Sold On Leasing... No, Lease Purchase!

Thanks Old School. That means a lot. I wasn't sure your intention, but I was really hoping it wasn't a dig. I am using a lot of my 70 lately doing live loads and unloads. I put myself off duty, but of course that doesn't stop my 14 from counting down. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but I'm not sure what to do about it. I'd really like to be the best driver I can be. Seriously. I've spent 27 years in law enforcement between the military and my department. I've got an ingrained suspicion of people's intentions now. It's something I'm working on, but it's hard when you feel like you're being messed with. I had so many driving problems in the beginning that I really love the feeling of driving the truck now. I've become so much better that it makes me want to do even better. Some days I still have trouble backing, and it really annoys and embarrasses me. Other days I really feel like a pro. 😂 I want more days like that and I'd love to figure out how to be more productive and happy, because you're right, this money thing is just a distraction from my goal. It is human nature though, to be upset, so I really need to figure it out. (The statement money, not the cpm. I'll figure that out eventually.) Thanks

Time management is not just getting on time.... it is availability. You can burn your entire 70 but get low miles.

Example.. you and i have the same load and it has some time on it. I drive in ASAP and park close by or even at the customer then take my 10 hr break. Once i am unloaded, I have a full clock to run with. I get a new load out.

You decide to take your time and get to the customer with nothing left on your clock. You have to take a new 10 hr break. That means you are going to be a whole day behind me.

it isnt always about pushing up appointments or delivering on time. it is about trying to have a full clock after the customer.

And honestly.. Robsteeler...you do sometimes sound like a negative complainer. I hope it is just venting and not something that will consume you. From the beginning you complained about the school, the clutch, your knee... you bashed team training without even understanding it then went solo and had issues. At another company, you would have still been in training and would have had someone there to help you. But you basically bashed those teaming companies because you knew this company was better, and now it sounds like you are bashing this one.

You just posted you will take any and all advice but then admit you havent read any of the articles we write. We write them to help, encourage and support new drivers. So what it sounds like you are saying is.. "If you spoon feed me, then I am fine. If you expect me to take initiative and search for the info, forget it". If this is the kind of attitude you convey to dispatch etc... things wont go well.

As far as the cpm... my trainees who upgrade and go lightweight make more cpm than I do. Should I be upset? First, do you know for a fact the others are really getting paid differently? people lie. Second, is it a different account? you mentioned regional , so does that make a difference? Southeast Regional in my company averages less money. Different accounts and regions make different money. When I first started i was making $800 - $1000 per week. Miss Myoshi started a year later and was on a $1250 per week account. Should.I have been upset? Are they paying you what they said they were going to when you started? If so, you accepted that.

I never paid attention to cpm, detention, fuel bonus, etc cause that stuff is extra money.

As of the owner op stuff... what makes you think the loads will be there on the boards? I have an OO friend at Fedex Custom Critical and she made a ton of money the first couple of years. Now she is looking around because Fedex starting giving bonuses if you do X nunber of loads per month or have X number of trucks on your fleet. Some.of the contests they have push the bar so high and they tease with $10,000+ bonuses that when all is said and done, they dont have enough loads on the boards to sustain the number of trucks, so very very few get those high bonuses. And she used to plan herself out a week ahead.

If you are still having time management and dispatch relationship issues, you shouldnt be thinking OO. Refine your skills. Search the articles for time management and trip planning. And clear your head from the negativity. Make a list of the awesome reasons that brought you to the company and then have a very calm discussion with payroll. ask for a payroll.manager, or better yet write a very professional and non complaining letter. Written letters must be addressed, and responded to in writing. Your issues will hold more urgency for them if you email it. As for your messages disappearing... if you meant on the QC or app... those are saved so management can read them. they arent lost forever and those messages can still support your claims you put in an email.

good luck.

