Is getting a cell phone for company use worth it?

I think the best advice would be leave to leave tracphone in the dust.
You can even get a prepaid Verizon cell phone and have the best coverage around with unlimited talk and text for around $30. It's really worth it to have service almost everywhere.

 

We get 8 bucks a week for our phone usage.

 

I didn't notice anyone mention it, but much of your cell phone bill can be written off. As my accountant, who used to be an IRS agent, and was also a tax law professor at several colleges told me, you can write off the calls to your own residence, to customers, and to your company. You can't write off calling friends and family, because you'd have done that even with a local job.

 

First find a better phone plan. There are several providers that have unlimited minutes and have a good network behind it. No use having an unlimited plan that only works in some places. However I'm a bit perplexed that you are spending so much time on hold. Why? I'm a firm believer in the Qualcomm system, use it instead of the phone. You are protected because all messages are archived and you have proof. If the situation in operations is that important let them contact you!

 

Metro PCS. $30 unlimited talk, text and data, although data is limited, but it seems you don't need data any way.

 

Sometimes you got to do what you got to do to have a job, but I would not say quitting a job if they do not want to cover their business is ridiculous at all. All this phone crap would quit if they paid the driver by the hour and paid the phone bill. But as it is now it costs a company nothing to dump office problems on a driver and have him waste his time and money on sorting out the solution that the office should have provided in the first place.

My advise when working for a crap company that will not take care of business or cover expenses, is first look for another job. By while looking, get a better phone plan. Until a better job comes around, find out how to solve as many of the problems you can with out making a phone call. Document everything you do over the qualcom, but do not wait for an answer confirming your decision if at all you can.

If a phone call is requested by the company, call but do not not hold on for more then a couple of minutes. Your time is your money and chances are they don't pay you enough anyway. If you must make the call so you can say you did it, then raise hell over the qualcom about the problem and no office troll answering the phone. They won't read it anyway until the crap hits the fan. The goal by that time is to be several miles down the road with the only reasonable solution already did and done.

 

If you have a tracphone they sell your minutes at the counter of flying j's

Prepaid minutes are rung up and printed off same as a smoke shop.

Just get the unlimited.
It should work for you in Mexico&Canada if you go up there much.

Its a tax write off so who cares about an extra 20 bucks.

 

Not sure about Trac phone coverage, but from my experience Verizon is hands down the best coverage. It's rare for me to not have coverage since I switched from T-mobile. It used to be I could go days without being able to call or text. That was during my OTR days, and even now running to some fairly remote oil rigs I usually can make a phone call.

I agree a smartphone is a tool every trucker should have. I couldn't do my job without it.

 

Dang... My plan is almost $140/month lol
I use my phone as a hotspot for other devices though so I see that $140 as my TV/Internet/Phone. Football games, Radio, Netflix, all that good stuff comes through my phone plan. I don't pay for any of that at home, just the cell so it works for me that way.

But I'm almost certain it depends on what kind of phone you have through tracphone who your service is actually through.
A select few smartphones will only work on Verizon's network, that's the only way you'll get Verizon's coverage through tracphone. Other phones will use AT&T or Sprint. Whichever carrier is compatible with the phones antenna and is cheapest for Tracphone to access is the carrier the phone actually uses.
Thats the way Straight Talk works, as well as most other prepaid companies not specific to one carrier. There are lists online of what phone and home location combinations will get you certain networks.
Tracphone could do it differently but generally it's impossible for a phone to run on Verizon and then AT&T etcetera without separate hardware/antennas. One is GSM the other CDMA.