Trucker Wife
Posted by Carter100@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 64 comments
Hi first time poster. Husband started new job with company that pays a percentage of load rather than PPM. Initially he was told he would be getting paid $30/h or at least $1500 take home pay… however when he got paid hourly all but 1 week his boss told him he couldn’t afford it anymore so he’s back to percentage, ok whatever. Now he’s working 65+ hours and gets 28% of the load but is only bringing home between 850-1100 max per week. I know trucking has its up and down but how is it legal to work that many hours and get so little pay!!??😵💫
Novel-Diver@reddit
Where is your husband located?
Carter100@reddit (OP)
Ohio
random28961@reddit
Look into Maverick or TMC for flatbed they will pay better. Which is wild to say. Or look into tanker if possible.
AAB1996@reddit
850-1,100 a week is what my mega carrier pays me and I'm a newbie. He definitely is getting ripped off if he's working a lot
RedlineM5@reddit
My codriver gets 30%. We worked one day last week. His 30% came out to be $921. Find another company.
Reddit_Is_a_jokee@reddit
These are usually the "we treat you like family" companies. In order for these companies to survive they expect drivers to work for free.
Thepopethroway@reddit
A lot of people will put up with nonsense and BS pay because their boss pretends to be their friend.
Financial-Prize9691@reddit
Truck drivers aren't entitled to OT pay. If their is no contract, carriers are only required to pay minimum wage for hours worked over one week. Hubby needs to find a new gig.
Sfarcolacul987@reddit
I really don’t understand why truckers are not finding for overtime. The companies are requiring it to work overtime but not pay you why they are so stupid.
BroDawg1776@reddit
It’s customary to get paid by the mile over the road drivers(long haulers). If they got paid by the hour, you’d have drivers driving 50 mph, finding traffic jams, overall milking the clock. Some companies pay a percent which is cool. With that said. There are hourly trucking jobs out there but you’re talking about driving locally and not long haul.
Thepopethroway@reddit
UPS long-haul routes are per mile. If you slow down to under 15 MPH, you start getting paid hourly after 15 minutes back to the 1st minute.
Thus, driving efficiently is incentivized, but you aren't screwed over when anything happens.
salaamcreddit@reddit
I was paid by the hour and never did any of those things. Companies need to just hire people who will meet the standards they put out. I knew when I had to be places and was only late when there were unforeseen delays like fatal accidents or break downs. Set standards and fire people who don't meet them and pay by the hour like any other professional job.
Financial-Prize9691@reddit
You are different. Your personal experience shows what is possible, not what is usual or average. There are 3.5 million truck drivers. I am talking to OP about what is legal not what is right.
Sfarcolacul987@reddit
What about when you are in traffic but you only can move 1 mile in an hour stupid analogy and automatically assumed that the driver is a con artist
Thepopethroway@reddit
Because fair labor standards only apply to humans, not truck drivers. It's very important that the people who drive the most dangerous equipment on the road with thousands of others every day are not compensated appropriately.
Financial-Prize9691@reddit
Truckers have never been owed overtime. They were explicitly excluded when OT laws were written in 1935.
When the laws were written, truckers fought against OT requirements because they were paid by the piece or mile and OT pay requirements would have cut into their pay. Times have changed.
Grumpy_Trucker_85@reddit
Too many smaller companies, even all the mega carriers out there only account for at best 40% of all trucks, and that is me being generous and including ltl carriers that are already union shops
Clean_Leader_8451@reddit
Is he brand spanking new? That’s about what a brand new flatbedder with a mega would make. Hauling oversized should be way more than that.
Has the per diem kicked in yet? That will be another couple hundred a week probably. Has he enrolled in benefits yet? My company had 4% automatically going to my 401k and I didn’t even know. There’s a few things to really dig into on a pay stub. That said, unless he’s brand new I think that’s being underpaid.
