Profile For Nuts

In reading all the responses and different ways drivers are paid what stands out to me is the more you make for the company based on their business model the more that driver is going to be compensated. The driver that does the little things, a good DM will see beyond all the matrices a driver is measured by and know that the driver is someone they want to keep so they make the drivers life richer. Whether the reward for taking a loss on one trip as a driver so you can get a great trip as a follow up evens things out in the end.

I work part time driving a straight truck delivering propane cylinders to various stores and I am compensated on via an hourly wage. When I first started I talked to my DM and asked her what are the matrices they use to judge a drivers performance and she worked them out for me. Once I knew what was expected it was easier to know in my own way if I was sailing or failing.

The simplest measurement for us is cylinders per hour worked. Whether I have a short driving route within the city and a few big stops and I empty the truck it ups my numbers, if I have a 400 mile day where I only restock 250 cylinders and the route takes all of my 14( we unload and restock the truck after getting back to the yard). That makes my numbers go down.

In the end it all evens out because the company wants to make money and the employees want the company to make money. I have been their just over a year and have seen 2 unasked for pay increases.

I meet my DM's numbers and try to be accommodating and I have been rewarded. This is advice I have learned from many of the moderators and experienced drivers on this site and it has paid off.

Thank you.

BK,

That is hilarious. I will give the guy credit for making lemonade from lemons though. Did he say how long he will be without a license? It might be a long cold winter in MN for him.

This is weird coming right after this topic was posted, but I had one of my “rare” trailer issues last night up in Minnesota.

I had just left the customer with a trailer loaded for Denver, about 22:30. Less than 10 miles away, my trailer lights went out except for the emergency flashers. So I pulled over in a fairly safe place and tried to find the cause. Couldn’t locate the problem so I called our road breakdown number. They said they would try to find someone to come out, but I might have to wait until morning. About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. I hadn’t seen a service vehicle pull up, so I was a little surprised. Turns out it was a technician who came out on his bicycle pulling one of those child trailers. His tools were in the trailer. He lives about 6 blocks from where I was parked and had to use the bicycle because he had a OWI and his license was suspended. I got a few pictures of the road service “vehicle” but they are not very good photos.

We couldn’t find the problem so here I sit in the shop this morning. They say there is a short somewhere in the trailer wiring and they are trying to locate it.

Yesterday as I was pulling away from the fuel island this beautiful restoration pulled in on a trailer. Not sure what year Mack it is but it was sure pretty and it was a diesel.

Matt, glad to hear things worked out well for you. Is the tanker your running food grade? With the hourly pay are you running regional on a dedicated account or is it OTR? Glad to see you back.