Tankers-Preferred pay % of load or CPM?

A lot of tankers are paid %, especially owner operators.

It is not a good deal for a driver as, at best, your wages for a given load will not increase over time & WHEN [not if] the customer pulls the "XYZ will do it 2% less trick"; your wage on those loads will go down unless your boss changes your % to match.

Usually this does NOT happen.

Usually the boss will also absorb any extra $.$$ earned such as pump charges & extra hose charges, etc. while you are the man humping all those extra hoses, etc.

Naturally the bosses truck earns the fuel surcharge too.

Make sure you get something for detention time as you can sit a few hours waiting on the lab alone...

If you run the 'system' you will end up cleaning out spending time and sometimes going off route to clean so make sure all the down time is compensated.

 

I've always thought if you're doing local or regional work, percentage would probably work out better. OTR though I can't see how it would. A few weeks ago I deadheaded from Calgary, AB to Memphis. If I were paid percentage, that could easily be a loser if the load isn't priced appropriately for the amount of deadhead.

 

If you are going to run percentage, you need to know the rates. A company wanting you to run percentage should be willing to show you rates on what you will haul. I don't particularly like a company with two pay programs like that because they can mix and match cheap loads to percentage trucks and good ones to mileage trucks if they want to. Find out what the deadhead percentage is, too. Companies sometimes like to deadhead percentage trucks a little too much if you know what I mean. Like go out, unload, and come home empty since they don't have to pay you for it. You need more information to make a good decision. I always made substantially more money on percentage for what it's worth. Also think about this: If you run mileage you eliminate the possibility of ever getting a good load and they do come up from time to time. Mileage would have to be pretty high to keep up with percentage the way rates are right now.

 

If it's petroleum it depends on the percentage. Also check and see if they pay for loading and unloading, should be anywhere from $25 to $40 (each) or so, give or take.

 

I work for percentage and would not have it any other way for tanker hook up unload. No we do not sit. I pull in unload and back down the road in less than an hour. About 20 min per trailer to unload, to load 6 minutes.

The loads Im doing right now is 528 miles round trip, 235.00 to the driver (Company driver). 850.00 to the truck
AT 34 cpm less than 150 to the driver.

 

I was paid on percentage. If the company paid us hourly, the owner would have wanted to know what the heck was going on and why was he losing money.

 

Right now I'm running regional. My company pays percentage and our earnings percentage goes up with length of employment so our wages most certainly increase. I've never heard of a customer doing what you say ("Company X will do it for less") because we have contracts with major petroleum companies, service stations cities and counties. We are paid for loading, unloading and any extra services (truck pump, extra hoses, special fittings and detention time). We do not have to clean anything and the company takes care of washing the tanks. I make more than most tanker drivers with similar-type companies in my area when you factor in what I earn on a per hour basis. And I work many less hours than most others. I don't think I'd be happy driving for an hourly rate again unless it was extremely competitive and the only companies I know paying that kind of cash are the petroleum companies themselves.

 

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