BroDawg1776@reddit
It sounds like he is a mega trucking company or a really smaller company who is paying him less for the lack of experience. If OPs husband is brand new. I’d stick around for awhile, 6-12 months. That’s just to gain the experience. After that. Flat bed/ heavy haul should be pretty easy to get.
Thepopethroway@reddit
Hell no.
Ok-Initiative-8809@reddit
He should look elsewhere for employment is there anything prohibiting him from going with a different company
Carter100@reddit (OP)
No, not at all. He just believes it will get better but it’s not , it been months.
Thepopethroway@reddit
The only way to get a raise in this industry is quit or threaten to quit.
sbarrowski@reddit
He should quit!
StolenRage@reddit
Twenty + years ago I was making 35% of the load while pulling a reefer. Your husband is getting screwed.
Fluffy-Caterpillar49@reddit
Yeah there is you cant jump jobs too often
yamahamama61@reddit
Wait 6 months
yamahamama61@reddit
Yep. I agree he should be having better pay
Thepopethroway@reddit
His boss is probably scamming him.
The simple reality is that this industry happens to have a lot of dishonest bastards running the show and they will do anything they can to fuck with their drivers' paychecks to save a nickel. The $30/hr isn't even good, especially if it's flat rate which it's almost guaranteed it is.
Hubby needs to pack up and find something else. LTL preferably.
UnitBeneficial9345@reddit
I am also a company driver that gets payed percentage... I have heard that if you are getting percentage by law you can request the load confirmation to see what was actually Billed or something like that to make sure your not getting screwed. But I haven't been able to find it anywhere, anyone know anything about this?
Richard_Tickler69@reddit
ATS?
UnitBeneficial9345@reddit
No ats definitely pays better than that, at least they did when I drove there 2 years ago
Carter100@reddit (OP)
What’s that?
BitEnvironmental4872@reddit
Plenty of companies that offer basic needs like healthcare and better pay packages. Not sure of his experience but there’s too many companies out here to just settle for shady workings of an employer
Asphalt_outlaw@reddit
I pay my driver 25%. He still makes 2500-3000 a week. Something ain't adding up if your husband is pulling oversize and making peanuts
baltbum@reddit
I worked for a company that paid percentage. They kept cutting the rate they were charging their customers, which also cut my pay. I ended up making less than every company that was delivering to those same customers.
Dknowles391@reddit
I was making 24 percent as a door swinger and making 1500 a week. Oversized flatbed should be making more. Theyre cutting money out of the equation somewhere.
tgpsrad@reddit
Tell you husband he could smell that local. With 3 mo experience.apply to the jobs on his behalf if you want the proof. They will call same day if he's got no tickets and 1+2 years
pervyjeffo@reddit
Make sure he's getting his percentage before deductions. Some companies try to pull that bullshit and take out the driver percentage after they paid fuel, insurance, etc. leaving nothing for the driver. Getting paid percentage isn't percentage of profit, it's percentage of the total.
Kenworthsteve@reddit
I'm a company driver with a company with about 2000 trucks in US and Canada. I make considerably more than your husband, paid on W2 with robust benefits. He should find another job BEFORE leaving.
WaltetMatthouch@reddit
I’m m
SnowyHawke@reddit
28%??? We get 70% of the load pay. I couldn’t live on 28%.
Samarchuleta516@reddit
A lot of companies are screwing over their drivers now. My husband is with CFI and after 2098 miles last week his paycheck was only $923 even. Unfortunately he just started driving around March/April so we have to hold out for him to go somewhere better.
renostar08@reddit
Speaking for the how is that legal piece... That's somewhere between 13.07 and 16.29 which is above minimum wage in a lot of states.
Now, is it right, or fair... That's a whole other question for sure. I personally wouldn't work for such little pay. I'd be finding something new asap. My time, training and experience are all worth more for sure.
skeletons_asshole@reddit
I make more than that hauling standard flatbed freight for TMC, I’m home every weekend, and I have full benefits and an ESOP. Also, I am in one of the lowest paying areas we cover.
Sounds like that company is struggling quite a bit. He may want to consider other options.
