Truckers wife w/fuel surcharge question.

[jaimie44]

First Id like to say HI! and nice to meet you all!
My hubbys been driving for a little over 5 years now. Its a lifestyle for sure but Im supportive and happy. Hes not home a lot but we make it work. So he calls this morning and is a little peeved at his boss. Hubby makes 30% of what the truck earns. His boss (owns the truck) calls this morning because he wants to "talk" about the fact that the last couple haz-mat loads that he took are not paying him a fuel surcharge so he wants to cut hubbys percentage on those loads.What do you guys think of this? Hubby is pissed...he was told a while back that his boss should have been paying him part of the fuel surcharge $$$ that he makes all along but Im not so sure thats customary? Anyways he has never gotten a cut of the surcharge and now his boss wants to pay him less for these hazmat loads because they dont pay him fuel surcharge....something stinks!

[pro1driver]

Originally Posted by jaimie44

First Id like to say HI! and nice to meet you all!
My hubbys been driving for a little over 5 years now. Its a lifestyle for sure but Im supportive and happy. Hes not home a lot but we make it work. So he calls this morning and is a little peeved at his boss. Hubby makes 30% of what the truck earns. His boss (owns the truck) calls this morning because he wants to "talk" about the fact that the last couple haz-mat loads that he took are not paying him a fuel surcharge so he wants to cut hubbys percentage on those loads.What do you guys think of this? Hubby is pissed...he was told a while back that his boss should have been paying him part of the fuel surcharge $$$ that he makes all along but Im not so sure thats customary? Anyways he has never gotten a cut of the surcharge and now his boss wants to pay him less for these hazmat loads because they dont pay him fuel surcharge....something stinks!

although i do not know all the circumstances surrounding your hubby, let me just 'surmise" that he works for an owner-operator, that pays him on a 1099 tax form. at least that's the way i got paid when i worked for an owner-operator.

now that being said, i think your hubby's pay is derived from all the money the o/o can get for the load. so, if the o/o cannot get the full amount, then he might have to cut costs, because after all, it does cost "X" number of dollars to fuel up that truck. this sadly is something the money poor o/o will do to survive. if he cannot survive, he will lose his truck, your hubby will lose his job.

i may not agree with a pay cut, but for 2 loads as you say, it might make the difference between food on the table or not.

if this pay cut continues with every load from now on, then tell hubby he's got to make come choices. either stay or leave.

[Heart of Dixie]

The fuel surcharge goes to the one that pays for the fuel. It is to offset the price variance. It almost sounds like your husband has been getting a percentage of the f/s, but I have no idea what the agreement was with the truck owner. These days jobs are hard to get. Your husband needs to keep his cool and talk it over with the owner, not get mad and do something he might regret later.

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

Loads are Loads anymore and as such Owner Operators get no more than for other Loads unless in a Specialized Division of Trucking, say Over Height/Over Weight.
If your Hubby has a LEGAL DOCUMENT (what are these?) stating what the pay is to be and the O.O. wants to cut it back because of poor accounting then your Hubby has some ground to stand on. If no Legal Document then Hubby is subject to whatever whim the O.O. wants to pursue and the O.O. can then state whatever rate he wants to offer regardless of Load.
Some O.O.s offer 20% of Load pay to the Truck while I've recently seen LESS %s offered like 18 and 16%.

Trucking anymore is a Wolf eat Bear business and even having a Driving gig is like striking a small vein of Gold yet having speculators and tax men hovering over the site.

Hubby can as well simply tell the O.O. to do something with the Combo and thus seek another pasture to graze yet this isn't a good alternative anymore.

It's BEST to be employed making a little less than last year, than to be UNEMPLOYED, IRRITATED and AGGRAVATED whilst looking for someplace hopefully with to sign on that may very well BE WORSE than the current gig.