On the road with Millis

As I've stated before, I'm not doing per diem. It's working fine for me but everyone's situation is different.

 

Again, as stated before in this thread....no, for most items. Please consult an accountant and your recruiter for tax and payroll questions.

 

Per diem pays 5cpm less per mile. The tradeoff is extra vacation time and a higher bonus. "Low paying " is a relative term. What do you consider low? As a new driver, 37cpm is definitely good. And, I'll never see that rate unless it's a short week due to home time. My first week got 2400 miles due to home time, and at that mileage I was at 40cpm. My second week i got 2800, at a rate of 41cpm. If I go over 3000, which isn't hard to do here as OTR, I'm now at a rate of 42cpm. That's amazing for a first year driver. Now, if I go to per diem, 37cpm drops to 32cpm. And the bonus? It's an extra 2cpm per year on top of the 1cpm a year I already get. Do the math....5cp more now, or a higer lump sum bonus that does not equal the loss I'm taking by doing per diem. Yes, you get taxed less so it shows a very slightly larger paycheck, but it also shows a much lower income. I'm getting a new car in a couple years, and that lower reported income will hurt me. I'm not saying that per diem is a bad option. I AM saying that it's a bad option for ME. There isn't a wrong answer here. It all depends on your personal situation.