Just something to think about in the World of Trucking..

Snortin Nortin · #1 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 08:08 AM

Being recently laid off (which blows,,but is happens) I have taken an OTR job, I thought I would chronicle my week and show the folks thinking of getting into trucking a comparison of LTL and truckload.Not that truckload is bad but I believe there are major differences when it comes to pay. Which we experienced hands know but the new guy's may not be aware of.

1st trip 98 deadhead miles @.38 per mile=$37.24 LTL pay = $54.53
upon arriving at shipper I dropped and hooked and waited on paperwork this took an hour. Pay was $0.00LTL = $22.15
Loaded mile pay was 1190 miles @ .38 per mile =$452.20 .5565 prr mile @LTL pay = $662.23
Upon arriving at shipper I was detained 3 1/2 hours at no pay.. LTL pay = $77.53
I was then laid-over 47 1/2 hours no pay as I was dispatched before 48 hours..LTL pay = $354.40 that is two days layover..
So far grand total LTL = $1170.84
And truckload = $489.44

Now granted these same circumstances would most likely not happen in LTL and yes I am Union and I say that Proudly.
But I thought I'd throw this out there so the folks thinking of getting into trucking might see how much FREE TIME they actually give away in trucking. You can still make a good living truckin' and this is not meant to scare anyone out of it, rather just a comparison in case some of you aspire to go LTL someday you can have something to gauge what kinda $$ you might make. Believe me I am not knocking truckin' I have been doing it about 19 1/2 years and if were not for being hired at RoadWay a year and half ago I would be out there never realizing the major pay structure differences.
It is just amazing how much free time these companies expect you to give.It is almost like your time is worth well nothing.

pcuthbert · #2 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 11:17 AM

Nortin;

You make some good points here.

Let me describe my last trip from the time I pulled into the yard to receive my dispatch until I pulled into the yard to go home.

Arrive 16:30. Pull up to tire shop for tire repair. Check into dispatch, shower, dinner, etc. Pull out of tire shop 17:30. 1 hour pay $16.00

Travel to loading point. Delayed 1.5 hours. Paid $40.00
Return to yard for trailer repair that became evident while loading. 1 hour for repair. Paid $20.00

Driving 900 Km @ 27.55 per Km pay $247.95

Unload 1 hour 20 minutes. Paid $30

This is the normal pay for the trip. This time, I had another driver follow behind me who did not know the road. It is through some pretty treacherous mountain roads, and we are in the dead of winter here. Paid $60.00

Returned to terminal 18:30, post trip and home.

Total pay for this trip: $393.85 Total time 26 hours, including sleep and meal breaks. Actual driving time was 12 hours, loading time was 2 hours and unloading was 1 hour 20 minutes.

If I had been required to chain up to make it through some tough spots, that too would have been paid.

On top of this, I expect 3% safety bonus, 6% profit share, and 3% Xmas bonus. Benefits are excellent and work is steady.

BTW, I haul fuel in super-B trains. Loaded weight is 140,000 pounds. I already know what I am doing at the start of my next week. 2 $450 days local followed by a trip through the mountains of 1400 miles, then one short trip to finish my week.

My point here is that there are non-union companies that pay for "lost time", and pay rather well.

Our mileage rates vary according to the distance of the trip, with the highest pay being about $.65/ mile for travel inside the City, and about $.50 for driving in the mountains.

In 20 years with this company, I have never been laid off, nor sent home because there was nothing to do.

Maximus · #3 (**permalink**) 12-11-2007, 10:27 PM

Please be patient with me on this, I am going to read this through a few times, trying to get the different points to sink in. What is a deadhead mile? Truckload is over the road or long haul correct? and What does being dispatched before 48 hours mean? Thanks

pcuthbert · #4 (**permalink**) 12-13-2007, 10:36 AM

Maximus;

Deadhead miles are empty miles, where you pull a trailer from one location to another. Bobtail is much the same, except that you do npot have a trailer.

Truckload (T/L) doesn't have to be longhaul or over the road. It can be local. The term means that the whole load goes to one receiver. Less than truckload (LTL) will have multiple stops to pickup or deliver.

I believe that Nortin has a company that will pay layover after 48 hours without dispatch. In this case, he was dispatched for a load before he reached that magic number.

The point that is being made by both of us here is that there are different employers, different types of work, and different benefits available to each of us depending upon our choices.

Look carefully at what each company offers you, and be certain that you are in agreement with the terms of employment.

Snortin Nortin · #5 (**permalink**) 12-13-2007, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcuthbert

Maximus;

Deadhead miles are empty miles, where you pull a trailer from one location to another. Bobtail is much the same, except that you do npot have a trailer.

Truckload (T/L) doesn't have to be longhaul or over the road. It can be local. The term means that the whole load goes to one receiver. Less than truckload (LTL) will have multiple stops to pickup or deliver.

I believe that Nortin has a company that will pay layover after 48 hours without dispatch. In this case, he was dispatched for a load before he reached that magic number.

The point that is being made by both of us here is that there are different employers, different types of work, and different benefits available to each of us depending upon our choices.

Look carefully at what each company offers you, and be certain that you are in agreement with the terms of employment.

Thank you that is exactly right..

Soundman · #6 (**permalink**) 12-17-2007, 01:44 PM

So, now we know why they call it FREE time