If you don’t want to do OTR work then definitely don’t think about the Maritimes as that’s just about all it is here. You can get city work in places like Halifax and Moncton for about $14-16ph but those jobs are pretty rare and certainly not something to base your future on.
If hourly paid local work is what you want in the long term, and I can’t fault you for it, then I’d be looking at either Winnipeg in Manitoba and the surrounding area or the big two in Alberta. Saskatchewan probably has the same sort of opportunities in Regina and Saskatoon I should imagine.
I got stranded in Loblaws in Cambridge, Ontario for 24 hours this weekend while the oxygen thieves tipped and then reloaded me and on base mileage rate I’ll earn absolutely nothing for it. I get paid $20 for every pick and drop, so thats $40 and they say they’ll pay me waiting time, which remains to be seen, if they do I’ll probably come out with $120. Then compare to a local Toronto driver I got chatting to there, who couldn’t have been happier to have sat there the 12 hours that he did, getting paid $25 p/h for the entire time. $300 for sitting on his arse all day, plus whatever else he’ll earn for work before and after, starting from home that morning, and back in his own bed that night.
Apart from hourly pay, I think pin to pin is the only other way to earn reasonable money but those jobs are few and far between.
That waiting around and not getting paid for it really killed the job off for me.
I once worked out, over a week, what my hourly rate averaged when I added all my work/driving/waiting time together and what I got paid, it was shocking, coming in at below minimum wage.
At Brandt’s I got $20ph waiting time, paid from time on site until leaving, plenty of times I’ve had a ten hour break while waiting for a trailer, with the time in and out signed for it’s a nice little touch 
newmercman:
At Brandt’s I got $20ph waiting time, paid from time on site until leaving, plenty of times I’ve had a ten hour break while waiting for a trailer, with the time in and out signed for it’s a nice little touch
That is the exception rather than the rule I think, I’ve not heard of any companies in this area that pay waiting time, just the ones that try and screw drivers out of their layover pay.
neilg14:
newmercman:
At Brandt’s I got $20ph waiting time, paid from time on site until leaving, plenty of times I’ve had a ten hour break while waiting for a trailer, with the time in and out signed for it’s a nice little touchThat is the exception rather than the rule I think, I’ve not heard of any companies in this area that pay waiting time, just the ones that try and screw drivers out of their layover pay.
Sadly, that’s true, not many companies pay waiting time, they’re still stuck in the dark ages, mind you now that I’ve jumped behind a desk and seen some of the rates that people are working for, it’s a wonder they make enough to pay the drivers at all 
The situation at PBT is that most of their work is contracted, so they’ll be getting the right rate for the job, so they can buy decent plant, look after it and pay their drivers properly, lucky for me that I found a good firm, unfortunately they are one of the few companies that are doing it the right way, as driver pay rates clearly show 
newmercman:
mind you now that I’ve jumped behind a desk and seen some of the rates that people are working for, it’s a wonder they make enough to pay the drivers at all
A desk? Did you get sick of running back and forth over the Rockies?!
robinhood_1984:
newmercman:
mind you now that I’ve jumped behind a desk and seen some of the rates that people are working for, it’s a wonder they make enough to pay the drivers at allA desk? Did you get sick of running back and forth over the Rockies?!
No, I loved it, but I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse (no horses were harmed) so I took it, been here since the beginning of December and so far I’ve managed to get away with it 
newmercman:
robinhood_1984:
newmercman:
mind you now that I’ve jumped behind a desk and seen some of the rates that people are working for, it’s a wonder they make enough to pay the drivers at allA desk? Did you get sick of running back and forth over the Rockies?!
No, I loved it, but I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse (no horses were harmed) so I took it, been here since the beginning of December and so far I’ve managed to get away with it
Please don’t say you got photos of the kids on the desk it would spoil the illusion of all you truckers out there …It can be a natural progression to the office and I wish you well…
cliffystephens:
newmercman:
robinhood_1984:
newmercman:
mind you now that I’ve jumped behind a desk and seen some of the rates that people are working for, it’s a wonder they make enough to pay the drivers at allA desk? Did you get sick of running back and forth over the Rockies?!
No, I loved it, but I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse (no horses were harmed) so I took it, been here since the beginning of December and so far I’ve managed to get away with it
Please don’t say you got photos of the kids on the desk it would spoil the illusion of all you truckers out there …It can be a natural progression to the office and I wish you well…
No photos on the desk, just paperwork and my cup 
Hi Mark, good luck with the new job.
Regards Paul.