businesses in this industry as well as the groups that are supposed to be advocating for them. As for Lobbyists, this is universal across every type of business from A to Z.

 

Technically, drivers could document and keep track of all these types of scenarios and sue for it. If you’re working, you’re working and under federal law you’re supposed to be paid. We all know those two or three days per week when we get up at 5 AM in the morning and we’re monkeying around doing stuff related to trucking, going to pick up a trailer, swapping a trailer, then there’s a problem, or a delay, or you were sent to the wrong place or whatever thousand and one reasons it might be the next thing you know it’s 3 PM in the afternoon and you’re just starting to get on the road and you’ve already put in A 10 hour day. This happens on average a couple times per week for most over the road drivers. When you add that up on a yearly basis it’s thousands upon thousands of dollars. We usually look the other way because, as long as we somehow, someway get those miles by the end of the week and get that average paycheck we’re OK with it. The reality is, we are working for free. It’s compact because you’re in one place, your truck. But if you lived at home and worked this way you would never stand for it. You would not get up at 5 AM and report to work and not get paid until 3 PM and then do your actually job related duties for another 10 hours. Lol switching your sleep patterns around and everything else to accommodate your employer.
People just say “well that’s trucking“. And you know what at the end of the day that’s the truth. We try not to stop and think how many hours and how screwed up our schedules are we just think about Friday and getting that paycheck that’s $1500.

 

It was. I was there from 6/2014-7/2015 out of the Ross yard.

Started out in fresh, then flowback and finally production water, then the crash hit and I got promoted to crude oil rather than getting starved out.

 

Those laws do not extend to drivers, it's been well documented for a while now.

 

Were you guys in Nashville union like the guys in Augusta and Savannah? On the tank was I didn’t find much use for the union. Since the terminal closed I’m guessing our drivers didn’t either.

 

Probably so. Wasn't impressed with the union at all. Family insurance was good though @ $35.00 a week. I stayed just long enough to get the pension, 5 years, then high-tailed it overseas.

 

I've been to the Augusta and Savannah terminal. I liked delivering to some place in Savannah. Unloaded right by the channel leading to the ocean. While the load was pumping off, it was nice to watch the ships go by and see the merchant seaman standing on the fantail BS'ing. Wished I was one of them heading to a foreign port somewhere. I have my Ordinary Seaman document, but with family had to do the trucking. I love traveling overseas and try to do 3 mos. or more a year.