Melton drivers... What's your average miles per week.

Between driving and securing, I work my 70 hours a week every week so far. But you have more to do when you're flatbedding than you do when you're on a dry van or reefer or something. Driving is where the money is and driving is nice, but the reason we get paid more per mile is to compensate for the fact that we have to do things like load checks, securing, tarping, untarping, unsecuring, etc. that can add hours of on duty/not driving to our day. It may not sound ideal to a guy who worked at Werner for 10 years or something to do 2500 miles a week in an OTR gig, but it works out for us. Just because we're not driving 11 hours a day doesn't mean that we aren't busy.

 

Don't bother drvrtech77....apparently it's not getting through. People read what they wanna read....and feel what they wanna feel...and neither I nor you will be able to make some people think out of their soft little box.
I say give it time.

I'm happy for you Triad----we'll just have to agree to disagree.

By the way; don't think for a second that I haven't done EVERYTHING you are doing now (aside from e-logs), and EVERYTHING you will do in the next 17 years (unless you decide to haul livestock).

 

Typical. Most of the GOOD 10, 15, 20, 30+ year drivers I've ever met always warn me about the people who have done everything, seen everything, etc. and told me what these people are usually full of. I thought they were kidding until I ran in to a few people on these forums. I talk to people all the time and nobody who claims to have seen it all and done it all while having absolutely nothing but negativity to contribute to any conversation is ever a credible, worthwhile or trustworthy individual in any aspect whatsoever.

I'll just hope that anyone else with a brain does what I'm going to do: Not give you the attention you're so desperately seeking. Good luck, buddy.

 

Your mileage rate has NOTHING to do with you pulling flatbed...Crete pays experienced drivers more than Melton does, so does heartland...and guess what..they're dry vans...could it be that Melton is telling you this.. More than likely yes and it's a bunch of hot air.

 

According to that (edit: some information that I googled and linked, only to have the link subsequently removed because apparently the same info is on this website), Crete does not pay experienced drivers more than Melton does. In addition, when I was looking for a new company to drive for a couple of months ago, I spoke to Crete and Melton offered me a better rate. You should really research things before you make random claims about things. Of course, there is the possibility that you were lying outright just to make your own argument look better. Or maybe I'm just special and got the super special rate. You sure do know a lot about hot air, don't you?

In addition, Heartland Express says on their webpage that they pay up to 0.48 (52 in the "green zone"). Okay. That looks good on paper, but why would they put something like "up to" in front of their pay? Because 0.48 is the maximum you can make and probably factors in some mystical fuel bonus. These are the real numbers and they don't add up to your claims.

Any more lies to spread?

 

No lies here..just plain facts that's all..Yes Crete does pay more.....who cares if you get 40 something cents a mile...1800 Miles a wk like I have seen a lot of Melton drivers in here for the past year have been getting don't amount to much...Melton has become a training wheels outfit and will run the rookies more than the experience drivers simply because they make less per mile...that's just the plain fact..

 

Well obviously them boys is making they money sitting at the shipper/receivers (detention pay) Maybe one of them happy truckers would report back what they getting on that detention pay.

 

Funny, I read through the Crete forums here and most of them seem to be saying 1800-2500 for themselves, as well. Besides, miles isn't all we get paid for. If you want to turn tarping and detention pay in to miles, that 1800 low-end turns in to 2200-2300 depending on the loads you get every week after tarping pay. Plus I actually get out of the truck and work as a part of my job, so I don't make the truck's suspension cry when I climb in to my rig. Want to compare sleep apnea rates between Melton and Crete? When I really think about it, I think I'd rather take a $100 a week hit to my pay than get as unhealthy as some of these big guys bumping docks can be. Besides, I'm not really sure where you're getting your information, because I'm comparing what I make with what Crete drivers make and it's about the same. No real difference, and everyone's individual experiences aren't going to be identical anyways. What you're trying to pass as "plain fact" is just the truth through your red-tinted glasses and nothing more.

Don't think I'm just some kind of loyal company man. I've only been with Melton for a month and I may not stay past a year. I just don't like to see people spitting out false facts and lying through their teeth about things just because they either, A.) Got bitten or had a bad experience and still have a petty grudge, or B.) Just like to be negative and cause trouble.

Really, what do you have to gain? And if it's so great where you are, why isn't everyone doing it?

 

If i may...........In defense of rge Melton Driver.

Flatbed freight is a little different than most of your general dry or reefer freight...The hauls are much shorter, they just are. Middleman Buyers look for suppliers within that region.

Steel Suppliers ship to customers mainly in their region......So Melton is right..5-6 days on the street can net you 1800-2200 miles per week.

Flatbed freight generally dont have coast to coast hauls..Some,But not much...


Keep in mind too..Unlike van frteight which can unload at those megafunky logistic warehouses 24 hours a day. Flatbed freight generally has 1 maybe 2 shifts to pick up and deliver

But..Its all about the money..Why drive 3,000 miles when you could make the same money at 2,000 miles

 

Pretty accurate, for sure. Most of my loads have been 500-600 mile loads, though I am picking up a 1200 mile Texas load in the morning. Going from -15 degree Iowa to 60 degree Texas is going to be good for me and my tarps!

I have never been to or seen those big dock-bumper logistics warehouses. I hauled steel for my first year, food service for the second year and a half and now I'm in to straight up flatbedding. There are no warehouses, generally. You pick up your loads from the place of manufacture and take it to the place where they make something else out of it. Steel mill to slitter mill. Building supply company to jobsite. And yeah, they're always very limited in their hours - two shifts is generous. It's typically something like 7am-5pm and that's it. No exceptions for being late and being early often throws a wrench in the whole thing. I got unloaded early this morning on a load that was supposed to be delivered tomorrow morning, for example. Now I have to sit and wait tonight so I can pick up a load from the same place tomorrow (scrap steel in sheets). No showing up early and sweet-talking the shipping lady. The best I can do is be there in the morning tomorrow and hope they load me a few hours early. That sort of thing brings your miles down for sure.

And yet, I tend to bring home the same money as most of the people I know working for van/reefer outfits. I work a little harder for it sometimes. I may not be constantly moving in the same way a guy who only has to drop and hook does. I may not be putting up impressive mileage numbers. But I still make what I want and need to make and it's definitely on the higher end of average for the industry. After 5 or 10 years, I can probably do better, but I'm just starting out. It takes time and experience to move up in the world, but I feel like I'm getting paid well for what I'm doing right now. If you don't agree, nobody's forcing anyone to work for a company they don't like the sound of. But there's no point in being negative. I mean, you don't see me wandering over to Werner forums and questioning their life choices.

I'm happy and I'm doing well and that's what matters to me. If that upsets anyone, maybe you need to look at your own happiness and well-being before criticizing mine or anyone else's..