hourly wages vs milage or percentage pay for truckers

You realize that this is not driving an ambulance? You are not driving local and you don't work for the government? You took the ambulance job for an hourly rate, correct? I assume that you were driving an ambulance for a government entity? It is apples and oranges. It is easier for a government entity to just print more money or raise taxes. We deal in reality. In the private sector, we must budget our resources and control costs or we will cease to exist. From your posts, I must assume that you have never had to meet a payroll? I have and not just in trucking. I know what it is like to have to meet a large payroll. I have owned several companies. I have had hourly employees, those working on commission and percentage. Trucking is a different animal. Hourly can work in some instances, but not in otr trucking. Productivity pay really works better in most situations.

Why don't we try a little experiment? How about you hire a driver or just get a composition book and act like you work for yourself? Decide on a wage that you feel is fair to you as an otr driver. You pay yourself an hourly wage. However you think is fair. If you think you should pay yourself from the time you get to your truck until you get back to where you park your truck, then that is what you should do. You need to pay yourself for fueling or anything else that you deem to be fair to the driver. If you think you should pay yourself benefits in addition to the hourly wage, then include that as well. Keep track of your wages and time for a week or two, however long you normally stay out. When you return, add up your pay, add social security tax contributions from you as the employer, add all the other costs of running your truck, including fuel, repairs, maintenance, insurance, payments, etc., Then, add up all the revenue generated by your truck during the same time. Deduct all costs, including your hourly wage and then see how you come out. I would be very interested to see what you think about paying an hourly wage to drivers after this little experiment. You don't even have to post the final numbers. But, you should see for yourself how the numbers add up, or don't.

With UPS, they are a much different operation than most otr trucking companies. They are an LTL carrier. Have you checked what they charge for an over night letter? The last time I checked it was over $30. Can you imagine how many of those envelopes they can get on one of their trailers? Even a pup trailer could haul a lot of packages and envelopes. They could be making $100's or thousands of dollars per mile on those packages. With those profits, they could well afford to pay hourly. Both UPS and FedEx company drivers run their wheels off. But, both are different types of operations than most carriers.

In any case, I hope you will try the experiment that I mentioned. I think it will open your eyes and certainly give you a much different perspective.

 

It was a private ambulance. I used it to show that people actually do get paid for work they perform for companies.

I send a package through UPS at least twice a week for 18.95 each time. It is shipped over night from anywhere in the country and there by morning.

As far as what I am willing to pay a driver versus myself is another story. I had my fill of employees when I was management. No way I want to see another one.

You are closed minded on the issue and we will not agree either way.

I know that there are companies that are making a killing on the backs of their drivers. You may not be in the ranks with them, but I have tried to show that work is performed for a service with no compensation at various levels. It may not be at yours, but you cannot deny it happens on the whole.

The industry clearly likes to abuse the driver this way. The mega carriers are the prime movers of this way of life.

I will remain solid in my stand that as an employee of a company, there were many things "required" for me to do for free.

Sweeping out a trailer when they unloaded it.
Fueling and pretrip of the truck. I am not paid to be a mechanic.
Dropping and hooking and driving all over a town looking for a trailer for free. Many companies have started to pay for this to be done.

I have stated that I believe this to be unethical. It is my opinion and would like to see the industry move toward an honest pay system to reflect compensation for all work performed for the carrier.

 

Do you think that a driver should be paid for cleaning his own truck and making his bunk? Most carriers don't pay for that either. I still think that you should try the experiment and then come back and tell us what you think. Perhaps you can find a way to make it profitable for both the driver and carrier.

 

Think of it this way - if we are forced to be paid by the hour, it will be the death of the industry. I mean that.

Accepting one thing - no one makes people get into the seat and drive, this isn't Communist China - driving is a choice, but it is a choice where we can move up or flounder because of our own inhibition.

That said, the bigger issue is how do you convey the idea that this is a profession first and a job second?

If you look at what we do as a job, then of course we can't be paid as we want to be paid, but if we look at is as a profession, then we have some unity to make some 'demands' that will change things.

This idea that we have to hold the shipper accountable is rather... well stupid. They are our customers, we are in business because of them and if we start demanding they pay because they held us up, they will find other ways to ship things.

The same goes for the idea of holding the carriers accountable, for what? Hiring people? Seriously the best we can do goes right back to how we treat this - a job or a profession. The carriers are in control because we don't have a single idea of what we want or how we want to approach it.

 

Ive only been driving for a lil over a yr but luckily all my jobs have been hourly. I kinda refuse to be paid mileage. Cnt deal wiyh only getting paid while im driving. I know alot of friends that do otr and our paid mileage but get nothing while in sleeper or waiting to unload. Recently i had a interview with a company saladinos in Sacramento and they pay 19ph while driving and min wage in sleeper which is good. I passed it up for a Union local hourly job

 

What company are you driving for?

 

Just hired on with sysco

 

I'm on Elogs and I get paid hourly. I get paid for everything on line 3 and 4. Loading, unloading, fueling, driving, swapping trailers, you name I get paid for it. Way better then that ######## cpm or % racket. Way too much free work done that way. "Oh your getting unloaded? Start your break so you can leave in 3 hours." Screw that. I run my 14 out every day and park for a full 10 and back at it and home by Friday. Best job I've had since I started driving.

 

I personally despise hourly pay every job ive ever excelled at had some commission or piecework structure built in trucking was no different
But as to the subject at hand i will take percentage hands down as an o.o .....funny i get a great rate on this run good stop pay and garunteed detention so i,m in line listening to the company drivers crying about lumpers and that the govt need to fix theze horrible shippers.....of course the whole time i,m just hoping to sit there all day which didnt happen but oh well
My understanding is all this extra crap that people want tobe paid for really is built into the rate so maybe instead of upsetting the applecart just raise the mileage rate to employees and call it a day

 

The very minimum a company truck driver after at least a year if driving should bring home (not gross I'm talking net pay) is $1000. All wages should be raise to those standards. Pay the drivers what their worth and maybe more would stick around and actually take pride in their job. Paying these guys .28 a mile is just slave labor. If you break it down they make way below minimum wage for standard of living. That is just unacceptable.