Do you get paid for deadhead miles

Most companies pay company drivers the same rate to drive whether they are empty or loaded. Why not ask your dispatcher?

For the life of me I can't understand why MOST trucking companies and dispatchers prefer to have a driver waste 45 minutes and fuel driving somewhere to SEE something or ask someone a question rather than calling the location and getting an answer. My job had me starting on Sunday afternoons. After holidays I might be getting the first load of the post holiday week. When I asked my dispatcher "are you sure ABC is open?" the answer was "they are supposed to be, yes". Half of the time I would get to ABC and find out No.

The phone people see each other as allies and drivers as a necessary evil they must put up with. If some phone person asks your phone person for a favor your phone person will send you on a wild goose chase so he can feel useful. smh

 

That all depends on YOUR company.
But yes you should

 

Should have taken the live unload; I would have. Probably would have gotten "stop pay" and "detention pay" plus whatever a local run pays.
I've never worked for a company that didn't pay deadhead miles.

 

The live unload was probably something needing to be done and since you said no they will not make it easy on you. If you are working for a company you have to be part of the team and saying no is bucking the system, saying yes or keeping mouth shut and just doing the job needed may get you better loads down the road.

 

I think this kind of attitude will much rather give you another ####ty assignment than a good one.Lets see,we both receive call from dispatch telling us to do some bs job.I say "no" and after some polite asking first and then threats I turn off my phone.You say OK and get that BS job done.Question, who are they going to call next time they have some fd up work ? I tried it,they learn too-)

 

Of course it doesn't guarantee anything other than being remembered as a guy to go to when there's fd up job to do.
They won't call me because they already know that the best they can get is me turning off my phone.I mean what would you do if you were a dispatcher? I can tell you miracles happen when you say "no".

 

How much longer are you going to stay there?

 

DAX_, did you take time to look at the bubble map in the planning area? It's likely a red bubble in Lancaster, meaning they have more truckers than loads available.

I remember being in Lancaster, waking up after a 10 and moseying in to check out the bubble map. It was a large red bubble, likely going to have an unnecessary 34 waiting for my turn for a load. I asked the planner if they need any local deliveries covered. I delivered three loads that day and made good money, arriving back at the terminal to see the same sad group of drivers in the lounge. They made bubkas that day. As I was having dinner I got a dispatch for the next morning on a load headed to Las Vegas.

Play ball.

Yes, you are paid miles to go get an empty if you are dispatched to do that. Sometimes I knew where I could get an empty and didn't bother waiting for the planners. In that case I wasn't paid, but it was worth it to be on time.