mercer transportation

Many years ago i read a book written by a pilot for a large airline. It was basically 200 pages of an inside look and lots of humorous #####ing about how deregulation killed the industry. One part stands out as particularly relevant to this conversation.

They are only paid for flight time, not the long hours of waiting around. Flight gets cancelled after three hours of waiting around? Thanks for showing up, here is a pittance that might just barely cover your taxi fare back to the hotel.

My point is, unpaid time is not unique to trucking. Its common in many industries. In fact id bet its more common than not.

 

Spyder your points about airlines are valid. However as commercial pilot myself and with many friends that are in the airlines, there is no comparison to the pay scale. My friend I am going to visit later today for a cookout is a Captain, and a junior one at that. His hourly rate is $375, he works 10-14 days per month due to HOS restrictions, and averages about $400K per year. So while on the surface there are similarities in the real world the differences are great. They even get paid NOT to work but to be available when on reserve. Guys can go three months without flying at all but get a decent check. Then they need to go back for refresher training because they are not current. You can sell your trip to someone else that wants it and get the full pay, because somebody needs it for training or a myriad of other reasons. Try selling your load to someone else for the full rate. In the end there is no comparison in the working conditions nor the pay systems.

Look at train operations too, they get paid quite generously and are under their own set of labor and retirement rules. When a trail crew runs out of hours they stop right there, no matter where they are. Another crew is brought out to replace them. They have no desire to work extra hours on top of what is allowed, nor do the airlines. Bottom line is they are paid enough to do their job without having to resort to gaming the system to make a meager wage and live paycheck to paycheck. Driving used to pay very well, and if you do it right today it is still lucrative. But for 98% of the drivers out there it is a grind and they are always pushing the limits just to get by.

 

@roshea out of curiosity how come your not flying versus driving?

 

Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time to get hired with the big boys, and they have had their share of upsets and turmoil throughout the years. Sometimes things you like are no longer enjoyable once they become a job and have to be done when, where, and how and on someone else's schedule.

Plus, right now I would age out of the job .... no age limit on trucking as long as you pass your physical. Darn I hate admitting this age thing ....

 

So on a different note .... most of the UPS freight is 53 ft vans right? Does anyone know the kingpin setting on those vans? Usually 30 or 36 inches if I recall. One thing I did not check when I got this "new" truck 2 1/2 years ago is the wheelbase. It is 6 inches shorter than the truck I got rid of so with an enclosed rack on it I do not think I have clearance to haul a standard 53' trailer unless I get my 5th wheel mount moved back. Sliding all the way back right now is not far enough.

I thought I would gain room by having a weedburner and no more exhaust stack behind the cab. That gain was lost by the shorter wheelbase and I now have 2" less clearance between the rack and the trailer than I did before.

 

The 53 vans are at the most common setting, which i believe is 30 inches. But they also use the container vans which have big hook point in the front center that will add about 8 inches.

The problem many run into is with the short pup trailers. The landing gear is much farther forward. If i remember right when i measured last year i figured out i needed 63 inches from the center of fifth wheel to the corner of my mud flap bracket.

 

Thanks, it's the 30" that is the problem. My kingpin is at 24" and in a turn the corner of my trailer as it passes the centerline of the tractor is 1 1/2" from the nearest point on the headache rack. I can only move the 5th wheel back one notch from that point. So I definitely need to move the mounting brackets back about 8".

 

Yup. Its just a matter of drilling a few holes buying some bolts and sliding the whole thing back. I did mine by myself at the yard in about two hours. Could of cut an hour off it if not for so many wanting to come over and talk.

 

Reminds me of a Seinfeld skit where he talks about how men need to be around where work is being done.

 

The difference is we are not a normal job. The only WAY this pay for every min on site would work is if we go from per mile to per hour.. That's not going to happen any time soon.
Would it be nice to get paid for every min we are on site sure but then come's more problems. For example customers will be out there telling you to hurry up and get the straps and tarps off and don't put it away or they will require you to unstrap or untarp before u enter the property or something because then your stealing time from them. I Could see drivers taking an hour to put there stuff away just to get that extra pay. There gotta be a balance. As far as 20 stop load ur nuts if you take a 20 stop load anyway but i see ur point.