Flat rate vs mileage? Which one would you choose?

If you had to choose between $185 a day driving a reefer versus 42 cents a mile guaranteeing between 2500 to 3000 miles a week also driving a reefer... Which would you choose?

$185 a day company is driving nothing but the southeast home every weekend have the option of driving 7 days a week or 5 days a week. The 42 cents a mile guaranteeing between 2500 or 3000 miles a week is driving Nationwide 48 states in a nice peterbilt 579.

Which would you choose? Just a heads up I'm just trying to get my one year to the absolute maximum 2 years experience to get back into my true passion which is tanker. Just trying to lay low to get my experience. Thank you

 

Anu suggestions?

 

it depends on what your personality is.. i could never do local work , its hard for me to stay in one place at one time.. i like to move around... that should be something u should know if u been out here a year already, do u like otr or do u like to be at home... dont worry about the money because if u hate that job, imo no amount of money is gonna make it better.. with 1 year experince going on 2 you should be able to make more money than both of those jobs though... whatever u chose though good luck

 

I have 4 months experience trying to get one year to land a better job tanking.

 

You’re doomed from the word go. It doesn’t matter what we say. Your attitude says it all. You know going in you are a short timer, that translates to your give a darn is broke on day one. “I only gotta make it a year & i’m out”. See what i mean?

That said...the milage pays more per week. Although what do mean 2500-3000 guaranteed? If you don’t run 2500 they will pay you for it? Other than that, there are no guarantees.

What one offers a higher quaility of home time? *Not quantity!

How has the better health care?

What if you have an accident and have to stay 3 years. What one could you do that with?

 

You never know I might like driving a reefer better than a tanker. I'm not totally against sticking with reefers. I just know that the top dogs in this industry is tanker and flatbed. To me, chasing miles doesn't sound that appealing to me as a truck driver. From what I've gathered in order to make top pay with a reefer your butt has got to be in that seat and you got to drive across this country and get as many miles as you possibly can. You're pretty much living out of your truck never home at all to compete with tanker and flatbed money. I could be wrong I probably am I just don't like the thought of never being home just to make a dollar.

 

If it's salary I don't care what or where the truck goes. But it's rather light. However I'll take the 3000 potential miles for the same pay. It's much easier to roll 3000 miles on my terms (HOS etc) than it is to scrape it together one day at a time. Probably on overnight loads. If I had a few short weeks? That's where savings come in.

 

Neither.

 

Please explain. Thank you

 

At $185 a day for an 8 hour day, or ten if I was a new looking to gain experience and eventually the big bucks doing local work at my own pace, I could live with, but I would't ever allow them to push me.
On the other hand, like a couple other posters in this thread, I have itchy feet and prefer to be on the open road, that's my home.
Here's something I know for sure that every trucker should know about the highway, that since the 1960's most trucks have been geared to cruise between 55 and 65 mph which is the sweet spot where profits vs time are concerned, and above 65 mph, the faster you go the less your efficiency becomes.
If you know this, you will also know that if you cruise at a steady 65 mpg you will average between 50 and 55 mph taking into consideration the terrain, traffic, weather, construction, tire checks, fuel stops, and can accurately estimate your times of arrival or where you might wind up at any given time of the day.
My battle plan has always been, take the longest trips available because it gives you more time making miles and less time dicking around loading and unloading.
Don't give me a half dozen pick ups or drops unless you pay me well, and send me to the most sparsely populated areas you can find, small towns and cities out in the boonies where the rush hour is 10 minutes long, the logic being that the less traffic and obstructions you encounter, the less your chances of being delayed or crashed into or stressed out or pulled over by the authorities, and small town folks in my experience are more flexible and accommodating than most big city folks, unload you after hours and such, might even find a home cooked meal or get invited to a barn party as I have a number of times, good stuff.
Now that you know the secret to success, if you get a full day behind the wheel at $0.42 per mile and wrack up 600 miles on that day that you will earn $252, unless you meet a pretty girl somewhere, (or boy), and go out of service for a day or two.