McElroy Trucking?

[NorthMSDriver]

Anyone here have any good or bad info about McElroy? I am in an 8 week community college driving program. I am VERY cautious about all of these companies recruiting us! My bro. and my pop are drivers, so I am not ignorant to trucking and the lies and scams. I am trying my best to get on with Ashley Distribution and have inside help with a trainer there. If I dont get on with them I will be dissapointed because they respect their drivers and they make a killing. But, in the case I dont get on with Ashley, I am looking for a back up or two. I will not go with the big companies, from advice. WHERE and WHO are the companies that treat you like a human being and not a slave? Is McElroy trucking?(Cuba, AL), or Howard Trucking?(Laural, MS)
I'm told not to go with:
Schneider, JB Hunt, Covenant, US Express, TMC, Swift, KLLM, PGT, and others that are monster companies.

Anybody have any suggestions?
I live in North MS.

[yoopr]

I never heard much complaining from Ashley drivers. You also have Evergreen down your way. When I used to run LA(Lower Alabama) to the paper mills around Jackson, AL they had alot of their trucks there. Don't know much about them other than they're not a Huge Company.

[NorthMSDriver]

I will check them out. Thanks. Ashley is a rare company. My pop drove with them for 3 years and had to leave because he ruptured 2 discs in his back and couldnt tailgate the furniture anymore. He wishes everyday he could be back with them. He is an O/O now and is trying his best to help me get on there because he knows I will be treated fairly there and also have an opportunity at a career type operation such as Ashley. You here something bad about all companies which makes it hard to judge who is good and who is the slave runners.

[dpatt]

I'm looking seriously at McElroy myself. I spoke with a recruiter last week by the name of Ron Howard. I had three different folks beforehand tell me that he's the recruiter to speak to if you want no beat-around-the-bush, straightup, no BS info and answers.

A real honest guy was the feeling I had after talking to him and I'll probably be giving him a ring back next week.

I also talked to a driver yesterday that was home this week-end (and every week-end...just like they say) who has been with them about a year and is VERY happy with them.

His words: "They have stood behind every promise made to me since day 1".

[NorthMSDriver]

Cool, Ron Howard recruited our class as well. He did seem to be straight with us too. Well, its good to hear something good about them. I faxed my application to them last week, so did 2 of my classmates. They faxed theirs 2 weeks ago and have yet to here from them. Dont know whats up with that?
Well if ya here anything else worth knowing let me know. Can you PM on this board? If not just make a new topic and I will see it. I'll do the same.

Did Howard trucking come to your school? Their out of Laural, MS.

[Aligator]

Go with Action. Their ad says they want 2 years experience, but they will take newbies. I've been with Action for a year and won't work for anyone else.....but you gotta WORK! Call over there and talk to Herman....or email me and I'l show you around the yard when you get a chance..

I like McElroy though....actually they were my second choice.

[hamboner]

Where is it you attend CDL training? I am in Southwest TN and have been trying to decide on a school.

[devildice]

Go with Action

never heard of them...who are they?

[Aligator]

Go with Action

never heard of them...who are they?

Action is kind of a local company; you have to live in NE Mississippi to work for them because we came home every weekend - and usually during the week once, too. They are the delivery arm of Lane Furniture. I wouldn't work for anyone else. Here's why:
I got in Saturday. Sort of my choice because I was hauling beer back from St Louis and could have made it Friday night if I really wanted to. But I was tired so I stopped in Hayti, MO and then came in Sat morning. Called dispatch as soon as I got in and they told me to call Monday. I just called and the dispatcher gave me my choice of loads......I took one to Edison, NJ due on Wed - that's because I'd rather get in on Thursday and take Friday off, but I could have done it some other way.........and I LOVE having my choice about things!

[Malaki86]

Where can you find info about the Ashley OTR drivers? Their website only shows local jobs, not OTR stuff.

[greg3564]

Where can you find info about the Ashley OTR drivers? Their website only shows local jobs, not OTR stuff.

I found some info here...http://www.bubbajunk.com/articles/As...stribution.htm

[Malaki86]

Cool - thank you

Interesting, though - no phone numbers or web addresses...

[NorthMSDriver]

Several Ashley drivers after 3 - 4 years are making 80,000 a year, company drivers! First year 55k to 60k, second year there is no excuse not to make 65k to70k after all bonuses and such. They paid loaded and empty HUB miles. Everything from pay to the trucks are top notch. You make alot of your money at your stops tailgating the furniture. Home every weekend.

Making that kind of money living in Miss. would be great. We have low cost of living ya know.

Action is also a real good furniture hauler here in Miss. They make an excellent living as well.

[Aligator]

Some differences between Ashley and Action:
Ashley drivers get their name on the truck after a while - I don't know how long.
Ashley guys - a lot of them - take their trucks home; Action goes home to the yard in Tupelo where they are washed for you and serviced for the next week.
Ashley is a bigger company....seems like around 500 drivers. And not all of them are in Mississippi.. Action has about 130 or so and no longer hires from out of state - although if you live close by in Alabama you would probably be considered.

