How To Calculate Pay

I'm sure this has been talked about many times on here, and if so feel free to just post it. But here's the thing and it's something I've been struggling with a little. The company I'm with pays by the day. It's a local milk haul company. Now most of my days are 12 hours give or take. When my wife Calculates she says you're only making this an hour, no overtime etc. Curious to know what thoughts are on that when you're not getting paid by the mile or an hourly rate just a flat rate for the day. At which point can you out determine if in fact you're getting paid what you should be or maybe not?

If you get paid by the day. That pay rate divided by the hours you work is what you make hourly. Is it worth it? Only you can answer that question.

What he said

If you get paid by the day. That pay rate divided by the hours you work is what you make hourly. Is it worth it? Only you can answer that question.

At which point can you determine if in fact you're getting paid what you should be or maybe not?

You're getting paid exactly what you agreed to when you took the job. At this point, it's a futile exercise to start trying to determine if it's what you "should" be getting paid. You're getting the going rate for the job. It's kind of like when you were running that Dollar Tree account. You got paid what you agreed to at the start. Once you got fully involved, you decided it was worth way more than you were getting. This is starting to sound like a pattern here, don't you think?

You're new to trucking. You took a job with daily pay, but you probably weren't really thinking about how many hours per day that truck drivers work. Maybe you and the wife need to reevaluate what your goals are. Local trucking jobs generally entail long hours. People tend to think "home daily" means it will be comparable to a "normal" job - you know, 8 to 5, spend the evenings and the weekends together, but if for some reason you have to work "extra," you get paid "extra" to compensate the time away from your family (overtime pay). Reality check! It's still a trucking job, and truck drivers work long hours. Very few driving jobs offer overtime pay.

Your wife needs to be on board with your whole trucking career, or you guys are going to be miserable. The two of you need to determine whether or not this career works for you or not. The pay thing your struggling with is just a symptom. The real problem is elsewhere.

You have a good memory old school. And to be clear I'm fine with where I'm at, and pay overall. Where I was trying to get at was everybody knows their worth or think they do anyways. So if say you old school I'm sure what you're making today is not the same as you were making as a rookie driver. Are you content with it? Do you feel you should be making more? You wouldn't take a job at Schneider taking new driver pay. This is what I was trying to get at.

I was always one to look at the big picture. Look at the entire body of work you do and the lifestyle it affords. If it's worth it to you then you're good to go. I try to strike a balance between always improving my life but being happy with where I'm at at the same time. Sometimes improving your life means sticking with the same job for many years and using that steady income to improve your financial position and acquire things you need. Sometimes it means taking a job that pays a little less but is more rewarding and offers a better lifestyle or better opportunities in the future.

I think a lot of people are always just discontent with everything. It becomes their nature to constantly scan the horizon for greener pastures while never enjoying the position they're currently in. They also don't learn to get maximum rewards from their current situation.

You said you're pretty happy with your pay and your job. That's not something most people can say so it sounds like you're in a good position. Maybe staying right where you're at is the best way to go for a while. Develop better driving skills, build a nice resume staying with one job for a while, and improve your financial standing using that steady income.

guess I was trying to identify some secret pay formula. When I was with Dollar Tree I busted my butt doing it I looked at it as a competition. How fast I could unload my trailer and get back. This job how many loads I can get through Chicago traffic. Which isn't much once you catch rush hour haha. But I think I go through phases sometimes when in the Chicago area alone there are hundreds and hundreds of cdl jobs and I think is this my best opportunity? I think it is right now.

Chip...

I read this several times and from my point of view it seems like you are having second thoughts; perhaps questioning the wisdom of committing (I’ll come back to that) to a job offer to drive local for a fixed daily rate. Focused on perhaps the wrong stuff.

Your employer’s commitment to you is to pay you for every day you work regardless of completed mileage and stops. My assumption is you must safely and efficiently complete all of the stops on your route whether it requires 7 hours or 14 hours for the same fixed daily payrate. That is what I believe you committed to.

As a rookie driver this is your second job. Please do not look for a third one right now. My sincere advice is to focus 100% of your energy and effort on being the best driver you can be. Understand what your company expects and exceed above that bar. Work at it every hour of your day. Strive to be that top performer, getting as much work done as you possibly can during your shift. If you have available hours when you complete your delivery route, ask if there is anything else you can do before going home. Set yourself apart by being that driver they can count on 100% of the time and the driver willing to take on whatever they give you. I am sure your company has the ability to raise your pay once you begin to consistently prove yourself a top driver. From what I read, you are not “thinking” like this... You need to.

Don’t look back or continue to distract yourself with the pay and lure of other local jobs in your area. Grass is rarely greener on the other side. Be the best driver you can and after two years of safe, top-notch performance, then is when you have something tangible to offer another potential employer.

Good luck!

I don't like to pile on, but I noticed something no one else has addressed:

When my wife Calculates she says...

I suspect most trucking companies could easily reduce their turnover by half if they dealt with the decision maker directly instead of wasting their time with middle-men. Before they get into work history and driving history have the applicant fill out a simple form (name, address, phone # and marital status). If there's a marital status other than S or D schedule an appointment with the spouse to explain what they do and address any questions or concerns then and there before the drug screen, physical or any other onboarding. If the spouse isn't committed it doesn't matter how well they pay and treat their drivers - they're fighting a losing battle.

If your employer pays per mile, per hour, per trip or per day - you should be focused on two things - what does that convert to on a weekly or monthly basis AND what you have to do to earn that cash. I could make more driving for Sysco (currently offering a $10k signing bonus), but I'd be in several funky backing situations per shift and have to unload a 53' trailer every night. Not worth it to me, but it works for some.

[The company should] schedule an appointment with the spouse to explain what they do and address any questions or concerns then and there

There actually are some companies that do something along those lines. They'll talk to the potential driver and the spouse to let the spouse know that the company will offer support to them too. Some of the large carriers offer individual counseling and marriage counseling. They understand that it's a big commitment for the entire family, not just the person doing the driving.