Rainy. It’s not messages, it’s my detailed settlement statements. They always agreed with my pay statements. I’m not sure how Prime does it, but the settlement statements get updated all through the week. I always check them the day after completing assignments to make sure what I’ve just done is on there. Like I said, the pay on Friday has always agreed with the settlement statements until a few weeks ago. One week I was expecting around 1100 and got 800 instead. I figured maybe I completed a task after the cutoff and it will be paid out next week. Nope, that one was short around 200. Those two I showed my dbl and she said it looked wrong to her, but she would check it. More weeks passed and it keeps happening. I’m at an oc now and I’m going to call tech support tomorrow. They want to try and reset everything through a desktop pc instead of on my phone. I hope they can because I don’t know how to prove anything without it. I know if they can restore it I’ll be printing copies from now on.

Now, you made some valid points, but also some points I don’t agree with. I don’t think relating the problems I had physically in cdl school was complaining. There’s a difference between that and whining. I’ve got bad knees and I had so many backing problems because I wasn’t practicing enough. It was my own fault I now see, because I insisted on getting a manual license. Little did I know that it didn’t matter at all. I wasn’t even given a manual when I got here. Of course the manual trucks companies use are a far cry from the schools trucks with super stiff spring clutches, so I wouldn’t have the same issues, but it’s a moot point.

As far as owner, I thought I was pretty clear that I don’t really want to do that. I don’t think the hassle is worth the risk and possible financial ruin. I said it would fit my personality better because where I’m at, you use the app and pick your own loads. I’ve met some guys and they told me they set up their loads sometimes for their entire run before they even go out. They don’t have to deal with dispatch. I’m going to read the articles you mentioned because I seem to fly by the seat of my pants sometimes. I do alright, but I want to do well not just get by. Some things seem to get brushed over in training and time runs out. As time goes by, you get embarrassed to admit you don’t understand something. I just learned what one of the switches on my dash did, because I finally asked a trainer about it. I’ve already decided that every time I’m at an oc, I’m going to find out something else I have questions about. Unless I find the answers myself. I’ve been reading the big book they give us that nobody ever reads and have found great information. Who would have figured? 😂

As far as bashing companies like prime, no. I didn’t bash them. I only said I didn’t want to go out with a trainer that long. I like Prime. I have serious issues staying in a truck with someone for that long. I kind of wish I didn’t feel that way, because sometimes I regret not going that route. I was signed up with them, but decided to go with Schneider instead. I never had to spend the night with my trainer. He went home daily. That was good for my personal issues, but bad for my development as a driver. It has cost me though, in little accidents at shippers, but I learned a lot from my mistakes. I’ll read what you suggested and see if it helps. I do appreciate it and I don’t feel negative about anything. I was super stressed at first, but my comfort level has grown immensely. Staying out for the month has helped too. I definitely get much more practice. Once I get rolling after my reset, I’ll post some of my weeks and you guys can see what I’m doing if you’d like. I post much of it on Facebook now. If any of you want to see, send me a message and I’ll give you my name etc on Facebook and you can see it. I post screw ups and triumphs on there. Thanks for the advice Rainy. It’s hard sometimes to see how you come across to people, and their perception of you through your writing. That’s one more aspect for me to endeavor to improve. The tone of my posts. Obviously, it’s more negative than I intended. Overall, I’m happy at Schneider. There are a lot of nice people here. Their Facebook page is good about letting people say the things they don’t like, and I haven’t seen them hide posts. I read a particularly harsh comment from someone, and they didn’t take it down. I asked on their posts about amenities for drivers on the new trucks and mentioned that I didn’t have a single one of the things they said they gave drivers on their trucks. They suggested I ask for a new truck. People posted the laughing emoji when they read that, but damned if they didn’t give me a new truck when I did ask. I came back to my original post on there and told all the laughers that the did give me a new truck. That was amazing. But there will always be aspects of the company that I don’t like, and if I started going all over, I’d find things I didn’t like there.

it’s my detailed settlement statements. They always agreed with my pay statements. I’m not sure how Prime does it, but the settlement statements get updated all through the week. I always check them the day after completing assignments to make sure what I’ve just done is on there. Like I said, the pay on Friday has always agreed with the settlement statements until a few weeks ago. One week I was expecting around 1100 and got 800 instead. I figured maybe I completed a task after the cutoff and it will be paid out next week. Nope, that one was short around 200

Ahhh... I misunderstood. We don't have that setup. We have a list of the load # and miles all week and get our end of week settlements/paystubs Wednesday night into Thursday. During the week we dont see a dollar amount for a load. There is no running total or anything. If i was missing a load on my paystub, i can cross reference the load numbers with my phone app to see which one was not paid.

