We collect and report a wide variety of contactor pay, covered expenses, and driver policies. Subscribers receive a quarterly report of these items organized by trailer types Van, Refrigerated, and Flatbed  Below you will find the elements that we measure and a concise explanation of how we measure that category.

Operating Statistics

Number of Operators - Current number of leased contractors.

Average Length of Haul - This is a carrier’s average length of haul from original pickup to final delivery.

Practical Miles - This shows if a carrier offers mileage pay based on practical miles.

Vehicle Limits

(1) Wheel Base - This is a carrier’s required or recommended tractor length limit.

(2) Weight - This is a carrier’s required or recommended tractor weight limit.

(3) Age - This is a carrier’s required or recommended tractor age limit.

Preferred Driver Communications

(4) Type - This is a carrier’s required or recommended communications system.

(5) Cost/wk - This is the average or actual weekly fee contractors pay for communications system.

Mileage Pay

(6) Minimum - This is the low end of a carrier’s loaded cents-per-mile pay scale.

(7) Maximum - This is the high end of a carrier’s loaded cents-per-mile pay scale.

(8) Determinant - This is the primary factor that determines the mileage rate paid to contractors. Determinants are distance, direction, LTL, region, trailer, team, permits and longevity. Carriers usually pay more for short-haul, LTL and eastbound loads. A few carriers also use longevity as a determinant, paying more to contractors who have been with the company for some number of years.

(9) Deadhead Miles - This is the cents-per-mile amount a carrier will pay for deadheading.

Percentage Pay

(10) Minimum - This is the low end of a carrier’s percentage pay scale. For carriers paying some percentage of 97 or 98 percent, we have recalculated their contractors' earnings based on 100 percent of revenue.

(11) Maximum - This is the high end of a carrier’s percentage pay scale. For carriers paying some percentage of 97 or 98 percent, we have recalculated their contractors’ earnings based on 100 percent of revenue.

(12) Determinant - This is the primary factor that determines the percentage rate paid to contractors. Determinants are distance, direction, LTL, region, trailer, team, permits and longevity.

Mileage Based Bonuses – Maximum Amounts Possible

All figures are in cents per mile, percentage of revenue or lump sum payments unless otherwise noted. Some carriers pay a single bonus based on a variety of categories and call it a “safety bonus.”

Safety Bonus

(13) Rate - This is the bonus for accident-free miles driven during the period specified in column (14). Most figures are cents-per-mile, except for lump sum and percentage bonuses. Safety bonuses often include some productivity threshold.

(14) Determinant - This is the primary factor that determines whether a contractor receives a safety bonus. If no determinant is required, the entry is gray.

(15) Paid - This is the frequency of safety bonus payments.

Performance Bonus

(16) Rate - This is the bonus paid for things like continuous on-time deliveries, prompt paperwork completion, higher than average fuel mileage and violation-free vehicle inspections.

(17) Determinant - Performance bonuses often depend on several factors tied together. These have been indicated with the word “varies.” Instances where carriers base performance bonuses on a single issue have been noted with a brief description, such as “tires,” “miles,” “DOT,” or “MPG.” Where no threshold is required, the entry is gray.

(18) Paid - This is the frequency of performance bonus payments.

Productivity Bonus

(19) Rate - This is the bonus contractors earn for meeting a carrier’s mileage or revenue goals for a specified period. The amounts are noted as cents-per-mile, lump-sum payments or percentage increases. Some carriers’ productivity bonuses apply only to certain miles. Generally speaking, if a productivity bonus is less than $.05/mile, it probably applies to all miles driven during the bonus period.

(20) Determinant - This is the number of miles or revenue required to earn the productivity bonus.

(21) Paid - This is the frequency of productivity bonus payments.

Additional Payments

(22) New York City Pay - This is additional pay carriers offer for going into New York City and its surrounding boroughs. Amounts are shown as dollar amounts, percentage of revenue, “varies.” In cases where carriers pay the amount collected from customers, “Cust” is shown.

(23) Layover - This is a payment for time spent sitting without a load. Contractors typically must wait 24 hours for free. “Cust” means carriers pay any layover money collected from a customer. “Neg” is used to indicate the item is negotiable (Most carriers pay contractors nothing for layovers.)

(24) Hours - This is the number of hours without a load that contractors must wait before layover pay begins.

(25) Stops - This is the amount carriers pay contractors for each additional stop on a load. No carrier pays for the first or last stop, and at least one pays nothing for the first two or last two stops. Several boost stop-pay as the number of stops on a load increases.

Loading and Unloading Pay

(26) Minimum - This is the minimum amount carriers will pay contractors for handling freight. Amounts shown are per hundredweight, per case, per hour or, if not otherwise noted, per load. A percentage notation or the term “Cust” indicates that contractors receive some or all of the charges collected from customers. “Neg” is used in cases where a carrier has no set policy — or has a widely varying policy — for offering freight-handling payments.

