Sold On Leasing... No, Lease Purchase!

Bruce, believe me. I love Schneider in many ways, but I'm really starting to hate the box planner. Like I said, I REALLY don't want to be an O/O, but I've been really thinking about it for just that reason. You know how if something is really bothering you, you look for ways to fix it. The only fix for that is going IC and picking your own loads from the load board. My only concern is handling all of the associated costs.(not my ONLY concern,lol). I'm not sure what to do. I'm definitely doing my year. August 1st will be a year. But I really think all trucking companies are pretty much the same in a fundamental way, so I don't think jumping companies will fix my issues. Maybe I'll just bide my time and look for something home daily. At least I won't be getting stranded by box planners. 😂

I would be a bit disgruntled if people in the same orientation were paid more, if there were no clear reason such as experience

In trucking just because you have experience doesnt mean you're worth more. Most jobs you get scheduled raises. Some companies give you scheduled raises but they give raises out more frequently based on how productive/profitable you are for the company. I started my career in a hourly, union position that had scheduled raises to be topped out in pay at 1 year. Due to my willingness to go above and beyond my manager bumped me to full pay at 9 months. A while back old school mentioned he was given a substantial raise on the dedicated account hes on. He didnt mention what hes at now as him and his dispatcher agreed to keep it confidential however I'm sure there are drivers that have worked that account longer than him. Its easy for anyone to see Old School is very productive and maximizes his time so he is able to drive most of his 70 hours a week. Is it fair for them to pay somebody more than him because they have been there longer?absolutely not. Trucking is ALL performance based. I'm not saying that this is why Robsteeler is making less than his friend, we have no idea on what's really going on. Is it possible that the couple accidents hes had has affected raises? Again. We dont know.

Robsteeler, please get the O/O thing out of your head. You are just asking for trouble if you try that.

You're not saying, but you're certainly insinuating. 😂No, this was orientation. NONE of us had any time driving for anyone. I didn't have any accidents because I hadn't driven yet. This isn't raises, this was starting pay. Yearly raise I think is a penny. I won't be able to catch up unless I find another account that pays more. I just didn't understand how I could be starting the same day, same circumstances an getting a good amount less. Over the three training months, that alone was $1800. That's hard to just let go. It gave me a bad taste from the door.

You're not saying, but you're certainly insinuating. 😂No, this was orientation. NONE of us had any time driving for anyone. I didn't have any accidents because I hadn't driven yet. This isn't raises, this was starting pay. Yearly raise I think is a penny. I won't be able to catch up unless I find another account that pays more. I just didn't understand how I could be starting the same day, same circumstances an getting a good amount less. Over the three training months, that alone was $1800. That's hard to just let go. It gave me a bad taste from the door.

Agreed. After driving s while is one thing but during orientation is another.

Absolutely. Merit is a totally different thing. Someone has experience and or great performance, then I have no issue. But this thing where recruiters play games with hiring, and if you get less they get more, is something I don't like. Now, I'm not sure that happens, but a couple of trainers said that's how it works. How is someone with no experience supposed to know that? I just figured that's what this company paid. I didn't realize they could give you different rates. This is the only thing that really ties into this thread, so I'll let it go now. I've hijacked it long enough. 😂

Rob, who at your company have you spoken with about this? Have you spoken with an operations manager or terminal manger or anyone higher up?

Also, you mentioned that you burned through your 70 hours this week but you haven't said how many miles you've been averaging per week. Also, what is your on time performance for appointment times?

On a personal level I'll say this......I've watched people in this industry for 25 years and I've watched countless people do exactly what you're doing right now. You're quickly spiraling downward into one of those people who is just incessantly negative and miserable. Your company is no good, you're getting a raw deal, the world is an unfair place, yada yada yada. You need to take a deep breath, get a grip, and start seeing things in a more positive light or nothing good is going to happen for you. I'm telling you - I watched this play out a thousand times and it always ends the same way. Miserable people with sour attitudes never make anything good happen for themselves.

This is a performance based industry. If you're performing as well as the next guy then you deserve the same miles and pay the next guy is getting. You seem to think you're doing a great job. Unfortunately I've seen a million rookies that believed they were doing a great job until we started digging into the specifics.

Are you really showing up at 100% of your appointments on time?

Are you taking every load they assign you?

Are you asking dispatch for more miles?

Are you using your hours efficiently enough to turn over 3,000 miles per week consistently?

Performing at a high level wouldn't be called a high level if the average knucklehead could do it. It's extremely hard work, it takes a ton of motivation, and a lot of street smarts to make it happen.

