Pick Up And Deliver Are Not The Only Criteria Anymore?

I have been informed that just picking up and delivering a load on time are not the only important priorities any longer for the trucking industry. That a driver must maintain a certain mileage every month or they are fired. Is anybody else familiar with this fact?

Patrick, any kind of job one has comes with the reasonable expectations that you will perform it in a profitable and productive way. So, no this is nothing new - miles are what generates revenues, and employees are counted on to keep those revenues coming in.

Man, you always ask the oddest questions. You're like a forum arsonist. Everything you ask is designed to light the place on fire.

Trucks have to keep rolling to earn any money. There is no hard and fast mileage you would have to turn in order to remain employed but companies do indeed evaluate every driver's performance continuously. If you're at the low end of the scale for a considerable amount of time you may not be around for long.

Patrick, I think a while ago you said you were driving for a company that shuttles tractors. Is that right? There may be something in your work agreement about miles. Most companies want their employees to work for them more often than stay home.

Also, I believe you want so much to march to your own drummer, and that's not working out as much as you'd like.

Patrick, I run on a local dedicated fleet where I get paid a flat rate plus miles. When I started I was told the expectation was to run 2 loads per day. Well, as things go when a new account is started with a company there has been BIG learning curve for everyone from my company, to the shipper , to the drivers. Some days it is possible and some days not. However, and this is a biggie, some drivers have figured out they can actually make more money if they get detention pay than if they take a short run, so they play the odds of trying to sit more than 2 hours. Personally, I hate sitting and frankly I'm not much of a gambler so I start my day as early as possible (today began at 02:00), so I am sure I will get at least 1 decent run in. Some days I come back to the yard and there is a preloaded trailer and I can get shorter run in and some days I only get the one. I probably make less money than I could if I tried the detention game. Upper management is starting to get on drivers who are sitting a lot because they are not generating revenue for the company but taking home pretty decent money for sitting. Who do you think will be making money when the slow season begins? Not the folks content to sit I'm pretty sure. The long and the short of it is, companies need wheels to turn to afford to pay any of us so I can see why there is an expectation beyond just arriving on time to a consignee.

Who do you think will be making money when the slow season begins?

Dumb question for you. .. When is typically the "slow season" or does that depend on whether dry van , flat bedder or reefers, etc and does that tend to be a regional thing?

Who do you think will be making money when the slow season begins?

Dumb question for you. .. When is typically the "slow season" or does that depend on whether dry van , flat bedder or reefers, etc and does that tend to be a regional thing?

I know last year after the new year the dedicated dry van account I was on slowed down considerably......of course the fact I was hauling Nabisco products and everyone goes on a diet about that time could have something to do with it!!!

I think reefer drivers stay busier year round but don't know that for a fact, just observation from my friends who drive reefer. I spoke with one of my friends who drove on the account I currently drive on with a different company ( before the company I drive for took it over) and was told it never slows down. That being said, I'm not taking any chances. Maybe a reefer driver or 2 will jump in here and let you know what their experience is.

I would suggest to all new drivers to be prudent with your money when you have a good week. It is tempting to splurge on eating out or buying something new for the truck, but when you have a slow week you will wish you had the cash. I worked in 100% commissioned sales for many years and saw the same thing happen there....have a good week, go blow all their money, then cannot pay the bills...trucking is no different because your pay will vary from week to week. Seems like common sense but some folks just don't get it. Btw, there are no stupid questions!!! :-)

Well let's see how I would work it as a company owner.... Arrive early, well drop the trailer at a specified yard and pick up the next load. Next driver comes in short on hours can shuttle your load to the receiver. All the while, your truck is still making me money.... Hmmmm I guess there is more to it than just being on time.

Heck in large areas I may even entertain the idea of having a dedicated local guy that does nothing but shuttle trailers.

I remember that in late February, the produce was almost nonexistent coming out of California (monterrey area) and we'd load produce in the valley in south texas to take up to Cleveland or Toronto markets.

Once while waiting for our trailer to get loaded, the shipper asked my husband to do them a favor and drop our trailer there while they got it loaded and pull a load of cukes in their trailer to this pickle factory about 6 miles on the Mexico side of the border. We really didn't have anything to do so he agreed to help them out. I still remember the god awful vinegar smell around that factory and was very grateful it was February and slightly cooler weather. In hot weather im sure that smell would have knocked you down lol. For the favor, the shipper treated us to an excellent ribeye dinner at a restaurant and gave us a bunch of fruits and veggies to carry home to the kids lol.