Driver Shortage !!!!!!

Well i say miles and hours. When you go from point A to point B mileage. When you get there hourly. If you have to baby sit qualcom you're on the clock. These shippers and recievers do not care how long we sit because it doesn't cost them anything. Back in the late 70's when the ICC came down hard on these people,and enforced the rules that are still on the books. In my line of work(Flatbed)there wasn't any hanging around you were in and out. I worked for Branch Motor Express and they charged everybody. Don't want to pay? We will sue you and they did!

 

You don't work for a trucking company but want to give advice to the rest of us about being slaves and not being paid?

I suppose you would also like for the company to pay you for eating, going to the toilet and taking a shower? And should they also pay you to sleep?

 

I am an owner operator.

I believe that if the driver works a day, he should be paid for the day.

If the truck cannot move because it is broke, then the driver should be paid.

If the truck cannot be moved because it is waiting on load, then the driver should be paid.

As far as sleeping, you need to look at the way Walmart pays their drivers. They are paid to sleep.

 

You seriously expect me to believe the notion that drivers are unsupervised???

With easily accessible and affordable technology, companies can and are supervising drivers!!! They can see real time data on any truck/driver in the fleet with just a few keystrokes. Every thing a driver does or doesn't do can monitored and recorded. When was the last time any of us can honestly say they felt "unsupervised"???

I believe companies should pay a maximum salary every week and no more for "illegal" work after HOS have been exceeded. With the technology, it will be obvious which drivers work and which ones malinger. Weed out the bad, properly compensate the the good ones.

 

What if Driver's were paid a very mediocre wage or salary, but were given an incentive bonus for getting the real work done. Make a system that rewards the good competent drivers.

A driver idling away his fuel while playing video games and showing up late gets a lousy return for his lousy effort. While a driver delivering on time or even doing early Drop and Hooks, doesn't waste fuel, and keeps good log book compliance has something to show for it on their paycheck.

This is about the only alternative I can think of to essentially spying on the trucker to see what their doing while on the clock.

 

Drivers are already paid for the work they do. If he is paid by mileage then you can easily see if he is working. When the truck breaks down many companies will pay a driver detention and some will put the driver in a motel if he can't stay in the truck. What if the driver is the one who breaks the truck? Perhaps he should be held accountable for his actions and reimburse the carrier for the cost of repairs and lost income to the truck. That is a good reason to require company drivers to have a bond. It would at least reduce the abuse of company equipment.

Carriers cannot pay drivers for work they don't do. Walmart is a private carrier. We are talking about apples and oranges. The money that they save on paying a carrier they can use to pay drivers to sleep. Walmart makes money on the products they sell, not by hauling freight.

I do think that carriers need to find their backbone and start charging shippers and consignee's for holding up their trucks. The only way most carriers can afford to pay a driver to sit at a loading dock is to lower their mileage pay unless they collect from the shipper. It is a matter of economics. If you want hourly pay, then you need to find an LTL carrier who only does local work.

 

It is apparent your opinion of the driver pay is not the same as most.

If the driver is paid mileage pay, then the driver is only paid to drive.

If I do any work on the trailer I am pulling, it is compensated to me. It is not part of the fee I am paid.

If I am held up more than the contracted time, I receive detention pay. I do not have to jump through a hoop to get it.

We will not be in agreement here, because I strongly feel that the driver is not properly compensated by most companies.

Walmart is private carrier as well as Schneider, Swift, JB Hunt, Crete and the rest.

The apples are the same.

As far as hourly pay, it does not matter to me whether it is hourly or a reasonable daily pay for the work performed.

 

Paying a maximum salary would take the incentive out of doing a better job or driving more miles. We all work to be rewarded with a nice paycheck at the end of the week. With mileage or percentage a driver isn't really limited as to how much he can earn, at least up to a point. Some carriers do offer incentives for low idle and keeping speed below a certain level. Many reward drivers for good inspections. It is bad business to limit someone in how much they can earn. If drivers were to be paid by the hour I can see some limitations on their compensation. For instance, lets say that a driver is paid $10/hour (for easy calculations). He has a 500 mile trip. The company decides that he can make that trip in 10 hours so they will pay him for 10 hours work. If he gets to his destination before the 10 hours then he earns more money per hour. If he takes longer, then he makes less per hour.

 

Drivers are paid a daily wage, but it is dependent on his performance. If he produces then he makes money. That is fair. Paying a driver an hourly wage will result in lower productivity and abuse. That is why we still compensate drivers and ask them to be productive. The greater a driver produces the more he earns.

 

Yeah and Reggie has the same problems with drivers like everyone else.

He don't pay so he don't get.........

Practice what you preach Reggie!!