Hourly pay dilemma when running local.

I do local and get paid by the hour. When I first started I ran basically non stop, if the loads were ready early I would take it and leave right away.

I realized though over time if I did 3 loads per day, I would get paid the same if I did two loads. Only difference was the company would basically take more money and I would be working non stop.

Example: I pulled a load that was supposed to be ready at 7am but it was ready at 4am. Instead of taking the load at 4am I just burned 3 hours until 7am and then left. Got my hours and didn't have to do 3 loads. (Amazon freight runs on schedule so it doesn't have to be delivered ASAP)

We have drivers that get paid by the load to and they are ripping it non-stop. Usually they do 3-4 loads per night and I just do two.

Am I incorrect for doing this?

 

Technically. Yes. As you're being paid to work. Not sit around. But people in offices do it, too. If they don't say anything about it. I'd not worry about it.

 

True. They pay me per hour and not to sit around. Nobody has said anything in the last 3 weeks so I hope I'm alright.

 

I am the kind of person that would rather be doing something than just sitting around doing nothing for 3 hours.

I am also paid by the hour which is great for when I do have to wait. Just Friday night my 1st load got cancelled so I got to my 2nd stop 4 hours before the next load was ready. I had no choice but to wait, but in the end I am paid the same.

My company is booking Amazon contract blocks so they are getting paid the same if I am running or sitting. Less miles = less fuel and less wear and tear on the truck so win for my company.

When I am not running for Amazon I will try to get done asap, unless it's an overly short day, then I will slow down to the speed limit or less to stretch the hours a little.

Unfortunately we have had some drivers abuse the system by punching in super early, then sleep in the truck for a couple of hours before they get to their 1st stop. We even had 1 driver go so far as install hooks in the interior of the truck so he could hang curtains in order to help him sleep. Not the smartest thing to do, he was canned shortly after that.

I feel like my boss knows I don't mess around and appreciates it. I usually get 1st dibs at coveted runs to NC, upstate NY, VT and NH. He also tries to keep me out of NYC and Long Island which I absolutely hate whenever possible.

So even though it may not show up in your paycheck, hustling may pay dividends in the end, at least it does at my company.

 

You have just highlighted why the majority of trucking is not and should not be an hourly paid job. When did it become acceptable to burn 3 hours off the clock not doing jack #### on the bosses dime? Does the whole concept of "time on the clock belongs to the boss not you" no longer exist?

 

If I finish my last load early, I also go home early. Less hours for me, that affects my bottom line. The company owner makes out just fine. Those 3 hours is $64 not much for the owner but that makes a difference on the weekly pay. Especially if it's 3-4 days per week.

 

We do the same blocks for Amazon on hourly. Although for me I have always put in those 3 loads per day I never seen any extra from my company about that. Hard to stay motivated on hourly if you get paid the same weather I do 2 or 3 loads. Sometimes we only have two loads per day, if a rush that I'll only get 8 hours per day. Not much. If I loaft I'll get 10-11 per day.

Safe travels driver.

 

That "$64 only" will add up.
What makes you think it doesn't hurt the boss?
We had a similar situation in the company I work for. Local drivers hiding between trailers and sleep. They did it for years. Now they changed the payscale. What a big cry.
And unfortunately it hit the honest guys as well.

 

8 hours is 8 hours. No matter if you start at 4 am or 7 am.

I’m not sure how your getting paid less or wasting time.


If you start at 7 am and go home at 4pm that’s 9 hours and 1 hour brake.

if you start at 4 am and go home at 1pm that’s still the same.

but if you start at 4 and finish at 4 that’s 11 hours plus lunch.


Something doesn’t add up or I’m not understanding it.

 

Sounds like you guys are on some kind of dedicated account. We don't have any say in how many loads we run, we just do what Amazon gives us. They keep us busy running 13-14 hours per day 5 days a week.

If a load is ready early I always take it early, but that usually results in a lengthy wait time later. Good time for a nap or watch some TV, but I don't have any control over that.

Now I don't know anything about your company, how big, how many trucks, what your compensation is other than hourly pay so take this however you want it's just my opinion, worth less than 2 cents with inflation.

If you feel like you have a good relationship with management and you know for sure they are perfectly fine with you doing up to 50% less work than some other drivers, than I don't feel like you are doing anything wrong. If management is ok with it than so should you.

But you would think at some point someone is going to be looking at everyone's productivity and will be seeing how much more productive the payed by the load drivers are over the hourly drivers assuming most hourly drivers are doing the same as you.

Then you have to wonder why your company would continue to pay by the hour. I personally love being compensated for all my time wether it's running down the road at 70mph or sitting in some epic traffic jam. Broken down on the side of the road, or waiting somewhere to get unloaded, it all pays the same for me.

So how would you feel if they decide to switch everyone to pay by the load. I would assume that even the drivers paid by the load have to wait at times.

2nd how would being less productive look for you at raise time or during a review. May eventually affect your bottom line.

Of course this is all dependent on how you feel about your company, and how long you plan on being there.