Franklin Chair also told me they hire newbies when they "get desperate"....I then asked the guy if he was currently desperate. He said no.

Other good employers around NE Mississippi:
Aqua Glass up in Adamsville, TN. They make hot tubs.
ACCO, in Booneville, MS. Their trucks say "Quartet", but ACCO is the owner


But for flatbedding, my bet is still McElroy


How I got hired:
First (before I started school) I called and asked if they would talk to me when I was licensed.
Then I went to school.
Then I called and said "OK, I'm licensed, can we talk"?
Then I showed up with my DMV report, license and physical, as well as my work history all in order.
Got hired on the spot.

Her's a picture of the Ashley truck.
It's real pretty, but in order to get hired on by Ashley as a newbie you have to go to the RIGHT SCHOOL! Not just any accredited school, the RIGHT ONE. So I started smelling 'kick back'. That, and they set up a recruiting booth at the Action driver's meeting one year. That kind of crap just puts me off.

[NorthMSDriver]

They like for you to go to ICC.

They were booked until Jan
So, the lead trainer told me to try Northwest.

They just like 8 wk programs, not the 2 weekers like the one off of 45 in Tupelo.
Talking about kickbacks, that 2 week school on 45 charges 5,000 dollars! WOW
When they told me that when I was first thinking of driving, I laughed and said No Thanks

Northwest isn't but 900 and our instructor is great. Learning alot.

[Aligator]

They like for you to go to ICC.

They were booked until Jan
So, the lead trainer told me to try Northwest.

They just like 8 wk programs, not the 2 weekers like the one off of 45 in Tupelo.
Talking about kickbacks, that 2 week school on 45 charges 5,000 dollars! WOW
When they told me that when I was first thinking of driving, I laughed and said No Thanks

Northwest isn't but 900 and our instructor is great. Learning alot.

Aww. maybe......I went to Ace down in Jackson for 4 weeks and paid 3600. They got the job done. And they're certified, too.

But figure it like this:
You go to an 8 week school instead of a 4 week. That means you could have been working for 4 of those weeks. And that means, what....about 3600$!?
Or you could go to a company school like Schneider. But they're gonna get their 3600$ out of you, too!

No matter what you do, it's gonna cost you. But it's worth it.......well I dunno if it's worth 5000 instead of 3600, but you know what I mean.....

I gotta get on the road to Edison, NJ.

[Jason607]

One of my classmates from ADF went to McElroy's orientation. Yeah, that recruiter sounded real straight up, and McElroy seemed like a top notch company. I was going to go for them but I wanted more of a nationwide company. He stayed there about a couple hours.

He told me:

There is no tuition reimbersment, as promised by the recruiter.
Most drivers he talked to before orientation said they were only getting 1200 or so miles a week, and not getting much home time.
Thier low turnout rate is quite the oppisite.

He is on his way to TMC.

[NorthMSDriver]

Ok Aligator,
8 wks - 4 wks It hurt me to be out of work 8 wks but it is paying off.
I could take my CDL test right now and ace it, 4 wks in, but I have 4 more weeks to hone my skills and I LIKE THAT.
See I am a smart fella. The better I am training for Ashley(the best company 1000 miles around here), the faster they will release me from their training, in turn, making solo pay sooner. BTW, their most influential driver (and trainer) called 4 hours ago to let me know that Ashley has hired me. I was worried for a while since I was trying to get on with a company that has one of the top in the nation turnover margins.
You have been defensive ever since you started posting. Have fun at Action, its a good company.
It seems to me, the way you have been talking, that you tried with Ashley and they turned you down.
Sorry Dude!

[NorthMSDriver]

I take that last post back Aligator, honestly.

Thanks for the info. and offering help at first.
Good luck to a fellow Mississippian and safe driving to ya

[dpatt]

[quote="Jason607"]One of my classmates from ADF went to McElroy's orientation. Yeah, that recruiter sounded real straight up, and McElroy seemed like a top notch company. I was going to go for them but I wanted more of a nationwide company. He stayed there about a couple hours.

He told me:

There is no tuition reimbersment, as promised by the recruiter.

The recruiter I talked to never promised reimbursement...when I asked about it his answer was "No...at .38cpm loaded AND empty to start you should be able to swing the payments."

After doing some figuring I found thats in the ballpark with companies that start at a much lower cpm but DO offer reimbursement.

Just means less paperwork for them.

Most drivers he talked to before orientation said they were only getting 1200 or so miles a week, and not getting much home time.
Thier low turnout rate is quite the oppisite.

I found it's much better to talk to drivers actually out on the road (or doing hometime)...

From past experience I've found most whiners can be found regularly hanging out at their terminal (instead of going down the road)

He is on his way to TMC.