How Do You Pay/Get Paid?

[soxydun]

We recently bought a 2nd truck and we are not only having trouble finding teams to fill it, we are wondering how others pay their drivers or get paid?? Trying to make sure we do things as fairly as possible.

We started out as 60% to us, 40% to fleet owner drivers. We bought fuel. We split 60/40 on everything except FSC, Bonuses and handload/unloads. That was as a husband wife team. I understand that generally in this scenario (if not a couple), the co-driver gets $.25/mile on linehaul only. The "lead" driver gets the 60% and buys fuel. I think this was done, because only one driver gets the advances loaded on the Comdata Card.

We were going to follow much of this formula, but wanted to let the drivers have the empty moves and possibly work towards the deadhead money as well. Sort of an incentive to stick around and make more. The quarter a mile thing has always bugged me, but I do not know how to split 60% with unmarried/couple teams. It becomes a trust issue with one person holding the Comdata advance money and the other one waiting for a paycheck, doesn't it??

The truck is not bad, it is a D unit, single rear axel, 2006 International with an 80" Bentz Sleeper. Nice sized beds. No real frills, but comfortable & better than what we started out with! It is in great shape, clean etc. We have only had one team, which blasted out of the gates with a great week. Then, got in a fight with each other and threatened to leave the truck on the side of the highway! We then had my son as a lead in the truck (he is a class A CDL, former TT driver for 8 years) and hired a "trainee" out of truck driving school. It ended up being more of a "personality conflict" and the guy simply had no means of support until his first check. Sigh............Now before you ask, we did help with that and ended up going in the hole for our efforts. He also had difficulty with shifting & braking, which was odd, since he had been thru school. These are things that could have been worked out, but the other things kind of got in the way I guess.

I would like to know how other owners work their percentages and how drivers who work for owners feel about it. Please do not mention who you drive for or anything like that, just the basic info if possible. I would seriously like to find a team, willing to work, needing very little micro-managing and not to hard on the trucks. I know they are out there, because we were them once.

 

[Lawrence]

We recently bought a 2nd truck and we are not only having trouble finding teams to fill it, we are wondering how others pay their drivers or get paid?? Trying to make sure we do things as fairly as possible.

I would suggest placing an Classified (it's free) on our website. Most find a team pretty quickly if the offer is good.

 

[cheri1122]

What you want is just what every owner wants - and the demand is far beyond the supply. Good teams are not something that can be created in response to a demand, [as you've already learned], because living and working together 24/7 in the confinement of a truck requires a commitment to each other that goes beyond the money to be made.
I understand the reasons [HOS restrictions], but the reality is that a team created to comply will seldom hold up over time. There are just so many committed couples to go around - good luck finding one. I mean that sincerely - you're correct that they're out there - just not as many as are wanted.

 

[soxydun]

Don't I know it about committment and small spaces! LOL! I have been using the company list for drivers, but I have also scanned the ads on EO. I will try running an ad too.
I would also like to know what works for most people, pay wise. Or if you'd rather not "claim" it, say you've heard others get paid or pay this way...LOL!
I spoke with a guy who said they paid teams $.50/mi split and I have heard that sometimes buying the fuel is a pain, because they won't shut the trucks off or try to conserve.
I remember when we started, my husband had been a company driver for a few different TT outfits. Expediting is a whole 'nuther animal. We've sure learned alot, but nowhere near enough....

 

[Yesteryear]

Fair pay for a good team would be 60/40 or 40/60. If 60/40 owner should provide EZ Pass for tolls and pay 40 of DH and EM to driver as trk does not drive itself.
If 60/40 Team should get 100 FSC and team should be responsible for tolls. If company re-imburses for tolls it should go to person paying tolls 100%.
Drivers should get 100% of any hand unload.
Drivers should be treated with respect and as a partner not as an employee (Unless you plan to provide driver with a W2 not a 1099).
Drivers should look out for trk owners interest as well as his own and not take loads that will cost the trk money just because driver will make a buck off of it.
Drivers should take care of and maintaine truck as if it where their own, if they damage trk they should expect to pay. On the same hand trk owner has to realize that these trucks are out here running loads 24/7 and are going to have normal wear and tear. (need maintence, tires, ect)
Bottom line pay fair and treat with respect and you will be able to keep a good team in your truck.
It may take you a time or two to get the right team but eventually you will.

