Lately, I have been hearing some talk of how great it would be if over-the-road truckers were paid by the hour. Of how much money one would make if all his time spent driving, fueling, and pre and post-trip inspecting was paid by the hour.
In the first few years of my driving career, I did local work; flatbed, multi-stop, paid by the hour, home every night. Then, needing to earn more income, I went OTR, and have done so the last 2 years. So I have seen both sides of the coin.
I have a different view of this idea of hourly pay. Triditional over-the-road truckers have always enjoyed the most freedom on the job than other types of trucking. As long as a driver picks up the load on time, transport it safely and legaly, and delivers it on time, the rest is the driver's discretion. An individual's ability to plan ahead, and use his time efficiently, among other skills, have been the key to making a decent living on the road.
When your paid by the hour, your time is no longer yours, it's now your employer's. And companies want to get the most bang for their buck. That is why most companies with hourly employees have quotas, and ridgid time limits for breaks and meals. You are now a volenteer slave, free to quit, but on the clock, you are their puppet.
How does this figure into OTR? Well, you may indeed see a bigger pay check, but it will be at the cost of your freedom. Your feeling sleepy, want to take a longer 30 minute break to eat & take a short nap? No more. You have been running hard the last few days, tomorrow, your next load has twelve hour windows to pick up and drop in. You would like to do 11 hours off to rest, eat a good meal, and get a shower and shave before going. To bad now, your carrier has set time limits on off-duty time. These are examples.
Is CPM Perfect? No, it's too low for alot, if not most company drivers. But a driver can do alot to make his pay check look good. As stated above, it's about strategy, skills, and experience. As for me, I'll keep my freedom, and use my knowledge to enhance my income in this great game, called Trucking.
(These are my personal observations and opinions. Henceforth, are neither right or wrong.)
OTR & Hourly Pay
Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by tnscavenger, Sep 7, 2015.
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