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For some time we worked for a company (no longer in business) who thought we were robots and didn't need to sleep. They expected the loads there and did not want to hear any excuses of why they weren't or why you were late. It did not matter. Ironically they would also give a bad reference to other companies saying we were not reliable or dependable to get loads where they should be. It was our word against theirs and usually theirs out weighed our's no matter what the circumstances.
We started keeping records ... figured if they were going to mess us over, then we sure as heck were going to cover our butts and prove what we had done. We did contact the P.U.C. and D.O.T.. No I'm not afraid to report someone who is taking advantage of us. Because you know when we get caught and the chips are down. It will be us who gets it in the neck. Not the owner of the company. We had a note book which we wrote out the following:
1.) Trip Number # 2.) Miles at beginning, mileage for each stop we made and mileage upon return 3.) Where we picked up the load. And we wrote each stop we had. 4.) Arrival times, unload time (time began and time ended) for each stop. 5.) What we handled. 6.)When we ran empty.
Below I will share some of those trips with you and exactly as we ran them!
I strongly feel that it's time the blame be placed where the blame should be placed. The truck driver has been made to look like the bad guy for far too long, and it's time that the government and the people see and know some of what companies and dispatchers expect from the drivers.
Most companies hire these young kids who have never been in a truck, have no clue how far it is from one point to another point. When they dispatch these loads they assume that it can be done because the map says it can be done. Well it can't always be done.
We got so tired of hearing we dispatch based on book miles. Well geez ... what book are you using? Throw that book away and come back to earth. Take a trip! Take a few trips! Don't sit behind a desk telling us it can be done, it has to be done, and it will be done!
Stop opening up the atlas and telling yourself ... oh well Virginia is just a little ways over there sure he/she can do it. Do you have any ideal how long it takes to cross Virginia? I didn't think that you did, or you wouldn't have offered us that trip.
It's time Dispatch and these companies start paying us for what we do. If I'm paid mileage ... THEN I WANT ALL MILES! Not Book miles ... we lose so much based on book miles. Compare book miles to actual miles and see what you are losing as a driver. You'll be surprised if you haven't already done so.
If these companies are going to hire college graduates just because they know how to run a computer, then they damn well better make sure that graduate knows how to dispatch and knows exactally how far it is from one point to another. The 9-5 kid ... well good for you. I'm not a 9-5 driver and I do occasionally need to sleep.
Don't tell me if I don't run this that's fine ... BUT! ... if I don't you can't promise me a good load or any load for tomorrow. That's a threat and that's black mail. I need that load tomorrow! I have a family to feed and bills to pay. Ok ... I'll run your damn load because I can't afford for you to stick it to me giving me a day or two off because I made you mad and would not run it illegal. The college grad who's never been behind the wheel of a truck "EVER"! The nerve of you to tell me what can and can't be done.
Don't even say "HOT LOAD" to me ... there's no such thing as a hot load! Every hot load we've pulled because you begged us by saying it really had to go. It had to be there by such and such a time. Bull! Every hot load pulled by us has never been backed into the dock until two and three hours after we arrived. I think if it says HOT LOAD it should have a police escort! That load you begged us to pull wasn't so "Hot" after all ... was it? I drove my butt off all night long to get that so called "Hot Load" where you wanted it and then I sit there and sit there, waiting to get backed in.
Don't verbally tell me it's a no touch load and then when I get there I have to handle the whole load ... getting paid only 10 cents per hundred weight. I drove all night long and I could be sleeping while they unload it ... but no you stick me inside that HOT~~~ or FREEZING~~ trailer to handle it all. And for what? Forty-dollars! if the load was 40,000 pounds ... I made Forty-dollars ... you didn't do me any damn favors. I worked my butt off because I was in a no win situation. You put me in that trailer, you made me a tired driver. You made the public and the press talk about me. I'm a good guy ... I need this job because I have a family. It's all I know.
Another issue .... If I am backed into your dock and you've started unloading me ... don't you go on a break until I'm finished! Don't tell me I have to unload this damn thing and just because you are going on break ... that I have to stop and go on break to .... I don't want a break just because you are required to take one .... I want to get this thing unloaded and be on my way! It's your break ... you aren't paying me to take a break ... I don't work for you! So don't tell me, I have to!
