Top Driver Pay?

Sambo, I'm not sure I can tell you exactly what is going on with your pay, but I think you are on the right track about communicating.

I'm the type that I try to be easy to get along with, so, I try not to rock the boat and ruffle any feathers.

I think it is easy to get professional communication, and being a nuisance, confused with each other. I'm going to tell you that dispatchers love updates and any sort of professional communication that keeps them informed of how you are progressing and when you will be empty. I don't ever even leave a shipper with a load until I have sent my dispatcher a message on the Quallcomm (Zonar in our case) giving him an ETA on the delivery, and letting him know that when I get emptied I will have hours and be ready to roll. He will then take that communication and forward it to whoever is planning my next load. That way before I even get started on this one, I have got them already working on my next one. In fact I update my ETA with my dispatcher each day. At the end of the day if something has changed, like maybe I have talked with the customer and they are going to go ahead and unload me late in the afternoon a day ahead of what we had planned, then I update all the information in a free form message to my driver manager.

Communicating like this actually accomplishes several things...

For one thing it helps your driver manager and load planners develop a snap-shot of you, and how you tend to manage things, or how it is that you like to run. That alone helps him keep you running in an efficient manner.

Another thing that it accomplishes is that it keeps a written record of how you are keeping them informed of your whereabouts and your progress. That tends to keep your dispatcher on their toes and trying to keep you busy. Trust me these guys get scrutinized by their managers. This business has layers of management that we the drivers are seldom ever exposed to. If there is no written records of your communications concerning these things, that dispatcher can easily get by without keeping you real busy. When he is questioned by his managers as to why "Sambo" is not getting much done, he can get away with blaming it on the driver, and how he never knows when to have you a pre-plan ready. By your communications you can kind of help keep him accountable. That dispatcher's managers have access to all of your communications with them, and good communication from you means they will need to be on their toes.

Everything about this business is performance based. We think of driver's pay as being performance based, but trust me those driver managers are evaluated all the time concerning their fleet or their board of drivers. They even sometimes have competitions among themselves for bonus money or promotional vacations that they can win by having one of the top fleets performance wise. Moving freight is a team sport. We, the drivers, might be the players on the field, but there is a huge support staff behind us in those offices. They need a way to get to know us, so they have the ability to keep us moving. Communicating is the way that we get that accomplished.

Yeah, I think that is part of it for sure, but as I said, most of the time I have pre plans before I finish my load.

I know that whenever I hit the northeast, I start seeing a lot of 500 and 600 mile runs. Seems like when I first started I was getting a lot of 1500+ runs, lately, however, they've mostly been 900 or less.

Oh well, for future drivers, make sure you communicate with your dm often, it will help. Be proactive in getting your next load ready before you are finished with your current one.

One thing though, better to take 34 or run recaps?

better to take 34 or run recaps?

Sambo, I honestly think that is a personal preference. I do it both ways. I tend to do more of running like crazy and then taking a 34, but that is mostly because of the nature of the SAPA dedicated account that I'm on.

Some drivers just can't stand to sit still for 34 hours while on the road. I will take the time and enjoy myself where ever I happen to be. Like I said, I do it both ways, but I tend more to go really hard, then enjoy a small break.

There is no magic in doing things one way or the other. Either way you have the same amount of working hours available to you, but it is easier to manage your times of availability when you have that fresh set of seventy all banked up ahead of you.

Here's a question for you Sambo. How in the world are you using up your 70 clock when you seem to be turning very few miles? I mean, you're running at a pace of $32,000 a year in salary. You can't be turning more than about 2,200 miles per week on average with that kind of pay. You should be able to turn 3,200 miles per week or possibly even more if you're really managing your hours the right way.

Are you ever telling dispatch you're running out of hours, or that you only have X number of hours to run today because you're on recaps? If so, that's really going to hurt your mileage in a big way.

Another thing that's going to do is give dispatch the impression you're not really looking to turn a lot of miles. There are plenty of drivers out there who don't want to run that hard. They'll take 2,200 - 2,500 miles per week and leave it at that. It gives them plenty of downtime to relax. They don't want to be one of the big dogs, they're happy being little dogs. One of the ways they'll make sure they don't have to run too hard is to burn up that 70 hour clock more than necessary.

So make sure you're handling your hours right. Don't be burning that 70 hour clock needlessly, like when you're sitting at the docks. If you're not able to turn 3,200 miles in a week then something is wrong with your time management.

