changes In The Works For Schneider's company Drivers

I thought I would share this with those of you that either currently work or are thinking about coming to work for Schneider.

As some of you may already know, Schneider has been working on test marketing a new way of transporting cargo to our customers. For quite a long time now, Schneider had been running their trucks like just about any other transportation company, with their OTR drivers out anywhere from 2 - 6 weeks to a time, and of course, paying as little as they can to their drivers.

Now, after a long test / pilot run in some of the southern states, they have begun yet another market area to do the same thing. The North East. Here is how it's understood how to work;

Their company drivers will no longer be out OTR for such great leangths at a time. Instead, they will run out of their "Home OC" (where they park their trucks when they are on home time). They will then pick up their loaded trailer at either their Home OC or at a near by shipper & then take that load somewhere up north close to one of the OC's in that area. Deliver that load & then proceed to take their Empty tanker to that OC or closest tank wash & pick up either another loaded trailer there or pick up an empty & load at a near by shipper. Once loaded, the driver will then proceed back to either their home OC or a near by customer, deliver that load & repeat the process.

This will be done twice a week and then on the 2nd return trip to their Home OC, will then take their 34hr restart at home, before they go back out to repeat the process again.

While some may think that this is pretty cool, they will get to be home every week, one needs to think about a few things here: One, your miles have been shortend. By that I mean, there will no longer be 700+ miles per run between customers. They have set it up to where you can deliver your load to the customer in no more than a 1 1/2 days, meaning, 550 to 650 miles, One way. Now as we all know, Schneider pays by HHG miles (as the crow flies) not actual miles driven. So what that means is, its a safe bet that your paid miles will be a lot less than the actual.

Part two: what use to be paid at say, .32/mi, is now being paid at .28 to .30 / mile. What use to be primarily a shipper or customer mainly loading or unloading, you can expect to have to do more of that yourself. Also, you can expect to be paid more often for short haul tham you will for long haul as they have once again, divided those miles up as well. (something like; 10 to 75 miles, 76 - 150 miles, 155 - 300 miles etc. ) The bottom line here, the driver can now expect to be paid a lot less in the long run compared to what they were getting paid for. Also, as you may already know, especially in the Bulk division, you only get paid for a fully completed run, meaning, picking up an empty or loaded trailer, deliviering it and then taking that empty to the tank wash and dropping it. IF for what ever reason you are unable to complete the entire cycle by 12pm midnight on saturday, you will not see that pay in your check until the following week's pay.

You will no longer (supposedly) have those long hrs of lay overs (where many of us use to get some much needed rest). This new program has been designed to where you have a very tight schedual for delivery and then turn around & head back wiith yet another delivery. Meaning, if you are a driver that, likes or needs to take an extra hr or two once you wake up, you will no longer have that. It set up to where, YOU HAVE TO BE back in that seat driving with in just a few minutes of after taking a complete 10hr break. Now I do not know about you, however, I know that once I've stopped my truck for my 10hr break, I need a shower and get something to eat, and then a few minutes to unwind. Usually about 1 & 1/2 hrs. Which means Im now down to 8 1/2 hrs for sleeping. Then waking up, I need my morning coffee & something to eat. About another 1 hr to get things going, (coffee, brekfast, pretrip, and gathering the latest weather forcast& traffic conditions before heading out on the open road. If you do the math, that's a total of about 5 1/2 -7 hrs of total rest for a 10 - 20hr work day. YES! I said 20. Stop to think about it... I don't know any driver that logs their actual On-Duty time; ie, 10 to 20 minute pre trip,(& Does It Correctly) 1 1/2 - 3hrs of loading / unloading time, sitting in traffic for 30min - 1+hrs due to a nasty wreckor worse (Weather) actual on duty for trip planning, or on hold for 20+ min with dispatch for what ever. Most of us logs only a few miniutes at each step trying to save that time so we can actually drive.

This will definately make it hard for those who they set up to come out of the house on lets say, monday or in the middle of the week because not only will you already be recieving your pay based upon the previous week's work, but now, you will not see the pay for the week you just worked until 2 weeks later, all because you were unable to complete the cycle by that Saturday.

Schneider "CLAIMS" that many or Most of the other trucking companies are already do this to try & save money, however, Call it what you want, but I see it as something entirely different, like lining their own pockets with more money while the driver, forced to work their butt off, to making less than before. I've spoken to many other companies and their drivers to just see if they are doing this, and most state that they are not. What Gives here?

Now I am not saying that SNBC is a bad place to work, but it's definately, in my opinion, not a place for those looking to make a career with them. I see it now as a place to get your foot in the door into the industry & then once you've done your grunt work, (6mo - a year) begin taking the experiance that you've earned, and begin looking at those other companies that actualy pay you for your true worth.

So for those of you thinking about comming to SNBC (Bulk) you may really want to think Long & Hard before jumping on this ban wagon, as they are letting folks go left & right that can not handle or keep up the rat race they've placed before us. Heance, why we see at many of the OCs a lot of empty trucks.

 

From what the DBLs are saying, they are trying to have drivers that rotate their days off at home, meaning, one will come out on Sunday, another Monday, another Tuesday, etc. They are setting up several drivers for each day comming out, this way, if one gets done before another one on their first turn around, he gets the next load, etc