Best paying flatbed companies for drivers WITH experience??

Winnyf1 · Aug 18, 2019

greyhat1010 said: ↑

looking at what all is out there currently at central Oregon truck and it’s a great job Pay is 74 to 85k for most drivers health insurance is free no premium 401k is good 100% of 4% people are great Nice equipment etc all in don’t want to leave all in comp was 83k first year base pay plus 401k match plus loyalty pay plus savings on health insurance premiums which would be like 200 to 300 a month I’m not complaining however I’m getting really tired of these lumber loads that are tall and always need tarped they say tarp pay is included in the pay ok. However the conastoga people over here make the same as us tarpers which is totally untucking fair!!! ######## really. I’ve had to tarp in -20 degrees tarps frozen spent 5 hours shoveling snow off load from a fricken ladder cuz I couldn’t walk on top of load. I risk my life all the time like yesterday is was wet and raining a lumber load with plastic wrap around it everyone left for the day and it was max height no harness nothing if I fell I coulda died. However the conastoga guys all they do is strap and pull their skirts up and getting rolling they make exactly what we make I don’t get paid a dime to tarp and this is just too unfair for me personally and is the reason I wanna leave. What are some companies that are good paying like this? I live in pa but I don’t care where I run. Except nyc lol.
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I just started a thread about Kivi Bro's might want to check them out...

BackwoodsGA · Sep 26, 2019

bryan21384 said: ↑

I gotta buddy who works for P & S Transportation and loves it there. They travel all 48 and are located in Birmingham, AL. They pay percentage on their loads. They also have their own brokerage too, and a serious customer base. You ought to give them a call.
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They're ok but...they play favorites.They got uptight when I informed them I was done running all 48.32 years of that is enough.If you wanna live in a truck you'll make a killing.otherwise...bout $60.000 yearly running regional.

Winnyf1 · Sep 26, 2019

BackwoodsGA said: ↑

They're ok but...they play favorites.They got uptight when I informed them I was done running all 48.32 years of that is enough.If you wanna live in a truck you'll make a killing.otherwise...bout $60.000 yearly running regional.
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Lol we’re still hiring

Kivi Bro's Open Deck done Right

bryan21384 · Sep 26, 2019

BackwoodsGA said: ↑

They're ok but...they play favorites.They got uptight when I informed them I was done running all 48.32 years of that is enough.If you wanna live in a truck you'll make a killing.otherwise...bout $60.000 yearly running regional.
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60k ain't bad running regional. Many guys and gals make that running all 48

asphaltcowboy4x4 · Sep 27, 2019

BackwoodsGA said: ↑

They're ok but...they play favorites.They got uptight when I informed them I was done running all 48.32 years of that is enough.If you wanna live in a truck you'll make a killing.otherwise...bout $60.000 yearly running regional.
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What’s your definition of making a killing?? What company can I make a killing at lol? I currently make 74k a year running all 48 plus benefits like over 80k all considered

Espressolane · Sep 27, 2019

If no one has offered this;

Welcome to flatbed trucking!

Here’s the deal, unless your running a curtain or roll tarp, your going to have to put tarps on loads.,
Just the way it is. Sticks and bricks are easy loads to tarp. Nice squared up stuff. Ever seen a machine load? Now we’re talking some fun. Have had some take 8 hours of non stop work to load and tarp. Sometimes due to load or delivery point, you can’t put them in a covered deck. Curtains or roll tarps do have their problems with what they can load. Not everything fits.

If it’s that big a deal, ask for one. The worst they could say is no.

On pay for your work. That’s the risk you take on a percentage rate. So the other guy says that they make the bucks, are you sure? Not like they might pad the number a bit. The question is; Before someone said they get the same money as you, were you happy with you paychecks? If so, what changed?

Last; The grass is not always greener on the other side. (except over the septic tank) you might find the other place is the same with a different name and color of truck.

BackwoodsGA · Nov 24, 2019

asphaltcowboy4x4 said: ↑

What’s your definition of making a killing?? What company can I make a killing at lol? I currently make 74k a year running all 48 plus benefits like over 80k all considered
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If you're willing to call a truck home you can put $2000.00 a week in the bank easily.Ive been there done that.Not for me anymore.

hallellujah · Oct 30, 2020

Buc said: ↑

For whatever this may contribute...I ruin for a smallish outfit based up in the Dakotas, about 115 trucks total, 20 or so of which are flatbed. I won't say our base pay per mile is "top tier" 46c/mile to start), but a/ we do get accessorials tacked onto that, and b/ because of HOW I run, I can maximize my miles and thus pay without breaking my back to do it. How, one may ask? Because we essentially run a dedicated operation on the flatbed side, all equipment (out of South Dakota), 90% of which are preloaded and secured, none of which require tarping, most of which average over 1000 miles per delivery, meaning less time lost waiting, loading and securing, and more time moving, thus the maximization of time and miles. (Now that's just out of SD...of course we do still deal with all the typical load/wait/ detention times when we run backhauls and broker loads, but essentially we do out-and-backs, for the most part.)

As for tarping, most of what we haul is equipment of some type, so that's why we don't tarp all that much, maybe only about 20% or so. (In fact, in four months, I've broken out my 8ft drops exactly once.) So less tarping, again, means less time lost sitting still and more time moving (& resting, if you use your hours wisely).

Back to the "maximizing my time" thing... this is one thing I've learned. I've been in this game long enough (eight years...yeah I know, lol) but also paid close enough attention to analyze "pay" from many angles. We all know trucking companies love throwing big numbers out there (up to 55 or 60c a mile! 5000 sign on bonus! Earn up to $70K or $80K per year! That kind of stuff)-- that's how they hook your attention. I've learned that many drivers, and I was once one of them, don't go beyond those "recruiting pitches" to dig deeper into seeing HOW a driver can arrive at those numbers--in other words, what all is involved, or said another way, how much work is involved, in reaching those numbers.

Here's a case example: company A pitched those numbers mentioned above to you; however, a/ their operating area is restricted to certain regions of the country, like say only east of I-29/I-49, it's all or mostly general commodities freight, meaning close to 70% of it if not more will require tarping, and the average length of haul may be only 450 miles. Now you may can get 2200 miles a week out of that--but look at how much work you're doing to get it, and that's without taking into account shipper/receiver wait times, traffic holdups, working "off the clock" (typical when parking at a customer overnight), that kind of stuff--and oh by the way, company A may or may not be micromanaging your load/unload appointments and fuel stops AND have a two-way camera stuck to your windshield while you're dealing with all that.

On the other hand, company B may offer a lower starting rate of base pay, say 48c/mile, may have a lower sign-on bonus or none at all--but because it's s smaller operation with an established customer base, that deals only with certain commodities most of the time, preload most of its outgoing freight and/or runs conestogas, averages, say, 1300 miles per trip, and oh by the way pays you for 34-hour resets away from home...see the difference? A little less base rate, but more maximized time efficiency, can actually earn you MORE money in end, as well as save wear and tear on your body. (And all of this is without even factoring into the equation company benefits or the type and setup of equipment you'll be operating.)

All of this is just my long-winded way of advocating this: it ain't just about the money (or at least, shouldn't be just about the money.) There's all kinds of other factors involved, some of which deal with the job and some of which deal with the person. We all know what many of those are, but let me also add one many may not think of, and I learned this one through experience:

How much is your peace of mind worth??
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yeah, my experience is average length of haul is the most important number. otherwise they will run you ragged. it works good for them but not the driver

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