Sambo, I don't think many drivers realize the truth of what Brett is saying when he makes this statement...

Are you ever telling dispatch you're running out of hours, or that you only have X number of hours to run today because you're on recaps? If so, that's really going to hurt your mileage in a big way.

I have noticed this to be a big pattern among drivers now that we are all running electronic logs. Several times over the past few years my dispatcher has made a comment to me that runs along this line, "Man, I love it how no matter what load I am offering to put you on, you never tell me that you don't have the hours to do it."

This past month I was given a load with over 2,000 miles on it. I had just returned to the SAPA plant finishing my drive shift for the day and was almost out of hours for the day. I had something like two hours coming back to me at midnight that night, and zero for the next day! I didn't say a word to him about my hours. There was no way I was going to let that load go to someone else! I just worked it out on my own, and managed to get a 34 hour reset in there so that I still delivered on time. Had I said, "I am sorry, but I only have two hours I'm gaining at midnight, and then I am going to be out of hours," just what do you think would have happened?

A big part of managing your time is making sure that you are available to run loads. Once you get familiar with the type of work you are doing, whether it is reefer , dry van , or whatever it may be, there are certain times of the day when it is better for you to be emptying out so that you can be available at the right time for the best loads. This may vary with different parts of the country, but it is well worth the effort to pay attention and learn these sorts of things. Here's an example: If I take some home time over the weekend, I will not tell him that I am available for a load on Monday. Typically the Monday loads that come from our plant in Delhi are shorter runs. I know that just because I have paid attention and taken notes on what loads go out to what customers and when. I may leave my house on Monday morning and be in Delhi that afternoon, but I don't want him to know that. I want one of those loads that leaves on Tuesday. Same kind of thing goes with delivering on Fridays. I will do everything in my power to get a load with a Friday afternoon delivery done early so that I "git er done" on Thursday at the end of the day. Typically no matter what you are hauling you don't want to empty out late on a Friday. The best loads for the weekend have already been distributed by the time you are empty and you may get a little dinky run over the weekend, or you may even be sitting and waiting for the bench warmers to try and come up with something for you! Understanding how the timing of load distribution works out is critical to your success sometimes.

Here's another thing Sambo. Since you and I are working for the same company, I assume you have their mobile app downloaded on your phone, or are looking at the driver portal on your laptop. One of the great benefits at Knight is their bonus program. I generally gross anywhere from six to eight thousand dollars each year from bonus money. Are you measuring your progress by trying to accomplish the measurements required to get your bonus monies? By meeting those requirements you effectively have given yourself a five cents per mile raise, and that is a very generous thing you can do for yourself!

Here's a screen shot of my report for the month of June. I have met the mileage requirements and the fuel efficiency requirements. I still need to do one more safety training course to have money in that column, but of course I have two more months to get that done for the quarter. Take note that I ran 13,177 miles for the month.

I'm considered one of the top drivers in this fleet. There are other good solid drivers in the fleet who don't turn those kind of miles simply because they have chosen to run a certain way, and the dispatcher doesn't mind. They are safe and solid drivers, they just don't have the ambition or the understanding of how to crank it out the way some guys do. That is what Brett is talking about. You don't want to put yourself into a box that says to the dispatcher, "this driver is good, he's just not real good." It is the drivers that the dispatcher considers to be really good that keep getting fed the really good loads. You can put yourself into position for success, but you have got to be consistently good at it.

I think you can accomplish great things Sambo. For one thing you are analyzing yourself and trying to figure out what is going on. With the numbers that you've shared with us, I am confident that you can be doing much better at Knight. I can also assure you that your dispatcher, if they are any good, will notice your accomplishments if they start stacking up consistently.

Good luck my friend. I hope you can put yourself up a few rungs higher on the ladder. You've got a good work ethic, and plenty of ways that you can improve your standing, you just have to keep working at it.

Actually,.i don't burn my clock at all. I hit the shipper or receiver and I go on duty just enough to satisfy dot requirements, i.e., when backing into the docks and check in. From that point it's off duty the rest of the time.

From a full clock, I generally run 9 to 10 hours a day. However, for example, I get a 1300 mile run. I'll try to run as hard as I can to get it done. If I have work, I like to get it out of the way as soon as possible. So, I'll run about 630 miles the first day, then i may get 550 the next day. The final day, ill have about 2 hours of driving left. I'll get up and drive the final 2 hours to my appointment. Now, I may not have time to drive to a stop near there, then shut down for 10, then get up just before the appointment and run it in.