National-Answer-9792@reddit
28 percent is ok starting out for someone, but sounds like the loads don't pay enough. Or possibly there is some skimming going on if the boss thought he was making too much getting paid for his hours.
fsmontario@reddit
I’d ask to see the billing for the loads, that is way off, unless he’s spending a shit ton of time sitting
xDoomKitty@reddit
Yeah wtf. Hauling ODOW at our carrier is easily over $1,500 a week at 28%. And I mean EASILY.
Dude's either getting stolen from, or his boss has 0 customers and doesn't have a clue how to bid ODOW.
e0240@reddit
I would move on I make $35 an hour in Colorado. Side dump low boy and belly dump for a local gravel pit. $31 in the winter driving a bus for a ski area. If he needs the experience maybe try and make it work temporarily.
Ok-Direction-3501@reddit
NOCO by chance? Looking to get into something like that I’m doing class b tandem but have my class a with tanker as well
Icculusthebook@reddit
All companies lie to get butts in seats. Drivers should get paid way more than we get. I stop here before I get downvoted to hell.
Little-Trucker@reddit
Hate to say it but thats an average paycheck. My rookie year was 24% of load, ran 60-70hrs and pay was typically 1k-$1,200. Switched to 53 cpm (cents per mile) for another company after my 1st year, ran 60-70hrs and pay was still 1k-$1,200. Wife got her cdl and we started teaming for another company splitting 72 cpm (or 36 cents each) I did all the day deliveries and she just did night time highways Now this is where our paychecks were consistently 1,500-$2,200 each plus monthly safety bonuses of .10 for every mile (that varies with each company)
ShoebillJoe@reddit
Uh what? Are you talking about flatbed? I work for a mega solo approaching my second year and make a minimum of $1500 a week.
DukeBradford2@reddit
Wby would touch want to take a pay cut to share an already small living space with someone. Just trying to sleep in a freight shaker while moving would keep me up all night
Jazzlike_Blueberry_1@reddit
Market rate .. drivers are not in demand
MRUNIKORN123@reddit
Must be an o/o outfit... Tell him keep looking... The hours and pay sounds about right unfortunately. I know I had the same setup for years pulling containers.. till I switched to reefers... Better pay .. still gone a lot but I could afford more . Not sure how it is out there now.. heard it's not to great.. so he might want to keep what he has for now... Just keep an ear out before changing anything.. for now at least .. 🤷🏼♂️☮️🙋🏼♂️
tk421yrntuaturpost@reddit
28% of a lousy rate is a lousy paycheck. If it’s not better after a full year I’d start looking for a company that charges more.
Imaginary-Badger-119@reddit
End it.. he needs to move ..
indysbestprodriver@reddit
Oversized pays better than that for sure.
rilloroc@reddit
I get around 2200 a week, but I work 20hr days for that shit. It ain't worth it
Sfarcolacul987@reddit
What a lot of truckers don’t realize that’s the rate that the company wanna pay it’s a collusion thing whatever you go it’s gonna be between 800 to maximum of 1200 per week. The ones they tell you otherwise lying just a few jobs pay more than that but was un specialized loads
Sfarcolacul987@reddit
Just to add since everybody mentions experience, it’s bullshit. It’s a lie. I’ve seen people with 20 years making the same as the new guy unless you find something specialized like the guy that mentioned with the dumping you will not find more you realize what I’m saying when you already had enough of the lies.
yamahamama61@reddit
Wait until he gets more experience. Especially if this is his 1st trucking job. Wait 6 months. Then start looking. What his boss did is called "Bait & Switch" There are website where you put in 1 application an about a thousand trucking companies can see it. And you can see all the different trucking companies. Use to be called "Everytruckingjob com". I don't know what it's called now. But maybe searching that will get you there v
AbStRaCt1179@reddit
He needs to find a new gig. Local heavy haul normally pays well. At least where I live (new england) Shit, im a triaxle class a driver with a union job and I bring home 100k a year just in the paycheck, nevermind the total benefits package.