Trans Am Still

(double post ... posted below)

 

passport, we all need to continue to post the good and the bad.....the only way to help new drivers in the industry is by telling the truth. The King did those local runs several times ....usually when he had been in the yard for service on the truck or had brought a load to the yard and was ready for home time. But at that time it was a flat fee and not based on cpm ....and it could be negotiated. For us it was a small bonus to boost his check. I am glad the issue resolved itself for you.....but should it come up again try to negotiate better pay, a flat fee rather than cpm. Those runs definitely fall into the category of doing them a favor.

dennisroc, I have long been an advocate of a daily minimum pay for drivers......and they shouldn't have to request it either. TransAm puts a lot of money in their pocket when drivers do not "request" the pay that they are entitled to. If you come from the real world where you are paid for the hours that you work, having to request pay is something new and easy to forget. They will not tell you that you have to ask to be paid for that time. In an odd way elogs may make a change in the way that driver pay has been handled. One of the arguments used by the industry years ago to convince legislators that truck drivers should not be subject to the same protections as other workers was that a trucking carrier had no idea if someone was actually working or not. A driver could say he was caught in a traffic backup for hours when he was actually sitting in a casino. With the advent of technology, elogs and various tracking devices, that argument no longer applies. There has been some movement toward changing those laws ....but at this time carriers are fighting it. We all need to get behind the people that want to make those changes.

Panhandle, I couldn't agree more about insurance companies. My opinion of them is that they are nothing more than organized crime. They pull a lot of strings in this country and of course they push for any legislation that makes their product a legal requirement to have. You know the old saying that we always heard in the movies ..."Follow the money"....Take a look at what the executive officers of these insurance companies draw in salaries. They make Wall Street salaries look like chicken feed.

The business of trucking is not going to progress overnight.....for now it is what it is. Most of the people that are in control of legislation have no concept of what has really happened in the industry. Most folks don't have a clue about trucking. How many times have you heard people say a truck driver was going way over the speed limit on the interstate? We all know that for the most part that isn't true ....it isn't even possible in most cases. People see what their mind tells them to see and believe what they watched in the movies. They do not realize how much things have changed.

 

I am clamed down, off of blast mode but just to add to the discussion: There are things in this job I, we should accept need to be done unpaid, this stuff is built into the miles. Stuff like reasonable load/unload times, reasonable breakdown time, lines at fuel pumps, filling out and scanning paperwork, pre trips, post trips, etc. Then there are things that I just say "no" to.

I have in the past "rescued" a load because a driver ran out of hours. A 16 mile run to go get the swap and deliver it in NJ. I did it without complaint to help out because it fit into my clock, I could sit around and make the delivery and it would not cost me a lot of clock/money. I have shagged trailers, walked around and did an inventory list of trailers at a DG yard, I have done stuff as a team player. But I am not going to start my clock and waist a half day or more, unpaid because someone could not manage their clock. Additional compensation for my half day clock needs to kick in.

I posted recently how I lost a nights sleep due to a broke down refer unit. Had to follow with a local shop, then move to a location where a TK mobile repair unit could get to me. All unpaid but I did not point a finger at anyone or ask for additional money. It was "my" load and my problem to deal with. I will take care of my own costs for my own loads. I will kick up a storm when the problems and mistakes of others are dumped onto me.

We discuss unrealistic driver expectations as a reason for high turn over in the industry. We also need to discuss unrealistic carrier expectations of unpaid duty as a reason for high turn over in the industry.

 

jungHo you weren't ranting, neither was passport. The truth is the truth. I think by bringing these things out in the open and discussing them someday we will bring about some changes. By standing up to them as individuals, as passport has done, we begin to change what is acceptable from a carrier standpoint. Putting it out in the open brings it to the attention of more and more people. Change can happen overnight but true progress happens over time ...little by little. We have to educate ourselves about the industry that we all participate in......and nibble away at the elephant, by helping one another and by standing up to something that is tremendously unfair....as passport did.

 

Oh and dennisroc ....The King thinks you are a crazy man to want to join our insane asylum!

 

I think the King is right. Not sure why I want to drive a truck???? I am sitting at work with 45 minutes before I go home after being here 10 hours.

Nothing going on here and have been doing nothing all night. Airplane took off at 8:30 pm and won't be back until after I leave for home. Pretty easy night Ready for my 3 days off

 

This is the IRS's version of the history of truck driving......it is a pretty simplistic view. They have a disclaimer at the top of the page....I guess even they realize that what they are presenting is pretty limited in it's scope.

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Trucking-Industry-Overview---History-of-Trucking

 

Hometime, you are, as always, so right. When I posted about my frustrations, I was worried that I was being too negative. Sometimes I feel like I'm resented by some of the bloggers on here too, because I am not a driver but merely a wife of one. I do agree that pros and cons should be discussed, otherwise, new drivers might get a sugar coated image of trucking. With all jobs there are good points and disadvantages. People can't find an easy fit without investing time and commitment, even then it may not be an easy fit. Life is a series of ups and downs and like a gamble. There are no absolutes. I also totally agree that a change in pay should be instituted. With the shortage and big turn over of drivers, that would be a motivation to stay the course. Passport was right, that too often drivers sit waiting for swaps, load assignments, etc. and their pay is not even enough for them to cover buying their meals or used by that!

I believe we could discuss this endlessly and it is probably one of the biggest pet peeves of most truckers, but action needs to be taken. Tell us, HTQ, if we can help in your efforts.

Still waiting for George to get home, he should be here within 15 minutes. He had to stop at Thermo King this morning for APU related work. I'm sure he'll tell the story, but he was right....alternator.

 

This is a recent article,(October 6,2014), about the cdl mills and lack of driver training. The view in this article is one that I have believed for quite some time. That these training schools prey upon people looking for a better life and that the trucking industry profits from the driver turnover rate. That in effect the so called "driver shortage" is self-created because it is profitable.

http://peoplesworld.org/asleep-at-wheel-carriers-profit-from-trucker-training-mills/

 

You weren't too negative, jungHo. There are so many things that are unfair and need to be changed. I have searched and searched for an advocacy group that truly represents the interest of the driver .....and I have yet to find one! It is up to us to advocate for ourselves and one another. I have many concerns, fair pay and safety being at the top of the list. There is such a push for fuel economy at this time, trucks are being manufactured that are lighter and lighter.....and yet nothing that maintains a standard of safety for the truck driver. I have also thought about something jaso said a month or so ago.....that drivers have a police force totally dedicated to policing them. Think about that for a bit......it really goes against the grain of a responsible driver. You don't load the trailers, but you are responsible for the fact that they haven't been properly loaded, etc.etc. .....the list goes on and on.

Trucking is a family business and the family members at home have a unique point of view that is just as important as our driver's perspective. They are all important and contribute to the discussion.....we all matter, we are all part of the discussion.

That being said, I just bluster through and throw my opinion out there ......and believe me, if I am wrong they all tell me about it!