Crete Carrier - A Year In Review - Fall 2013 Going Forward

It's 4 or 5 years, I been vested for a whiles now

Shag shag, I extended my time out this month before I delivered this morning, I got another shag.
So I put back in for hometime Friday.

Whats the point? 297 loaded miles, plus the extra 75 miles out of route, to go to the nearest CAT scale. Plus, I can't deliver on time and they want my earliest ETA.

 

Ever wonder if the 5 years to keep the profit sharing thing is just so that, Idk, 75% stays in their own pocket? We still have HUGE turnover. Think the profit sharing deal is a gimmick to throw big numbers at drivers to impress us. The majority of the guys that come through the door here aren't going to see any of it.

 

being paid by the mile is a gimmick

I'll take 30% of the revenue to the truck on that 110 mile load, you can keep that .40 something cents.

 

Percentage eliminates 2 things. 1st, t-calls would be eliminated. If you're paid percentage and want to t'call then they wouod have to calculate what percentage of the overall distance from shipper to receiver the t'calling driver ran then deduct the remainder from the drivers overall percentage in order to figure out how much to pay the next driver to deliver. Too much math for their feeble dispatch brains, just easier to say 'no' to a t'call. 2nd, it would eliminate the benefit of years of service because everyone would have to make the same percentage. If they paid a staggered percentage based on years of service, guess who would get the good paying runs, and who would get the crap runs.

Percentage would also cause deadhead miles to increase because it would no longer matter to deadhead you 250 miles to move a load that is only 250 miles from pickup to delivery...a load that pays the company 70% of $500...and the driver just ran 500 miles to make $150...or $0.30 cpm. In 21+ years out here, I've worked for percentage on 2 of my 6 trucking company employers...as an O/O, and given the choice to say no to loads that were unproductive, percentage worked o.k. But as a company driver, and being under forced dispatch like Crete tends to be...percentage wouldn't work...at least to the drivers advantage.

To be fair to the drivers, pay actual miles driven. Even practical route, as close as it is to actual miles, screws the driver.

And before the topic of 'hourly pay' comes up....for short haul or local, hourly works. For regional and OTR it only invites dishonesty. I see LTL drivers (who are hourly) all the time who must think they are on a dairy farm, and the time-clock is a cow...because they are milking it for all they can get.

 

There's was talk about mandatory detention pay. That would be a nice start, and I can't see how people could disagree we don't deserve it.

 

A lot of flatbed company drivers are paid percentage and they seem to do better and enjoy it.

 

Those that do probably have to eliminate any kind of t'call option or have their system set to calculate it... when I was at Landstar (one of the percentage companies I worked for) they had a t'call system of sorts, but the driver had to have a very good reason to do it, and it usually ended up costing him/her money to do it because the next driver could ask for more compensation for bailing them out...sometimes more than the original drivers cut of the freight charges. Not sure if they still do it that way or not. Plus most flatbed freight doesn't have to deal with detention...either way, you know that Crete would only go that route if it made them more money...they aren't gonna take a pay cut so the drivers make a little more.

 

I just spent the weekend at the Indianapolis terminal. Being at the terminals overnight just reminds you how much we're treated as second class, at best, around here. They can't even give us a bathroom to use at night. Hand to God, I'd poop in front of the office doors before using the porta potty they "provide" us.

 

pinch it off into a wally bag and tie it to the door with a bow and a name tag 'from one of your most valuable assets'

Aren't you glad you're their most valuable asset? Can you imagine how the 2nd and 3rd most valuable assets are treated?

 

"Our most valuable resource ##### here."