60% + fsj + unknown fleet owner

[RoadKing06]

We were very fortunate when we got into the business. We went o the Expo talked to a few owners and companies. We read EO for a time period called a couple owners. We talked to one owner in particular then talkedto his other driver who has been with him 10 years now. We went and met him and have been driving for him ever since. We are on the 60 - 40 % split. The owner had a 1.5 year old $160,000 truck he was trusting us with we felt we could trust him. We also had been praying all along to have the right owner cross our path. (Believe in the power of prayer).
We couldn't have had a better result. We have an owner who pays on time, NEVER bothers us, I feel I am bothering him when I update him ever so often, pays the maintaince whenever called day or night, big believer in keeping all maintance up so no problems with DOT. We are very fortunate, we know.
We had problems the carrier that the owner orignally had us with. So we did research and wanted to switch to another carrier. The owner was willing to do what whatever we wanted. He was hesitant about he company we wanted to go with because he thought maybe all the good things said about the company on here, EO, was a ploy to get drivers and it wasn't as good as being said. But he was willing to let us make th decision where we wanted to drive. We have been very happy with the move and so has he.
He made the statement to us that wemake good decisions so what ever you need just let me know. This was in reference to somthing that was needed on the truck. Obviously he trust us and we trust him.

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[BillChaffey]

I think "A Team" advise is probably correct but that not too many prospective solos or teams have a Attorney ( Mrs. A ) as part of the team. And I'm positive a lot of solo or teams did not have the funds in reserve. To cover waiting more then a week or two at most before they were considering panhandling.
You don't have to go back much more then a year to where there were owners asking for help locating their rig which had been abandoned.

 

[greg334]

On the other hand, had we gone into a situation that later turned bad and we were broke going in, we would have been at the fleet owner's mercy and begging for help to get home. That would be far worse.

This is an important point because this is where people don't get the idea that things can go bad and they need to have an exit stratigy. Depending on the company or the owner to get you home is wrong, and with that preparing for the worst situation possible without the fund to make a trip home is one reason I say as a driver you have to have money in the bank to start but don't start as a desperate driving trying to find a way out.

Landstar pays true fs. currently 47 cents a mile.[/qoute]

It depends. The agent is supposed to ask for one, sometimes they won't with their regular customers but find ways to stick one into the rate. The amount does vary by the way and the last time I heard (Monday) it was 29 cents a mile. I have not seen a FSC chart from LS in a long time, used to be they had weekly charts but ...

 

[FREE TO FAIL]

Greg you must drive a cargo van... the fuel surcharge at landstar is 47 cents, it was this week and it was last week, the week before it was 46. Of course you could agree with the broker to accept less but if you look at the load board you will see it is 47 cents on up for trucks. I dont know anything about cargo vans and your rates from the brokers.

 

[chefdennis]

Greg wrong!?!?.and no he drives a ST...

 

[bgansman]

No matter what...if you are a driver for an FO, get a contract in place before orientation (or traveling to orientation). Otherwise, there is no credibility to either party in the realm of dissatisfaction and argumentation thereafter.

Safe weekend to all...appreciate what you all do...

 

[x06col]

I was mostly asking about s/t's because that is the most common scenario around here. I'm merely trying to get an understanding of relationships between fleet owners and drivers given the recent discussions. As you pointed out, used sprinters are cheap and not considered expensive equipment.

But you guys crack me up. Your hilarious. I really don't have anything to hide, I'm not afraid to ask questions to try to learn the industry. I'd rather ask stupid questions then learn the hard way.

But its lol the way you guys constantly try to scare people, oh no, you'll never get a job from EO because you don't trust fleet owners after 5 threads about fleet owners ripping off drivers.

You guys are entertaining, I'll give you that much.

I'm curious by your standards, will I have a better chance of getting a job from an EO poster if I say I trust people blindly and won't ever ask any questions and will follow you off a cliff? Is that the type of driver you want to hire?

Well mc, if'n yer skeered ya better jes git a job at mcdonalds. If yer not skeered then find the one that sounds the best to you, an don't worry bout what these clowns have to type. You jes might be better for it........ya never know till ya start dividing it up.

