How would you handle no detention pay for something out of your control

You still had plenty of time on your clock to finish getting loaded and back to the yard. I woupd have waited and the dentention pay would have paid out automatically. By the time they were done it would be at least $90. Then the next day I would hit up my dbl for layover.

When your RTW is 0700, that means ready to roll at 0700. I don't care how much of a cluster the Dallas yard is, I can grab an empty and get to wilmer in under an hour. Seeing as I know the yard is going to be a zoo at 0700, and I know I will likely need an empty then I will probably be ready at 0630 to account for that bs.

As to not getting the load until 0700 - if you had checked Compass the night before and had refreshed WF at 0645 and didn't have a load, then before I start moving I send in a "load impossible due to late load assigment, running hard S/L to make up for it" message and then whatever happens I'm good. If I'm late my tushy is covered, if on time I look studly.

 

So if he had just stayed and waited for the load to be complete, then he would have received detention pay for all of that time?

 

Yep - here is a 7 hour unload from a couple months ago.



But when he asked to drop and come back, his manager heard "get me moving" and he started raising caine with the CSR. The CSR call3d the customer, then "unconfirmed" the load allowing the driver to be reassigned and an NFR - non freight related movement - is put on the driver so the driver gets paid and we can track truck utilization. Detention cannot be paid on an NFR - its like trying to hang a shirt in a dressor drawer, its just not built for that. The dbl does have some ability to pay out discretionary pay, but it sticks out like a gorilla at a lemeur convention when the dbl has their performance review, so most dbls don't like paying it out and instead 'hide' it by adding stop offs, routing points etc.

 

#### gentle roger with the mic drop, lol.

And lol at being "released" to go home. But if you're told to be back by 0700, that means you can be there ANY TIME before 7am. You could have been there at 0500, at the shipper at 0600 and probably loaded and rolling before 0800. But you're the exact type of big orange wants. You dont question and you don't dare think for yourself. And why would you ask to come back to the yard then get the trailer later? You are in charge of that truck, you gell the dispatcher what you're doing. But I dont even understand leaving and coming back. When you're loaded, you keep that left door closed and roll. Put yourself ahead of schedule. 3 days to deliver in Topeka from Dallas, pshhh. You could have been up there a day early, got unloaded and been rolling with another load.

 

@gentleroger I honestly don't know what I'm looking at there but 7 hours only gets you $90?

 

To be fair to the OP Monday at 0700 is a lousy time to come out of the house.

Weekend ops doesn't like dispatching loads for drivers starting after 0600, prefering to wait for the "new" loads that start showing up at 0500ish. Thus getting assigned at 0659 is not uncommon. The likelihood of live loading is higher and getting screwed by the appointment time is astronomical. As is getting a short haul unload that takes for-freakin-ever.

If I come out of the house on a Monday, I show available at 0600 with 13 on my 14. It almost gaurantees that I will be assigned my load by 2000 Sunday night so I can plan my day better, and by showing a running 14 I avoid getting screwed with "deliver load A at noon, then pick up load B and deliver at 2300". Personally I prefer to leave out on Sunday because I will have a d/h pick up and then a nice 500 mile run to deliver Monday morning. Half the time I don't even need to go to the customer as the load is staged at the yard. If I am really lucky, I'm the guy who staged in on Friday. Same total amount of work, but adds $15-$35 onto the load pay.

I don't care if you are a mega driver, a small company hand, an IC/indetured servant, an OO or anything inbetween - there is a system for whoever you work for/with. Learn the system and identify the trends and indicators, then make that system work for you.

 

Meanwhile the truck/company gets $610 lol.

Of course I can't say jack, on the rare occasion I get held up at a drop off or pick up, I dont get any detention pay. Ive let it slide, but come the new year, that's gonna change.

 

First 2 hours are free, so $90 to take a nap, play Civ IV, and watch tv. I also only had 6 hours on my 70 for the day, so it's not like I had much else I could have done with the day. All told it was 10 total hours on the day, less than 4 used on the 70, and I made $240.81. Not the best day's income, but still better than $20.25 an hour working 3rd shift local.

 

The contract on this load is such that the company gets didly in detention pay - but the line haul is above average and this lane is part of a bundle of other lanes that are VERY profitable. One break even load to get 9 profitable loads is a reasonable trade off.

 

Here's the selling point for hourly. I get $28/hr to sit if I have to wait same as if I was driving/delivering, if it goes past 8hrs in the day then it's time and a half. I'll also add that I am just about the lowest paid in the ltl/delivery world. Man I'm kinda shocked at that. I knew it happened but never seen it laid out in front of me before. That's what works for y'all so it's all good. Like I said in a earlier post, you are selling your time to the company and if that's what you value your time at more power to you.