Former Driver Trainee Files Lawsuit Over Low Wages

You're right. You see many on this forum asking for advice, then they do just the opposite of what is recommended to them. Later you see their posts again, complaining about poverty wages & they are working for one of the very companies they were warned about.

 

The link is not working for me. Anyone else having trouble with it either???

KH

 

Seconded, but this is only the ones who come on here. There are others who don't and they hire on because they think it's their only option. If it hadn't been for the TTR forum, I'd be out with CR England running Walmart loads.

 

That's going to be interesting.....carriers duck the minimum wage std's using the FLSA of '33 or '35 exempting drivers from the std. He could be opening a much bigger door than he thinks.

Point: Most lawyers wouldn't touch this with a 50 foot pole because of what I said.....but he has a lawyer. Now if the carrier put a rookie in the truck BEFORE he was DOT certified ( exempt ) then it looks like it might fly.

Like the driver said, pull up a chair and get the popcorn.......

 

Never worked at a major. When do they consider the student hired?

 

i would think your hired as soon as you hit the road. cuz you R on the payroll now. and isn't there taxes taken out?

and while your making those puny wages. your actually considered as being on probation period. pass the probation period. then you get a bump in pay.

i never got the option of advances. but $300 per week. when i started it was $400 per week. LONG time ago.

 

Seems that I see on here that some of the students receive a weekly pay while training. If this is true, their real compensation may not be exempted from overtime rules as Chalupa has indicated.

 

Once you take the taxes out, $300/week is pretty ridiculous. It might be okay if you're living in your parents' basement and you don't have any expenses, but if you have to eat, make loan payments, pay for a credit card or cell phone (or pay back the company for their truck school), there isn't much left to live on.

Add - Sending money home to the spouse. At $300/week, you know that isn't happening.

 

If any companies training pay comes close to being min. wage, its prime inc. They get paid regardless if that truck does not move.

KH

 

So what should be done about this? If u raise training pay what about over the road drivers with experience? TRUCKING isn't a glamorous job. Everyone needs to learn to live within your means. Before you sign a contract you already knew how much you where going to make a week. Could have walked away then. But he stuck around for a few days a learned the hard way. You want to make more money than driving a truck go to work at McDonalds.