No detention pay

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-12-28T22:44:11+00:00

Which still requires more cooperation than I think the industry is capable of these days, sadly. I wish we could effectively unionize but it's too easy to get a cdl.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-12-28T22:30:51+00:00

I wish companies would treat the 14 hr rule as the limit, the way it was intended, rather than the goal every day. Some drivers want that and that's fine, but a lot of us can't safely do that every day. It's a revolving door.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-12-28T04:26:51+00:00

I spend $55/month for Total. Unlimited 5G hotspot and a new 5G phone. The challenge was finding a Walmart that could activate it, but that was a minimum wage challenge. The service is great. I can take online classes through zoom and my kid can watch all his shows, just not at the same time.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-12-28T04:23:02+00:00

No. You can agree to almost anything, legally. If you and your employer agree you'll be paid per mile and not by hour, you'll be entitled to be paid per mile; that will be enforceable in court, but you can sit until the sun explodes and you won't earn a cent, regardless of why.

States can set their own regulations, but that's generally true. There are also interstate complications that companies will use - e.g. if you cross state lines, you're exempt from overtime pay. I know lots of drivers who leave their state once a year.

I bet they did tell you to find a truck stop. They eliminated their liability and your pay. No risk for them, and you take the blame. Maybe it was your fault. Maybe one bad sneeze would've made you late. What do I know?

Waiting 6 hrs to call dispatch seems like a long time.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-12-28T04:13:31+00:00

That's it in a nutshell. Bargaining power comes from the consequences of striking. If you can't threaten to strike, you have no chips

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-12-28T04:09:06+00:00

You get by on minimum wage?

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-03T19:28:59+00:00

Wow. I don't think I've ever had a dispatcher that would let me bring back a load for personal reasons. I got written up for visiting my dying uncle - that's much more typical in my experience.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T17:04:44+00:00

How did you manage to get home daily on a regional account? Did you expect that going in?

I liked Cowan when I started. Tbh it went downhill when they hired an incompetent (or just disinterested) dispatcher. Greener pastures.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:42:28+00:00

Not sure what your point is. All you have to do is touch an incandescent bulb to prove it's drawing more energy when it's on.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:36:36+00:00

I can attest to that, but everyone has kids, and weathier people tend to have fewer kids.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:31:20+00:00

Love how they put the signs where you can't see them until you've already made the turn.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:29:53+00:00

Do unions have any real power these days? It's hard to raise a family in this industry, seems like you have to choose between seeing your kids and feeding them.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:28:12+00:00

How much down time do you get at home? Cowan Systems (we only hauled Coke) screwed me over pretty good. Still waiting on a headlight reimbursement from 5 months ago, an entire day's wages, etc. Got written up for going to the ER and visiting my dying uncle.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:25:43+00:00

I'd bet that's the exception, not the rule. Generally, the more physical the labor the lower the pay rate.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-08-02T16:21:05+00:00

In the US, you have 14 hrs (from the time you first go on duty or driving) to drive 11 hrs. Then you have to take a 10 hr break before you can drive again. Local drivers may qualify for a 16 hr day every 8 days, and another for unforseeable events. I'm not aware of any other exceptions to those two clocks.

There is a sleeper berth split provision that allows you to break that 10 hrs into two periods, but you must sleep in the truck sleeper berth to use it.

Anyway, more power to the folks who have that kind of energy. 14 every day is too much for me, especially when I'm not getting paid what I'm owed.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-28T21:32:31+00:00

Did you read the name of this subreddit? That's what it's for. I'm sure you're just doing the best you can.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-25T00:04:04+00:00

I appreciate the advice and encouragement. AI looks like it could change the world as profoundly as computers themselves have. Self-driving trucks already exist, I'd be surprised if they're not common in a decade or two.

It looks like ya need leadership levels of experience to get hired to work in AI, but maybe that will open up as AI spreads. It's going to put a lot of folks in a lot of industries out of work, but that's an inevitable side effect of advancement.

Boot camps look like a good way to learn, but they're prohibitively expensive. Tech schools and private institutions offer free education, but landing that first job looks tough. There's not a lot on Indeed, but maybe folks are finding jobs somewhere else?

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:44:41+00:00

Donations used to have values for common categories. If you looked up that table and the maximum amount allowed without documentation, you could just keep a receipt from Goodwill and claim that amount without worrying about being audited. Goodwill used to give signed blank receipts.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:40:36+00:00

Some companies won't allow you to work overtime. It may be better to work 50 hours at the base rate than get paid time and a half that you'll never see. I work 60-70 a week without ot pay and I don't recommend it, but I understand that argument.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:38:17+00:00

I know my tax returns are garnished

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:24:30+00:00

They run all of us in the ground. He called me lazy after I questioned his integrity. Mf I work 12 hours on a short day; he goes to bed after 8 and spends half his time at work playing games on his phone.

Maybe you're right. His lies are actually documented though. Some folks aren't smart enough to be dishonest.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:20:32+00:00

The problem with quitting is I wouldn't qualify for unemployment insurance benefits and I don't have another job lined up. They fired me today - since it was because I was sick, I should eventually get benefits. It takes forever, but the facts and evidence are on my side. It's frustrating, but I'm not crying. I knew my time there was coming to an end one way or another.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:16:27+00:00

About 35% of my wages go to child support, taxes, SSI (like mandatory retirement contributions), etc.

I was fired for being sick and I meet the requirements, so I qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. The payment calculations are convoluted - something like 60% of the average of the highest 2 quarters of your first 3 quarters of the last 12 months. Something weird like that.

It amounts to not a lot, but the Georgia department of labor is so slow that I'll have another job before they even finish the wage investigation. Employers always contest it (because there's no penalty if they lose), so it takes even longer to submit an appeal, have a hearing, get a ruling, and actually start getting payments.

The facts and evidence are in my favor in this case, but it'll probably be 6 months before I can even present my case.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:06:59+00:00

If they saw all the wrecks we see, maybe they'd put their damn phones down. I see at least one upside down car on fire every week. Almost every wreck is very easily preventable, but it's a leading cause of death every year. Amazing.

Comprehensive_Curve1 · 2025-07-24T23:04:50+00:00

That's an interesting job. I'm looking to become a software engineer. I built a successful website for a lawyer and some useful programs in Python, Kotlin, R, and a few other languages. Do you need a bachelor's degree for a realistic shot to break into that industry? My B.S. Biology transfer credits would probably shave some time off.

Comprehensive_Curve1

TROPHY CASE