The Waiting Game
Topic 27974 | Page 1
Paid while you wait?
Paid while you wait?
Absolutely. $30 an hour for all time whether I'm driving or loading/unloading all my time is paid. The only time I do not get paid is for my 10 hour break if i layover.
Well, that lessens the hardship.
Got another half hour until dispatch shows up but looking at paperwork UNFI in Iowa City shipping hours are 11a-9p so I'll end up sitting there as well.....its safe to say somebody dropped the ball with this load.
its safe to say somebody dropped the ball with this load.
Rob, I very seldom sit and wait anymore, but...
I got to my first stop on a multi-stop load yesterday at 1300 (precisely when I told them I'd be here). Guess what? They weren't ready for me. I'm both dropping material and loading material at this stop. I'm still here, 19 hours later now, and they still don't have my materials ready.
The only consolation is that I'm getting some very generous detention pay, thanks to our contract.
I'm still here, 19 hours later now, and they still don't have my materials ready.
The only consolation is that I'm getting some very generous detention pay, thanks to our contract.
Wow! That's crazy to wait that long. Does it appear the delay is related to Covid? Hopefully they get you going shortly and you're able to finish that trip without anymore delays. It sucks to wait but atleast you're getting paid without burning your clock.
Dispatch called me. It sounds like they're going to have me sit on this load. They're also trying to see if anybody else can swing by my backhaul on the way back otherwise I'll be running down there after I get unloaded. The backhaul I'm picking up falls under the exemption for suspended HOS so they're ok with me doing that as long as I'm not fatigued. Just waiting to hear the definite game plan here so I can get some rest if I'm going to sit here then run down there to pickup.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Wow! That's crazy to wait that long. Does it appear the delay is related to Covid?
Honestly, I don't know. Many of the places I go are running with less manpower currently. Personally I think my dispatcher knew there was going to be a delay here. He messaged me two days ago wanting me to know I'd be getting detention pay if this plant delayed us. So, he had some kind of knowledge - he probably just didn't want to come out and say it. My detention pay is really generous. It's more than your hourly pay, so I'm just coasting along here watching the dollars come in. About twice a year this happens to me here at this plant.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
My detention pay is really generous. It's more than your hourly pay, so I'm just coasting along here watching the dollars come in. About twice a year this happens to me here at this plant.
That is very good detention pay. Usually i hear people mention only getting $15 an hr or so. Have they given you any idea of how much longer? Time seems to drag sitting stationary for so long but seeing the money add up makes it worth it.
Just got a call from dispatch. Transportation manager is pulling the plug on me sitting. They're having me drive 115 miles back to the yard to drop this trailer then drive the 100 miles or so to Iowa City. Turns out my backhaul is a drop and hook. They will get this appointment rescheduled for tomorrow or Friday morning.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
That is very good detention pay. Usually i hear people mention only getting $15 an hr or so.
Our contract for this dedicated account is very favorable to the carrier's demands for efficiency. It works both ways though. The drivers who are efficient and productive will get special consideration during delays. If you're a slacker you won't get the kind of detention pay a productive driver gets. Our company also gets punished financially if we aren't responding to this customer's needs and schedules efficiently.
Have they given you any idea of how much longer?
They will only commit to "We will have you ready at some point today."
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For today I didn't have any routes that would get me alot of hours to choose from so I took the longest one available. A measly 330 mile route that would have me deliver 8 pallets of LTL 3rd party freight to the Target DC in Cedar Falls Iowa 115 miles away. I got my day started about 1am as scheduled and got up to Cedar Falls about 340am to be told that my appt isnt until 230 this afternoon and that I needed to leave until 130pm. I went to the nearest truck stop (KWIK STAR!!!!!) and called our after hours which is just the warehouse office to inform them. They told me they can't give me permission to leave so now I sit for 3 hours until dispatch gets in at 7am. They asked me if I could do the rest of my route and come back later but the only other stuff I have to do is pickup a full load 92 miles away in Iowa City then deliver 1 pallet of that to 2 different stores on my way back. I'm sure I'll be told to come back and grab an empty to do the rest of it and they'll get someone this afternoon to run back up here but I'll find out in 3 hours. It may not seem like a ton to an OTR driver but for a local driver its an eternity.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.