OTR Driver (Edit: Marten Transport out of Wisconsin)

I'm a current Marten driver and I won't lie to you. I average 12,000 miles a month so this I don't get miles line is somewhat skewed. Yes I'm a OTR driver with Marten but if you run regional you can expect your mileage to drop because the way the loads are set up at times. Not all regional drivers have problems getting miles. Alot of it has to do with your fleet manager working harder than the other fleet managers trying to get you better loads. There is this thing drivers say when I've been in terminals of I won't drive midnights, I won't go there or here and blah blah blah. You trying to tell your fleet manager what you are going to do when your a company driver under forced dispatch (unless to nyc) doesn't fly here. I go where ever the load takes me and that short 300 mile load I just did might get me a 2500 mile load. Not all long loads are put on the rail either. All of our hazmat loads are driven across country if your lucky enough to get those. I've personally gone from Front Royal,Va to Reno,NV with hazmat. I'm not saying every load I get is 1000 mile+. All I'm saying is when I'm out here I run hard with my HOS as much as possible.
As for detention time we get messages when we send the proper macros for detention on what is needed for that customer. Getting unloaded isn't a valid excuse, Marten wants to know why as in short handed on dock, employees took break during unloading, customer running behind, etc.

 

Does it matter? 5 hours at a shipper or receiver is 5 hours? Why is irrelevant and may not always have a specific reason. At least not one made known to you. The fact remains they owe you detention. If they don't want to go after the party responsible to be reimbursed, that's their problem. It's an inconvenience that causes more paperwork that they hope to avoid by making you jump thru hoops to get it.
As an O/O I can tell you any broker that makes it difficult or doesn't go to bat for me when it comes to detention moves down the list of preferred brokers and/or I remember this the next time we're negotiating rates. I haul quite a bit for a certain broker and with a certain shipper that is notoriously slow? Why? Who cares. they're slow. But I don't complain because my broker takes care of me and has a new rate con to me that includes detention at $50 an hour for anything over 2 before I even make the delivery.

 

I guess I don't believe in a perfect world. Not to mention I still don't see the wages of truckers increasing a perfect world. Just more companies doing what they do. Controlling fixed costs, employee wages, and passing on variables to the consumer. More profits for the company, the driver still gets the shaft.

 

With these customers denying detention that is why they need a reason besides getting loaded or unloaded. I haven't had any problems getting my detention pay at all. It's simple rules Marten asks you to follow for detention and I'm sorry if you can't read the detention info macro that is sent to us so we know what we need to do then I'm sorry it's that drivers loss.

 

That's the problem with all the mega carriers we have today. Well a lot of them anyway.

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about any detention info macaroni. I just tell the broker I spent X amount of time at the shipper, note it on the BOL, before they take it from there. Why it took so long is none of my concern.

 

Question? 36 years, and you stayed there a year?with 36 years you wouldn't need to deal with that

 

Come on don't just say any other job open that could mean cr England or weiner.

 

What's the average rate for detention you get per hr?

 

$50........