Why Paying Truckers By The Mile Is Unfair And Dangerous

My take home pay for the past three weeks was in excess of 1,200 dollars each week.

That's nice. I'm home every weekend. My take home pay on a bad week is 1,100. So what's happening there? Think you might be getting ripped off and you don't even see it. I understand you love trucking, So do I. There is a big problem with drivers getting payed far to low for what they do.

That's nice. I'm home every weekend. My take home pay on a bad week is 1,100. So what's happening there? Think you might be getting ripped off and you don't even see it.

Sandman, I'm not for sure what you are tying to say, I'm not going to take the comment as snarky as it came across because I really don't think that's how you meant it.

I can assure you that I'm not getting "ripped off" - I clearly used the words "in excess" in my post because I don't like to run my mouth about what I'm actually making by giving out the actual numbers - "in excess" leaves a lot of room for expansion. There are a lot of folks in this forum who are new to the industry and still trying to get their feet wet who are struggling to make six or seven hundred a week. It sounds like you are in a fortunate position with your job, and I'm glad for you. Are you on a flat-bed fleet? That is usually one of the ways folks can get home every weekend. I chose this dedicated account I'm on for the many benefits it offers, unfortunately because we are dedicated to serving this customer's needs we don't get that option of being home every weekend because they are pumping stuff out of their factory 24/7. The top performers on this account are also receiving bonus checks each quarter - mine has yet to be under 1500 bucks.

There is a big problem with drivers getting payed far to low for what they do.

There are also a lot of drivers who aren't doing anything like what they need to be doing to earn the top pay. Wages are driven by market forces, fortunately folks who understand how that works put forth the effort required to earn the top pay they deserve, while others who are keeping the averages down are also getting what they deserve. In a performance based job you have a lot of influence over what you earn.

Auto hauler or fancy flat bed. My company is based out of Jacksonville Florida and no I didn't mean it as snarky. Just wondering. Most (as in 7/10) of my checks are in excess of 1,800. Is there really that big of a differance? Is what I was thinking. I love my pay but maybe I should be a lot happier than I am.

Oh Sandman, yes Auto Hauling is one of the highest paying gigs around. It sometimes has some issues that come with it that drivers don't like. You are doing real well, and should be quite happy with that kind of pay and the generous home time. Just be careful and don't damage that freight!

I propose that mechanics should also be paid by the job and not hourly.

Truck drivers take shortcuts to maximize their income: 10 minute pretrips, skipping a fuel stop to save 20 minutes driving, ...

Now imagine what shortcuts a mechanic can take to get a tractor out the door in "record time": marginal parts not replaced, torques not completed to spec, ...

Hardly anyone spends 1 min getting out of their truck for a PT. The last time in close to a year I have seen anyone do a PT was in Vegas a few months ago. I was out there filling up my radiator and two old timer O/O's parked next to me decided to join in the fun. Sometimes I wonder if you guys are driving in the same country as me.

I'm doing good out here, I'm no super trucker but very happy (when looked at monthly) with my income. I really do not care what format I get paid because in the end companies will offer standards plus incentives for their better performers. For me as a new guy coming into this the pay system seemed byzantine. You get miles, then if your on top of all the dock time, tarp time, breakdown time ect. Ect. Ect. Add infinitum it's no wonder accounting departments, DM's and drivers mess it up weekly. Their not out to get you, the MBA accounts can't even figure it out.

Now add that to a young man, sitting at a dock for hours, who has worked hourly for years. He is ****ed because he is not used to this pay system and won't get paid for it unless he checks his pay statment, remembers that he actually stayed at that dock for over two hours, argues/confirm with DM that's what happened, reports/confirm accounting has received DM confirmation and finally checks his statement next week to make sure that $16 was added. I'm sure I missed a few steps in there. Simplify this crap, salary would end all this nonsense, raise moral and these young men would not be sitting at the dock brewing. Companies have a ton of information on your performance and should can your butt for not stepping up.

Most (as in 7/10) of my checks are in excess of 1,800.

Gross or net? I believe Old School was referring to net pay. There's a lot of people that seem to confuse the two and don't know what they mean. I've seen a frequent poster on here already refer to his gross pay as his 'take home' pay. Take home is not gross pay. Take home is net, i.e. after all deductions and taxes.

If you're netting excess of 1,800 on a weekly basis, that's a little hard to believe. 1,800 seems more like gross.

Last check. Gross Pay$2,781.23 Net Pay. $1,956.05. I've had a PTIN and an EFIN for the past Four years. I am a co- Owner of an Income tax Office. It's not huge but it makes its money as well, By far not a bad investment.

But yah. I know what net pay and gross pay are.

But yah. I know what net pay and gross pay are.

Gotcha. I was more or less making a point of it for the general public on this forum.

What's PTIN and EFIN?

Preparer tax identification number (PTIN).Anyone that wants to file another person tax return is required to have one. Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) (Used for E-File.) Efin is used mostly for businesses that E-File tax returns.