does this job sound legitimate?

If it's 1300 miles round trip it doesn't sound like home every night.

 

Have each company put you in contact with a current working driver before you consider them. Promises are not contracts. If you are suspicious, have the driver they recommend give you the number to another driver working there. Ask the driver lost of detailed questions.

 

The pay is reasonable. I run dedicated out and back, .48 loaded and .43 empty back home. Weekends off. So I make more per mile and get benefits.

 

the dedicated run is the better choice from what i can tell. and it sounds fully legit. i run a dedicated trip 3x/week & off weekends, 1100 mi round trip, home every other day. my pay is on track to earn at least 70k for this year.

 

If it's a dedicated run with the smaller company, chances are that when unexpected things arise at home, they'll have a tougher time finding someone to fill the seat on short notice. That's not to say they won't work with you, it's just that they wont have the large pool of bodies to call upon.

I work for a very small company with 15 trucks. When there's an issue at home, the owner will jump in the truck and run. But we've had cases where two drivers had emergencies at home on the same day, and it became a huge headache for everyone in the company.

That aside, if my math is correct, 1300 miles 3 times a week is 3900 miles. At $.40 a mile that's 1560 a week, and roughly 80k a year. But take into account the cost of health insurance, and suddenly that 80k a year seems like 65-70. And figure in the other benefits you don't have (vacation, sick pay, etc) and you're no better off than the guy who took the job with the larger carrier that offers benefits.

Another thing to consider is what you're hauling on the dedicated run. Is it something that is seasonal, or prone to economic issues? What I'm getting at here is if the shipper stops shipping for any reason, you'll be rethinking your decision while sitting at home. I've been there, and it's not fun.

What state are you moving to? I know in PA, those numbers are average at best. It's not too hard to do better around here with less driving involved.

I'd keep looking

 

Another thing to consider is the small outfit going to give you a W2 or 1099?
What happens when you can't do 1300 miles in two days due to one of the many things that slow us down? Then you get behind and will never catch up if your doing it legally.

 

And 3900 miles every week ina 65 mph truck sucks. It will burn you out quickly. Hope the smaller outfit's trucks will roll about 70 and they have good equipment and a good CSA score.