Starting out, what is the pay really like?

Discussion in 'Central Refrigerated' started by dfaf, Oct 28, 2013.

  1. Lady K

    Lady K Road Train Member

    You will no longer be a company driver... You would be 'his' driver... No benefits (health insurance, 401K, vacation, layover... Just what HE provides) PLUS once you split the money coming to the truck (if that's how he pays you), after putting aside the $$ for taxes and maintenance... Oh and speaking of taxes, you would be responsible for paying your own!! You won't get paid any more than you would as a 'company' driver... So my recommendation... DON'T!
     
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  3. dfaf

    dfaf Light Load Member

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    Oct 26, 2013
    California
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    Thank you for this insight. I've known the guy for 8 years, I don't think he'd intentionally do me wrong in any way. I'm not in any way intimidated by taxes, but I am much more concerned about providing for my family. You might be right that this could potentially not be in my best interest. I imagine, aside from the taxes, I'd also have to pay tuition in full for not fulfilling the 1 year contract, and it might not look as on good on a resume in the long run. I'll certainly keep the option open and try and get more information and weigh out the pro's and con's of being team driver after I have some miles behind me.

    Now that you've gone over the Cons, how about some of the pro's? Am I wrong in thinking that driving teams tend to get the longer hauls and have priority over solos? By that figure, would it not mean that I could potentially earn quite a bit more(if he pays me right)? Another plus is he has a year with CR, so he knows the game, has made connections with his DM/Dispatchers, and I'm sure I could benefit from this as well. A further benefit would be that we're from the same county, so I could see getting routed home a bit more often, as longer hauls could take us closer to our home terminal.

    I have at least 4 months to figure out what I'm going to do.
     
  4. Lady K

    Lady K Road Train Member

    Pros... You have someone to spot you when backing... Some one as company so you don't end up talking to yourself... Someone to help you at night find an unfamiliar address/location... To keep an eye out for NO TRUCK signs... Financially, since the $$ isn't going in one pocket/account I can't really say any pros there... Run wise?? It depends... On the loads available, planner/DM, fleet... I would think long and HARD about teaming with someone and trusting them to pay you... An old saying... Friends is Friends, but Business is Business...
     
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  5. Aimstraight

    Aimstraight Light Load Member

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    Mar 11, 2013
    Central CA
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    After six months as a solo company driver for Central my average net pay / week has been $616. That is take home, after all taxes and deductions (tuition, reserve acct, legal plan, etc.) I do not have a health insurance deduction so bear that in mind.

    Food for yourself is a daily expense that can really add up fast. If you insist on eating out and trying to survive on truck stop fare and buffets you can easily spend $150+ a week. If you are willing to rough it a little more and don't mind existing off of cold sandwiches and shop smart at Wal-Mart for whatever you can heat up with the truck stop microwave for free you can cut that in half.

    If you don't have appropriate clothing, tools, a cooler, smartphone (a must) and some form of entertainment (ie dvd player, internet access, satellite radio, etc.) you're going to end up buying them. A CB radio and GPS are optional IMO but can be very very useful at times.

    Tolls, occasionally scales are two out of pocket expenses you'll encounter regularly. As a company driver you will get reimbursed... eventually. But it's cash out of pocket for a week or two.

    Keep copies of everything and always, always check it against your paycheck. Eventually something will get "lost in TripPak". And having copies will spare you and your paycheck. In my orientation they told us that we could make copies of our bills and receipts for free at customer locations. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
    Hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha.....oh my sides.....hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

    Ummmmm.... yeah. You'll need to pay for your own copies at truck stops. Not a huge expense but it can be $1 or $2 per load. You can get an in cab scanner at WVC for $100 and eliminate the need for copies ... I dunno if its worth it or not. Maybe just to eliminate the hassle.

    And now for the big one.... Home time. It may seem obvious, but Home time will wreck your paycheck. But it's not just getting 0 miles for the days you are home. Typically, you're going to "sacrifice" miles in order to get onto the load that will get you home. If you insist on going home every 3 weeks your paycheck(s) will suffer. Pretty badly. I find that going out for 5-7 weeks at a time is much more realistic.

    This has been my, admittedly, short experience anyway. Hope it has been helpful.
     
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  6. 123456

    123456 Road Train Member

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    Why not just tell us your 6 month gross pay.

    We can then get a good estimate on your yearly gross.

    everybodys deductions differ.....


     
  7. unloader

    unloader Road Train Member

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    Jan 7, 2013
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    My average check with Central during training and my time as a solo company driver was $403.50 net per week. Remember that is an average and four weeks of training pay drug the average per week down.

    When I went lease-op, my average check was $1081 per week, gross. I was taking out 25% for taxes. You will make more money as a lease-op with Central, but you will also be RESPONSIBLE for everything. It can be stressful at times. Hope this helps.

    unloader
     
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  8. dfaf

    dfaf Light Load Member

    64
    39
    Oct 26, 2013
    California
    0
    This is one way my smart phone is going to pay for it self. I've already downloaded a free app that turns your camera into a scanner. It automatically align's the page, adjusts, zooms and focuses to make the text readable.

    I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable going lease until I had at least a year in the driver seat. But I could be wrong, maybe I'll find out trucking is my thing and take naturally to it. Only time will tell. The money sounds nice...
     
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