Comments on: Is Mileage Pay A Fair Way To Pay Truck Drivers?

By: baquila

baquila — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:06:38 +0000

Ya know, that's interesting about the way they pay European drivers – I've never even looked into that. I'll have to take a look and see how they approach it. Ultimately though, it's going to be a combination of competition and legislation that determines the method of pay for drivers. Companies must be able to compete with each other, and they're going to do whatever they can to cut costs. So the idea of "they should do it this way" will likely have to be guided by some sort of legislation here in the US, not by morals and not by the way companies outside our own country are doing it. People want change, but they tend to freak out when you mention legislating anything. Unfortunately that's the only way you can get change in some circumstances.

And often times when it seems I'm going against a driver's best interest, there's more to it that you may realize. I'm a realist – I was a hard-working company driver for 15 years but I've been a small business owner outside of trucking for a number of years now. So I understand both sides – that workers want fair wages and fair treatment, but a company has to do whatever it possibly can to make a profit. Often times when someone disagrees it's because they've never owned a business before – they don't understand the realities of having fierce competition all around you trying to wipe you out every chance they get. Companies do not exist as charities for workers – they must be profitable or die trying. That's the reality that drives working conditions – competition and legislation – not morality or charity.

By: cman

cman — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:53:02 +0000

considering the vast majority of companies used the mover's guide and the miles are way off the milage pay is not fair. I don't understand why you wouldn't even look at the pay for european drivers with a combination of hourly and milage, with overtime on the hourly. That is a much more fair way to pay. I have looked through your different article and it's striking how many times you decide against the drivers best interest. Are you being paid by any companies through advertising?

By: russ

russ — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:15:16 +0000

First of all driver unload or assit is the way that the co. your delivering to saves money by not having to pay for its dock help,even to the point of the break down requirements of pallets in order for them to fit them in there racks,for there convenience,with your labor.As far as pay goes Mileage pay or percentage work is good for an owner operator,but only if its fair and just,one should not be getting the short end,with the price of fuel ,ins ect The rate should be brought way up to reflect the costs of modern days and locked in as a minimum,aka regulation, two dollars a mile+ stop pay-.Company drivers should not be behind the wheel for under 60,000 a year.Road and regional drivers should be paid on a 14 hr day @ minimal $20.00 per hr.Time is money for the rest of the working world why not for us? Ive been trucking 25 years or more and make less now than 20 years ago perspectivly.I could go on and on about the lack of fairness in this industry and the deteroration of it as well

By: baquila

baquila — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:52:32 +0000

I see what you're saying about the driver being able to unload and the benefits – but I think companies are far more concerned about their drivers being exhausted or getting injured, and very few drivers actually want to unload trucks – ever. I used to go jogging when I was on the road like 5 days a week. I also finally learned that you can lose weight by controlling calories alone – you don't even need to exercise to lose weight – see Weight Watchers. 1500 calories per day and I lost 25 pounds in two months with almost no exercise.

The other problem is that even if you let it be the driver's choice whether they want to unload or not, will the driver's company be given the choice whether or not to pay worker's comp and healthcare costs if the driver gets hurt? Will the company be given the choice regarding whether or not the driver can bring a lawsuit against them? Nope. So the company has to protect themselves at the same time.

By: AJ Wilson

AJ Wilson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:24:10 +0000

I ran skateboards for many years…so I know of what you speak! Nothing like tarping and straping a Colorado Alfalfa load at zero dark:30 in the middle of Jan to make you wish for warmer pastures. Point I was trying to make is that when I ran flats, and back in the "early" days where I could play lumper and get paid for it, my health was considerably better due to getting the exercise involved with the task. Now days, major companies(mine included), hold seminars and safety/health meetings every few months to get drivers to become more active or loose weight. I believe that the overweight/health problems could be alieveiated by paying drivers a reasonable pay rate to unload at. With the HOS fiasco…hours spent unloading would at least show a little profit to the driver. It should be a drivers option as to unload or not.

By: baquila

baquila — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:33:12 +0000

AJ, you knew why they did this, but you didn't know you knew! You said it yourself:

Because of this I do very little "Driver Unloads"! Alot of time it's not worth the $40 to get hot, sweaty and tired…I just sit in the truck and let the lumper do what he's getting paid for.

Amen, brutha! That's exactly why your company offers you very little to do it yourself – they don't want you to do it! Good drivers are very hard to find and the last thing your company needs is you being too tired to drive, out of hours, or injured because you were unloading the truck. They can find a million people to unload trucks – but it's not nearly as easy finding a good driver. Plus they get to write-off the expense, they get reimbursed for it by the broker, and they don't get the added healthcare costs or worker's comp issues if you get injured.

So rejoice! You don't have to unload. But if you feel driving isn't enough of a challenge for ya, then take up flatbed. Then when it's 3:00 a.m. in early February and it's 5 degrees out and you have to get all bundled up to go tarp and strap a load for two hours you can reminisce about the good ole' days of sleeping while others dealt with loading and unloading freight

By: AJ Wilson

AJ Wilson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:06:00 +0000

I run for a major US based company. I agree with being paid by the mile, however, there are some issues. Biggest issue to me is "Driver Assist" or "Driver Load/Unload". The main irritation is that the company will pay me only $40 to unload(and break down the pallets, if needed) while if lumpers are avaiable, are willing to pay upwards of $150-$300 for the same work! Because of this I do very little "Driver Unloads"! Alot of time it's not worth the $40 to get hot, sweaty and tired…I just sit in the truck and let the lumper do what he's getting paid for. Companies worrying about driver health issues, obesity and being generally out of shape should take note. Equal pay for equal work! I'd be more willing to do the work if the company was willing to pay me a decent wage.

By: Rick Huffman

Rick Huffman — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:49:48 +0000

I agree. It's a tough call. Either way, someone is probably going to feel like they're getting the short end of the stick. The HOS rules make it even more complicated. Making it still more complicated is the large trucking company's claims that they want their drivers to run legally, yet they will often penalize drivers for refusing to take a load… even if they cannot do it legally.

By: baquila

baquila — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:47:13 +0000

I think the key part of what you said was "to me that seemed fair enough". I think no matter what system you use it's going to be a compromise and nobody will be 100% thrilled with it – which usually means it's a decent compromise. I'm not sure about the exact percentages, and I certainly can't speak for the owner-operator side of things, but percentage works out similar to mileage pay – the harder you work, the more you make. That's what the companies are hoping for and I think that's what's best for the drivers also. At that point it's just a matter of agreeing on an acceptable percentage and things should work out fair for everyone in the end – and that's all you can really hope for. Great response Jim.

By: baquila

baquila — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:33:48 +0000

You make some very good points Rick. The salary idea is interesting, but I think it has the same major problem as hourly – the drivers are going to feel like the more work they do, the more they're getting ripped off and the more the company is making off them. The less they do, the more free money they're getting. I can imagine a driver sitting empty after delivering a load and hoping and hoping that they don't come up with another load that day so they can sit for free and collect a salary, then being disappointed when the Qualcomm beeps and they have to run another load. The best possible solution is to get the driver's interests to be the same as their company's interests – to run hard and be productive so everyone makes all the money they can legally make.

I agree with you about local drivers – except again you still have the problem of milking the clock. I wonder if Sysco, for instance, pays by the hour, salary, or by the amount of freight delivered? To pay by the amount of freight delivered again aligns driver interests with that of their company, but you have the concern that the driver will be in too big of a hurry to get home and take chances or be really upset when sitting in traffic or at the dock. It's all a compromise.