Why do OTR megas pay so little for 70 hrs worked?

And all teality you can maje a good living in driving a truck ! And use it to sometimes escape an argument you'd rather not have! If you learn as much as you can you will suceed! You may fail once or twice but dont give up learn from it! It"s one of the best things in my life! And the only place I know where a person like me would have ever had a chance to make it where I am today!

 

Most started somewhere alot started in trucking used that money to get into real estate ! Most people who ate wealthy now where born with a silver spoon ! They dont list where they started how they most money now ! Heck most of my income from real estate also! And I bought my house and 1st rental property driving a company truck! For Ms Carriers

 

And truth was an owner operator with them till swift took us over screwed up walked away and lost almost everything! Pride because everyone even back then swift had bad rep!

 

It can be done not trying to blow snoke up anyine's butt! Know everyone knows alot of my history ! Im not ashamed I started with MS CARRIERS they wete a good company once! And I've made alot of mistakes ! But Ive also suceeded in making alife and future for my family in trucking! So yes it is possible! Just tequires hard work! And now adays being a little bit smarter than me!

 

And if your ever in memphis Tennessee on airways blvd south the swift terminal was the MS CARRIERS headquarters! 2 nd Saddest day for me was when they took over! Look at newspaper articles about fighting and desyruction of property that went on that week!

 

I remember back in 2003 when the Swift terminal in Columbus, Ohio on 270 was MS carriers.

 

Mike Starnes (MS Carriers). Remember when they did the big news report, "MS Carriers going West." That was a big deal when they started running west coast runs.

 

What are you talking about?most who?where are you getting this information that your trying to say most people in Forbes started in trucking..As far as MS carriers that in no way was a top of the line job, they were just the same o run of the mill truck load company

 

@Toomanybikes - I actually enjoy reading your posts, but I'm just a bit lost at this point. Completely agree with you on a load-by-load daily basis - it has to do with location of your truck compared to what loads exist ready to ship, and how much time shows available on your clock to do the load (in this "new" world of eLogs).

But beyond that, I thought you have been trying to make the point about overall earnings, pay scale,etc. for lack of a better word. When you said a driver who drives as hard as he can, shows up early for delivery when he can, so on, won't make any more money its not a fair statement and that's basic logic.

Over the course of the year, I run more miles and make more money, compared to many drivers at the company I drive for. Do I always get awesome loads? - No!
In fact the opposite, I love running longer loads say 2000+ miles each OTR - but my company doesn't have a lot of those types of loads.
I still do as many of their shorter runs, as efficiently as possible, and therefore I make more money whether the next driver is more experienced or not. You really cannot argue that.

Side note, and forgive me if it sounds rude, but I'm saying you are an intelligent man. But you're going on and on here on these threads kinda preaching to the choir. Have you considered using your time and effort to try enacting the changes in the industry that you'd like to see? Because its not really going to happen here on this forum. Most of agree with what you're saying in general. Do something about it, man!

 

Their is a shortage of paying freight not of drivers. You have to keep that in mind through out this discussion. Factors, such as deadhead miles to the load, rate of the load, and number of trucks available, all are much stronger influence in how planning goes.

Their are several factors that account for how many miles you get planned. When all factors are considered, you will agree, that rewarding the driver with the most hustle, is last on their list.

I know that is just the opposite of what they lead you to believe in the front office. They are not without motive; it is just that motive very rarely rewards the driver.

Office staff (recruiters, dispatchers, and planners) will lead a driver to believe that every bit of hustle and extra effort a driver puts into a load will pay off for him with more freight. The truth is, they are just playing the driver just like, a pimp plays a hoe. I may result in more miles for the driver, but the really just makes their job of planning easier.

Well a lot of drivers think that, in fact, most do. It is not hard to come to that conclusion when you work the long hours most truck drivers put in. If you spend some time talking with other drivers in your terminal, you will almost always hear they feel they are the top earners in the company. Even the guy's you had pegged as slugs, will feel they are the top earners.

Leading a driver to believe that, it is a bit of psychological trick they are using in the front office. They make you feel valuable or important, and therefore key to the organization. Your hours will be long and your paycheck won't reflect the time and work you put in, but you will feel important, accomplished. This keeps you motivated to work for them. Again to use the pimp and hoe analogy; a pimp makes every one of his hoe's believe she is the bottom #####. Sorry, but it is true.

And almost all companies don't have the longer loads; that is key to understanding the truth in what I say. Most loads average in the 400-500 mile range. Rarely does any one driver get more of 2000+ then another; Their just isn't that many of them, and they couldn't run a driver with 2000+ mile loads back to back without him butting up before his 70 runs out.

If you consider most loads are in the 400 mile range and run on a two day schedule to prevent late arrivals; you understand what happens at a mega. It is hard, if not impossible to string together a series of 400 mile loads all with appointment times and have one driver come out ahead of another driver. The loads are too short. Short loads, with appointed pick-ups and deliveries, dictate the use of the driver's time much more then the driver himself.

Well it seems logical and I know that is what a driver is lead to believe but I can definitely argue weather it pays off for the driver. It generally doesn't, and that is why most leave the mega carrier before they get a year of experience.

Now be forwarned, I am not arguing for laziness. I am just saying the pay-off for your effort is low. While at a Mega you should do the best you can, but you will benefit yourself more if you neglect hustling for money and concentrate on good safe ticket free driving and on time deliveries. That will bring you more money in the long run.

Appreciate the compliment. I know not everyone reads what I have to say. And, often what I have to say contradicts what some have been lead to believe on how the industry works. That is often a hard pill to swallow.