Attention All Non-CPM Drivers

I'm paid a percentage of the gross paid to the truck. So it means I don't get 100% of tarp pay, but that's alright, because most loads aren't tarped anyhow, and gross to the truck includes line haul, fuel surcharge, and any other pay made to the truck, such as detention pay. No, I don't get paid for empty miles. I'm driving for a fleet owner who is leased onto a larger company. Zero benefits - something you may wish to keep in mind if the company you currently work for offers them.

How someone fares in this pay system really depends on a number of things. If you're being paid percentage working for someone who hauls cheap freight, you won't come out ahead.

 

Same here... a percentage of linehaul, 99.8% of fuel surcharge (they take a cut of the difference between the weeks established rate and anything more that is collected), plus all of the accessorial payments. Since I'm an independent contractor, I'm respsonsible for my share of social security and medicare taxes, I do get reasonable medical insurance through my carrier.

Being paid this way is all about containing costs. Whatever is left over after I pay the bills is mine - and the largest controllable expense is the fuel bill. Buy cheap, maximize the fuel economy. Going fast usually doesn't benefit me because of the way my load/unload appointments work out.

 

I drive for a small 12 truck company. I get 20% of what the owner gets per load, no dead head miles. Nothing out of my pocket. I know that sounds low to some of you guys, but that's the going rate around here for forestry products.

 

My dad gets paid a flat daily rate to drive then by the hour for non driving work, he's a company driver. Doesn't matter weather he drives 1 or 800 miles in a day he makes the same amount.


American Trucker

 

Gross Revenue - Fixed Costs - Variable Costs = Net before taxes.

Fixed Costs are just that week-over-week.

Your variable costs you can keep track of with receipts... scales, tolls, repairs, etc. You have your fuel receipts, so the rest is just running the numbers.

If you do a simple (as simple as is possible) ballance sheet (a spreadsheet is ideal) you can keep track of your numbers and develop averages for your costs. Weekly numbers tend to fluctuate a lot, so long-term averages are the best for that.

 

Pretty much. We get a Qualcomm page that details what the load pays... its broken down into linehaul, fuel surcharge, reefer surcharge, etc., but the total is the number that matters. I know what my bottom line is, so given the number of days on the load I know what I expect to see in terms of a total price for the load. Divide by the dispatched miles tells me how "hard" I will be working for that money.