anyone ever worked for covenant transport?

The per diem admin fee is hidden. For example, they say you'll make 19cpm for all miles, and of that something like 7cpm is paid as per diem (tax free). That sounds great, but they're actually paying you 20cpm and deducting 1cpm (or whatever the fee is -- I don't remember). When you work there long enough to opt out -- boom 1cpm pay raise (but you're now taxed on all of your pay). I mean they offer you the job at 19, you accept, and they pay you 19cpm -- but they would be paying you 20 without per diem...

Its mostly drop & hook, but occassionally you would have to sit and wait for a shipper. I never got detention pay, I think it was only paid if the shipper paid & well I never saw it. I don't recall any layovers, but there were breakdowns & you did get something ($50/day?) on top of motel reimbursement. But mostly you'll be moving if the truck is running & you have hours...

 

I hauled hazmat in the 70s and early 80s and made at least $600.00/wk running team. Here we are 24 years later and they pay less and you probably have to buy insurance.

 

Folks, here's the deal on pay for hazmat teams at Covenant. After ur training as a student, if you have ur hazmat, you will make .19 per mile on all miles currently. After 90 days you get another .01 for .20 per mile. That's on all miles the truck runs. A 5000 mile week would be $1000 with just 4 months OTR. Of that $1000 only $600 of it is taxed. So if you are in a 30% tax bracket, the $400 that isn't taxed saves you $120. This isn't hard but most people don't understand it.
There is also a non per diem program as well. You would make .22 per mile or $1100 on a 5000 mile week. But all of that $1100 is taxed. In the 30% tax bracket that's $330 or a net $770. The per diem package would have netted you $820 for the same week.
Per diem gets a bad rap by folks that don't understand it. It's not for everybody that's why Covenant let's people opt off after 90 days if they choose.
And yes you get for detention and layover unless you opt for the all in flat rate plan. Your recruiter isn't bsing you it's just a different plan.

 

^Thanks for correcting my failing memory on the amounts.

Per diem does get complicated and individual situations do vary considerably so it may be best to sit down with a tax adviser to see what works best for you.


If you do opt out of Covenant's per diem, you can still claim the $59/day "standard meal allowance" when you file your taxes. However, you will have to itemize to do so, which means losing the ability to claim the ~6000 (for single) standard deduction if you were otherwise eligible. You would also pay more in FICA taxes throughout the year &, unlike withholding, you won't get any of this extra FICA returned when you file your taxes (the flip side is that your Social Security will be higher upon retirement, as will worker's comp checks should you get injured on the job). On the other hand, company-paid per diem is excluded from garnishments. And, like Wego4ut's example, by default your weekly check will be higher with company per diem (though it is possible to adjust you W4 to compensate for the per diem to get a larger weekly check in exchange for a smaller annual refund).

So it is complicated, but the question boils down to whether in your situation the benefits of company per diem are worth the ~10% pay cut.

 

Because we all know that the driver can drive and go out and hustle enough freight for the entire company too right? What a statement..Its a chicken or egg thing...No driver freight sits, no freight driver sits...Having worked all ends of this business in my lifetime its not a concept lost on me...

 

Very well explained sir. Don't forget you only get to take 80% of the $59 per day deduction, but other than that a clear concise abbreviated recap.

 

Also, if your sick or for some reason you or your partner cant drive a shift under load or not. you wont get the $700 min. oh and when i left (2013)you pretty much had to be on the refer board or engineered route to get good miles / pay. As with Most of the training company's the pay scale is a joke. Who really cares what you make the first 6mos to a year?

 

Can I ask a question about working at covenant? I have been there for only six months so I do not qualify for FMLA.
In a few weeks my father is going to have to leave the country to take care of his sister who recently had heart surgery. If and when he does leave I will need to go back home for a couple months to take care of my mother. She can barely get around after her back surgery and can not perform basic functions so she needs someone there to look after her.

Is there any way I can explain the situation to Covenant and maybe take a couple months off with a leave of absence since I do not qualify for FMLA? I really enjoy working for them and I do not want to lose my job, I just do not see another alternative. My mom won't trust a stranger to take care of her and the rest of my family lives in another country. I don't want to ruin my career in the first year but I really need to take a couple months off to look after her.

Is there any suggestions on what I can do? Does anyone know if Covenant would let me take a leave of absence and then return to work? Does anyone have experience or heard about Covenants policy regarding this. I really love my job with them and I don't want to lose it, I just don't see any way around this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I am heading out for Orientation at Covenant on Monday. I am trying to be very optimistic about starting my new career with Covenant. One thing I am nervous about is the Blood Pressure test. I have been testing my blood pressure about 4 times a day. Does anyone one know what the passing numbers are for blood pressure. I am a healthy person but I do get a little nervous when making big moves in my life and career. I am sure I will pass I just wanted to see if anyone knows which numbers I should be looking for when I test myself.