Can you tell which loads are paying less? or are you missing whole loads? Do you normally use a phone app to scan or Transflo at a truck stop? There was only 1 load i didnt get paid for and it was rejected from our automated system for picture quality when I scanned it on my phone. The next week I used a truck stop Transflo. Certain invoice paper does not give good quality pics.

I would say write down the assignments in a notebook or even screenshot the daily update. Then at week's end you can email them proof and ask what is up.

Also ask if payment for certain freight or bonuses gets paid when the customer pays. For example, our detention gets paid when the customers pay and therefore it can be months before we get detention for a certain load. Another example is that company drivers get paid for the miles they drove, even if the load didnt deliver yet. Lease ops dont get paid for the load until it delivers. So if i drop a load at the terminal on Mon but it gets delivered by someone else on Thurs, I still get paid for that weeks Tues cut off. The lease ops have to wait until the next week. Therr may be some weird rule you dont know about.

Your pay stub lists the miles for each load correct? even a new DBL could see "cpm x miles= gross".

I was thinking about the pay difference and just thought of something. Are you including the per diem?

Our pay stubs say 36cpm for new condo drivers and 41cpm for lightweights. Our per diem is 8cpm which is added on a different line. Most of our new drivers who dont understand the setup think they are getting underpaid... but .36 +.08 = .44cpm for condo and an extra 5cpm for the LW is 49cpm. Our per diem is listed as "Travel Allowance".

And never be embarrassed to ask questions. Your idea about learning while at the OC is good. I rarely leave my truck when it is being worked on. I stand right there and ask all sorts of questions. I also call our shop or even the dealer and ask stupid things. They dont know me, who cares what they think.

The thing out here is that you never stop learning. Even a 20 year experienced driver learns new things. When I was new, experienced drivers who helped me would call and ask for parking in jersey or a good way around Philly. Made me.feel good to help them for a change....but they had to ask. So always ask. No shame in it.

Robsteeler, if you hang in there and keep working at this you'll get all of it figured out. It's hard to get new drivers to understand sometimes that most of their problems are of their own doing. That's the nature of being new to anything - you keep screwing up but you often don't realize it. You don't know what you don't know. The problem most of the time is that you're making things hard on yourself.

As experienced drivers we see new drivers in your situation all the time. We also see many of them quit their jobs right away because they think their company sucks. Then they quit their second company right away because they think the same. Then finally around their 3rd or 4th company they suddenly think they've found the right company and they stay. Ironically these drivers will never understand that their problems weren't being caused by those companies in the first place. The reason things finally started working for them is because they finally started figuring out how to do their job instead of stepping on their own toes.

So keep working on the issues you're having and you'll get them figured out. This is why we tell everyone to stay with your first company one full year no matter what (Follow that link - it's a podcast I did on the subject. ). It's because we know most drivers are going to go through exactly what you're going through. They're going to have an endless stream of problems that take time to figure out, and most of the time they're going to blame their company for it. Once you've been at this for a year you'll have ironed this stuff out. You'll realize you're working for a great company but you didn't know how to communicate properly, you weren't managing your time properly, and about five hundred other things that rookies have to learn that first year.

As far as being distracted by everything around you instead of focusing on making yourself better, I've done a podcast on that also. Here is the introduction to it:

For 25 years I've watched people sabotage their careers by worrying about all the wrong things instead of focusing on what it's going to take to make themselves more successful in this industry. It's time people stop worrying about whether their company is good enough for them, and start focusing on making themselves more productive drivers and better human beings. Your success or failure depends on you and you alone. It's time to own that fact, stop making excuses, and step up your game. In this podcast I'll talk about the mistakes people make and where your focus should lie if you want to be happy and successful in this industry.

Episode 18: Stop The Fear And Doubt, Focus On Your Own Success

So as you can see, we've already anticipated the problems you're having. We've been talking about this stuff for years. Old School and Rainy also have a long list of articles that are priceless.

