SPD (Smokey Point Dist.)

Discussion in 'Flatbed Trucking Forum' started by pes2, Aug 13, 2019.

  1. Sirscrapntruckalot

    Sirscrapntruckalot Road Train Member

    Interesting thread.

    You should start a thread or convert this one. I bet it would be a good read.

    Good luck with the new company.

    Sirscrapntruckalot - Touch my last cookie an I shall make you vanish. In to a blender.
     
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  3. catalinaflyer

    catalinaflyer Road Train Member

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    Wichita, KS
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    As @kylefitzy said, the work he does and I did would never fit in the salary program as we'd not make the minimum mileage requirements to stay in it. My take on it, an average or even below average driver will make the $64k a year their first year. A runner/worker who's above being an average driver should make $70k their first year pretty easily especially if they work their way in OD stuff. That alone can be up to an additional $.27 per mile. Now with that said, once you start doing the larger loads that pay daily instead of mileage you'd want out of the salary program pretty quickly or you'd leave quite a bit on the table.

    On just straight pay there's your base mileage rate then you earn up to an extra $.06 per mile for safety/on time/paperwork etc. In addition to that there's tarp and stop pay. Under the salary program that's all built it so your paid bonus money that a mileage driver has to work for. Obviously if a driver were to not meet those standards for a few months the company has the option to take the salary package away. They've had to do it to a couple drivers who thought they were on a paid vacation.

    When I first looked at the program and analyzed it on a month to month basis I wasn't impressed because of the over-mileage bank. Any miles you run over 9900 a month go into your bank then at your yearly anniversary they pay it out in a lump sum plus an additional 1% of your total miles for the year. However on months that you run under 9900 they deduct the shortage from your bank. At first I was of the mindset that the driver was getting screwed over with that system. Then I thought about it in the big picture of the whole year. If you were straight mileage, you'd have bigger paychecks one month then smaller ones the next. On the salary program you's make the same amount provided you drove above the 118800 miles for the year. Under that number and you'd have made more for the year on salary than mileage. It kinda falls into the living paycheck to paycheck mindset of most working class Americans. We look at what we get on our next check, not what we'll get for the whole year.

    Think of it this way, you have a great month in June, knock out a 12k miles but your getting paid for 9900. Your upset because you feel like you left 2100 miles on the table. July comes along and you have a family emergency that takes you off the road for 10 days and you only get 6-8k miles for the month so they take the difference out of your bank from the month before, again your upset because you drove those miles and now they're taking them away. However, if you'd been a straight mileage driver you'd have had a couple pretty good checks last month then bam, first check after the family emergency is nothing because you didn't have any or very few miles. Now, if your really great at money management (and be honest, most of us aren't perfect money managers) it won't be an issue because you had that money in the bank however if your like 90% of working class Americans that extra money from last month is gone because you have new wheels on you pickup that you bought because you had a couple big checks. Now you don't have the money to pay the normal bills because there was no check because of that family emergency.

    The whole intent of the program is to give average - above average drivers a steady, predictable paycheck every pay period. You can put together a budget and know exactly how much your check is going to be each pay period. Then if your a hard runner, there's an extra check coming each year that you can blow, save, take a vacation, make a down payment on a new car, whatever you want to do with it. Unfortunately there are some that abuse the system and have a "family emergency" every couple weeks. The company tolerates it for a little while, Wally coaches these drivers however if they continue then they find themselves back on straight mileage at which point it usually only takes a couple paychecks before their family is all suddenly very healthy.

    As a side note, once you work your way into super-loads money management becomes an absolute must because there are situations where you could go a pay period or even more with no check then get one giant check when the load delivers. We have a driver right now on a 25' wide going from Washington to Florida. He's been under that load for over a month already and is just now at the OK/MO state line. So he's still 2+ weeks away from delivering. Now the company won't leave you without money, they will advance on the load while underway and sort it out at the end but that's where a lot of guys get into and right back out of doing the really big loads. They can handle the loads, they can't handle the money. When I was a driver mentor that's one of the things I worked really hard at, getting drivers to understand money management and getting budgeting into place before they got blindsided by a no paycheck pay period. And not because I'm some really smart person that knew all of this but because I was that guy that blew a big paycheck or two then got stuck on the side of the road for a week waiting and all of the sudden couldn't pay my bills because I didn't get a check.
     
  4. The Block Robert

    The Block Robert Light Load Member

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    May 12, 2016
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    Seems like half the SPD drivers commented here lol
     
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  5. Rugerfan

    Rugerfan Road Train Member

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    Any update on this thread?
     
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  6. pes2

    pes2 Light Load Member

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    Monticello, Florida
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    Been with SPD almost 3 months now. What would you like to know? Ask away.....I’d be happy to answer any questions
     
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  7. Rugerfan

    Rugerfan Road Train Member

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    Redding,CA
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    Just how it’s going in general. Talked to a guy on FB the other day and he said with all of the extras on top of the salary that he will get close to 100k this year. He also stayed out for a minimum 3 weeks though.
     
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  8. pes2

    pes2 Light Load Member

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    Jan 22, 2012
    Monticello, Florida
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    I love it here. It’s unlike any company I’ve driven for. Can’t be afraid to tarp. And run. I’m solo. Pretty much been coast to coast runs since I’ve been here. There’s been some intermediate runs. Right now I’m on my way to Kent, Wa from South Carolina. I’m on the salary program. Last month I did almost 13,000 miles. They’re not perfect but what company is. Equipment is very nice. And they set you up to succeed. If you don’t it’s your fault. If you like to run. And don’t refuse loads. You’ll do ok. I stay out months at a time. But that’s what I prefer. If you’re looking to be home every weekend this isn’t the job for you.
     
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  9. kylefitzy

    kylefitzy Road Train Member

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    Aug 12, 2007
    Kansas city,Mo
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    He may be stretching the truth a bit. There is money to be made here but to get close to 100k it will take a while to work into those runs. As far as I know the largest bonus check so far has been 19k. And that’s one of the most senior drivers on one of the most lucrative runs.
     
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