hourly wages vs milage or percentage pay for truckers

I have always paid drivers what we agreed to when they took the job. I have NEVER failed to pay anyone who worked for me every penny that they were entitled. I have pad drivers to work on the truck, but I was referring to myself. I would rather spend 10 minutes changing out a light than lose 4 hours waiting to get into a service bay at a truck stop. That is time that I could spend making money. When I have gotten detention from a broker or shipper, the driver gets their part of the money. I don't pay drivers to sit unless I can collect from the shipper. Neither will any other carrier. I will agree that we should be compensated for sitting and waiting unnecessarily at a shipper.

 

That is where the problem is in the industry.

You expect work for nothing.

Sitting waiting for the load and no pay.

Not paying them to service the truck.

Carriers can afford to pay for these items. One only has to look at UPS, Roadway, Yellow and others to see it.

 

I don't know where you got that I expect drivers to work for nothing. That has never been the case. I have always been fair and compensated drivers well for their efforts. Drivers receive their share of anything that the truck makes. I have had a few drivers who would rather change out a marker light than wait several hours on a mechanic that they could do in a few minutes. That was their choice. I never expected nor required it. I have always preferred that a garage service or do any mechanical work on my trucks. The carriers you mentioned are union. I can't imagine any of them even knowing how to change a light out. In any case, their union would not likely allow them to do anything but drive. It isn't in their contract.

 

Apparently you will not clearly answer the question posted on whether you pay your drivers to fuel and wait for loads and such.

When the truck breaks down, you just let them sit while it is figured out I guess.

You are just avoiding the fact of not paying them.


The YOU in this case is nothing more than a business owner like yourself.

 

Hourly period .

That way when it's 40 degrees out / raining and I have to spend 20-30 minutes looking for my sets because they aren't where your computer or hostler said they were , I'm still compensated for my time .

That way if your truck breaks down cause you won't spend the money on preventative maintenance , I'm still compensated for my time .

Drivers should be paid for everything their doing out there , period .

Anything that pertains to moving that truck / load down the line should be paid for .

 

I don't know how much clearer I can be for you. As I have posted before, I pay percentage. Whatever the truck makes, the driver receives their agreed percentage, including any detention. I have put a driver in a motel and paid them to sit if a truck cannot be readily repaired. I have not avoided anything. I would ask you at what rate you should be paid and what you plan on doing to earn your hourly rate?

 

Do you people realize what your asking for would result in 90% of the solo trucks being converted to team trucks, to keep overtime to a minimum, and thereby reducing everyone's wages? There is only a finite amount of freight, if you monkey around with the economics like you are proposing YOU ARE GUARANTEED to come out on the losing end as a "common worker". Corporate America is not stupid and if you think you are going to be converted to hourly and all of the sudden you're gross is going to increase by leaps and bounds, you are sorely mistaken.

Given the number of disposable drivers, there is nothing to keep carriers from putting 2 drivers in a truck and running the truck 3,400 MPW at 40 hours each, and no benefits. There are plenty of migrant workers who would love that job.
BTW, if you're paid hourly, what is your time worth? Humor me and let's get this out there so the bosses can know where they need to be when this change-over occurs If you think you're going to be paid $20 hour for 70 hours and 10 hour for 30 hours, each week, you're sadly mistaken but it's ok to dream I guess.

 

The percentage of the pay for the load is for the driver to drive the truck and deliver it. You assume that it includes free labor for fueling the truck and maintenance.

It is just a difference of opinion.

I drove for a company that paid percentage. Very dishonest company who never paid the correct amounts and always said the freight paid less than it did.

When the truck is down, the driver cannot do the job. It should be payment to them for the entire down time.

I am an owner operator so my pay is not the issue.

Look at the industry and examine how UPS pays the drivers and such. No lack of productivity there. Might be a place to start.

 

My drivers have always been able to check the paperwork and look at the rate confirmations or talk with the shipper or broker about the rates. I have been diligent about making sure that drivers receive everything that they are entitled. Drivers know the rate and what they will be paid before they take the load. I don't know anything about your experience, but mistakes can be made and there are dishonest people in this business on both sides. Not all drivers are honest, either.

You think that drivers should be paid for the truck breaking down. What if the breakdown is the fault of the driver? Should the driver pay for the repairs? How about the lost revenue that was lost due to the negligence of the driver? As far as UPS drivers are concerned, they do earn their money. UPS has very tight controls and the company squeezes every ounce of productivity out of their drivers. Hourly pay for otr drivers would need to institute similar strict controls. I don't think most drivers would want to be monitored that closely. Much of their over the road is contracted out to other carriers.

I suppose the driver doesn't have to fuel the truck. But, there have not been attendants to fuel trucks in quite a few years. I think that New Jersey still has attendants at some locations. If the driver wants to continue driving he will need to put fuel in himself.

The truth is that the industry has a pretty fair way of compensating drivers. Since you are an owner operator, do you receive compensation for fueling, sitting, eating, doing your log, taking a shower or if your truck breaks down? How about the time you spend finding a load? Are you leased to a carrier? Do you run by the mile or percentage or hour? Are you always compensated for sitting at a loading dock?

The only way to fairly compensate drivers is on productivity. Those who want to be paid hourly may want to consider some of the repercussions if that position if it ever comes to pass. I don't see it ever happening. All businesses must have predictable ways in which to project costs. Labor is the single largest cost to most businesses. Paying hourly would take away the predictability of the labor factor in trucking. If drivers were paid hourly, productivity would drop dramatically and costs would escalate out of control. Carriers would go out of business from the dramatic cost increases. Costs must be predictable. Paying otr drivers hourly would take away the predictability of labor.

 

Matter of fact.

I do pay myself for working on and fueling the truck. I will buy lunch for myself or supper or some good thing I want.

If a company like UPS can do it, then I am sure all of them can.

I spent many years in other jobs outside of trucking.

If I was on a long haul with an ambulance, I was paid by the hour for all things done. This includes servicing the vehicle. If I attended CE hours as required by the state for my license, I was paid for them.

In the other jobs when I traveled for the company, I was paid for ALL of the time and it included time spent fueling the vehicle and such.

It is quite apparent, you have grown used to the way things are and even think they are justified.

But, seriously, you really believe that this is an ethical way to pay?

It is really nothing more than a sweat shop on wheels. Many companies refuse to allow the truck to idle for driver comfort.

You mention productivity. Care to argue about the way UPS does it and how well paid they are?