 

[mcavoy33]

Let me explain my logic for asking the question. It's not because I'm looking for a fleet owner, I'm happy where I'm at and more importantly my goals are orientated towards o/o not being a driver. But my question was more geared towards the s/t audience because that is where I see most questions about fsc, rate and the 60/40 split.

Most recently in the noob forum Lfireman' started a thread called "questions about fuel surcharge" and asked about his rate. Evryone resorts to the standard 60/40 split.

But then another member "armin88" asks why a driver should pay for fuel. He makes a point about why should he use his money to pay for the owners fuel.

Not once did anyone point out that with most carriers he wouldn't be using his money, that the fuel money is advanced. That is a HUGE factor imo.

I've read probably at least 5 other threads since joining and whenever the topic comes up and a noob ask the question, you all merely spout the mpg savings that are possible but never once have I seen anybody point out that the driver doesn't have to front the money.

Basically you are getting a chance to improve in the 20% area on the companies dime, not your dime. The fact that we are talking about using "other people's money" is a point that I think most of you have forgotten to point out while many inexperienced people asking the question assume that they have to pay for it out of their pocket.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Sometimes people complicate the simple?

The proper question then would be...
How is fuel paid for with a newbee?
How does fuel get paid?
maybe just maybe the proper answer would have come out...

If one were reading more, there is a ton of info on how COMDATA advances work and WHEN the load gets an advance....the info are within these pages.

 

[Rocketman]

Sometimes people complicate the simple?

Yep, that's for sure.

He asked a good question. Actually, I think he may have asked too good of a question.

He doesn't need to know how to trust a fleet owner.

He doesn't need to know how to ask a better question.

He needs to know how to cover his own azz if he signs on with a fleet owner and takes the 60/40 split and puts his money out for fuel.

Since the settlement check will be sent to the fleet owner first, the driver has a right to ask if there is a way to insure that he/she will be paid their fair share. It's bad enough that you have fleet owners who cheat people out of their pay checks, but to get cheated out of the fuel money too would be tough to deal with.

Since everyone seems to think that this whole deal hinges on trust, how about we turn the tables a little? Let's have the settlement check sent to the driver and let the fleet owner "trust" the driver to hold out their share and send the rest on to the fleet owner?

 

[jjoerger]

When we drove for a fleet owner on the 60/40 we took a 45% advance of the entire load at pick up. The only fuel money we were out was fuel to get to the pick up. We already had 75% of our pay on our fuel card. If you can't buy your fuel and live on the road with 75% of your pay being advanced at pick up you probably shouldn't be in this business.

 

[Rocketman]

When we drove for a fleet owner on the 60/40 we took a 45% advance of the entire load at pick up. The only fuel money we were out was fuel to get to the pick up. We already had 75% of our pay on our fuel card.

And THAT is the answer to mcavoy's question. Anything past that is complicating the simple.


This:

If you can't buy your fuel and live on the road with 75% of your pay being advanced at pick up you probably shouldn't be in this business

Well, I'm not sure what to call it, but it's not part of the answer..to the original question.

 

[chefdennis]

WOW... I guess its just me...but my driver has a Gas card for gas, it doesn't cost him a dime to use it...the gas he uses this week is taken from the settlement before I get paid my the office...no interest is charged...he knows what each run pays the van and what the FSC is before he takes the run...he has the password to MY fleetvison account and can see all the numbers anytime he wants to...including what I MAKE IN MY VAN....

Everything is right there in blk & white for him to see and print out if he wants to...so its not a issue at all...

I can point you to another driver in our family that has the ame access and HE as the driver tells THE OWNER what the owner needs to deposit into the drivers account....again, no issues...just a good working relationship...and id venture to say that there are more good working relauonships between owner and driver then not out here....

 

[mcavoy33]

When we drove for a fleet owner on the 60/40 we took a 45% advance of the entire load at pick up. The only fuel money we were out was fuel to get to the pick up. We already had 75% of our pay on our fuel card.

