My Son Fed Up With Stevens

I understand piecemeal work and penny's per mile. I'm talking about all of the other time spent on duty and in service of the company. Just a few questions for you.

1. Are you compensated for pre and post trips?
2. Are you compensated for fueling?
3. Are you compensated for a time spent during a breakdown or LEO inspection? Is there any free time that you have to give the company?
4. Are you compensated for time spent loading/unloading? Is there any free time that you have to give to the company?
5. Are you compensated for the actual miles that you Drive?

 

All of that is a part of each piece of work that I do so yes. I am a piece worker, not measured by a clock like a turkey in an oven.

 

Should I, as an owner, be compensated for the driver's traveling hotel room on wheels?

 

When Schneider switched from a base mileage with accessory pay model to base pay plus hourly for all on duty time, it cut my pay by over 3%. The hourly rate was/is crap, but even if it were reasonable it would still fall short. Doing a double drop and hook used to pay $15, but only took an extra 15 minutes compared to a basic d/h. Loads under 50 miles paid $50 plus mileage. Assume a 30 minute d/h on either end. Under the old structure you're looking at a minimum of $25/hr, under the new it's a minimum of $15/hr. Spend 4 hours in a dock? Old structure paid $30, with no time burned off the 70. New structure you have a choice - stay on duty and get paid $40 or go off duty and get paid nothing. Give up a potential $125 in mileage pay or guarantee $40? I'd rather get the $30 of detention AND the potential $125.

With any compensation scheme, you have to look at the big picture:

Total Money​

---------------------------------------- = pay rate
(Total Work x Agrivation Factor)

For the same actual work, I'd rather make $107,000 and 'not get paid' for inspections and fueling than make $103,000 and be explicitly paid for every task.

 

As you are the owner, you are already being compensated for the load being hauled. Let's just hope you compensate your driver(s) for all of their on duty time while in the service of your company.

 

Workers of the world throw off your chains!

 

When you work in a factory, does the factory start paying you when your alarm clock goes off at home, letting you know to get ready for work? Does the factory pay your gasoline fees for driving your car to and from the factory and hourly pay while you're driving to and from the factory?

 

No but they do pay you when you clock in until you're clocked out for all time. Trucking is the only business where you're expected to work for peanuts when the pay is broken down hourly. Also drivers are routinely expected to work off the clock logging on duty functions as off duty to save clock so they can do better piece mealing it. It's a lousy way to be paid there's really no good defense of it.

 

Ever since deregulation the rates don’t support what drivers think they’re worth unless someone gets away from general freight. But that usually takes stability and a clean record so a large percentage just bounce from mega to mega expecting things to be different.

 

Trucking is voluntary. Plenty of jobs other than trucking and some pay much better, such as the trades.
Some would rather work for less pay for the solitude of the road and I'm one of them.
That's the reason I liked reefer trucking; lots of nighttime driving with dim lights inside the truck and good music to listen to.