Who is the company? Most all Idaho companies pay layover pay to their OTR/Regional drivers.
GLS (sister company to Giltner) is small and does treat you like family, giving cpm raises regularly, layover pay when sitting, detention pay, etc.
So, next company, you need to ask about pay and accessorial pay BEFORE you commit to going with them.
Laura
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Drew, you're making the classic decision making mistake. You're making a decision during a time of stress. You want to get home, but the weather isn't cooperating. You want to be compensated for not working, but the company isn't cooperating. Now you made a decision to not go home, and that's irritating you.
Any fool could make the decision to move to greener pastures under those circumstances. A wise trucker keeps the bigger picture in focus. He makes that decision a few weeks or months later when things are going well for him. Don't let the temporary problems we all face in this business dictate your decision making process.
I appreciate the candid response.
I'll light up a cigar and try to relax.
Drew, you're making the classic decision making mistake. You're making a decision during a time of stress. You want to get home, but the weather isn't cooperating. You want to be compensated for not working, but the company isn't cooperating. Now you made a decision to not go home, and that's irritating you.
Any fool could make the decision to move to greener pastures under those circumstances. A wise trucker keeps the bigger picture in focus. He makes that decision a few weeks or months later when things are going well for him. Don't let the temporary problems we all face in this business dictate your decision making process.
That sounds good. You make me wish I was stuck there with you.
I would advise against making any career decisions based off a few bad days, they will happen at any company.
However, I also feel no driver should be making less than 50 cpm either. I know a lot of people here think you should just be greatful for whatever peanuts a company will throw at you especially while new. I feel for all the time away from home and stress drivers shouldn't be getting than 50 cpm. Even when I started with West Side almost 6 years ago I was at 43 cpm, I left after 2 months for Old Dominion they started me at 55 cpm now I'm at 78 cpm.
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Ordinarily, I would 100% agree with the points being made here. That is not to say that I disagree here. I just want to offer another point of view to consider.
Sometimes a stressful situation is exactly what is needed in order to see what a company is about. If any company driver is under load and stranded in any location because of weather, it's expected to be compensated for that time because the driver is sitting with that load for the benefit of the company. For a company to act like this compensation is optional is abusing the onus put upon drivers to air on the side of safety. On the flip side, why should any driver for that company sit with the load unpaid?
Laura brings up a great point that when going through the application process with a company, get a clear understanding of what is and what isn't paid with that company. There are three possibilities here:
1) Drew forgot to ask about accessorial pay like breakdown and inclement weather pay.
2) Drew did ask about accessorial pay and the recruiter was not truthful about company policy.
3) The company is violating its own policy because money is tight and it has many drivers in the same situation as Drew.
Whichever of these is true is now inconsequential because he is now forced to sit with a load without compensation and no manner of talking about it will change what was or wasn't done in the past.
Drew, I think it would be wise to think long and hard about moving on. Given your location and the prospect of facing this type of scenario every winter, I wouldn't be inclined to let that company have another winter of getting work out of me without pay. However, you are a grown man. You are capable of assessing what is best for you without waiting for things to improve to make the decision. There is something that you can ask your company to see what the response is. Ask dispatch about leaving the load and the truck at its current location while you find a way to get home, since they are not paying you to sit with the load. If they refuse that, then give the company an ultimatum: Pay you to sit with the load or expect the company to figure out on its own how to babysit the load without a driver onsite. They want the benefit of a company driver without the exposure of having to compensate a driver when things don't go well.
Drew, what a bummer for you. Good advice from Old School on this. Weren’t you on the fence about changing companies recently.?
From what I’ve read this winter on the forum, Wyoming is problematic. My company goes to Cheyenne occasionally, but no further,to my knowledge.
I hope you eventually get in a comfortable situation.
I always check before I go. I can't stress it enough with the weather in mountain states. Especially with Colorado, Wyoming and the like. A week in advance. Our modeling on storms is accurate enough to know.
I've turned down loads that were potentially money makers in regions because the forecast showed a high likelihood of adverse weather.
In this most recent closure of Wyoming, my terminal had was loads going through there. I declined it. I just turned down two going over 70. Instead I opted for a night relay over Raton pass and back, which will be clear. It's 500 mile round trip, gets me miles at a higher pay rate safely.
I ask every time and clarify that I will be getting layover pay if I'm sitting for any length of time. I think it's hard to ask beforehand because we think they might say no. But if they value your judgment in being safe they will accommodate you.
I'm assuming that you're doing OTR or at least regional. There are a ton of large national carriers that will happily hire a safe reliable experienced driver even if you live in a remote area.
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
One stray thought I had about Drew’s situation has to do with winter driving.
It hasn’t taken me long to realize that winter driving is a very different animal than warm weather driving. Both the drivers and the companies face challenges, delays and unpredictable conditions. I know my miles driven during winter will be less than what I can average in warm weather. It’s just the nature of the beast in OTR trucking. My last assignment was changed 3 times because the company was trying to juggle deliveries, weather and available drivers to meet their obligations. It’s gotta be frustrating for the load planners and driver managers. So I sat more time than I’m used to, but I also understand that my company is scrambling to keep things going on schedule. Kind of the other side of the coin situation.
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.
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Well, I am stuck in Bethoud, CO and have been for almost 3 days waiting for Wyoming to stop being Wyoming. This load was supposed to get me home for a couple days of hometime in Boise. Due to weather, I haven't been able to move. Just found out this morning they have no intention of paying layover for being stuck here. This will result in me forgoing hometime and staying out for at least 4 more weeks to compensate for the loss. Also, I have realized that .41 cents a mile, even with per diem , is slave wage. Couldn't possibly be more disappointed with my company. If I learned one truth about trucking, it is that "we treat you like family not a number" is the biggest lie in trucking. If someone tells you that in their pitch, run.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
Per Diem:
Getting paid per diem means getting a portion of your salary paid to you without taxes taken out. It's technically classified as a meal and expense reimbursement.
Truck drivers and others who travel for a living get large tax deductions for meal expenses. The Government set up per diem pay as a way to reimburse some of the taxes you pay with each paycheck instead of making you wait until tax filing season.
Getting per diem pay means a driver will get a larger paycheck each week but a smaller tax return at tax time.
We have a ton of information on our wiki page on per diem pay