How much does a driver manager make?

Does a dispatcher get paid more if his board is more profitable? Does the dispatcher have an incentive to deny drivers detention and other accessorial pay as much as they can get away with? (as this would increase profits)

 

It's a mix , IV seen drivers that are 10 plus year drivers at megas are nothing but terminal rats they spend all their time at the terminal. Then as stated some know how to run and have found a groove.

 

Top pay at jbhunt is advertised as $50k.
No wonder they don't get excited if a driver gets low miles occasionally. Hard for them to feel your pain.

 

That makes the most sense for everyone in my opinion. I don't know why more companies don't pay that way more often. Not just in trucking, but in general. Pay a person by the job, or off his performance in a way that makes sense to everyone. Yes employees can get raises and earn more money, but it's kept secret and it keeps other people in the dark. There's multiple reasons why that's not good.

Not only will it keep the good drivers and veterans that know how to do the job and do the work, but it will also give the rookies, the good ones, incentive to stay and get better, because they know that they will make good money once they get it figured out. And the company benefits also because they will have good drivers, both experienced and guys that are new but know they will get there.

I know pay is controversial and a lot people will have different opinions, and some good arguments. But I just know from my experience, I have worked hourly and salary, and now that I am paid by the mile, and by the job I am earning twice what I earned as a salary employee.

 

My FM gets more when I get more. She gets a small cut of the gross including everything. It’s in her best interests get my detention. Basically we all get our piece. The more money they get the truck, the more she gets. I don’t know if she has a salary and %. But I think that’s what she gets

 

I know people that still are working with Carriers all over the US. Most of my contacts are safety critters and work in HR. I do have some that are Fleet Managers/Driver managers etc. Most tell me they are not on commissions or miles based. What I am hearing is (SOME) Say if they achieve set goals they can get bonuses. These guys are the low people on the staff and in almost all situations they are entry-level like positions. Unless you have experience you will NOT start working at most any medium to large carrier doing anything else. You have to get into the account manager area to start seeing being paid commission.

It is also VERY important to remember there is a HUGE difference between a Fleet/Driver manager and a dispatcher with most fleets. The dispatcher is more of a load planner that has very little if any direct contact with the driver.

 

No. I see Dispatcher as Daddy.

Daddy has some problem children. He aint giving plum loads to those no way. No how. They beg, plead, bargin, threaten and usually quit. Or starved out. Why? because these are those that cost the company too much through service failures, late, accidents etc.

Makes Daddy very sad to have many problem children. He will give them the bottom dregs of his pan that any idiot child can manage to do, even if it's 200 miles in 5 days.

What Daddy seeks is a remuda (Stable or herd) of Top notch drivers who are warriors. Daddy's bosses would be plump pleased to praise daddy for such boosting of company revenue, reputation, wages etc.

However.

If you have a roomful of very bad tempered Daddies consumed in drama and office polictics rotting the company from top to bottom in coarse language, no hospitality, no amneties for anyone and so forth so on, then Daddies will see themselves as a orphan.

Success has many fathers.

Failure is a Orphan.

 

The problem comes in that dispatchers are just like drivers. Some are driven and self motivated, while others are slackers. Where we have the Braindead Steeringwheelholders, they have the Deskwarmers. A Deskwarmer is one of those dispatchers who just sit at a desk looking at the clock waiting to go home. They want maximum dollar with minimal effort too. Turn over rate is huge.

If a company becomes big enough to be trying to turn a profit by doing lease purchase deals, then just as they have to keep meat in the seat to pay for the trucks, they have to keep a dumbdumb at the desk to answer the phones. Hence, you get these stories of drivers that have a travel agent that knows absolutely NOTHING about anything. You call them with a problem, they tell you they don't know, but will find out, they send an email and quickly forget about anything that they talked about with any driver two minutes before. And you, the driver, find yourself calling back hour after hour after hour after hour waiting to hear back about something.
Hence, you will hear about drivers doing a lease purchase, paying $1400-1600/week for a bottom of the line POS truck, not drawing a paycheck. In order for these to make a paycheck, both the driver and the travel agents have to be on point.

 

Yep, some have a large brick right in the middle of their head. I was once in NC and having some "issues" with getting loaded, and was close to my 14. I went inside the dock offices and was told it would be about 2 more hours. "They were running the product right from the line to my Trailer". There was no way for me to stay there. I was told I could not drop and leave bobtail. I could stay on-site, however, there was no restroom or food. The business was going to close up and lock the gates. My nitwit FM said well go ahead and stay there. I was stuck so I called her bosses boss. In about 45 minutes another company driver came in bobtail. What happened is he and I swapped loads and he had the time left. My idiot FM just mostly sit with her (redacted) stuck up her (redacted) and did not give a (redacted) about her drivers. I learned during the short time she was my FM to not argue with her, just speak to the VP of operations. Thankfully they got rid of her. Last I heard she works in the same job for Swift! Sorry guys!

 

It's basically an office job for a college grad or a driver who wants to get off the road and have somewhat normal hours. It may pay less on the gross than OTR trucking, but hourly it's probably fairly close and you get to sleep in your own bed every night and not have to fight for parking and all the other BS that driving entails. Plus it's normally weekends off, which is why so many truckers complain about weekend shift since their regular dispatcher is at home over the weekend.