Millis chat room

Cool

 

Their math is a bit off. Running 115,000 miles per year (which I do every year on regional) you need to average over .52 per mile.

Paid with 6 years experience on straight pay and getting fuel and safety bonuses I am averaging .53 per mile right now. We will see how it goes for the rest of the year.

 

I tried doing the math also. 115,000 divided by 52 weeks in a year is 2,211 miles a week. You can drive more than 2,211 miles per week. That is depending on the freight volume. There is also vacation time. I don't know how Millis pays vacation. I don't work for them. I will be sending in my application next month.

The previous companies I have driven for. They would average your weekly pay. That average would be your vacation pay. I don't know if that is added into the $60,000 a year.
I have seen companies in the past that would claim what you could make. It basically boiled down to never going home. Which sounds a bit much. I knew drivers that would go home 3 or 4 times a year.

If I were to start at Millis. I have 10+ years of experience. They only pay based on 5+ years at 47 cents. Lets say I average 2,500 miles a week. In 52 weeks that 130,000 miles. 47 cents multiplied by 130,000 miles is $61,100. That doesn't even account for any bonuses.

Personally I never count on bonuses. I only concern my self with base pay. If I happen to get a bonus. That is just more money. Whenever a company says you can make as much as $xxxxxxx. I ignore it. Not just in trucking but in all lines of work.

 

They base those numbers on straight pay. Straight pay does not have a paid vacation.

Per diem get paid vacation based on 52 week average. But the per mile rate is lower.

 

So lets say I get 1 or 2 weeks vacation. I wouldn't get vacation pay for the 1 or 2 weeks? I only did per diem one time. I got screwed and ended up owing the feds money. I've only owed the feds money twice in 24 years.

 

That's correct. I received a .06 per mile raise and my vacation pay is something like $750 a week. If you drive 100,000 miles per year that .06 adds up to a $6,000 raise. Lets say I set aside $1,500 of that raise for my vacation pay. Still leaves me with a $4,500 raise.

I wouldn't do per diem either. Everytime I hear someone say they are on per diem I cringe. Way too big of a pay reduction to take for an "up front tax reduction " Claim your days gone from home at the end of the year on your taxes and get paid the full straight rate.

I just had my taxes done. I was gone 218 days last year and it was a nearly a $14,000 write off at $63 per day. You get to claim 80% of that which added up to $11,000.

They offer all sorts of incentives to take it which tells me it's better for the company than me.

 

I should clarify my vacation pay WAS something like $750 per week. Now I do not get paid vacation because I am on straight pay.

 

I've thought about doing that on my taxes. Do you get a copy of your e-logs to prove that you were gone those days?
I tend to lay low when doing mine. I don't want to attract the attention of the feds. After that per diem problem. I don't want any more problems.

If I do get hired by Millis. I will just put aside more money as my vacation fund.

 

Yes every 3 months I download my elogs so I have them if I'm ever audited or they are requested. I program a reminder on my phone calender so I do not forget to do it.

As you might already know, the daily deduction is only for food expenses and if you take the standard write off you do not need receipts. Just your logs proving you weren't home if audited. Your tax person may want to see them. I just tell my accountant the number of days not home and he trusts me. As I said I store the logs in case anyine else doesn't.

I also save every receipt for the occasional times I have to pay to park or for a shower or anything work related and deduct that. Even when I pay for Blue Beacon to apply RainX I keep that receipt. RainX helps keep the windows clearer in rain while you're driving.

Believe me, I do not want any problems either and my tax guy knows that I want to stay completely within bounds. I do not claim anything even remotely off base.

 

I have always weighed keeping receipts vs taking the standard deduction. In the past I never really had many work expenses that I didn't get paid back. Like you said there was the occasional shower I needed to pay for or the Blue Beacon.
I've also always did my own taxes. When I got my first job when I still lived at home. My mother showed me how. Then about 5 or so years later. Computer software came out called Turbo Tax. I used that from 1999 till 2 years ago. Their price was getting so high. It was almost the same as have an accountant. I switched over to H&R Block. I have been using it for 2 years. This being my second year. The feds consider that self prepared. Since an accountant didn't do it.
Once I get back OTR driving. I will take wait you said into consideration. I will look into finding an accountant that knows about trucking or at least business travel.
That RainX is pretty good stuff. I first tried it a couple years ago or so.