Speaking Of Pay...

Newbie78 puts his foot down:

If I'm the clock and I'm not driving because of a breakdown or something out of my control i should be paid.

This varies among companies, but you could be paid for breakdown, layover and detention (waiting at a dock).

Newbie78inpa J, we know what you're saying. People have been saying it for 50 years. It's just not how trucking has ever worked. Companies get paid when they haul freight and therefore so does the driver. In other fields it's called "piece work" where you get paid by how productive you are. None of us would be angry if all of a sudden we were paid to play video games and sit in hotel rooms and read books but most people don't mind getting paid more when they produce more and paid less when they produce less.

Trucking is a great career for people who really love to hustle, work hard, and go the extra mile to get the job done. To be honest, people who complain that they're not getting paid to watch television or take a nap usually last about six months in this industry and they go back to office work where it doesn't matter if they waste the day surfing the Net, they still get their wage.

I also disagree. If I'm the clock and I'm not driving because of a breakdown or something out of my control i should be paid.

Paid by whom? The breakdown wasn't in the company's control either. Why shouldn't they get paid by someone too? It's their property after all, and every minute it sits in the shop they are missing out on earnings, just like you. In fact, they probably have more of a vested interest in seeing that truck roll than you do. So again I ask, why do they need to pay you for that time? If it's in the shop, you're not sleeping in it, and actually they've most likely put you up in a hotel room, but you think they should be paying you extra just to sit in the hotel room which they've paid for? Even if you're stuck in the truck, I just don't see why you think they owe you anything when they've already basically given you a free bed and a roof over your head, and you are totally free to do what you please with no work responsibilities other than making sure no one breaks into your domicile.

I'm sorry but your whole point is based on the idea that you're entitled to be paid for doing nothing. Yes you're away from home, but you're not doing anything actually related to your job duties in these situations.

The hot dog stand analogy does hold up because driving a truck is much more like being a business owner than a salaried employee. You have the autonomy to decide how hard or how little to work, and your pay is directly affected by that decision. Your pay is also directly affected by the customer's desires and by supply/demand. Your pay fluctuates based on the pace of business.

A salaried employee often gets by doing the minimum amount of work required to keep their job, making the same amount on a regular basis, regardless of how hard or how little they work. An employee's pay is not directly affected by supply/demand and will not fluctuate based on how strong or weak business seems to be at the moment.

Anyway my point with all of this in the grand scheme of things you aren't making $18 an hour because you are at work clocked in and not always driving.

No, technically you are not "clocked in" all the time, and if you were, you would very quickly find yourself with an HOS violation. The DOT says you are required to be "off-duty" for at least 10 hours every day. Off-duty, as in not on duty, as in not working, as in go do what you like, you're in a new place, go visit it, enjoy the scenery, sight-see, sleep, whatever. Just as long as you don't work. And DOT is very specific about that last part.

So I may not make $18/hour if you count my time away from home, but I am on pace to make over $60k/year (while seeing the country for free), and I'm totally fine with that.

Newbie78inpa J, we know what you're saying. People have been saying it for 50 years. It's just not how trucking has ever worked. Companies get paid when they haul freight and therefore so does the driver. In other fields it's called "piece work" where you get paid by how productive you are. None of us would be angry if all of a sudden we were paid to play video games and sit in hotel rooms and read books but most people don't mind getting paid more when they produce more and paid less when they produce less.

Trucking is a great career for people who really love to hustle, work hard, and go the extra mile to get the job done. To be honest, people who complain that they're not getting paid to watch television or take a nap usually last about six months in this industry and they go back to office work where it doesn't matter if they waste the day surfing the Net, they still get their wage.

People are reading what i'm saying the wrong way. I'm saying all this because you claim you are making $18 an hour which you are not. You are only talking about driving which might come out to $18 an hour but you aren't factoring in the other things that come up while you are at work. When non driving issues come up you aren't getting paid for all of that and it lowers your overall calculated hourly wage.

I know the trucking industry doesn't work this way and i'm not complaining at all. I'm not even in the industry so how could i complain. Again all this is simply about the comment about making about $18 an hour.

People are reading what i'm saying the wrong way. I'm saying all this because you claim you are making $18 an hour which you are not. You are only talking about driving which might come out to $18 an hour but you aren't factoring in the other things that come up while you are at work. When non driving issues come up you aren't getting paid for all of that and it lowers your overall calculated hourly wage.

I know the trucking industry doesn't work this way and i'm not complaining at all. I'm not even in the industry so how could i complain. Again all this is simply about the comment about making about $18 an hour.

This is true, but there are companies that pay very well for their drivers having to sit, for whatever reason. I forget which, but one company I am looking at pays detention at $15/hr after 3 hours sitting. Another pays $65/day + hotel for breakdown. If you have multiple stops You are paid extra, too just for opening your trailer doors. So while you may not be making the $18, you are still being paid pretty good.

Ok so i did some wrong calculating. So you are getting paid but when you aren't driving i factor that in. To me if you are "at" work no matter what you are doing you should be paid for all the time you are at work.

With this thought process you are saying a driver should be paid for all there time. So you feel you should be paid for all the time you are away from home? In a sense that is what you are saying. If you are not driving you are more then likely in the truck. A person can't be paid 24 hours a day.

Seriously though I get what you are saying about dividing it to hourly. You just can't. If you choose to look at the hourly rate trucking isn't for you. I prefer to look at the weekly total not the hours I will be working to earn it or the time away from home.

I also look at it as I'm going to be paid to sit Ina truck for the majority of the day and see the country. See sites I normally wouldn't get a chance to. All while getting paid to do it. Granted I may not see much or have time to enjoy it at 65mph but hey it's still there for me to see.

Not having any experience yet reading this thread about pay. I feel compelled to bring a few things in on the subject. Prior to thinking about becoming a trucker i was in property management. Being in the industry for 10+ years when i first started out i made $9 an hour when i recently got laid off i worked my way up to corporate at $55,000/yr. I feel like there are a lot of students and new people whom come in with false expectations. Youre starting over as a rookie in a field that already has high turnover rates. Whats wrong with coming in paying your dues earning $32-35000 and moving up from there. As far as being paid 24/7 while your in the truck that is just foolish. You work 10-14 hours at most a day with the bulk of the money coming in while driving. When i was corporate i travelled extensively and had layovers and last mintue things which would delay a trip some in and out of company control but i never got paid extra it was a apart of the gig i signed up for. Further, you get extra money in the forms of detention pay, stop pay, and of course we cant forget the per diem pay which accounts for the time away from home. I know my dad was in the industry for a lot of years. Towards the end he made 75, 80,000 but he also worked hard for theoney and went onto the oil field business. I think new drivers should come in and worry more about safely maneuvering this equipment and learning the trade before they even begin to think about money. Get in pay your dues get experience and do what you love. I for one am very excited about not having yo punch a clock any more and look forward to the open roads and getting paid to see the country. After all is that not what trucking is all about? You want to get rich quick play the lottery or hit a jackpot.

I've been OTR for six weeks and am looking forward to making some real money for a change... Phox I lived in Asheville, NC for about ten years, beautiful place. Arden too be more specific (south Asheville) about ten minutes from downtown.

I'm finishing my first calendar year at TMC with over 53k gross to date. How much you make depends a lot of where you work, what kind of freight you're hauling, how often you go home, and how hard you want to work. I know that the hardest working trainers here make 80k+ because they, solely, are paid for the work of the trainee, while the trainees are paid a flat rate.