Old School's Articles

Rainy's Articles

What sets Trucking Truth apart is that we help drivers focus on what they need to do to be successful. We don't believe it matters which of the major carriers you work for because a great driver will turn big miles, make top pay, and get all the special perks at any company they work for. You could pick a company name out of a hat and any of the moderators and experienced drivers we have here would be at the top of their pay scale turning big miles before too long.

As far as your attitude, the problem isn't that you're coming off negative in writing. The problem is that your attitude right now is negative, period. It just is. Everyone can see that. Often times people don't realize how negative they're being because it's their normal state. It becomes natural after a while. Unfortunately truck drivers are famous complainers, so there's no shortage of people out there for you to talk to, which only makes things worse. Focus on being more positive. Instead of approaching everything as a problem, approach it as a challenge that you're going to find a way to overcome. Embrace these challenges. If other drivers are getting paid more then stop blaming the company and start proving to them that you're on the same level. Instead of blaming the company for not giving you enough miles start proving to them that you can handle 3,000+ miles per week safely and make every single appointment on time. It's on you to prove yourself to your company and also to communicate your feelings with them in a professional manner.

Focus on making good things happen for yourself instead of complaining about all the bad things that others are doing to you. Right now you're getting what they feel you deserve. If you feel you deserve better then take that as a challenge and figure out how to make it happen for yourself.

The statements and any other documents are official documents related to your pay. I would be willing to bet you can get copies from payroll.

Are you talking about the Transflo app? Or a company specific app? Either way, uninstalling the app and rebooting your phone, then reinstalling it may help.

But Brett, Old School and Rainy are all giving you good advice.

All this negativity and hyper focusing on this issue will destroy you. You need to get it handled so it doesn’t. Because if it just sits and festers it will consume you. If you can’t get it handled on the road then get back to the terminal and get it handled. If your DM can’t handle it then ask to speak to payroll and operations. But the first step is to figure out why (and if) the pay is different. Maybe it is just a different division, etc like Rainy said.

I would think at this point the company has enough invested in you that if you ask about these issues calmly and professionally they will help you figure it out. They want to keep you driving and recoup their investment.

As another Schneider driver, I will say that Schneider pay statements are information overload to me. There is SO much information. (Rob, I get weekly pay statements mailed to me at home, do you?) Plus, there is the company app, Compass, where you can get enough information to choke a horse. Some guys study all this, but I have to put it aside so I can concentrate on my trip planning and driving. I'm more like what Rainy said, that she didn't worry about CPM and other peripheral issues. It's not that they aren't important but there is only so much a driver can concentrate on, especially when new and in the first year. Rob, just stay the course and you will be fine. You're riding the rapids right now, but calm water is ahead.

Rob have you tried contacting payroll?

Although in frequent, any time I have a question about pay and trip reconciliation, although I check with my DL to confirm the issue, I do not expect them (DL) to fix the problem. I call payroll.

I’ve read your posts from the very beginnning and honestly surprised you’d think Old School was taking a dig at you. Trust me (yeah I know, you don’t do that), no one here, especially OS would kick you when down. Good grief man, get past that skeptical, suspicious mentality you’ve cultivated during your law enforcement career. Not your job anymore. It’s bad ju-ju and will only hinder your success.

Read the articles in the blog section relevant to your challenges. Become a student of your craft. Read the stuff in here, study it. The information is priceless and cannot be found anywhere else. Leverage it...all of it.

Good luck.

Bruce, I don't get anything mailed I look at it on compass. I've been thinking about this based on everyone's advice and I've decided to let the cpm difference go. It's not that important. I do need to figure out the issue with the regular pay though, because I'm doing the work and I should get the full pay. I'm at the Gary OC so I'm going to log on compass on a PC and call tech support again. I really hope they can figure it out, I just want to know what's going on.

Bruce, I don't get anything mailed I look at it on compass. I've been thinking about this based on everyone's advice and I've decided to let the cpm difference go. It's not that important. I do need to figure out the issue with the regular pay though, because I'm doing the work and I should get the full pay. I'm at the Gary OC so I'm going to log on compass on a PC and call tech support again. I really hope they can figure it out, I just want to know what's going on.

do you guys get per diem?