Percentage Pay

big difference, and no company will ever tell you that figure that it is based off of, as a company driver... and as a company driver that has worked on percentage, and by talking with the other drivers, I knew what each load paid me, and that is all that mattered... all the drivers talk at the lacs, and even those who were making a higher percentage, were making less than I was at 23.5% of load.

Want to compare companies that pay percentage, ask them a standard question, what do you pay the driver for a 180bbl load that travels 40 miles... This will tell you what each load pays to you the driver.

 

Most will pay % of what is paid to the truck. Some will pay % of gross billed to the customer. The last Co I drove for did that. It worked out well for the drivers, but they went broke doing it. They were trying to make up for the low rates that the carrier was billing the customer.

Most of the time, you'll find that the numbers wind up producing about the same income, with small variances here and there. One guy may pay 28% of the truck while another guy pays 23% of gross. Markets and competition usually hold the rates to a reasonable average in a given area. The rest washes out about the same.

That is not to meant to say there isn't some jobs better than others, but on the avg, schedules, quality of the equipment, types of runs, etc will effect my decision as much as the pay scale.

 

Why wouldn't your standard question be something simple that everyone will have a answer to?

How much does your truck gross a day and what percentage do you pay you driver.

Easy answer

Truck makes 1500 a day and I pay 30%

 

because trucks do not haul the same loads every day, and the daily amount is different. Need to know what a specific load pays for comparison, at least with crude hauling. The oil field crude hauling has peaks and valleys, and a daily average is NOT a good enough answer for me.

 

My trucks never do the same loads each day. Depending on the driver my truck can make 1000-1700 but average is 1200-1500 and I can tell a driver that because I am a responsible business owner who knows his numbers. So based on my numbers you can estimate 360-450 a day depending on how eager you are.

If you don't meet or exceed my average numbers you can expect a lay off.

 

Transperancy. Anyone who wants to pay % should be ready to open the books. For the first couple months I send my income statement to my driver with his pay stub so they know I am on the up and up.

Eventually you learn that this load pays 120 to the truck and this one pays 90 etc so you can guesstimate as you go along.

 

for the area I am in that is an average baby bottle load... baby bottle, 2 axle trailer that can hold 190 barrels, and only loaded to 180 bbls to stay under 80,000 gross.