leasing on to mercer out of ky any info?

[comanche3000]

any info on mercer out of louisville will be helpful thanks

[GMAN]

Mercer is a good company but they are having difficulty keeping their trucks loaded. They recently terminated about 200 owner operators, if I remember correctly. A friend of mine just left them to go back to running his own authority because of the lack of freight. He would have preferred to have stayed leased to them. My friend is one of these people who is willing to go about anywhere as long as there is a half way decent rate. He really liked the way that they do things at Mercer. Had the freight been there he would have stayed. I believe the last couple of weeks he was there his gross income was a less than $1,300 per week. He had to leave to keep from losing everything.

[marcel27208]

out of all the companies that hire owner operators, ive never heard anything bad about mercer. I was approved to go with mercer at the end of last year but never went. I hear alot about how they do operations and some of the people who work there seem to be great! They did terminate the contracts of 200 o/o a few months back also, maybe their freight is picking up i dont know but hope everything works out for you.......

[klleetrucking]

Have you called them?
I'm understanding they have a hiring freeze.
I'm with them and freight is slooooooooooooooooooooooooow.
Read - Mercer cuts 200 leased truckers

[comanche3000]

hmm well i guess the freight is picking up i donu but im running my own authurity and that isent worth a darn right now with a reffer and they seemed eager to hire on new trucks i onu maybe they have a new account i will ask them some more ?? in the morn

[GMAN]

hmm well i guess the freight is picking up i donu but im running my own authurity and that isent worth a darn right now with a reffer and they seemed eager to hire on new trucks i onu maybe they have a new account i will ask them some more ?? in the morn

Could you clarify a little? Your post doesn't make much sense. I don't know what you mean by having a new account.

[fastgunslinger]

i dont think MERCER is puting on trks at this time.
Freight is reaaaaally slooooooooooooooooooow. fastgunslinger

[kelgar50]

I was with them a couple of years ago did good for the 1st year and a half but then there frieght died and has not come back since.Also I have heard there is a hiring freeze and they did let 200 o/o go and some of the office staff.I like the way they work people are great but this would keep me away for awhile.
I have been with Landstar for 2yrs until recently I parked my stepdeck and found something else to do for a while.It is pretty slow going over there to unless you like hauling dirt cheap.

[GMAN]

I have been with Landstar for 2yrs until recently I parked my stepdeck and found something else to do for a while.It is pretty slow going over there to unless you like hauling dirt cheap.

I don't know of anyone who is getting the rates they want these days. Some owner operators have left one carrier to go with another thinking rates and availability will be better, only to find out things are pretty much the same with the new carrier.

[comanche3000]

no mercer does not have a hiring frezze. they seemed very eager to put my truck on. and im allready aproved just have to go to orientation but i wanted to know a few things before i went.

[kelgar50]

Not trying to be a a** but it just seems odd that they would be hiring when they cut 200 o/o less than or right at a month ago.
But stanger things have happened.
Do you have a flat or a step yet?
I have also heard they are not doing the trailer leasing any more as well.

[klleetrucking]

PLEASE, give us a post when you get to Louisville.

[comanche3000]

no i am suposed to lease a trailer from them so i guess they are still leasing trailer's all i own is a refer. i will let yall know whta is going on once i get to oreintation.

[comanche3000]

k....well i have made it to louisville ky,and to the mercer yard......it is right smack downtown louisville! well i did pick out my trailer today buying me a 08 utility flat spread. anyways i went through the first day of class and it was pretty decent. seems every driver i talk to here has been here 10 years or more. and no one seems to be unhappy with the freight here but they do note that it is slow but not slow enough that they are worried, wich is good news for me becuse i was slow enough that i worried lol. they are though very very strict on your trucks apperence and mechanical well being, luckly my truck passed these crazy checks and all. but i did have to remove a chrome skull i had on my hood becuse it made my truck look agressive,...whatever....anyways it seems pretty cool here and the ppl are freindly and they havent given me any b.s. yet that i know of lol. they did fire over 200 drivers they said it was drivers that were not preforming like they wanted to so mercer let them go becuse mercer aparently needs drivers that can preform. seems they are extremly picky also right now on who they do put on and that i am very lucky to have made it on to this company,,,, this is the picture that is being painted for me here at mercer i donu yet though i havent even hauled my irst load either way they are hiring but very picky on who they hire right now so seems i should feel good about my self? lol i will let you guys know more tomarrow after class.

[marcel27208]

keep us updated!!!

[comanche3000]

well.... today i had to buy chains,binders,straps,headache rack .....etc... this all came up to a pretty penny. wich i was actully luck becuse i got a pretty good deal on this stuff for it all being new except for the tarps i think 400 bucks for a 6 foot drop with flaps is a lil much i donu.... anyways all i have to do now is finish the paper work in the morning and get a load out of here. so hopefully ill be rolling in the morning i like that they do have a short oreintation here and it is real laid back and they feed you GOOOD! they even feed my gf while we were here and they were even as nice to involve her in the oreintation process as if she her self was a driver she even got the free shirt and hat!so now she is just a strutin around lol the washer and dryers here are free and they will even let you use a van to drive around in for free and weird thing is i dont hve to wait in line for a van to go out in i just go sighn it out they seem to have enough vans to acomadate everyone here. another lucky thing is that every truck almost that rolls through here is loaded and they dont stay long so that is another good sighn. all and all i happy very pleased with the expereince of leasing onto mercer and look foward to making a strong relationship with them. i will let yall know more tomarrow and i will let yall know how it is after my first load on how long it took them to get me another load etc...

[marcel27208]

sounds good! hey comanche....u got some info on jones motor on the other thread?

[Red Clay Rambler]

Dang, comanche, I have a headache rack that I will sell cheap and plan to sell it ASAP. I didn't think about you needing one, sorry, I would have spoken up. If you want to look into returning yours and considering mine, send me a pm.

[comanche3000]

hey ppl.....sorry i havent been around to udate you all on my progress....sorry i missed out on that headach rack...and no info on jones motor i just know there also picky as hell right now on who they hire.....well i have been real busy actuly i am now in tacoma washington. i just got empty probley be tomarrow before i get loaded, but the rates here are good!!! it paid 4148 from buffalo ny to tacoma washington.other loads been averging about 1.80 a mile so so far so good i have sat one day without a load but thats becuse i turned down a load... but i wont know to much more till i have been here a while i will update later and if any ??? feel free to ask i have a i/c manual so i think i can answer some of the company info ??? you may have thanks yall be safe out there.

[GMAN]

I am glad to hear things are going well for you, comanche.