How much is 24% of the load?

Depends. Where I work the percentage is the percentage of everything even if there’s a surcharge.

 

The company paid $150 every time I crossed the border. I got into a gig where I was running genie man lifts out of Washington State to various United Rentals in BC…mainly Vancouver. $300-500/ day as a company schmuck. Everyone else is focused on getting out of the area. I wouldn’t leave the area until all the short hops disappeared.

 

It was my understanding upon hire, the driver gets 27% of the trucking charge. In the late 70s, fuel was like .35/gallon, so that wasn't even in the equation. I figured I was getting more like 22%, and found out later, that was a common practice. I did drive a dump that was paid by the load, kind of like mileage, and a tanker job hauling crap by the load, but if I went into a place and they said %, I walked out.

 

Percentage pay only makes sense when you know what the load actually bills for, and that’s the part a lot of companies stay vague about.

With steel, rates can be higher than general flatbed, but they’re also very lane- and contract-dependent. Without seeing their average linehaul numbers, 24% by itself doesn’t tell you much.

Rough math examples (very rough):

• If a steel load bills $2,500 linehaul → 24% = $600
• $3,000 linehaul → 24% = $720
• $3,500 linehaul → 24% = $840

That sounds decent until you factor in:

• How many of those loads per week you’ll realistically run
• Unpaid time (waiting on coils, mill delays, tarping, permits)
• Backhaul rates, which are often weaker
• Whether fuel surcharge is included in the percentage or paid separately

Three weeks of orientation at $500/week is another thing I’d look hard at. That’s a long time to be underpaid unless they can show consistent post-orientation earnings from current drivers.

If they can’t or won’t answer:

• average weekly gross
• average miles per load
• how often you’re sitting at mills
• how longevity bumps actually work

then it’s reasonable to be cautious. In a soft freight market, percentage pay can swing hard both ways.

 

Steel loads can vary widely in pay depending on distance, weight, and route, but generally, 24% of a load might be on the lower side compared to typical flatbed rates of 26 to 28 percent. If a flatbed load averages around $2,000 to $3,000, 24% would be about $480 to $720 per load. Steel hauls might pay more or less depending on specifics, but it’s worth confirming with current drivers or the company how quickly pay increases after orientation and what an average load pays.

Since the orientation pay is low, make sure the post-orientation rates make the waiting period worthwhile. You might also want to ask if there are bonuses, accessorial pay, or other perks that boost overall earnings.

 

Between 1977 and 2022 I've seen it all.

Small petroleum carrier running on another carrier's rights bragged they paid 64.5% to owner operators instead or 62% BUT the other carrier charged 10% to use their rights so the deducted 20% before applying that 'generous' percentage.

Old time NJ chemical hauler; one copy of the customer's invoice was part of the owner operator's settlement envelope.

Small time guy leased to above chem hauler paid his drivers percentage lost his longest tenured driver 'because the rates never go up' meanwhile his boss has faced decreasing rates due to competition pressure while still paying 'the same pay rate' to his drivers.

Unfortunately there are many more percentage cheats out there. Beware.

 

If you’re going to do percentage, than make sure you have rate con FORWARDED not emailed or picture taken. Most flatbed companies have no problem getting 8k a week gross with long term customers and customer freight.