Cents Per Loaded Mile (CPLM)

[BlueEngine]

1) Excluding fuel surcharge, what is your standard rate of pay per loaded mile? I'm under contract at 77 CPLM.
2) What do you drive? We drive cargo vans- including Sprinters.
3) How many trucks do you own? We own three+.
4) How long have you been with your company? We've been at our company for less than 2 years.
5) If comfortable, pls state your company's name. Our vans are leased to Panther.

Some of my drivers keep thinking that we're getting the short end of the stick. They're coming to me with a range of 85 CPLM to $1.15 PLM as a standard rate quoted to them by PANTHER fleet owners and PANTHER drivers. The $1.15 rate is short of incredulous, but I've heard 85 CPLM so much that I wonder- and yes- I have asked. And now I'm asking you. What is your standard rate of pay per loaded mile? I eagerly await responses!

BlueEngine

 

[x06col]

As stated on here many times, what works for one person, don't for another. Let your drivers (assuming they are good ones) find their place. It should be refreshing to you that they want to advance your/their positions. Let em test their wings, unless, you feel you have a security blanket, or something.

 

[babs3361]

We drive T/T but our neighbor drives a Sprinter Dulley. His contract is 1.05 but has only seen 1.05 2 times in the year he has been there. He is usually being offered 70 cents and a flat rate of .10 cents FSC. I will not say the name of Company but watch very carefully when looking at places to switch to. He has called Panther a few times and they were not putting on Vans. His paid mile average has not been what they told him either and he refuses very little.

 

[terryandrene]

Cargo van owners and aspiring owners are finding that most of the larger carriers are flush with vans, nowadays. I’d guess that Panther is as good a company as any to keep your vans moving and requiring minimal deadhead to do so. A smaller carrier may give your vans greater revenue per loaded mile, but at what ratio of deadhead to loaded miles?

Competing expedite carriers have become aggressive with their rates during the past couple of years, so owners aren’t seeing any improvement in tariffs or revenue per mile. You might be hard pressed to beat the Panther compensation package unless, as owners, you aggressively persue loads for your fleet when any of them are idle for a day or so.

Those of us at FedEx Custom Critical are being offered anything from 72 cents to122 cents with FSC and Deadhead included. We are paid on a percentage of gross tariff basis so our average CPM varies with the amount of cheap freight any one person is willing to take. I’d guesstimate, on average, most of us are in the $1.10 range.

 

[Turtle]

I'm in a Sprinter with Panther, .77 per mile. I only have the one van. Been with them ever since the Con-Way Scratch-N-Dent sale. There are some long timers with Panther who are still on their old, original contracts, where they are making .85 (probably 3 or more years with Panther), and a very few handful even .90 per mile (probably 7 or 8 years with Panther, and they may or may not be getting a FSC, I dunno).

If you are getting numbers from newer people, less than 2 or 3 years, that are saying they are getting much more than that, make them prove it with a settlement sheet. I'd bet that their inflated figure includes the FSC. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I recently had a 1900 mile run with a .42 FSC. I also had a 1400 mile run with a .09 FSC. Except for the occasional goofy .05 per mile FSC that I just dropped off, I'm probably averaging about .19 per mile on the FSC.
$.19 and $.77 totals out to $.96 per mile. So there ya go.

 

[BlueEngine]

Did you come from Conway, Turtle? One driver was confident that the Conway drivers had signed on at 85 CPLM.

Like you, I also suggested that these folks were including the FSC, but doubt, once planted, grows. Your suggestion that they ask to see settlement sheets is an excellent one and I will use it.

Our FSC has ranged from 0 CPLM to 51 CPLM. And our average in 2006 was 21 CPLM.

Your experience jives with mine and your comments were greatly appreciated. Thanks!

BlueEngine

 

[Moot]

Con-Way retreads with vans had the option of staying with the Con-Way contract at .80 cpm and the f.s.c. matrix which is tied in with the national average price of diesel fuel or Panther's .77 cpm and variable f.s.c. based on customer contracts.

 

[Turtle]

Yup. At Con-Way I was making $.80 per mile, plus the flat rate FSC, usually about $.13. I had the option of staying with my Con-Way contract, or signing on with the Panther contract. Con-Way paid better in some areas, like detention, hand unload, east coast pay, and Panther pays better in other areas, like FSC, border crossings, layover pay. All things considered, the Panther contract pays me more at the end of the month than the Con-Way contract did.

There may have been some Con-Way drivers who had an $.85 contract, but I'm not aware of any. Even the long timers at Con-Way were reduced over time to $.80 per mile.

 

[RLENT]

1. 2500 lbs or less/$1.00 per loaded mile, >2500 lbs/$1.35 per loaded mile, both with 100% FSC (figured at $1.10/gal base)
2. 2006 Sprinter 2500 SHC 158" WB
3. One.
4. We're just starting and actually haven't taken our first load yet - not scheduled to go in service until early March.
5. Since we are not yet running I'll defer for the moment on naming the carrier.

Additional note: As Terry points out, we expect to have higher deadhead mileage than what is considered typical. What it actually ends up being remains to be seen.

