Glad I moved over to Poly Trucking

The broker finally got my pu appointment times. I pick up in Seattle at 2pm Monday...then have to hustle to Orem UT by 10 am Wednesday and deliver in Farmers Branch by Friday evening. Good miles but the part between Seattle and Orem might be fun. And I will be due for a PM once I check in at GP. So it looks like I'll be in a loaner again. Hopefully not as long as I was before.

I checked the weather forecast before leaving Ontario, OR this morning. No snow was forcast until this afternoon...but 50 miles before Baker City all the way until I was in WA it was a constant light dusting. And between Ellensburg and 1/2 way up Snoqualmie's western side I was seeing teens and light snow. Once over the top, it was clear. I decided to stop at that little Pilot south of Blaine...and it was wiiiiiiiiindy. Plus the Pilot point system was screwed up last night when I filled in Ontario(I wish the Ontario Love's was the stop instead of the Peelot) so it didn't give me points...but worse than that, it didn't give me a shower for buying 100 gallons. I tried to get the cashier to fix it here, but she said I have to call customer service...I call customer service...and they have gone home for the day....

Plus I still haven't gotten reimbursed for that ticket on the trailer that had the screwed up air lines. I'll give them until next payday before I jump up and down.

 

What a loooooooooooooong day. Nothing finer than driving about 250 miles on a sheet of ice. Made it to Atoka, OK after rolling over to near Jefferson City, MO from KC for a load of potato chips that deliver at 0800 today in Denton, TX. No rest for the wicked. Well shower time and a couple of hours sleep before hitting the old ice sheet again for the final miles.

 

I run a lot of those KC loads since that's usually what I get to get me home. Hard to think of that much dead head in that weather just to top that with a light load in worse weather. Have you done that BackHaul before? Load goes to the Aldi's DC in Denton. You can go in anytime before your appointment and they allow you to stay there even after you're unloaded. There will be a lumper fee for the unload. Usually between $100 and $150. Place isn't that hard to find but it can make one wonder if never been there before. Best to be going south on I35. At the 35E and 35W split take 35W and get off at the first exit on the right(Airport Road) and go past the Peterbuilt dealership. Follow road all the way down to the entrance area of the airport. Be looking to the left for the road listed on your Bills. Turn left and run that road all they way into the Aldi's on the right. You'll see the building as you get close. Guard house check in is all the way down at the end of the building on the right. Not sure if you needed all that but had a minute and thought I would share. Be careful out there and I hope you arrive safely. Take care!

 

Thanks LRW. Yeah the phone directions were a little confusing but your synopsis and the old google map image have got me squared away I hope. This is the first time running this load. Think I should have taken the slightly longer way and went through OKC but took US 69 and paid the price with a slow slog. Tired as I am may take a 10 hours break there Picking up a southern Texas loop trip after this, hoping the ice hasn't gotten down that far.

 

The ice is bad from where you are through all the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Not much east or south of Dallas. In fact, if going south should run out of it around Hillsboro or a little b4. East runs out just past the T/A in Terrell. If you make the Aldi's then you've dealt with the worst of it. Poly lot is horrible as well. Good luck with it all brother. Lots of dangerous driving going on out there. I'm taking a Jacksonville out again. Thanks again for allowing me to run these Southeast loads in the winter...HeHe!

 

OK now.....

SS

THIS is why i asked how Poly calculates the way they pay the high rate of Per-diem, I can't come up with a mathematical way to not be overpaid Per-diem unless they are calculating trip miles a different way.

I guess we don't want to talk about Per-diem at Poly in an open forum...Why??..Raises a large red flag for me when details can't be given..I'm not asking for personal information I'm asking how Per-diem is going to be calculated for drivers in general.Poly is of no help as they don't answer calls.
I for one am not a fan of Per-diem and almost 1/2 the pay being paid out that wayIS an issue IMHO

Per-diem is an ADDITIONAL amount added to a persons pay to cover food/lodging expenses while away from your home base.(military) It is the same in the trucking world as to the away from home part but has been modified as a tax credit at years end on your AGI.
For some reason drivers are being fed Per-diem as a DEDUCTION on earnings so I can get my tax break now (per week)..examples companies use; X amount of cpm calculated as per-diem, X amount of cpm calculated as per-diem w/a fee added, overall cpm lowered when on per-diem pay, cpm pay increased when on Per-diem but the miles are calculated differently (short pay) if not taking the Per-diem deduction otherwise practical miles are paid when on Per-diem..and the one Poly uses pays way to much in Per-diem..I'm sure Iv'e missed other ways companies use Per-diem to reach in our pockets.
It's a subject that personally doesn't sit well with me,I know how to calculate my W4 to keep more in my check and not give the government an interest-free loan every week and not owe taxes come years end...why anyone would allow a company to be your tax consultant is beyond me.
If it seems like I'm bashing the company..well I am, pay me a fair cpm/salary/hourly pay and stay out of my taxes,I can calculate that on my own for whats best for MY tax situation TYVM!!
I'm a current Cretan as many of you have been over here in the past, although not perfect I feel at least they do a decent job on the pay scale side of things for us company pukes, but I am always looking for something better/ keeping options open to increase my pay and my end game of working/trucking (age 55)
Although I try to compare companies apples to apples Poly is actually a different business model than OTR companies.
If I am going to leave a company for greener grass I wanna make sure it's not actually outdoor carpet !!

