Small Companies..what To Look For?

It's not the worst thing.

No benefits at all. Plus you must also pay additional "self-employed" taxes.

How are they insuring you when you are on-duty?

What they are doing is illegal and they know it. You are in their truck, under their authority, moving their freight to and from their customers. Under the guise of the IRS, you are an employee and should be paid as a W2, not a 1099.

I'd run away from this. It's not above-board and likely the tip of the proverbial iceberg of unethical practices. Run...

I just thought of this and G-TOWN beat me to it. If you're driving their equipment, legally you are an employee, not a contractor, so the company is required by law to provide you with a W-2.

So.. the short answer about taxes is you get to keep roughly 70% of your .56 com and 30% of it is going back to uncle Sam. Sound like a good deal Still? You also get the pleasure of paying for any medical insurance and if you would like to retire well save some of that com.

Go to a big company. You have 6 months of experience want more per mile? Put the time in.

Something to consider; if I include performance bonus my CPM is about 56-57. I am a company driver. Considering the additional cost, reduced benefits, and increased "ag" factor; their quoted rate sucks.

Chris, Again the membership of TT hits the nail on the head and gives you some very good advice, and I sincerely hope you have already closed that door and are waiting for the next door to open. I am certainly not against smaller carriers simply because they are small, and note that Chris absolutely did the right thing by asking questions and getting answers. Never be afraid to ask a company questions that help you in knowing that they establish a proper employee employer relationship. Be very wary of any company that does not wish to establish a proper employee employer relationship and ask yourself, if they are willing to play with fire when it comes to the IRS, how much more willing will they be to play with fire when it comes to other regulatory relationships? Further to that, how committed will they be to seeing you actually get paid for the work you do when they find themselves in cash flow problems? The answer is simple they wont care a bit, they will have closed the doors on the office in the name of ABC Logistics at 91b First Avenue and opened up their new office in the name of XYZ logistics at 91c First Ave. Oh and this will take place within minutes, however none of it will help you when you need fuel in Georgia to get your load to Ohio. No one will be answering phones because your company no longer exists and the former owners are way too busy calling the trade rags to place an advertisement for drivers at $0.60 per mile for the new XYZ logisics company....... Yep they really do this.......Beware. On a very sad note, I know far more people in this industry that have been burned by this type of operation than those people who actually considered themselves winners because of it. As a matter of fact I do not know anyone in the trucking industry who would say they came out better off for working in one of these "quasi-legal/illegal" plans.

Slowpoke

Well thanks guys for the great info. I watched a few videos and did see that under their circumstances they should be legally offering a w-2. Plus no benefits. I have a few other offers on the table and was going to go with western express but am now going to give PTL a try. Just in the next 6 months to a year i hope to find a company that will get me a little of everywhere. East coast, west coast, south, south east etc. But im glad i didnt bite the bullet.

Chris, you reside in Akron, correct? Check out West Side Transport. If you've got 6 or more months of verifiable experience , they won't send you with a trainer and I believe we're currently offering a $6k sign on bonus. We have a terminal in Columbus, OH.

Thanks susan i do but am signing on with PTL.

Chris, you reside in Akron, correct? Check out West Side Transport. If you've got 6 or more months of verifiable experience , they won't send you with a trainer and I believe we're currently offering a $6k sign on bonus. We have a terminal in Columbus, OH.

Well guys im glad i didnt choose that small company or even western express. Today i found out that im getting a small sign on bonus with PTL! Glad i went with my gut...

Well guys im glad i didnt choose that small company or even western express. Today i found out that im getting a small sign on bonus with PTL! Glad i went with my gut...

Nothing wrong with Western Express. Ask Old School.