 

[nightcreacher]

>1. 2500 lbs or less/$1.00 per loaded mile, >2500 lbs/$1.35
>per loaded mile, both with 100% FSC (figured at $1.10/gal
>base)
>2. 2006 Sprinter 2500 SHC 158" WB
>3. One.
>4. We're just starting and actually haven't taken our first
>load yet - not scheduled to go in service until early March.
>5. Since we are not yet running I'll defer for the moment
>on naming the carrier.
>
>Additional note: As Terry points out, we expect to have
>higher deadhead mileage than what is considered typical.
>What it actually ends up being remains to be seen.


just remember,in business it takes money to make money,that dead head you talk about is the money it takes to make it out here

 

[Moot]

>There may have been some Con-Way drivers who had an $.85
>contract, but I'm not aware of any. Even the long timers at
>Con-Way were reduced over time to $.80 per mile.

When Con-Way went to the flat mileage rate all vans were paid .80/mi.
With the possible exception of the Canadian fleet and the Detroit based regional fleet.

Under the percentage pay we were compensated more per mile for short loads. 200-299 miles paid more per mile than a 300+ load. 100-199
paid even more per mile. Con-Way billed the customer more for short loads which was reflected in the percentage pay.

Now I'm depressed. After almost 9 years leased to Con-Way I worked my way down to .80/mile. Only in trucking!!!

 

[kangar0085]

I get 77 cents a mile average around 18-20 fsc so its just under one dollar a mile on average for me.

 

[kangar0085]

I've also seen old contractors that have been with the company for over 6 years with contracted 1.00$ a mile not including fsc.

 

[bryan]

Hi

Yep at this rate we will be paying them for the pleasure of hauling freight.And if you really want depression look at old fuel and maintance reciepts.30 gallons of diesel for $28.00, a 55 gallon drum of Rotella $312.00 + drum deposit and oil filter $5.00.A 7.3l in the crate from Jasper in 1997 cost $8000.00 - $3500.00 core deposit =$5500.00 priced one this year for $10,000.00.Rebuild tranny $1200.00 in 1998 I just got one rebuilt last year by the same guy for >$2400.00.

 

[BlueEngine]

I think we're getting some solid answers in this forum- and a little closer to the various truths. I was sharing with a former driver of mine a couple days ago. She told me her current owner has 10 + vans with Panther and has been with Panther for more than 5 years. Her contract contains a provision stating that the pay for loads greater than 2200 pounds is $1.00 PLM plus FSC.

Sometimes we're offered $1.00 PLM for heavier loads, three skids, or loads that need a taller or longer van. But usually, if we're not offered, and we ask- the answer is no.

Does anyone know what the standard rate is for Elite cargo van drivers?

BlueEngine

 

[Moot]

What is an Elite cargo van driver?

 

[RLENT]

Steve,

just remember,in business it takes money to make money,that dead head you talk about is the money it takes to make it out here

Yeah .... I know that it's less than the ideal situation. But like I said, until we actually get running I don't have a handle on the exact numbers. Hopefully it will turn out that they are within a reasonable range that we can operate profitably. If they aren't then we have to look at moving on to somewhere else.

On the otherhand, it is basically a brand new truck (5K miles) - and will hopefully have less problems mechanically than one with alot of miles. I plan on doing most of my own maintenence (oil & lube, brakes, etc.) so I ought to be able to operate a little cheaper there. Of course if I'm out on the road and something happens I'll have to pay to have someone else handle it.

Also this is not our primary source of income - it's actually the 3rd. The truck was originally bought in May of 2006 for another business venture that we decided not to pursue - and I have been making the payments ($700/month) since then. It will be nice to finally have the truck generating some revenue.

 

[highway star]

That's a van driver that uses a special fork to eat their salad.

 

[kwexpress]

KW Express
o/o till i die


Ten years ago my panther contract was .90 per mile when a year went by and I purchased another van the rate went down to .85 what a great return on my investment and such a great thank you.

can you say pass the vasoline please?
I cant.

there is life for drivers after panther.

Con-way to me wasnt much or any better than panther to me.
they had some good runs now and then.

they should have been called Con-way Now & Then.
but most rates was also cheap but when I was paying .95 for diesel a gallon I still made a decent living.

Now that fuel is 2.50 a gallon why would anyone even think of trying to raise a family on less revenue per mile now than then?

fuel surcharge now so I guess if your carrier average is .13 per mile for all miles traveled not just loaded ones you would be in the same ballpark as I was then as far as a cargo van goes.

so you should expect 30% deadhead so look for a carrier that pays at least .16 per loaded mile and pays at least .85 base rate.

or just do it yourself and charge $1.30 flat rate if you can get more than that great you may be happy in this line of work.
I would rather run 500 miles a week @1.30 than 1000 miles at .85

 

[pellgrn]

I would hope someone at panther would confirm the different contracted rates to a fleet owner,I am at 85 per mile no sur charges.I signed in Aug of 99 I have friends who are at 90 and i think the first 500 vans were a dollar.We didn't have sur charges when i signed,i also paid 67 cents a gallon in Sept of that year in G.A for gas and if ya paid over a dollar you were in some remote part of Canada.How times change,i seem to have less change and alot less cents.