Calex Express....My New Home!

Hi JohnBoy!
First of all a big thanks to you and the other Calex truckers for this fantastic thread and all the great info you have taken the time to share. My husband and I have been following it very closely. and in fact he came very close to hiring on with Calex. He and I were both very excited, and he was really looking forward to joining your team. However, an issue came up for us at the last minute, and it is a huge concern for us, and that is the issue of per diem. I know alot of companies have a per diem pay option, but what we just found out is that with Calex it is mandatory, $59 per day for every day the driver is out (as per Calex payroll dept). That is a huge number, working out to something like $17k a year of wages not included in gross. (I know for many this is a good thing, I will save the conversation of why we see it as a negative for another time or another thread).

Here's my question to you: I have been reading back over old sections of this thread, and I found something you posted on 12/24/09 post #171 you posted the following:

"We are paid $52 per day per diem based on how many days out we are. Example, my round trip is 6 days and I'm paid 3 days worth of per diem which equates to 8 cents per mile. So out of .36 p/m 28 of it is taxed and the other .08 is per diem."

So, here's my confusion - your round trip was 6 days but you were paid 3 days worth of per diem? In that case in a years time the total per diem would be more like $8 or 9k, not 17, and that figure would not concern us nearly as much.

Would you possibly be able to post here what your actual per diem pay has been? Say for the trips out west, what was your total number of days out and how much was your actual per diem? Or, how much has your per diem pay been ytd? This would be very valuable info if in fact the per diem is calculated differently than the way I understood it.

My husband and I were both very disappointed, so I guess I'm still trying to find a way to make it work. In a way he had to make a hasty decision, and we have not been able to discuss this yet with our accountant, so any info you can provide as to the accuracy of the figures will be greatly appreciated.

Another question, sorta related, is a while back you mentioned that when you go out west the company loads $300 on your fuel card. Could you please clarify what that money is for? You mentioned truck expenses, of course, like wash outs,tolls, etc but you also mentioned food. Can that money be used for driver expenses, and if so does it have to paid back, or is that part of per diem in some way? Also, is that something that all drivers get any time you go west, including coast drivers, or is it just for occasional trips?

One more question - in your most recent post you mentioned the 25 new Volvo 780's - do you know if any of these will be going to the coast drivers, or will they all stay local? I understand that right now the only trucks available for the coast drivers are the 670's. They are very nice trucks, but 61 inches is pretty small living quarters for weeks at a time! Especially when your wife and little dog come onboard!

Thanks in advance for all your help JohnBoy - you have touched many peoples lives from this little post, some you may not even realize. You are truly a "Supertrucker"! Good luck with the root canal, hope it's a walk in the park for you! God Bless.

 

thanks andy appreciate the help never went up rt 6 looks like a good route ..

 

rt 6 is good at night cuz not alot of traffic, but good scenery any time of the day. hope your weekend is going good! be safe

 

hey rhino, are you heading out from home or from somewhere else?

 

have to go to mt top and pick up my load it was ready yesterday morn when i was there but wasnt sure if i should have taken it then or not would have saved some time... have a few questions for billy in the morning so i will ask him about that see what he says thanks for your help keep it shiny side up fellas be safe

 

JohnBoy, thank you so much for the quick response to my questions and for your very informative answers. I really appreciate you taking the time on a Sunday afternoon when you are at home to respond - you exceed expectations! Whenever you can get the per diem info off your payroll sheets is fine, no rush. You have more immediate concerns this week, like making a quick recovery from your root canal! I've had two myself, so I know it's no fun, but honestly the relief of not having a toothache anymore was well worth it! If you have a good dentist you should be fine

Thanks for clearing up the question about the expense money - that makes alot more sense now. One more thing - how many coast teams does Calex have? Do you think the new 780's will only be going to the teams, or do you think any solo coast drivers will get them? I don't blame you for wanting to stay in your 780 as long as possible - that 77 inch cab and workstation/table looks NICE -you actually get to sit at a table to eat a meal - almost like real people live! LOL!
If the 780's are only for teams, almost enough to make me want to get my CDL myself! You know what they say, "if you can't beat, join em" - I'm sure I could adapt to living on a truck no problem.....it's just that tiny issue of actually driving a truck that I might have a problem with!

Again, thanks in advance for your help - now go enjoy what's left of your weekend!

 

Hi from Reno NV to all:

I just finished my first drop here this morning (Pacific time) in Reno, after leaving Mountaintop PA on Thursday afternoon. My second delivery is in Livermore, CA on Wednesday. I asked my good friend Eddie in dispatch if he could get it changed to tomorrow morning, but he tried and the receiver couldn't do it.

That's okay, originally this load was set to deliver Wednesday here in Reno and final in Livermore Thursday - but always pushing the envelope, I tried to get both deliveries moved up 2 days. It worked in Reno, but not Livermore. Oh well, I am now at Boomtown at exit 4, getting ready to get a hotel room here for the night ($39.00 plus tax), and the all you can eat Lobster buffet starts at 3pm local time, 40 minutes from now. Hmmm, not a bad place to take a 34 hour restart, if you ask me

I'll call Pat in dispatch tomorrow and give him a heads up that I'll be ready to go for a produce load as soon as I deliver Wed morning, and start to head back. As John has said many times, this company is a pleasure to work for, and everyone's been so nice and helpful. I do enjoy these west coast runs - even though I live in central Florida. I've been trying to alternate between the northeast and Florida one week, then a Cali run the next. This keeps my miles up and still allows for decent home time during this busy produce season out west. When winter comes and the produce slows, I'm happy to go home to FL every week and see the family. So it's all good!

Oh yes, yesterday coming into Nevada I stopped at Wendover and ate at the casino restaurant, then played the horses at the race book and was lucky enough to win some pretty good money. Now I'm at Boomtown - think I'll just enjoy the Lobster buffet and the nice room - don't want to press my luck at the tables!

Hasta Luego!