 Questions to ask about pay issues as a new driver
Do you offer tuition reimbursement?
Typically you'll have to work for the company a certain length of time before you'll receive any reimbursement. This is usually at least 6 months to a year and may or may not be the full price of the school.
Do you pay Orientation pay?
How do you pay and how much?
Different carriers offer different ways of paying you. Most common is Per Mile pay. You receive a certain amount for every mile you run. Percentage is a bit less common, but more so for Owner Operator and for flatbed. Most drivers will say that in the end, both methods end up being nearly the same. A few offer salaried pay but this is more common with local jobs.
Loaded AND empty? If NO, how much for empty miles?
Empty miles are commonly called "Deadhead" or just "Dead" miles. Some companies will pay less for deadhead (empty) miles--though this is more common with Owner Operators and those on percentage based pay.
Hub or book? Which program? Household Movers, Rand McNally Milemaker, PC Miler, Other
Hub miles are the true miles the truck moved. Book miles are based upon how a computer program figures them. Household Mover’s Guide miles are often nearly 10% less than actual miles traveled. Mikemaker and PC Miler tend to be closer to the real miles. Computer programs typically route from post office to post office. A company that pays hub miles but pays a few cents less per mile is going to end up paying close to the same as a company that pays a few cents more per mile but uses a computer program.
Average miles per week?
Bonuses offered? Mileage Idle time/Fuel Safety
Bonuses are nice but often have "strings" attached. For example, a mileage bonus may be set up based on when you deliver a load - not just when you're dispatched on it. They are typically set up on a monthly or quarterly basis. Idle time can always be cut down but what if you spend a whole month running mostly in the north in winter? A Safety bonus usually requires no accidents, no tickets, no violations of company policy and no claims turned in.
Raises? After how long? How much?
How much advance am I allowed? Weekly or per trip?
Money that is given to you "in advance" of having earned it. It is generally expected to be used towards expenses. Some companies limit how much you may get per week, per trip, etc.
Which expenses are reimbursed?
Most companies pay scale tickets (public, not DOT) fax fees, lumpers and some/all toll roads.
Do you pay Per Diem? How much?
Per Diem is a certain amount per day that you are not taxed on - IRS laws are changing all the time but for the year 1999 the Per Diem allowed is $38.00 for each day you spend away from home. Even if the company doesn't figure the Per Diem, at the end of the year you can still take it as a tax write off.
Paid vacation? After employed how long? How much? How figured?
Usually paid according to what your average miles run per week were for the previous year.
Pay multiple drop / pick up pay? How much?
It is common with multiple stops/pickups that the first and last drop/pick up are not paid... They’ll say "First & Last are Free". The "middle" ones might pay anything from $0 to $25+ each. Multiples are time consuming - it's a good idea to ask how many of the loads may have multiple pick up/drop/both.
Paid lumpers?
"Lumpers" are people who load/unload your truck for you. They typically work on a cash basis. Lumpers can be pretty expensive depending on the type of freight you're dealing with. Most companies pay this expense for company drivers - or pay according to how many pieces of freight you have.
Do you pay me to unload?
Some companies will pay a lumper more to unload than they will pay the driver.
Are Toll Roads allowed?
Some companies allow toll roads, some do not and some will allow only certain ones. Toll roads can be extremely expensive.
Which one/s do you reimburse?
Do you pay layover? After how long?
How long do you have to sit waiting for a load to get paid for the time? Down time can get expensive. It's hard to say what's "typical" but many companies don't pay anything until you've been laid over 24+ hours.
Do you pay truck washes on the road? How often?
May seem unimportant but truck washes cost around $30-35 for the tractor only.
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