Profile For Attila

I propose that mechanics should also be paid by the job and not hourly.

Truck drivers take shortcuts to maximize their income: 10 minute pretrips, skipping a fuel stop to save 20 minutes driving, ...

Now imagine what shortcuts a mechanic can take to get a tractor out the door in "record time": marginal parts not replaced, torques not completed to spec, ...

Hardly anyone spends 1 min getting out of their truck for a PT. The last time in close to a year I have seen anyone do a PT was in Vegas a few months ago. I was out there filling up my radiator and two old timer O/O's parked next to me decided to join in the fun. Sometimes I wonder if you guys are driving in the same country as me.

I'm doing good out here, I'm no super trucker but very happy (when looked at monthly) with my income. I really do not care what format I get paid because in the end companies will offer standards plus incentives for their better performers. For me as a new guy coming into this the pay system seemed byzantine. You get miles, then if your on top of all the dock time, tarp time, breakdown time ect. Ect. Ect. Add infinitum it's no wonder accounting departments, DM's and drivers mess it up weekly. Their not out to get you, the MBA accounts can't even figure it out.

Now add that to a young man, sitting at a dock for hours, who has worked hourly for years. He is ****ed because he is not used to this pay system and won't get paid for it unless he checks his pay statment, remembers that he actually stayed at that dock for over two hours, argues/confirm with DM that's what happened, reports/confirm accounting has received DM confirmation and finally checks his statement next week to make sure that $16 was added. I'm sure I missed a few steps in there. Simplify this crap, salary would end all this nonsense, raise moral and these young men would not be sitting at the dock brewing. Companies have a ton of information on your performance and should can your butt for not stepping up.

You all seem to be offended that these "rich" (yes, someone here called them "rich") Walmart drivers would dare want to be paid for all of the work they do ... Just because they are already among the highest paid drivers out there. You're offended by their action because they make more than you.... Simply, out of envy.

First of all, If that's the best conclusion you can draw from my explanation and the explanation of others about how this may hurt trucking a lot more than it may help then you're clearly not listening.

Let me try one last time. Walmart went out of its way to hire the best of the best and pay essentially the highest wages and benefits in the industry. This kind of action is going to discourage Walmart and others from creating similar high paying jobs and recruiting top drivers in the hopes the investment will pay off. Walmart's thinking was that trucking is so important to their business that it's worth investing extra money to create their own fleet, hire the best drivers, and give them the best benefits and wages.

And to thank Walmart for the great job, wages, benefits, equipment, and home time the drivers turn around and sue for even more money. And of all things it's to be paid for sleeping, not working.

If you're running Walmart does it seem to you at this point your investment is paying off? Was it worth it? No. Not only did you spend a ton of extra money on these drivers but now you're going to lose a whole bunch more and probably wind up subbing out your distribution to common carriers like everyone likely thought you should have after all.

If that happens then thousands of Walmart drivers lose $80,000-$100,000 per year jobs. Not only that, but other companies that were using a similar business model or planning on doing so in the future will be discouraged from paying more for better drivers because it simply didn't pay off for those who have tried it in the past.

Does that sound like envy? No. It's simple logic. If someone takes a chance and it fails spectacularly then people will be discouraged from taking that same chance in the future. Walmart took a chance on truckers. They took a chance and decided to pay double the average wage and benefits to create an awesome workplace for the best of the best that the industry has to offer and now they're getting kicked in the teeth for it by the people they thought they could count on.

Me, I think they are helping the rest of us... Raising the bar.

Indy, you keep saying this and I keep asking you to explain how you came to this conclusion. I've told you my theory that this will discourage the formation of high paying jobs and private fleets in the future. And even if a law was passed saying that truckers have to get paid for sitting in the sleeper berth don't you think the companies will simply restructure their pay packages so that in the end drivers wind up making the same as they do now? Or do you somehow believe that companies across the country will simply start paying their drivers more?

Since when did you become a seer and where is your crystal ball? What is your track record on predicting the future? Do you at least have a 50% success rate?

I could care less what happened to retail stores r their employees. I am very curious what the appeals court is going to say about this.

Guys at the truckstops complain all the time about the job? Why do some of these older guys moan and groan all the time? It's not perfect by any means but then again what job is? I'm planning on going to med school and most physicians nowadays are more afraid for the future than Trucker's are about trucking.