HEY DISPATCHERS! You come on a trip with me ... you can't sleep, eat, drink, shower or go to the bathroom until I do. Sit with me while I fill in my log book ... better yet, you do a log book to! Once we get where we're going you will help handle half the load. You will have to take it up with the company about paying you, because I'm not giving you one red cent of my BIG forty dollars. Then tell me it can be done ... and it will be done. I don't think anyone who don't know about trucking should be sitting behind a desk giving orders. You show me your references. and tell me your experience. Then we'll talk! Just because your daddy and your grand-pa were truck driver's ... don't mean you know this business.
For those not familure with what we do ... here is an example of loading, delivering and all that is involved. If you have some free time ... get in your vehical and run this exactly as it is explained. Of course you won't be able to pull into the warehouses, but you will have to pretend that part, which means sitting in their parking lot for the amount of time we spend in their warehouses before you can move on to the next stop. I'm sure you will agree we work much to hard and too much is expected of us for so very little. Keep a log book too. It's a must ... if you need a log book lesson just ask, we'll be happy to explain it to you. And remember log book errors and mistakes cost time and money to. So make sure you do it correctly. Ask a driver if you can help lump (unload) his trailer if you wish to have to full affect of it all.
| Date | FromDestination | Mileage | Arrival Mileage | Stops | Break Downs |
June 28, Load in York, Pa. going to Rochester, N.Y. mileage 095 Arrived Rochester mileage 400. Handled 2014 cases. Rochester to Watkins Glen, arrived Watkins Glen, N.Y. mileage 516. Loaded going to Maryland. Maryland line mileage 814. Unloaded mileage 851.
July 2, Loaded in Mechanicsburg, Pa. mileage 983 going to Albany and Scnechtady N.Y.. Three stops, same day. New York line mileage 166, first stop mileage 309 Three hours waiting to get backed in. Driver must stay in guard house until a door opens. Three hours loss sleep, because it's mandatory he waits or he won't get a door. Second stop mileage 321, third stop Albany mileage 339 empty. Go to Buffalo to load from Albany. Must be on time or you will not get loaded. Arrived on time, docks are full, dock workers are on break. He checks in and they say back in when there is an empty door. Four and a half hours later we back in when a door opens up. He sleeps while I wait for empty door. I let him know so knowone can jump in front of him and take the door. They require him to stay in the back of the trailer while they load it. LOAD COUNT ... he has to count the pieces being loaded onto the trailer to make sure it's all there or he's charged for shortages when it gets where it is going. They make the stuff while he's standing there, load it as it's done. Four hours and 45 minutes later the trailer is loaded and we're on our way. 350 miles back to the yard where we drop this trailer.
July 6, Carlisle, Pa. to Baldwinsville & Liverpool N.Y. mileage at load time 696. New York line mileage is 879. First stop Baldwinsville, N.Y. 986, second stop Liverpool mileage 002 empty.
Go to Leroy N.Y to load and take back to yard. Leroy N.Y. mileage 105 loaded. Pennyslvania. line mileage 208. Carlisle, Pa. dropping in the yard and hooking again, mileage 390. First we go from Carlisle, Pa. to Mechanicsburg, Pa. to get loaded trailer mileage 410 heading back to Buffalo N.Y. 2 stops "Hot Load". Mileage at N.Y. line 568 first stop .... (20 miles of break down time because of flat tire we keep moving to get this HOT load there, will get it fixed once this load is there off trailer, mileage 724. Three and a half hours waiting to get backed into dock door. Driver must stay in guard house until a door opens. Three and a half hours loss sleep because it's mandatory he waits or he won't get a door. Service call will have to wait because we spent 5 hours unloading and the second stop wants their stuff and they will be closing soon, it's only 20 miles farther. Handled 1004 cases transferring from large wood to small wood. Second stop mileage 740 handled 1594 cases. Told if we did not get this done by three o'clock we will have to finish in the morning. It's 2:50 p.m. and we are not sitting here all night just because they don't want to hang around for a few extra minutes until we get it done. So we handle two and three cases at a time to get this done.
Go to Watkins Glen to load. Load going to Harrisburg, Pa. mileage 885 loaded. We get a flat tire outside of Mt. Morris, N.Y. front steer tire call road service they won't be out until the morning, so we sleep for the night waiting for the service truck. Cost $447.53. 9 hrs. break down time. Pa. line mileage 919 arrived in Harrisburg, Pa. mileage 099. Drop trailer in this yard and pick up an empty to take back to Mechanicsburg, Pa. yard.