 

[LDB]

I will only accept h/w teams. They are tougher to find but they have a common goal. They also are more likely to feel they are making adequate money since all the money goes into the same pot. I will only accept teams that do 60/40 and pay fuel. There is zero incentive to go easier on the equipment if the fuel is paid for. Teams pay the tolls. Teams get 100% of FSC and "people" pay which is hand load/unload and anything else that is pay for human interaction. Now, if I happen to be at the same dock at the same time and go help them I'll take 1/3 as fair compensation. So far that has happened zero times and I expect it to happen a total of zero times before I retire. I make that point to emphasize there is no legitimate reason other than helping to ever take a penny of "people" pay. Teams get 50% of "time" pay. That is layover or detention. Absent getting to a parallel universe, a minute is a minute whether it's the truck being held or the team being held so I consider that an equal split. Teams get 100% of DH and empty move pay since they are paying the fuel to move the truck. We all have accounts at Bank of America. I REALLY dislike them but they are one of the very very few options that allow me to do payroll 24/7 from anywhere in the country that has an internet signal. Good luck.

 

[Yesteryear]

I will only accept h/w teams. They are tougher to find but they have a common goal. They also are more likely to feel they are making adequate money since all the money goes into the same pot. I will only accept teams that do 60/40 and pay fuel. There is zero incentive to go easier on the equipment if the fuel is paid for. Teams pay the tolls. Teams get 100% of FSC and "people" pay which is hand load/unload and anything else that is pay for human interaction. Now, if I happen to be at the same dock at the same time and go help them I'll take 1/3 as fair compensation. So far that has happened zero times and I expect it to happen a total of zero times before I retire. I make that point to emphasize there is no legitimate reason other than helping to ever take a penny of "people" pay. Teams get 50% of "time" pay. That is layover or detention. Absent getting to a parallel universe, a minute is a minute whether it's the truck being held or the team being held so I consider that an equal split. Teams get 100% of DH and empty move pay since they are paying the fuel to move the truck. We all have accounts at Bank of America. I REALLY dislike them but they are one of the very very few options that allow me to do payroll 24/7 from anywhere in the country that has an internet signal. Good luck.

And as a husband wife team I would say this owner is very fair.

 

[soxydun]

Generally speaking, when we were drivers for the owner we worked for, we got paid just as Leo described. We did not however get 100% of DH & EM's. Those, in addition to detention and layover pay were 60/40. Now, they've decided to go 100% DH/EM, but I believe you have to pay for PM's. I think if you're paying for fuel, you should get the EM and DH, but of course some of the "wear and tear" comes into play here too. I have heard that one fleet owner does the full 60/40, in other words, they keep 40% of fsc too. That doesn't even seem right.

By the way Leo, we drove on the biggest mission (also roughest) with one of your longtime teams. Great people, we still keep in touch.

 

[gregsr40]

If you are willing to have a newbie in expediting I would like to drive for you.I did drive a straight truck for 5 years picking up freight at O"Hare airport in Chicago.If you would like, drop me a line.

 

[LDB]

By the way Leo, we drove on the biggest mission (also roughest) with one of your longtime teams. Great people, we still keep in touch.

Ah, so you are the other looney tunes that said yes to that run. I'd have said yes in a heartbeat in July but was concerned about it in January. It turned out alright though. I hope I get that run some June or July for sure. And yes, they are a great team. They've been with me the longest.

 

[Blackbeard]

As a husband/wife team we were hired the 1st time via an ad here on ExpeditersOnline.
We wrote about this experience oin the Newbie Forum "How to Choose a Good Owner to Work For" and "What to do if the Owner Doesn't pay".

The 1st was 60/40 split, owners pay fuel and tolls (the tolls nearly always said LOW - and we paid out of pocket many times), keep all fuel surcharge, two deposits each week split 50/50. We were new to the expediting world and let's just say we wish we had been able to read other owners' contracts before we signed this one. It was too vague, and we lost a lot of hard earned money. But we have an attorney.

We drove more out of route (empty) miles than we would have if we were paying for the fuel. We sat more waiting for the perfect loads the owner thought should come over the Qcomm than really materialized. We were not Partners nor were we Employees. We were not even on the same page. We Were Extremely MicroManaged!. Several calls and texts a day for 2 months wanting to know why we were on a certain Interstate (dispatched Route), why were we sitting in a certain town (not allowed to deadhead to the express center at first - told to wait), why didn't we tell them we were sidelined for 6 hours in a blizzard when ther ewas no cell service, no returned calls from them in breakdown situations, etc., etc. Not even a Merry Christmas while we were out there running and slipping in the snow while they were home on a well-deserved time off. Maintenance and breakdown problems were a woe-is-me response, not enough money to go around.