 

Livininabox, send me a PM on how I can contact you & I will explain the per-diem. I would send you a PM with an explanation but the system won't let me due to your low post count on the forum.

 

The IRS has actually changed it for transportation workers governed by the HOS regulations. They now refer to it as 'meal allowance' which is a little different than the rules for a perdiem. The meal allowance is for meals and incidentals(tip, cab fare to and from etc). The meal allowance is actually a deductable amout from your gross earnngs, thus lowering your taxable income. It's a little different when Poly pays perdiem. I'll be on the road 6-8 weeks but each paycheck only has a average of 5.5 days of perdiem paid. I read somewhere it is paid based on days away from GP not your actual home...we'll see how it all comes out on the w2. I had 9.5 months of regular non-perdiem pay at Crete and will have 2.5 months of perdiem earnings here so that will give me a little buffer in case I didn't put enough on the extra deduction amount.

That post you quoted was a while ago...since then my attitude and opinion of Poly has greatly improved. My average weekly gross in the 9 weeks I've been here is over $1200. And that is with all the equipment issues I've had. If that doesn't change that will end up being in the low $60's for the year. Although I expect it to change...for the better. The more I'm here and the more I talk to other drivers over here the more usefull info I gather which only makes me more productive. Plus one day I'm gona get a new truck...and hopefully it won't be a regular Maxxfarce...hopefully it'll be one of the next generation engines that are suppose to start coming in next year.

 

SS, we spoke briefly at Kelloggs in atlanta before you made the switch over to Poly (you just came out of the marietta shop after 5 days I think it was and was waiting at kelloggs for your load after you were already there early it was noonish),I had expressed my concerns about Polys per-diem at that time as well as (you know what to expect at Crete while working there,they have issues internally but my pay has increased every year havent missed a raise and going on 4th year here currently .44).
I hate giving Uncle Sam anymore than I have to and I currently keep most of my gross each week, I have 11% total taxes taken out of each check fed/ss/medicare and still receive about 1k back per year come tax time.I give just enough to Uncle Sam to cover my tax due and still get a refund back at the end of the year as a buffer in case I make more than I estimate the prior year as a single earner married couple.The way the IRS has the w4 calculation set is to overtax each week (that gives the gov an interest free loan) until end year when they refund the overpayment, I have done taxes many different ways to test my theories and I always put more in my pocket by claiming excess deductions and not taking that large refund years end.
That is why I am concerned with how Poly pays Per-diem,it throws a loop in the way I do taxes and there are penalties attached to overpayments of Per-diem.I know they have to be calculating it a different way but I like it out in the open,when you can't openly talk about how things are done it raises questions to me.
Polys pay is fairly straight forward, I have a good grasp of what to expect but Per-diem is a HUGE issue for me.I know the pitfalls of Per-diem as to disability payments/unemployment/Social security..I'm a cash guy I don't use credit so low gross at tax time means diddly to me if I can make the Per-diem work in my favor.
This year I'll be just shy of $60k, my thinking is if I make a switch I want an increase in NET not Gross..I'm a numbers guy I keep track of everything much as an O/O would and take every deduction I can legally.
I know everyone has put out there honest opinions of Poly as they have unfolded I just want the Skinny on Per-diem for all to see and understand so I can make an informed decision as to how good Poly really is for my situation.
I'm not a closed door type person JD I like it out in the open,if I can't get straight answers I'll keep my eyes and ears open for more options out here (they are slim on the dry-van side)
I'm a work smarter not harder type of guy.
Thanks Again for any input, no disrespect to any Poly drivers

 

still on my 2nd load and the only issues i seem to have are who to call for what. for instance im at international dealer(egr cooler), had a backhaul that picked up but told them prob wont make,asked if i should call broker and was told no,they said broker knows of the situation just to call back tomoro an see where i stand with my truck gettn fixed. called today and was told to call broker to see if i could change pu and broker said they were not aware of my issue and will have to call me back. ok, so i go get motel(which wasnt easy because most motels booked for college bball big 10 in town),who do i call to make sure i will get reimbursed?,tried a few numbers but its sat and no one answering. i called fleetnet the night before my outbound delivery and got set up to get looked at after i deliverd,im wondering if i should of just kept filling up the antifreeze and kept rolling(it was goin thru a gallon a day) but didnt want to cause bigger issues to the truck, feeling a little out in left field at the moment. also on my 1st run i was short at target and when i asked the lady what product i was short on she didnt know,only that i was short so many cases, and when outbound asked me i couldnt tell them, if no one knows how am i supposed to know this stuff? any words of wisdom out there? lol