June 11, Mechanicsburg, Pa. mileage 117 headed to Conklin, N.Y. & Vestel, N.Y. Mileage at N.Y. line 299. First stop mileage 312, second stop mileage 330, Pa. line going to Taylor, Pa. to pick up and deliver in Harrisburg, Pa. Pa. line mileage 354. Arrived Taylor, Pa. mileage 402 loaded. Harrisburg, Pa. mileage 536 drop in their yard, pick up empty and drop in Carlisle, Pa. mileage in Carlisle, Pa. 565.
July 13, Mechanicsburg, Pa. to Rochester, N.Y. mileage in Mechanicsburg, Pa. 565. N.Y. line mileage 737. Mileage in Rochester July 13, 850 handled 1054 cases. Load to go to Jessup, Md. mileage 929. Pa. line mileage 069. Taking time going home. it's a weekend and traffic is bad so will lay down for a few hours until traffic clears. Go home for weekend.
July 16, Maryland line mileage 287. Jessup, Md. mileage 337 empty. Handled whole load. Go to Belcamp, Md. to get load mileage at time of pick-up 395 July 16, Empty Carlisle, Pa. 496 mileage. Drop trailer in yard, hook to another trailer head for Elmira, N.Y. and Horseheads, N.Y. be there July 17 at 8:30 a.m.
July 17th, Laid down and over slept will not deliver until July 18, if there are not too many trucks coming in they said. Just come on in and sit around and wait to see. Would not give new appointment, said for us to come in and they'll get us in when they can. If they can. They didn't. Company told us to bring back to yard and they will make a new appointment.
July 18, stayed hooked to same load mileage 517. N.Y. line mileage 679. 1st stop Elmira N.Y. handled full load. 2nd stop Horseheads handled whole load. Too late to get back haul. Head back to yard Mechanicsburg, Pa.. Pa. Line mileage 720. Grab trailer at yard for a 2 stop in Syracuse, N.Y. 1st stop by 6:00 a.m. second stop 2:00 p.m. mileage at yard 910 1st stop mileage 182 handled load. Second stop mileage 190 empty. Go to Buffalo to load mileage 372. Pa. line mileage 510 going to Oaks, Pa. around Philadelphia, Pa. mileage in Oaks Pa. 781. Run out of way to pick up partial load, get there and find out we have to hand load the load on the floor of the trailer. Back to yard. Off for weekend.
July 23, going to Norwich & Johnson City, N.Y. mileage 929. N.Y. line mileage 111. Last stop Johnson City, N.Y. mileage 209. Go to Watkins Glen to pick up back haul going to Temple, Pa. mileage 287. Pa. line mileage 320 Mileage in Temple, Pa. 574. Back to yard empty.
July 25, Mechanicsburg, Pa. to Syracuse, N.Y. mileage at time of pick up in Mechanicsburg, Pa. 686. N.Y. line 869. Syracuse, N.Y. unloaded, handled whole load 2400 cases. Go Rochester, N.Y. to load going to Oaks, Pa. Rochester getting loaded mileage 055. Pa. line mileage 166. Oaks Pa., mileage 404 unloaded and empty. Go to yard empty.
July 27, Carlisle, Pa. to Rhode Island 3 stops. Mileage at yard Carlisle, Pa. 538. N.Y. line mileage 736. Conn. line mileage 810, Rhode Island line mileage 924. 1st stop at Davisville Rhode Island mileage 958, waited three hours to get backed into a dock door. 2nd stop mileage 005 North Smithfield, Rhode Island. 3rd stop mileage 009 Woodsocket, Rhode Island. Go to Harrison, N.J. for back haul. Conn. line mileage 042. N.Y. line mileage 157. N/J/ line mileage 241. Arrive in Harrison, N.J. to get loaded mileage 275. Hand Load on floor 4 and a half hours to load because it was being made as we loaded. Pa. line mileage 342. Harrisburg, Pa. drop trailer pick up empty mileage 444. Drop empty trailer in Carlisle, Pa.
2 stops Jamestown, N.Y. pick up loaded trailer in Mechanicsburg, Pa. mileage 493. N.Y. line mileage 662. 1st stop handled 941 cases mileage 820. 2bd stop empty, handled 2008 cases. Finished at 3:30 p.m. didn't get checked out until 5:12 p.m. Yes that is correct it took 2 hours to get the paper work so we could leave. Pa. Line 980 empty.
Aug. 2, Going to Jessup, Md. picked up trailer in Mechanicsburg, Pa. mileage 167. Maryland line mileage 216. Jessup, Md. mileage 267. No load back found our own. Loaded headed back to Pa. load don't deliver for three days. It is Aug. 3, now.
