why the ** do LTL drivers get paid a lot more than everybody else.. Please explain!

Yeah but there also is that one driver who will drive in circles just to run up the hub miles that'll ruin it for everyone else. Carriers will start to wonder why the hub reads 3k miles when google maps says the trip is only 600 miles. lol

 

I'm at home watching football, been off since yesterday early morning. No work til Mon. Night. Making 70k+ a year. Laid back job, no dock work. That's why I'm a linehaul driver. No zombieness here. Don't know why others don't do it. Stop going to mega carriers. Come on over to LTL the waters fine!

 

When I came into trucking companies had transportation managers or shipping departments on site. I think brokers are the scum of the earth since they do nothing to get freight from point A to point B except talk on the phone and kiss butt. Companies need to go back to the concept of handling their own shipping needs instead of brokers who can move nothing.
There, I said it!!!!!!!!!

 

I could get an LTL job tomorrow if I wanted to with a very reputable company just a few miles from my house. But I don't want it. Why you ask? Because working 14 hour shifts, driving in tight Chicago streets, dodging low viaducts, dumping 20 docks a day isn't for me. Not to mention dealing with doubles and Haz-Mat. I would rather keep my current $500 a week job that has virtually zero stress. Money isn't everything.

 

I agree 100%. I never understood the purpose brokers serve in this industry besides take away hard earned money from truckers.

 

Rather then being jealous and whine about what other guys get paid and how it pisses you off why don't you start filling out applications? USF Holland has 6 pages of driver openings. What are their hiring requirements? One year or 50,000 miles verifiable driving experience in the most recent 5 years along with hazmat and tank endorsement. And if you look around they aren't the only ones hiring. I just started at the union trucking side of a crane company making 80% of full rate and with OT after 8 hours in a day and after 40 hours in a week sometimes I am making $33.00 an hour. You want us to work two hours on Saturday? Ok because Saturdays are time and a half and a four hour minimum. You want us to leave out on Sunday? Sundays are paid double time. I am not one of 500 drivers or 1 of 2000 in a company. I am one of 35. Why are we paid that way? Because that is what the company and union agreed on. How did I get the job? I had the experience and I filled out the five pages of the application. Rather than complain about how nice your neighbors yard is why don't you work on your own yard?

 

Kind of a circle that starts with the driver in the first place. These companies pay cheap because drivers choose to work there cheap then the guy down the street sees the other guy paying cheap or is losing loads to the guy paying cheap so what does he do starts paying cheap. But if drivers just avoided jobs that they know are below what they should be getting paid for the job would help everyone. Just my two cents.

Maverick519

 

Well most drivers out of driving school don't realize that they can lose up to 20% of the miles driven just on how the route is entered into the computer and many company's have an entry method for billing and an entry method for dispatching. The first increases the billed miles the second decreases the paid miles.

Maverick519

 

That is the driver you fire instead of penalizing all of your hard working drivers that are just trying to make a living and doing it fairly.

Maverick519

 

I totally understand. Depends on everyone's situation. You are describing a p&d job though not linehaul. I wouldn't want to do city in Chi either. I don't work 14hr days, 10-11 hr days, one way, layover, and come back. No stops along the way. Could be different in other areas though. Doubles is a piece of cake compared to 53" hazmat isn't all that bad. Stress level and working you to the bone depends on which company you go to. My pay is one of the lowest in the LTL industry too. You got to job hop in LTL til you find one that fits you IMO.