I firmly believe that if you're performing as well as the best drivers they have then you should have no problem speaking with someone in management and getting your pay boosted to match the others that started when you did. In all my years in this industry I have never once heard of the scenario that you're describing where several drivers with the exact same qualifications and start date were doing the same job at the same level but were being paid vastly different sums of money. I've never heard of this happening. Not once.

If the way you describe it is true then I'm confident you'll be able to get this straightened out by talking professionally with the right people.

I also remember you having a few safety issues early on but I can't remember the specifics. I think you also missed some work because you were sick for a while?

Every last detail has to be taken into consideration if we're going to understand this situation. But regardless, if you don't snap out of this downward spiral of negativity and get a grip you'll never create a positive outcome for yourself. You're not in prison, you're not caught in a civil war, your family wasn't murdered by a rebel army in the name of genocide, and you're not starving or homeless. You're making a few cents per mile less than a few other drivers. I mean, come on, get a grip. Turn that frown upside down and let's figure out how to get you on the right track.

If I had to throw a dart at why they may have got a few more cpm. I would ask about prior military history. I recall a similar experience with someone I went to school with. Different company but they came in at a different rate. And that was why. Just a guess.

Thanks Bobcat. Someone clipped my quote to, I guess show what a lazy sob whiner I am

Robsteeler, there was no slight intended against you. I quoted you because it fit perfectly with my point, which was how people (especially new drivers) focus on the wrong things when they want to make more money in this career.

If you guys will read carefully the thing I stated about not focusing on my CPM it should help you understand what I was trying to teach. Robsteeler is clearly distracted by this differentiation in pay. It's affecting his whole outlook, and causing him grief. It's not helpful at all, in fact it's clearly disturbing him.

Here's my approach out here: I don't really pay much attention to my CPM rate, or to any of the other drivers I work with. I don't want to know what they're making. I came here at an agreed upon price, and they have steadily increased it without my ever asking for more.

I envision myself as an athlete in a contest. Everyday out here I want to be the victor. I have people watching me, I want to show them I'm the best there is. If they like what they see they will keep me in the game, and I'll be rewarded for being the best. That's where my focus is. It was extremely critical during my rookie year. That laser focus kept me in the game.

When you focus on external things they will always let you down. That's why Robsteeler is unhappy with his company, his recruiter, the planners, and what or whoever else he mentioned. He has no control or influence over any of those things, so the best he can do is be disgruntled about them. That's not a trucking issue, that's a human nature issue.

Robsteeler, I've always spoken very highly of you in past conversations in our forum. I still think very highly of you. You're no slacker, and you've soldiered through stuff that would sideline most people. I'm sure you'll figure out how to get past this distraction. That's what it is, a distraction. Get a grip and move forward. I know you've got the grit and determination to be an exceptional driver, we've witnessed it in you countless times before.

By the way, if your always burning through your 70, you should be turning a ton of miles. Why would you be disappointed with the way your being dispatched if your turning 3,000 plus miles per week? Anyone burning up their 70 each week but not turning big miles has got to focus on what's going wrong. The planners and dispatchers can't burn your clock for you.

You want to manage that clock efficiently. That's what separates the pros from the quitters. The quitters give up early on because they can't seem to make money. The pros persistently work on their game plan until they've figured out how to make it work right.

I'm a veteran. One of the guys is an immigrant from the islands, so...no, that's not it. I'm on time always. My miles are good, although I keep getting relays lately so it's been hard to get a lot of miles. They say freight is light, but they could say anything, and I wouldn't know. I was just told to call in and they'd give me long runs. The computer apparently thought I was still regional my DBL said. She said that's why I keep getting short runs and they keep sending me towards home. She said it's fixed now. Two weeks ago, I was around 2800 a week. I also cannot turn down dispatches. My first week driving I was sent to NYC and Long Island. I was super nervous, but I survived. As far as talking to someone, I spoke to my DBL, who said he asked about it and they said recruitment handles that. Every time I've asked, I've got a different answer. Negative? Just because I question something doesn't mean I'm on downward spiral into negativity. That's some real dramatic stuff right there. You must understand that people get upset when they feel like someone's messing with their money? I'm trying to figure out who to ask. I have a new DBL who says she can't look into it because of privacy. She gave me the number to call, but right after, all of my statements disappeared from the app. 😂 It starts to feel like you're being messed with when I call tech support yesterday, and they tell me there is nothing they can do right now. I mean really? Now I'm mad I haven't printed them out, because I don't know what to say about it. I could show them my statements compared to my pay stubs, but they all disappeared. I don't even know my official milage this week because it's on the detailed statement that is no longer there. I'm sure I'll get it sorted, but I actually feel better complaining about it. It's like venting.