Dispatch ask us to deliver another Hot Load to Conn. has to be there Aug. 5, Loaded in Lebanon, Pa. mileage 438 at time of picking up load. N.Y. line mileage 602. Conn. line mileage 673. Conn. empty mileage 758 handled whole load. N.Y. line empty mileage 832. Pa. line mileage 907. It is Aug. 7. Go to yard empty pick up load to go to Richmond, Va. loaded in Mechanicsburg, Pa. mileage 551. Maryland line mileage 599. Virginia line mileage 667. 1st stop empty in Richmond Va. mileage 773. Back haul from Walkerton, Va. loaded mileage 806. Maryland line mileage 944. Pa. line mileage 007. Reading, Pa. unloaded and empty.
Aug. 14 going to Syracuse, N.Y. & Utica N.Y. Mechanicsburg, Pa. picked up load mileage 274. N.Y. line mileage 458. 1st stop mileage 548 backed in at 7:00 a.m. done at 11:40 a.m. 2nd stop handled 415 cases mileage 600. Pa. line 704 returning empty again. Carlisle drop trailer mileage 891.
That is a brief run down of one driver's runs and what he has to do. He sometimes grabs a quick nap over the wheel and most times ends up over sleeping. Or what sleep he got during that time is all he will see until all stops are off and the trailer is loaded again. But he will not get any sleep once he arrives at his stop. He will be required to stay awake so he can get a door to back in to. If he don't stay awake once he is there he will be over looked and the next guy will be put in his place.
Once he is given a door he won't get to sleep because he will have to in allot of cases have to handle his load. We delivered in New York City one time, and told them never to send us back. We had to back into this little alley to get to this make shift dock they had made at a new skyrise building. We were delivering bathtubs. We got the truck backed in and then the supervisor informed us that we could not stay with the truck or in the truck because we were not with the union. Because of this what sleep he could have gotten was taken away because we were ask to remove our persons from the site until the trailer was unloaded. Six hours later they came to a coffee shop and got us telling us we were empty. Six hours he could have been sleeping.
These companies commit to these people these loads will be there or picked up. So they leave the driver no choice but to meet these demands. It's much easier to make the driver look bad, than it is for a company to look bad because his driver is tired.
Wanna know what kind of money these guys are making? Ok I'll tell you.....
A load pays $190.00 my husband as an independent contractor ( a man who drives another's truck, but nothing is deducted. no taxes no nothing) makes 25% he made $49.50 off that load. A load pays $780 he gets 25% he made $195.00 off that load. So let's just say he's run two loads that paid $190 and two loads that paid $780 at 25% he grosses for the week $489.00 you have to deduct his shower's, meals, and any other needs that might occur. We'll say he spent $10.00 a day for meals, there's $50.00 subtracted from his $489.00 and two shower's which they will of course take more, but based on two is $10.00 so there's $60.00 subtracted from his pay. Then there are the taxes and also the insurances which he himself will and is responsible for. He has to set a certain amount aside or come tax time he's going to be owing the I.R.S. a bundle. If he advances money from his check most companies charge a fee for these advances ours was $3.75 each time we advanced a little money. Didn't matter how little or how much. Yep he's making a fortune out there isn't he?
For the guy who's paid by the mile we'll say 30 cents, but there are so many paid less than that. He runs 1000 miles for the week at 30 cents a mile (these are loaded miles only) he's made $300.00 for the week. Deduct meals, showers and anything else he might have to purchase, plus taxes and insurances. 1000 miles at 28 cents a mile is a gross of $200.00 for the week. Even if a man puts in 2400 miles for a week at 30 cents per mile, he's only going to gross $720.00 a week minus deductions.
Owner Operator ... which we were ... we made 72% of what the loads paid. So if a load paid $250.00 at 72% we made $180.00 off that load. Even if we ran this for 5 days that would be a gross of $900, hold on! hold on! now things really change. The owner operator buys his own tags, insurance, fuel, oil, and pays for any maintance that is needed or done to his/her truck, responsible for own taxes, meals, showers, Let's just say he/she purchases $100 dollars per day in diesel fuel that's 5x100=500 there is $500 taken right off the top of that check leaving him/her $400.00. Sure there are loads that pay more than this, but take his 72% minus all expenses and you will see he is not walking around with a green wallet. he's living day to day, check to check just about like everyone else.
Running empty does not make any of these guys in the above example money. Empty is empty and there is no $$$ on an empty trailer. An owner operator losses greatly when empty because he is paying for all the fuel and all expenses and when he's empty and running a long distance to get home he's burning fuel which is a loss. There is no profit.
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