We parted ways, returning the truck to their designated garage. We have not to this day received all of our pay, a breakdown of why they chose to pay 1/3 of the amount they owed us, what they may have charged us for (which to us is a legitimate tax deduction - not theirs), etc.

New Owner - New Appreciation, Better Work Ethic

This owner and us have a 60/40 split - we pay for fuel, get all fuel surcharge and tolls. We provide Pre-pass, and we shop for the best fuel prices, we pay fuel tax. We plan our routes and load acceptances with a much better understanding of what is profitable for the owner/drivers including where the load ends, what is expected during the load, etc. We are treated with respect and our owner has several trucks leased to the same carrier for almost 20 years. We pay for our own maintenance/PMs and are reimbursed immediately. The owner has us wash the truck weekly as needed to present a gret appearance at the shippers/receivers. The owner has an accoutant that sends an email with the pay breakdown weekly. If there is a question it is answered immediately and honestly. There is nothing extra kept from our pay. The truck is well-maintained and the Owner is available for questions if we need him. Otherwise we conduct the truck as if it were our own and the Owner appreciates every thing we do to protect his equipment, our/his bottom line, and the image of his company with customers and the freight company. We have been to his home and been invited to share the dinner table. He encourages his teams to work with each other for tips on the road. There is NO written contract.

This professional atmosphere of trust and confidence makes us stay out longer, get the bigger picture, and do a better job.

Blackbeard Team

 

[sparkle8859]

me and my husband work on a 60/40 split. We pay for fuel our owner pays for all maintence incluing pms. I think it would be hrd to find a good team tht woul be willing to stay lomg term because of the money. We see how much there 40% is and can do the math of how much money there making of us. We have decied to buy our own truck because of it. In our contract we commite to 6 mounths and they took out 50$ a week till we paid them 1500$. After the 6 mounts if we bring the truck back to where we picked it up at they return tje money to us. You might want to consider that. We thought it was fair.

 

[moose]

. We see how much there 40% is and can do the math of how much money there making of us. We have decied to buy our own truck because of it. .

Please don't be greedy ,
get your 6 months free paid tuition first ,
and then come up with a detailed long term business plan to meet your goals.
you'd be glad you did .
understanding the cost of doing ,& staying in business is the key for that 40%,
once you buy into a truck , it might be too late .

 

[davekc]

I would agree with Leo on teams. We only hire experienced teams that are married, or living as married. Any other situations are more aggravation than they are worth. Cheaper to leave the truck parked.
As far as pay, we are similar to Leo doing the 60/40, 100 percent on the FSC, EM's, and hand loads. Everything else is 60 to the driver whether bonuses or DH.

 

[moose]

. Cheaper to leave the truck parked..

There must be some really good story here .

 

[x06col]

There must be some really good story here .

More story(s) than you can imagine. Stick around as an owner a while, an you'll have plenty of your own.

 

[davekc]

There must be some really good story here .

Nothing really huge, but we tried it a few times back in the early days. Two unrelated drivers equals two separate agendas.
Spent more time being a relationship counselor than doing anything else.
Kinda the same thing with hiring someone who has under-aged kids living at home. Tried it once as well back then. Bad idea then, bad idea now.
Just a learning curve. Didn't have EO back then to gauge your stupidity against reality.

 

[x06col]

Nothing really huge, but we tried it a few times back in the early days. Two unrelated drivers equals two separate agendas.
Spent more time being a relationship counselor than doing anything else.
Kinda the same thing with hiring someone who has under-aged kids living at home. Tried it once as well back then. Bad idea then, bad idea now.
Just a learning curve. Didn't have EO back then to gauge your stupidity against reality.

EO has been a good gauge for me also. i've had a number of typers here, send feelers to me about getting involved with my business. Based upon their typing, showing their background, socilization, flexability/inflexability, etc., didn't even git on my "short list", let alone git the gate opened for them.

 

[nightcreacher]

I once had two guys drive for me.Motel called me one night to complain that these guys were fighting and wanted me to get them to stop.They were in Indiana.I was in Ohio.I just told the girl,call the cops,these guys were fighting over 1 dollar that was missing.Last time i hired non living together or married,although I had trouble with H/W teams too.
You can run into problems from paying to much,or not paying enough.Pay to much,they only run hard enough to make what they need,pay not enough,they don't last very long
I have lots of respect to fleet owners,did it once,never again.