As a lot of you now I get a minimum weekly wage which is quite high compared to most in the USA, I still can’t figure out how the rates differ for various runs ? even though we get that minimum we still get a breakdown of what each trip actually pay’s. my wage statement for the previous week shows the run from NYC to Milwaukee which took two days to do paid $200 less than the following run from Kenosha WI to Scotsville KY which took 8 hours to get there, then some guy offloaded the trailer as I relaxed off duty. I just don’t see how one relatively short haul can pay more than a longer one ? I went over my minimum wage by $230 for the week (they will pay us when we exceed the minimum by the way).
This Wednesday I ran empty from NYC to Middleboro MA, loaded and dropped my trailer in Allentown PA the day after, I checked and will got over $ 600.00 for that one delivery. They seem to pay some runs by the mile, some by the set rate for a job, one run will pay empty miles and another will not… I can never understand it, I have some long and sometimes nasty conversations with payroll, one in particular yesterday when I had looed through a couple of past statements to find I had been under paid for one job.
depends on the rates Pat .
As you know different jobs will incur sometimes a great pay off because the right trailer was available at the right time an place so deadlines booking times were met along with bonus for getting the job done earlier.
They make it so complicated so they can justify a huge payroll department!
Pay by the hour and tie it into the satellite, so simple, yet the American way is to make it as complicated as possible.
As an example, NASA spent millions developing a pen that would write in zero gravity, upside down, inside out and under water.
The Russians gave their cosmonauts a pencil.
I’m payed by the hour & 1 1/2 over 8hrs and beyond checking the amount of hrs against the rate, the rest of my paycheck is indecipherable, it’s like it’s in ■■■■■■■ code.
I had to take 2 paychecks to the bank last week and I started to explain what I thought was what and the girl says “It’s ok, I understand it.”
Must be a Canadian thing.
It was a lot worse at H&R, what with miles & meat inspect, bits for this and that, I couldn’t understand a ■■■■ thing on those paychecks.
At Paul Brandt every trip was itemized by the mile, every extra like BC miles, overnight runs, drops etc was all there in plain sight, never had a single query in over 5yrs.
So it can be done…
Shouldn’t be a problem and then factoring in cut -off times as well, like getting paid for half trips just made it incredibly difficult to work out. If you was just paid a round trip with the extras listed it would be easier.
I much prefer pay by the hour for all hours worked, overtime after 8 hours each day, just like the old days back in the UK.
The very idea that guys here are willing to sit around for no pay is beyond me ? I was being loaded on Friday morning and one of the regular drivers from a different company had been under a loading pipe for 5 hours, still not loaded because the ‘BRIX’ (something to do with the amount of water in the product) was not right, he was collecting molasses, he chatted with me and I said ‘But think of the detention pay’ he then told me quite happily that he had arrived an hour early so he couldn’t book that hour, then the first 2 hours are no charge so he can’t book those. What sort of system allows companies to basically rob it’s employees blind FFS ? We get paid from the second we arrive, if we actually book that time, some are too soft to do it, I am not, I either get paid or some other schmuck can load it.
Speaking of ‘Molasses’ we only have one regular molasses delivery which again is a very high pay rate, it only goes from NYC to Albany NY but pay’s more than NYC to St Albans VT, we are paid so much more for the run because it is a nasty, dirty job and no matter how hard you try you will get the crap on your clothes, even so last week I noticed my pay for one such run had been cut by $100.00, I called in to complain “I had no idea the rate was so high” said the payroll bloke, I had not done this run in over two years, but others had, no the payroll dept has to go through all the pay and back pay everyone who did it LOL
newmercman:
They make it so complicated so they can justify a huge payroll department!Pay by the hour and tie it into the satellite, so simple, yet the American way is to make it as complicated as possible.
As an example, NASA spent millions developing a pen that would write in zero gravity, upside down, inside out and under water.
The Russians gave their cosmonauts a pencil.
Amusing - but not true. The “Space Pen” was developed independently by Fisher and then offered to both the US and USSR for use in their space programs. Both countries used it and both used pencils. Conventional pencils were arguably more dangerous in US craft because of the pure oxygen atmosphere and the risk of free-floating graphite finding its way into electrical equipment.
Had neither side heard of Papermate Powerpoints ? I had one in the 60’s, wrote uphill, downhill, sideways or whatever.
Fisher’s pressurised pen system (which later got the name “Space Pen”) predates the Papermate PowerPoint by a couple of years. If you really did have one in the 60s, you must have been an early adopter, as they weren’t widely available until 1969 or thereabouts.
