Schneider drivers: Pay certainty?

Some companies have programs that promise a minimum amount per year of pay. Thay can be a decent program, but as with anything, there are some catches and provisions that accompany the deal. Most of these "minimum" based programs are pretty much forced dispatch, and if you turn down a load, you are no longer guaranteed the minimum amount. You have little or no say over your running hours, and as long as you have any hours available, you will be out and running. They are also a program with limited hometime, so the company promises about getting you home frequently don;t apply to this type of program.

One of the companies that does work similar to mine here in the midwest has a deal like that, where they guarantee 57,500 for the year as a minimum, but they run the heck out of their drivers, frequently having them out for 4-5 nights in a row before they get home, and working them on weekends as needed.

Now I'll admit, comparative to the normal patterns of 3 weeks out and less monay, that may not be a bad deal, but I am not in favor of a driver being in a situation where he has something hanging over his head that can screw up his income for the year if he can't make a load or has to turn something down for whatever applicable reason.

I don't know the specifics of the Schneider deal, but i suspect that itruns along those types of lines, with lots of upside for the company by having virtual slave labor or indentured servants, and not a lot of upside for the driver at ny tiem before he end of the year. I would want to talk with a couple of people in the program to see what they have to say about it, and would read the wording of the agreement very carefully before getting into such a deal.

 

I am a Schneider driver and can answer your question.

Pay Certainty Program

The Pay Certainty program rewards company drivers' productivity while providing you with pay certainty if your earnings fall below expectations.

The program will be based on a comparison of actual earnings plus per diem reimbursements versus a four-week minimum. To be eligible, company drivers must be available for twenty-three of the twenty-eight days of each four-week period.

EXAMPLE:
Phase 3 driver on per diem. Actual is compared to $3,200 over four-week period.

Days available for work: twenty-four days (met the minimum)
W-2 earnings plus per diem reimbursement: $2,900
Certainty Pay: $300
___________________________________________________
Four-week W-2 + Per Diem: $3,200

Pay Certainty Bands (Applies to Western Regional like myself..)
Phase 1.1 (Twelve Weeks): Not applicable / not applicable
Phase 1.2: $600 weekly / $2400 four-week minimum
Phase 2: $600 weekly / $2400 four-week minimum
Phase 3: $700 weekly / $2800 four-week minimum

Determining Base Pay:
Base pay will be determined according to a driver's phase and level. The floor for earnings targets is listed in the Pay Certainty Bands table
above. A driver's W-2 earnings (plus per diem reimbursement under the per diem plan) for each four-week period will be compared to these
targets. If necessary the difference will be paid out according to the schedule above. Phase 1, Level 1, solos and teams will continue to be on
weekly Guarantee Pay. Phase 1 teams will participate in Certainty Pay following twelve weeks of Guarantee Pay.

Hope this helps,
Cab

 

The Orange Machine driver In Chatanooga, TN, having a fit at the Burger
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