Thanks jjoerger,

I'm curious, how does it work now that your on flat rate, do they advance you a percentage for fuel?

 

[jjoerger]

Thanks jjoerger,

I'm curious, how does it work now that your on flat rate, do they advance you a percentage for fuel?

We have the same choices as a percentage contractor. We can take 20% at time of dispatch and 25% after we are loaded. Or 45% after we are loaded.

 

[greg334]

Yep they pay 47 cents a mile if I had a tractor but most of the fleet in LEA the last time I looked were straights and they don't pay 47 cents a mile.

The load board is rather subjective, they (agents) throw a FSC in the mix to meet their contractual requirements but overall it is the all inclusive amount I and most others worry about.

 

[cheri1122]

Let me explain my logic for asking the question. It's not because I'm looking for a fleet owner, I'm happy where I'm at and more importantly my goals are orientated towards o/o not being a driver. But my question was more geared towards the s/t audience because that is where I see most questions about fsc, rate and the 60/40 split.

Most recently in the noob forum Lfireman' started a thread called "questions about fuel surcharge" and asked about his rate. Evryone resorts to the standard 60/40 split.

But then another member "armin88" asks why a driver should pay for fuel. He makes a point about why should he use his money to pay for the owners fuel.
"Why should he use his money for the owner's fuel?" Surely, that's a typo - the fuel used by the driver is in no way anyone's responsibility other than his own.

Not once did anyone point out that with most carriers he wouldn't be using his money, that the fuel money is advanced. That is a HUGE factor imo.

Uh, it's still HIS money.

I've read probably at least 5 other threads since joining and whenever the topic comes up and a noob ask the question, you all merely spout the mpg savings that are possible but never once have I seen anybody point out that the driver doesn't have to front the money.

It's not quite that simple, Mac. Fuel cards and advances are provided by most [but not all] carriers. Some provide cards for s/t & t/t, but not c/v. [ Some require a driver to get approval from the owner before getting an advance - a practice I find demeaning and needlessly complicated: if the owner doesn't trust the driver to use the advance for fuel, he should find another driver. And what if the owner isn't immediately available when the driver calls to request the money? Or the owner says ok, then gets distracted and doesn't call the carrier with his approval? The driver has to call the owner, then wait 10-15 minutes, then call dispatch to ask if the advance is on the card - how asinine is that?

Basically you are getting a chance to improve in the 20% area on the companies dime, not your dime. The fact that we are talking about using "other people's money" is a point that I think most of you have forgotten to point out while many inexperienced people asking the question assume that they have to pay for it out of their pocket.

Sometimes, they do. And if they don't, is having enough funds on hand to cover it a bad thing?

 

[Camper]

A simple search of the archived threads would have unearthed similar questions with no dearth of answers.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[mcavoy33]

A simple search of the archived threads would have unearthed similar questions with no dearth of answers.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

aah poor baby, I'm sorry educating people hurts your feelings, in the future you don't have to open threads I start to spare your feelings.

 

[mcavoy33]

Sometimes people complicate the simple?

The proper question then would be...
How is fuel paid for with a newbee?
How does fuel get paid?
maybe just maybe the proper answer would have come out...

If one were reading more, there is a ton of info on how COMDATA advances work and WHEN the load gets an advance....the info are within these pages.

I honestly had no clue that they were related. I'm sorry if I didn't know there was a simpler question to ask. I had no clue about the situation.

I seen 4-5 threads where noobs asked about their rate and if it was fair and in all of them, NO ONE ever said fuel was advanced, they ALL MERELY SAID IT WAS TOO THEIR ADVANTAGE FOR THEM TO PAY IT.

I'm sorry if too us lowly noobs that means we thought that we'd actually have to pay for it out of our pocket.

As I said earlier, the company I work for, I'd have to pay for fuel as an o/o, which is why I asked the question. If someone had to pay for fuel out of pocket, it's a significantly different risk than it being advanced to you.

But you guys can feel butt hurt all you want that my question didn't meet your standards. I will continue to ask dumb questions because if I don't know the answer, it's better to ask than to blindly march forward.