Example: I have a 5pm appointment time on Tuesday. I drive Sunday and Monday and shut down at 8pm on Monday night about 2 hours away. Now what I have to do is call the receiver, if they say they can't take me early, then I have to wait til about 1:30 to 2:00 pm on Monday, then start driving. I like to show up to the receiver between 30 and 45 minutes early, just to ensure I won't be late.

So, now I've started my 14, I drive 2 hours and shut down at the receiver. I get assigned a door at 2:45, and sit at the dock for 4.5 hours waiting to be unloaded. At this point, I've used over 9 hours on my 14, but only 2 hours of drive time. I get unloaded 7pm. Next load picks up at 1pm the next day 80 miles away. I drive the 80 miles, which is about an hour and a half and shut down around 8:45pm.

Now I have to sit for 15 hours waiting for my appointment time, and I only used about 3.5 hours on my drive clock. Now, 8 days later when my recaps start coming back, I'm only getting back 3 hours on that day.

Remember, this is just an example but you get an idea if what can happen.

See, in reefer , you can't schedule loads back to back because there are so many variables. Things like how long will it take to get assigned a door? Once you're in a door, how long will it take to get unloaded? I've had many days and nights of sitting at a dock for 8 to 13 hours waiting to be unloaded.

Also, the way my recaps usually work is, once the recaps start coming, ill get about 3 days of 10+ hours, then I'll get back maybe 2 to 5 hours for a day or two, then the next day may be 9 hours, then anywhere between 4 and 8 hours, etc.

That's usually when my dm starts scheduling my loads around available hours, which for the first 3 days of recaps, ill get some good miles, then I start seeing loads with short miles, or loads with a long lead time so I have the hours to get it there.

I guess the best way to make sure miles stay high is, when you start seeing days ahead where recaps are starting to give back few hours, that is the time to take a 34, rather than trying to keep moving, which at that point is a futile effort.

As far as bonus, mine are generally only a few hundred dollars. I can't seem to hit either tier of my fuel bonus. Trying to keep my idle time down and doing my best to avoid out of route miles, I've never hit my fuel bonus.

Generally, depending on the truck, the tiers are 6.55 and 6.95 or 6.75 and 7.15 or something around there. I just can't seem to do it...smh.

I drive reefer. Is there overnight parking? If so, I drive in a day early and walk in like I belong. Many customers have a first come first serve policy. I smile and blame dispatch for the mix up. Most of the time it works. Or I get there so I take my ten hour there and run out with a full clock. My FM saw from early on that I would do this, so he knew to pile on the miles for the next load. Also, 30-45 minutes is not acceptable to my FM. The earlier the better. I've noticed that drivers who go in too close to the appointment times get more time on their loads because he doesn't think they can plan properly or run harder. If he sees me super early, he knows tire blow outs etc will not prevent me from getting to the customer.

I always have a preplan and often drive straight from one receiver to the next shipper. It can be done. Yes I often have to update an ETA when I leave the receiver cause I can't make the appointment time for the next shipper.

You said you took 4.5 hours getting u loaded but only used 2 hours of drive time. Then drove 80 miles to next shipper. In that case I would hit 8 sleeper to pause that 14 clock and give you back the 9 hours of drive time to get out with. When dispatch sees that, they can give you something with more miles that picks up sooner.. Otherwise it appears to have fewer hours available which causes them to plan your 10 hr break resulting in fewer miles.

So for example, you and I both get unloaded taking 5 hours. I stay and do 3 more hours in the sleeper. I can roll out with 9 hours on my clock. 9 hours equals 500+ miles.

You roll out with five hours on your clock and need a 10hour break. 5 hours equals 300 miles.

Now same scenario... I drive two hours to the shipper , it takes two hours to load me and I just completed an 8/2 split. Meaning I now have 9 hours to roll out of the shipper with. While you are still sitting on your 10 hour break.

Are you parking at truck stops near washout so you can wash & fuel the reefer without tripping your drive clock or 14? That is a huge help too. I know a guy who doesn't, so it starts his 14 then he sits in line for hours and kills his drive time.