Just keep your head up, shoulders back and always find the positive no matter how negative it gets. It may take a little time but you will figure out where to go and who to talk to that has a good attitude. There are many of us out here and you will find us for some good coversation.

Another thing, WTF is wrong with wanting to get paid for your work? On Call Duty (waiting for dispatch) is considered legally working. Being required to sleep by the government at a certain time is considered working. You guys have such low self esteem you think your time is worthless?

Brett I have not heard any facts from you either, just your personal experience which I do take into consideration. I really find it halarious that you guys are saying a salaried or hourly wage creates sloth. I know many people who work dam hard in hourly and salary wages and do quite well. It's also halarious that you say piece work weeds out the slackers. I have seen way more of my far share of slacker truckers who have been at this for years.

Look you know as well as I do that these companies are finding it difficult to hang on to people. Maybe the old ways are not working as well as they used and it's time to change things up.

BTW I'm well on my way of scoring 100kmi or close by the time my year is up. 100% on time, no fail, no ticket, no accidents. I'm very happy with my progress this year as a rookie, so please don't try the discredit act.

Attila beat me to it... not understanding why you all begrudge other drivers wanting to be paid for all of the work they do...

They are (or were) already making $80,000 - $100,000 a year with the best benefits you'll find anywhere, had simple job duties, drive beautiful equipment, and get home regularly. Like I said, this is the kind of stuff that gets the best paying jobs eliminated. If owning their own fleet and paying their drivers top wage becomes too much of a hassle they'll simply eliminate their high-paying private fleet and let the low-paying OTR fleets around the country bid on the work.

It's the same thing many of the unions did over the years. Even though they were way overpaid for their skill level and job duties, had the nicest benefits imaginable, and great job security they did nothing in the face of growing global competition to allow their companies to remain competitive so the companies either shutdown or moved out of the country. They never stopped pushing for more until they no longer had jobs.

So naturally a caveman would think, "Good for them! Get all the money you can get!" But of course that caveman is going to discover that when nothing is good enough to satisfy you then ironically you often wind up with exactly that - nothing.

It's not always about 'take all you can get'. In fact, it's rarely about 'take all you can get'. You have to be aware of your circumstances and the potential risk you're taking by constantly battling for more, especially when you're in a great position already and you decide to bite the hand that's feeding you. And trust me, at $80,000-$100,000 a year they weren't eating Ramen Noodles and Mac-n-cheese, but they might be soon.

Brett I work for Walmart on a weekly basis and have been thinking they are digging themselves a hole for awhile. I don't really care for them much TBH. If it takes a bunch of whiney, spoiled, overpaid (who can afford lawyers) truckers to bring up this big problem in the industry to the mainstream, then so be it. The mere thought of working 80 hrs a week and only getting paid for 40 would **** off every American except them poor hard working truckers. Only a caveman would fail to see this as a possible hope for they rest of us.

Your premise about unions destroying America is BS. There is no proof of that. Did they add to the problem? Yep but they were just one piece of the puzzle. Majority rule American citizens of the time, corporations, government and unions sold us out. Again only a caveman would see one piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.

There is legislation that has support where piece work pay is going to be outlawed in the financial sector. If that passes it's just a matter of time before it hits this industry. Coming up on my 1 year out here and have had a lot to think about. The biguest problem I see with trucking from a truckers point of view is piece work pay. It needs to be looked at seriously and used only as a bonus system, not a base.

Now let the QQ begin. LoL...

You know what the next obvious step is, right? Walmart will eliminate their own fleet and let outside carriers do the hauling using drivers making $50,000 per year. That will eliminate all of the great paying $80,000 - $100,000 per year driving jobs available now. Outside carriers already do a lot of the work. It wouldn't be that hard to turn the rest over.

That's called ruining a good thing. That's what happens when you let lawyers convince you you're being wronged even when you have one of the highest paying jobs with the best benefits anywhere in the country.

And then the big carriers are next. We may be witnessing the beginning of peace work pay death throws. Good riddence I say.

Wow!

Put a silly judge, a bunch of whiney truck drivers, and a slick talking lawyer together and look at the disastrous results.

Typical thinking in the trenches of this industry, truckers stand up and fight for what they are worth and everyone else try to bring them down.

I may have hit Memphis on a bad day, will give them another shot if I need them again.