hourly wages vs milage or percentage pay for truckers

Yes, I'd prefer hourly. Clock in, 5days later clock out. $25-$30 an hour. They might look at my time as valuable then.

Good thread. I've always argued this point.

All my driving jobs were paid hourly until I moved to the USA.

 

The ones who will scream the loudest wanting hourly pay are the same ones screaming the loudest protesting eLogs and other such "monitoring devices, that invade the privacy and autonomy of the driver". So, how's that going to work out?

 

I believe that in this industry as a driver you will not be compensated enough for all that is required for the job. I believe that mileage pay should be used for miles driven and then hourly pay should be for on duty not driving. In any instance we as truck drivers should definitely get over time pay.

 

In the beginning drivers were paid ''actual'' hub miles..

If you talk to the real old timers they will tell you this..When sleepers came along,it was the first step in creating slave labor..My grandpa and dad hated the ''sleepers'' when they were introduced...They would still tell you today that sleepers ruined trucking and created an unfairness to the drivers.

 

I think hourly pay gives a company ammunition to say to a driver you haven't worked hard enough when a driver gets lazy, and also gives a company the right to expect more from a driver than that driver can give, meaning the driver is exhausted.

Some drivers will get lazy because in their mind, they are getting paid anyway. I am a fan if percentage pay because it gives you an incentive to get down the road.

Bid daddies at these companies can afford to give a driver a percentage of the load. The average in this industry is 72 percent of the load, with the company getting the remainder of 28 percent. The company us making money on volume.

Many think that paying by the hour is a great idea, slow down with that, it's not and here is why. The government seems to say that as long as a company pays minimum wage they are compliant and that's true based upon the hours and wages laws.

At 7.50 per hour, all you'll get is 40 hours a week. Any driver can get a load delivered in 40 hours. To assume you'll get paid for 60 or 70 hours a week is a huge maybe.

If a driver earns $680.00 per week and then factors in how many miles they drove, they will soon discover that they really worked for the same cpm wage a trainee gets.

 

Unless you are chained to your truck and not paid for your efforts, you are NOT SLAVE LABOR!! I don't know of a single driver who works for free. I don't know of a single driver who is chained to his steering wheel. That mentality is what unions do to try and organize those who want to be a victim. Some of you like to talk about carriers or executives being greedy. Well, what about drivers who want to be paid from the time they get to their yard until they get back home. That is taking greed to another level. I have never expected to be paid for work that I didn't perform. I never expected to be paid to go to the toilet or having a meal. Talk about GREED!! Before anyone takes a driving job, they know up front, how they will be compensated. No one is holding a gun to your head to drive a truck. No one is preventing you from buying your own truck and no one is preventing you from getting your authority and paying yourself what you feel is a fair wage. More importantly, no one is preventing you from gaining more skills so that you can enhance your value to your company or so that you can find a position with a company that pays a higher wage.

While I think that percentage is the best way for a driver to be compensated, mileage is fair in that drivers are paid based upon their performance. Granted, there are external forces, such as weather and traffic, that can impact your pay, but you are paid for what you were hired to do......drive a truck. You didn't take a driving job to eat, go to the toilet, shower or play video games. You are paid to drive. Drivers are paid much like salesmen. Most salesmen are paid commission. If they don't sell something, they don't make money. Should they be paid hourly? How about going to the toilet? Traveling salesmen or manufacturers reps are paid straight commission. No salary and NO draw. Commission. They pay for their own gas, motel and other traveling expenses. If they don't sell something then they are out all their expenses and they still don't get a paycheck. Should manufacturers reps or traveling salesmen be paid hourly from the time that they leave their house until they return? I don't see any difference between these road warriors and those who drive a truck. Both earn their pay based upon their performance.

I have worked hourly, mileage and percentage. Out of the three, I prefer percentage.

 

There is a cost/benefit to any business relationship. You make a good point. If drivers were paid hourly, the company would have the reasonable expectation that you will need to drive a minimum amount of miles for that hourly pay. If you cannot perform, they will find another driver who can. Carriers could base raised on the number of miles run and your hourly pay. If you are not driving more than the minimum number of hours, then you don't get your raise. Over time pay would be minimized. Like any other business that pays hourly, the carrier's will try to keep over time to a minimum. You might see more drop and hook, but then that would be a problem for owner operators, especially those pulling open deck trailers and where they own their own equipment. At this point, you see more owner operators running percentage. It is rare that I have spoken to any owner operator running percentage who would rather go back to mileage or even be paid hourly.

How about another scenario. Carriers can run the trip and a trip that should take 5 hours, took you 8 hours to make. The carrier will base their billing on the amount of time it should take to make the run. If you continue taking longer than the computer says you should to make your deliveries you will likely be looking for another job.

Carriers will need to be paid hourly in order to pay drivers an hourly wage. Shippers know that it should only take 5 hours to make their delivery. What do you think would happen if the carrier sent them a bill for 8 hours? After all, you did take 8 hours to make a delivery that should only have taken 5 hours. Do you think that the shipper or broker will pay for the 8 hours? Probably not. If they do, they will probably find another carrier who can make the delivery in 5 hours.

I just don't see how hourly pay can be fair to all parties with otr trucking. It can work locally, but not where drivers are on their own virtually unsupervised for days and weeks. Some will do the job and get their deliveries done when projected. Others will slack off and do the minimum.

I have ALWAYS earned more money on percentage than mileage or hourly. That is still my preferred method of compensation.

 

Pay me by the hour from start of pre-trip to end of post-trip.

Incentives like mpg on-time safety and "clean trailer "bonus

Anyway you figure to get paid the government will hold you back man :uts up his peace sign::

Really don't care just as long as its a grand or close net a week

 

The FMCSA doesn't care nor will they stand in the way of pay issues. You can read all over their interpretations and they openly say that's not their problem when it comes to pay or driver comfort.

Trucking has always kept a tight grip on cost and unfortunately drivers are at the bottom of the totem pole. The cookie jar is almost empty when we get our hands in it.

But if I had my way all company drivers would get paid by the hour plus overtime. Owner operators who are a company could still benefit the pay by the load. Lease operators would exist unless you leased from a 3rd party dealer and then they would be treated like OO's.

 

It is very sad that this industry has evolved the way it has. No other employee gives free work to their employer like a truck driver does.

Fueling the truck.
Pre and Post trips.
Breakdowns.
Loading and securement.
Tarping.

These are just simple ones. There are many more.

The trucking companies have developed this in order to maximize profits and I assure you, most are not hurting.