percentage or milage

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I believe at 50% DH it's .30cpm not .33cpm. It sounds like a good offer. As others said, when DH miles are paid is one question to answer. How long do you have to stay out before you can go home and then for how long? What arrangement is there for getting service out on the road, as in oil changes, replacement brake light bulb, new wiper blades, and other things that can shut you down on the road?
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Even if it doesn't kick in after delivery to the layover, and even if deadhead is 50 percent, that's still 30 cents a mile, which is a decent rate of pay for a Sprinter driver who doesn't own the Sprinter. There are new drivers for large carriers, like Werner, that start off at 28 cents a mile all miles. And they have big-truck crap to deal with. And co-drivers that smell really bad. At 1500 miles a week at 30 cents a mile, that's still a $450 weekly paycheck, or about $90 a day on a 5 day week. Not great, but not bad. But then again you're not gonna have 50 percent deadhead, either. It'll be more like 15 or 20 percent.

Of course, there is the sitting. Some weeks you'll be doing good to crank out 800 miles. Other weeks you'll do 2500 or more. But the 800 mile weeks happen more often than the 2500 mile weeks. But over the long term, 1200-1500 miles a week is what you can expect as an average. Plan accordingly.
 

RoadTime

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
In this case the DH for the OP is really not a factor (other then time involved), as the owner is paying the fuel. So .40 a mile is still going to be .40 a paid loaded mile to the driver. Any additional pay is just icing on the cake :)
 
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zorry

Veteran Expediter
I figured 1000 miles @ .40 = $400.
500 miles dh @.20=$100
$500 / 1500 miles = .33

Semantics. 100% dh, where dh = loaded miles is .30.

.30 for out and back and no logbooks should work with lots of miles :)
 
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LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Your math is correct. I read it as half deadhead being 1000 loaded and 1000 deadhead.
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
I had 500 miles dh, but on my mythical 1,500 mile trip, 750 miles could also be 50% dh. No wonder recruiters are so confusing. :)
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I drove for .40 in an owners sprinter for a couple months. No dh pay. If you can get a few miles a month you will do OK depending on personal bills. From my figures it was better than a 40/60 split and maybe a little less than a 60/40 split where I worked which would make a difference.

Ask who makes decisions on what loads you take. If he is one who watches every move he might not wanting you to dh far to pick up a load. Once you learn the game and understand your out here to make both of you money he should let you make those choices.

Notice I said miles per month, don't get caught up in running hard each and every week. Your going to have good and bad. For me march was one of my top 4 months ever, April just the opposite so as soon as your telling yourself this is great you can wake up tomorrow thinking what the h happened.



Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I figured 1000 miles @ .40 = $400.
500 miles dh @.20=$100
$500 / 1500 miles = .33

Semantics. 100% dh, where dh = loaded miles is .30.

.30 for out and back and no logbooks should work with lots of miles :)

At 100% dh or even 50% I don't think a van fleet owner will be in business long.

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
a sprinter at 20 mpg at $4.00 a gallon makes for exactly .20 a mile....all DH miles paid for....if an 05-06 sprinter you actually put money in your pocket at .20... 23 mpg @$4.00 = .17 per mile...
 

JoeS

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
$450 a week? That's just slight over 1 1/2 times the poverty level and that's considered GOOD money? Yipes!!
To each his own...
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
$450 a week? That's just slight over 1 1/2 times the poverty level and that's considered GOOD money? Yipes!!
To each his own...

Its actually more than double what the poverty level is for a single person and just a few hundred shy of it for a family of four

Not a lot of money but if your young a lot of jobs pay less these days. It would equel a little over 11 bucks an hour for a forty hour work week.

Oops just noticed the levels vary by state.

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123
 
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Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
$450 a week? That's just slight over 1 1/2 times the poverty level and that's considered GOOD money? Yipes!!
To each his own...
I don't know anybody here who has said that's considered GOOD money. I'm pretty sure that what I said was, in the context of driving someone else's Sprinter, that it's "not great, but not bad." And that was also at the worse case of 50 percent deadhead and getting paid 30 cents a mile all miles. At 40 cents a loaded mile it's more money than $450 a week, it's $600 a week, at 1500 miles. And that's decent money for driving a Sprinter. The Rule of Thirds being what it is, and cargo van/Sprinter freight being what it is, that's the way it is.
 
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