One thing that gets me about the way they pay in Canada is the fact that we are paid by the mile, yet log everything by the kilometre. It is as if they want to mask the difference of the mileage they pay and the mileage we do.
ChrisArbon:
One thing that gets me about the way they pay in Canada is the fact that we are paid by the mile, yet log everything by the kilometre. It is as if they want to mask the difference of the mileage they pay and the mileage we do.
They maybe think 40c/mile sounds better than 25c/km.
Roymondo:
Fisher’s pressurised pen system (which later got the name “Space Pen”) predates the Papermate PowerPoint by a couple of years. If you really did have one in the 60s, you must have been an early adopter, as they weren’t widely available until 1969 or thereabouts.
It was in fact July 1969, I had it for my very first job after leaving school, mine was bright red 
Roymondo:
newmercman:
They make it so complicated so they can justify a huge payroll department!Pay by the hour and tie it into the satellite, so simple, yet the American way is to make it as complicated as possible.
As an example, NASA spent millions developing a pen that would write in zero gravity, upside down, inside out and under water.
The Russians gave their cosmonauts a pencil.
Amusing - but not true. The “Space Pen” was developed independently by Fisher and then offered to both the US and USSR for use in their space programs. Both countries used it and both used pencils. Conventional pencils were arguably more dangerous in US craft because of the pure oxygen atmosphere and the risk of free-floating graphite finding its way into electrical equipment.
I was going for the amusing angle
I have one of those pens, bought it while visiting the Kennedy Space Center while having a day off down there, paid of course 
Still it’s a good example of over complicating things, even if it’s not quite true 
Under our pay system we’re paid by the mile and set amounts for other work but years ago got paid more for picking up a loaded trailer than picking up an empty one. These are dry vans and if loaded are usually sealed so you didn’t even have to open the door but got more money for doing the same amount of work as picking up an empty one. 
Charles
newmercman:
They make it so complicated so they can justify a huge payroll department!Pay by the hour and tie it into the satellite, so simple, yet the American way is to make it as complicated as possible.
As an example, NASA spent millions developing a pen that would write in zero gravity, upside down, inside out and under water.The Russians gave their cosmonauts a pencil.
Your said it all with your first sentence young man.
If they paid by the hour even dumb truck drivers could figure out when they’re getting screwed. (me included) 
Charles
newmercman:
They make it so complicated so they can justify a huge payroll department!Pay by the hour and tie it into the satellite, so simple, yet the American way is to make it as complicated as possible.
As an example, NASA spent millions developing a pen that would write in zero gravity, upside down, inside out and under water.
The Russians gave their cosmonauts a pencil.
Yes that would be easy to tie hourly pay into the satellite BUT I think companies know how much more money they would end up having to pay drivers if they give a half decent hourly rate.
I earn a very average rate, nothing special but I worked out on a Calgary- Winnipeg run, the mileage pay driver needs to make .59c/mile to equal my pay for that run.
I don’t think we will see it any time soon as major change in the industry.
I do see a lot more jobs on Kijiji advertising local & provincial paying an hourly wage now.
The better firms all pay around that kind of money Neil, it’s the add ons that make the difference.
Another driver and I worked out our last year’s CPM rate from earnings divided by log book miles and we were both in the high 50s, so almost 50% more on top of the CPM rate.
There are lots out there that don’t have any add ons though and they’re the ones moaning about pay.
Chris mentioned the km/miles thing, the rates are all charged in miles, mainly due to the pretty much standard routing software being PC Miler and it uses miles. And of course if crossing the border is a factor then going metric is going to get our cousins in the colonies all confused.
That’s good money, but I think you are in a big minority.
I still think the only fair way to pay is by the hour & overtime after 8 and as you said before link to satellite.
It was a good wage, but I had to work nights and/or run the mountains to get it, so it wasn’t something for nothing.
I didn’t realize the impact it was having on me until I stopped doing it, but at the time it worked very well, the money was good and I had plenty of home time, so I’ve no complaint.
The other driver is on flatdeck, so obviously there’s a lot more work than just driving.
As you say, both good jobs, the exception rather than the rule, most companies in either field don’t offer the same rewards, which is why both don’t have driver retention problems until the older guys retire and they need new boots to fill their shoes. I would still be doing my old job if I was still a company driver, no doubt about that, even though it was playing havoc with my sleep.