1. “What do you offer?”
We offer two types of plans, both pay percentage per load-it’s up to you which of our plans better fits your business model.
For the first plan type, there is a higher gross that is paid out to you with deductions kept separate and taken out before paying out the load to you - this plan offers 87% of the gross revenue of each load.
For the second plan type, you will get 75% of the gross revenue of each load and the majority of all of your deductions are included in the 25% that we will take out of each load. Some of those included deductions would be: trailer rental, IFTA calculation, IFTA filing, 24/7 e-log support, 24/7 dispatch services, occupational insurance, auto/cargo insurance, GPS, & Fedex shipping (for sending in BOLs).
2. “What are your driver requirements?”
Driver must be at least 24 years old
Driver must have a class A CDL
Driver must have at least two (2) years of Over-the-Road or Regional experience within the past three (3) years
Driver must have had no major accidents or major violations in the past 3 years - major accidents meaning (but are not limited to) at-fault rollover or at-fault jackknife. Major violations meaning (but are not limited to) reckless driving or speeding more than 25mph over the posted speed limit.
3. “What are your truck requirements?”
Truck must be a sleeper truck with a cab - no daycabs
Truck must be no older than the year 2000
Truck must successfully hookup to and maintain e-log capabilities
Truck must pass a new annual DOT inspection
4. “How much can I gross each week?”
Our Owner Operators are grossing $6,000-$7,000 for solos and up to $10,000 for teams each week. This is the average that our trucks are doing, so depending on the market, some weeks you may gross more and some weeks you may gross a little less. It also largely depends on how you as the Owner Operator will decide to run.
5. “How does it work with dispatch?”
You will have one dedicated dispatcher who will find all the loads for you, it is no forced dispatch. In efforts to better dispatch you while you are out on the road, we will go over during orientation how you intend to run and we will dispatch accordingly. You are able to change how you would like to run at any point, we just ask that you give us notice so your dispatcher can change your running strategy to better fit your needs.
6. “What if I don’t have my own trailer?”
We will provide the trailer. Most of our loads will be drop & hook anyway so the trailer comes with the load. For the loads that are not drop & hook, your dispatcher will ensure that you will have a trailer to go pickup before booking the load for you.
7. “What are the average miles I’ll get each week?”
Our trucks are averaging 3,000-3,500 miles each week. This one also depends on how you decide to run - for example, if you start driving during rush hour you’ll lose hours in traffic and potentially get to your appointment time late which will cause all the loads that come next to be off or maybe even cancelled as we won’t be able to get to the next one as planned. Additionally, when late to a delivery appointment it usually will allow for much longer downtime as you will need to be worked in to get loaded or unloaded.
8. “How do you pay?”
We pay weekly to direct deposit. All of the loads that you have picked up by Sunday midnight each week will be processed and paid out in the settlement for that coming Friday. Most companies will require for the load to be delivered in order for you to get payment for the load, Slam Trucking only requires that the load be picked up for the payout to take place. During orientation you will submit direct deposit paperwork which will include a voided check or authorization form with your bank that shows the account holder’s name or business name, routing number, and account number. It must be a printed document to ensure that your funds are being transferred to the correct bank account and there was no misreading the handwriting. Lastly, during orientation you will sign a form stating we are authorized to transfer funds into your bank account.
9. “How long does the hiring process take?”
To keep it simple, from filling out the application
to picking up the first load could take up to 3 days if the applicant is motivated and completes all necessary tasks back-to-back. Realistically though, it will take as long as you want it to! We have taken extensive measures to get our drivers out on the road quicker. Most companies will require at least 2-3 days in office for orientation to go over all policies and procedures before dispatching you. Here at Slam Trucking we know that time is money. So we have implemented a 1 day orientation. We are able to make this happen by sending you a large portion of the onboarding paperwork to fill out electronically while you’re still at home and you’ll take the drug test near your home so we’re not waiting on drug test results when you come into the office.
10. “What happens during orientation?”
During orientation you will fill out standard onboarding paperwork such as driver employment history, W9, direct deposit information, a lease agreement connecting you to Slam Trucking, etc. As mentioned in the question above, we will send you most of the paperwork to fill out before you come into the office. We do this for a couple reasons - first so we can get it out of the way before you come in and second so you can fill out in the comfort of your home where you will most likely have access to all the information that will be needed to complete the onboarding paperwork.
While you’re still home you’ll take the drug test at your local Quest, most of our applicants have a Quest location within a couple miles of their home. If you’re living in a bigger city then the odds are in your favor for having a drug testing facility near your home address or current location. If you are living in a rural area, it is possible for your closest Quest location to be 50-60 miles out. While that seems like a far distance to drive (it is, we know), it is better to drive those extra miles to take the drug test before coming in rather than take it when you’re in office and potentially have to wait up to 72 hours for the results to be reported back to us. Please keep in mind that we are not able to dispatch any driver without having a negative drug test result first. Once we have the drug test results we will let you know and schedule you for the next available orientation slot.
When you are in office, you will sit down with each department head to go over policies and procedures. Some of the topics that will be covered include how to submit BOLs, what to do incase of a roadside DOT inspection, how to handle a truck breakdown, how and when you will get paid, how to use the fuel card, how to use your e-log, etc.
You may be thinking - ”I’ve already completed multiple orientations in my trucking career, do I really need to complete another one?” To that we would say - every trucking company is different, so while you have been through your fair share of orientations it is still necessary for you to complete our orientation before you start running so you’ll know how we operate and run our business.
The best part of orientation is that by the end of that same day you will be on your way to pick up your first load!
11. “Why am I paying for trailer rental fees when you guys mostly haul drop and hook freight?”
What you are paying for is a shared charge for the use of the trailer that was implemented by the broker. While it is not your only trailer, we still pay for the time we used that trailer. You do not pay the full price for the trailer interchange, Slam Trucking covers 50% if you are on our 87% plan. If you are signed up for our 75% plan then we cover 100% of the trailer interchange charges!
12. “Do you have a referral bonus?”
We do offer a referral bonus! After your referral has been running with us for 30 days, you will receive $500 in your settlement. To clarify how the payout works, let’s say your referral reaches his/her 30 day mark from picking up his/her first load and that 30 day mark falls on a Wednesday. The cutoff for the settlement that you will receive that coming Friday was the Sunday that just passed, so you will see the $500 in your next settlement.
Should you refer someone to us, please make sure they have your full name and tell us that they were referred by you so we can get you that referral bonus. Please note that the referral bonus is only paid out to current Slam Trucking drivers.
Lastly, there is no cap on how many referral bonuses you can receive - it’s limitless!
13. “Do you work with OWN authority?”
You would need to run under our authority. If you already have your own authority then that may bring you to the question, “then what should I do with my own authority that I already have set up?”. That would be tough to advise, though suspending it would prevent you from paying double charges. Ultimately, it is up to you how you would like to arrange that that would be best for you and your business.
Thank you for reading! We hope this article provides you with some helpful information about our company and how we can benefit your business. If you have any additional questions about our company or this article, please email slamtruck872@gmail.com and you should receive a response within 24 hours (unless on the weekends then it will be the next business day).
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