Turning my authority back on...

[Waterloo]

(06-26-2019 )Volvo8873 Wrote:  I run out of Menards here at the main DC in Eau Claire, WI. I have been with the company for over 12 years as a bare skin nobody poor farm boy employee that repaired pallets to O/O pulling their trailers. The rate is roughly 1.70 GIVE OR TAKE!!! They pay out more on live unloads and vendor pick up's so that could be more. On top of this they pay. 05 a mile bonus per loaded mile for the whole year.

I have my own plates, authority, and insurance. My insurance for this year is $6251 through Great West Casualty. The insurance they require is a 1,000,000 liability and 750,000 cargo, ETC.

For me to do this and why? I do know a thing a two when I help out the Transportation office with certain deliveries. Just this week I shuttled empty shopping carts around the Twin Cities between stores. NO ONE! would ever do this type of stuff because they say it is not worth it and too much work! LOL Too me it was just exercise and made the day interesting to say the least. With that 185 miles that day at 6.8 MPG paid me roughly $450. I don't know the exact numbers yet as that is all number crunching in my head but give or take a few cents off that. I will know exact numbers when they pay me which is always at 10 am every Friday.

keep in mind that I haul mainly between the DC and the Twin Cities. It is hard to get consistent good fuel milage with the terrain I haul in. Oh did I say anything yet about the wonderful season we call winter up here? LOL I once hit -42 up in Brainerd, MN few years ago. The truck started acting kind of funny that day and fuel mileage in the winter time? well...

It is not for everyone at Menards though, over the last 8 years I have pulled out of the Eau Claire DC as a company driver and O/O I have seen many MANY!!! O/O come and go... or mainly just belly up because they can not stop whining and crying about rates, keep their truck out of the shop, save fuel, and stop spending their f'ing MONEY on toys!!!

It is a deal whatever you like or hate it. No real consistency on an everyday basis but that is what I like!

I talked to my buddy, roughly $1.70 a mile before bonuses. He has yet to stop rolling, he hits the DC, there is a load there for him if he wants it. He has yet to sit, other than on a break. So far, all drop and hook.

What I find interesting at Menard's, is that if you have an inexpensive truck to operate, that gets good or better fuel mileage, with their abundance of freight, you should be able to make a comfortable living there. You won't get rich, but you are not going to sit for two or three days in a truck stop waiting for a load either. When those guys are sitting, you are out there generating cash flow. Insurance or not, the money sure does appear to be there. Be smart about it, no toys or costly repairs, you could grow a bank account rather quickly there.

He says he likes it, going to give it a couple of weeks. I'm curious as to how he does.