 27) Maximum - This is the maximum amount carriers will pay for handling freight. Amounts shown are per hundredweight, per case, per hour or, per load. The terms used above (26) apply to this column as well.

(28) Lumper Policy or O/D Payment - “Yes” means a carrier will pay for most all lumpers. “P/A” means lumpers must be pre-approved beforehand. “Limited” means that they’ll be used rarely or sparingly. “No” means no lumpers. Lists extra payment on over-dimensional loads for flatbed carriers only. If a range, based on width of legal to ten feet.

Regulatory Fees

(29, 30) Base Plate - A “Y” indicates the party responsible for paying base plate costs. In cases where the costs are shared, or gradually shift, a “Y” appears in both columns. A number of carriers, for example, pay an increasing portion of base plate costs every year an operator is leased.

(31) Fuel Tax - A “Y” indicates a carrier is responsible for paying excess fuel tax (that not covered through normal fuel purchases). Gray indicates that contractors pay this cost.

(32, 33) Road Tax - A “Y” indicates the party responsible for paying quarterly road-use taxes. In cases where the costs are shared, or gradually shift, a “Y” appears in both columns.

(34, 35) Permits - A “Y” indicates the party responsible for paying annual permit costs. In cases where the costs are shared, or gradually shift, a “Y” appears in both columns.

Owners’ Insurance Costs

(Most carriers offer their contractors some type and amount of vehicle insurance, but only rarely do they require contractors to enlist in the “house policy.” It’s not uncommon, however, for carriers with good safety records to offer insurance at below-market prices as a leasing benefit or incentive.)

(36) Tractor Premium - This is the amount an operator pays for physical damage (collision) insurance. A percent-of-value indicates an annual cost. A dollar amount per 1,000 (shown as $X.xx/000) indicates the basis for a monthly premium.

(37) Basis - This is the basis, annual or monthly, for physical damage insurance premiums.

(38) Bobtail Premium - This is the amount contractors pay for bobtail insurance each month or week.

(39) Paid - This is the frequency of bobtail insurance deductions.

(40) Workers’ Compensation - This is the amount carriers require contractors to pay for workers' compensation or occupational accident insurance.

(41) Paid - This is the frequency of deductions for workers’ compensation or occupational accident insurance.

Other Owner Fees

(42) Escrow Account - This is the amount of money contractors must have in a limited-access account to cover future base plate costs, maintenance and major repairs, cargo claims or other expenses. This money is typically deducted from regular settlements until the required balance is reached.

(43) Performance Bond - This is a bond carriers require of contractors to cover contractual or service lapses, such as trailer abandonment or gross negligence. Some carriers structure them like escrow accounts.

Tolls

(44) Highway - A “Y” in the column means a carrier pays highway tolls. “Varies,” means a carrier pays some portion of those tolls, depending on the circumstances or particular road.

(45) Bridge - A “Y” in the column means a carrier pays bridge tolls. “Varies,” means a carrier pays some portion of those tolls, depending on the circumstances.

Orientation

(46) Length - This is the number of days a carrier’s orientation program lasts.

(47) Pay - This is the pay contractors earn for completing a carrier’s orientation program.

(48) Meals - A “Y” means a carrier provides, or pays for, contractor's meals during orientation.

(49) Lodging - A “Y” means a carrier provides, or pays for, contractor's lodging during orientation.

(50) Travel - A “Y” means a carrier pays for all or part of contractor's travel expenses incurred while coming to orientation.

Recruiting Bonus

(51) Sign-On - This is the money experienced solo contractors receive for signing on with a carrier. Often these bonuses are paid in installments during the course of a year.

(52) Referral - This is the money contractors receive for referring another experienced solo contractor to their carrier. Amounts shown are lump sums or cents per mile. Like sign-on bonuses, referral bonuses are often paid in installments during the course of a year. General rule of thumb: The bigger the bonus, the longer it will take to collect it.

Rider Program

(53) Minimum Age - This is the minimum age for riders. In cases where it is limited to spouses, “spse” is shown.

(54) Days per year - This is the number of days a year an operator may take a rider. No limit is indicated with “365.”

(55) Cost per Occasion – This is the amount an operator must pay to take a rider. Amounts are shown as daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

Projected Annualized Earnings

(These are the projected annualized values for a contractor’s compensation based on the following assumptions.)

(56) 1st Year Settlements - This is the amount new contractors would earn during their first year with a carrier. This figure does not include bonuses or fringes but does include pay for stops, (un)loading or tarping. Estimates of annual revenue were used for carriers paying a percent of revenue. If a carrier offers contractors a choice of mileage or percentage pay, the method yielding the highest value was used.

(57) Bonuses - This is the maximum amount owner operators could earn in bonuses.

(58) Company Paid Expenses - This is the value of expenses paid by the company, assuming base plates of $1,600, permits of $450, tolls of $.015/mile (all miles) and road use taxes of $.005/mile (all miles).

(59) Expected - This is a contractor’s projected first-year compensation with a carrier, including all  income except fuel surcharges.