guarenteed pay

My mother in law retired after 20 years with a large electrical manufacturer and she was in charge of shipping at their distribution plant and I can tell you that if the driver didn't represent the trucking company well then she either didn't use them often or not at all. So the drivers professional apparence means alot at many shippers. The shippers look at us as an extension of their company. Any time an employee is in the public eye especially customers they should look and act professional bottomline. You can always slip back into your old t-shirt and shorts when driving, but have the common sense to put on a clean shirt spit out the chewing tobacco when picking up or receiving.

 

Driving is my job.
I get paid to bring product from point A to point B.
As in any job where you are delivering a product, you may be the only representive of that company that the shipper/ reciever ever sees.
I may at times have to go 2 days without a true shower, or without a decent shave. I will not however show up at a shipper or reciever without at least getting myself cleaned up as best I can and wearing clean clothing. Maybe they will not think anything bad about my company if they think I need a shower, but it is not professional.

I am not a steering wheel holder. I am not a pawn. My company may think of me that way, as may some of the shippers and recievers. I will not however project that image to anyone.

When you get out of that truck and go into that office you are an extention of your company, and love them or hate them it should not matter. You need to project yourself as a professional. You are getting paid to do it. It is your job. Why not do it well.

 

There are companies that offfer guarantees, but they always come with some requirements attached. I know of one here in the midwest that guarantees a gross of 1200 each week. Not bad money, comparative to what most drivers make. But the deal goes like this.

You have to be ther on time, each and every time. Miss the delivery time, whether your fault or not, and you earn whatever the loads paid for the week, even if it's under 1200 total.

You have to be available for dispatch as needed. You have very little leeway in managing your hours, or any say in what loads you take. if they call and you show you have the hours to run it, the load is yours.

You run where they say. None of this "I don't like NYC" stuff. If they get a load going there, you take it there.

If they need a load delivered on the weekend, you get to run it. Weekends are not exempt from the deal.

they get their money's worth out of you. They are probably going to put enough loads on the truck to make sure that you hit darn close to 1200, or more each and every week. If you do over 1200 in business, then you do get the money from that, but the 1200 guarantee comes with some issues to consider other than just the money.

Now, I have a friend of mine that works there and he is happy with it. He gets home almost nightly, and he's happy with the money he makes there. It isn't my cup of tea, but it works for him. It's all a matter of finding something that you can live with.

 

wel said, I know of plenty of contracts that have not been renewed because the drivers refused to work with or accomodate the shippers or the custome's at the point of delivery. First impressions ALWAYS Last.