My first couple.months I would message my FM at the end of his day "will be at receiver at 2300 for 0700 appointment". Not only did it alert him I'd be way early...but it made a mental impression I'd have a full clock to roll out with in the morning. After awhile he just said "you're great at being early I never worry about that".

I've also noticed I get a lot more drop and hooks than I used to. Ive proved myself. Often he gives me.loads that other drivers couldn't make due to lack of hours or breakdowns. By the time I get there the trailer is loaded and I roll out with an almost full clock.

Ask how you can prove yourself. I still ask. I have my first trainee on the truck and asked him point blank " what bad habits do I have that you don't want me to teach her". His response "none".

I hope this helps.

Most of the time, the distribution centers where I go don't allow on site parking. Walmart is a big example. I've been dispatched on a load that got me to the dc with about 3 hours left on my clock. Ran out of hours while being unloaded, asked the wm dispatcher if they have over night parking, was told no and had to leave.

There are a few that allow parking, but most don't.

As far as washout and fuel, knight uses fuel solutions, so, I only have to worry about washout, as our fuel solution is given after we get commuted to a load, and that fuel stop is often somewhere down the road from where we are at.

Washouts are not a problem if we are in the southern or mid part of the u.s., but, on the east coast or west coast, you generally don't find truck stops with a truck wash in the same area, especially in socal.

The problem with showing up early is that, if they can't get to you, and they don't allow parking, then you have to leave and come back at the appointment time. Sometimes this will involve trying to find a spot to park, and in some cases, having to drive 30+ miles to find a parking area or truck stop.

If I know I'm going to be early, I always call the receiver and ask if they will take me early.

Like I said, I almost always have a pre plan before I get done with my current load, it's just that, between breakdown and getting in areas where freight is slow makes for reduced miles.

On several occasions, I have asked my dm how he felt about my performance, the response is that he is happy. He told me, "if I had a board of drivers like you, life would be great". So, from my perspective, my dm is happy with my performance, he likes that I go wherever he asks, any time they ask me to help out with something, I'm ways willing. This is what makes it hard for me to figure out why I am hitting on miles. If my performance were lackluster, or if there were things he didn't like about the way I drive, surely he would have mentioned something to me either on his own, or when I asked.

I did ask him about my service record over the last year. He said that I only have 1 service failure, for being late on an appointment. I have actually been late in several appointments, but those were due to weather, or mechanical issues, and the company has to record all service failures, but, i only have 1 service issue attributed to me, for failure on my part.

Now, I don't think any service failure is ok, but, I wouldn't think they would put me on a black list for 1 failure.

When I say I didn't communicate with my dm,.im not saying I never would, if I knew I could be early, I would call him sometimes, depending on the situation. For example, if I called the receiver and they would take me early, I would call on something like that. Often, when I put in my arrival call, my dm gets those messages, and he would dispatch me from that point, or, if I didn't have a pre plan, he would start looking for one. However, in times when they couldn't take me early, it wouldn't do any good to call as I would have to wait anyway. Also, it doesn't do any good to call dispatch at night because they can't assign loads, I would have to wait until day shift comes in to get a new load.

What I wasn't realizing is that I could call my dm, and if possible, get the load tcalled and move on to the next load, if I were really early. That,however, only works if I am near a terminal , as we cannot drop trailers at any place except for a terminal, or a drop yard.

Again, I'm not blaming anyone, I feel if anything I could have done more on my part, I just hate feeling like this last year has been a failure, like I could have done something more. Even though my dm is happy with me, I'm not happy with myself.

Granted, it's of little consequence at this point. I have asked and was recently was allowed to move to a local dedicated shuttle run. My dm said that they had a slot open, and he said I was a good driver and was always on time, so they didn't mind giving me this local position.

I guess I'm just reflecting back on the last year and thinking of how I could have done things differently, and my ocd is telling me i should go back on the road to prove to myself that I can do it, and to have the opportunity to make some really good money, knowing what I know now.

However, I also was wanting to get back to a normal life, so, this move is in line with what I want. Still, can't help but look back at the last year.

Well good luck with the new position :)

Your DM could be the problem so let that sink in. We "repower" and you Tcall, but we can swap trailers with other drivers OTR not just in terminals. So if I was a full day ahead, my FM would find someone out of hours and let them deliver it and keep me rolling.

You were late once and you are still employed in the industry. That is NOT failure. That is surviving in a career where most fail.

So great job!