TransAm diary/info

[madii'swife]

It is my goal to chronicle our (hubby-driver and I) experience with TransAm. They are smaller than we thought, at just at 1000 units (think this includes tractors and trailers?) and a little over 1000 drivers.

My husband took a greyhound bus to Kansas City and arrived Sunday evening. TransAm had a taxi waiting for him to take him to Olathe (around 45 min drive) to the hotel he'll be staying in. He had no problems checking in, and was told to be in the lobby the following morning for the shuttle to TransAm.

His first day of orientation included a physical. He said they mostly checked for hernias and such, and took another drug test. The thing that impressed him is that he met the owner, who had one-on-one meetings with all of the people there to discuss what both sides could do for the other. They also went over safety, and he was pleased that they said to not hesitate to pull it over if you didn't feel safe. A lot of other general information on the company was reviewed, they were encouraged to let us (those at home) know phone numbers to the dispatchers, etc that can get ahold of them. My husband said he has found nothing so far to be contrary to what he was told before he got there, and is pleased with the company so far.

[Uturn2001]

FYI: When a company says the have 1000 units, 50 units, or 20,000 units they are referring to trucks, not trailers.

Other than that I am sure a lot of people would be interested in hearing the first hand experiences with Trans AM (or any other company for that matter).

[madii'swife]

FYI: When a company says the have 1000 units, 50 units, or 20,000 units they are referring to trucks, not trailers.

Would that apply to the safersys.org site as well? He was only told a driver number from the company, not units, we're getting that from fmcsa's site.

[Uturn2001]

Yes. It is still power units (trucks)

[madii'swife]

Ok, thanks, just wasn't sure on that one!
I am hoping people find this interesting and maybe informative.

[madii'swife]

Day 2 of orientation was paperwork and more paperwork, along with a lot of information, mostly on benefits. Found out he did a road test yesterday (Day 1) and had some issues adjusting to the automatic transmissions (what TA primarily runs). He also was not used to driving with a 53' trailer as the school ran 48's. They had no problem with his minor issues (curb checked once), and assured him he would get better with time.
To our surprise, he will not be back in his hotel room tomorrow night as he is supposed to go straight out with his trainer at around 4 tomorrow. This was a nice change from other companies talking about the gaps in between orientation and being sent out to training. After he finishes training he will be brought back to do several days of testing before he is given his own truck and sent on a run. At that point he may request time off, for 8 days out. He will be gone Thanksgiving, but this was something we knew about, and is not a big deal to us. He was given the option of starting orientation next week or skipping Thanksgiving.
My updates may be sparce from here for a bit, unless he has a super nice trainer with a cell phone or laptop and lets him borrow it. We could not afford to get cell phones before he left, so communication is a little bit unknown at this point.
He will have $100 cash advance available to him on a Comcard once he goes out with his trainer, for his food and personal expenses. This is very helpful for us right now, as our finances are less than stable.
TransAm is 98% no touch freight, and he found out that when a lumper is required the drivers are not "allowed" to do it themselves, the company expects them to hire a lumper, something about safety and they don't want the drivers getting hurt.

[madii'swife]

Day 3 of orientation was more paperwork, and getting set with a trainer. My husband really likes his trainer! Said he was very respectful. His trainer has a cell phone he's going to allow (actually told him he was required to! LOL) my husband to use to call us every evening, so we don't have to worry about communication!! That is a huge relief for me.

They have a load to pick up and take to Michigan (from Kansas), 600 mi run. They were going to head out yet tonight but changed it to leaving tomorrow morning early, as they are both tired from the day. His trainer has some hometime in Michigan this weekend for a belated Thanksgiving so my husband will be in a hotel for several nights, then back on the road sometime Sunday I believe.

[devildice]

MW,

Glad to hear that your hubby is off to a good start. That is very nice and considerate of his trainer to offer (demand) your hubby use his cell to keep in contact with you.

I hope all continues to go in a positive direction and look forward to reading more about his adventures with TransAm.

[madii'swife]

I wanted to go ahead and post another update even though I haven't had the chance to talk to my husband very much.
He called late last night (can you call 1:30 am night?) saying they were just starting the day LOL. It will take us some getting used to regarding weird sleeping schedules. My husband drove 6 hours straight yesterday, and was somewhere in Indiana. They are supposed to have dropped off the load at 9 am this morning but weren't sure they were going to make it. After they drop that load he'll be in the hotel, so I should have a more complete update.

[geomon]

It will be interesting to hear what sort of mileage your husband gets with TransAm. Will he be sitting a lot for reefer load/unloads or will it be mostly drop 'n hook? I wish you both good luck!

From their website: "Our first year student drivers earn more than $46,000 per year."......
Well at an average of $0.3175/mi (I took 6 mos @ 0.305; 6mos @ 0.31 PLUS assuming he makes ALL performance bonuses) he would have to drive 144.9K miles per year to equal $46K.

Maybe they should revise that website statement to read: Our first year student drivers CAN earn as MUCH as $46,000 per year.

[madii'swife]

It will be interesting to hear what sort of mileage your husband gets with TransAm. Will he be sitting a lot for reefer load/unloads or will it be mostly drop 'n hook? I wish you both good luck!

From their website: "Our first year student drivers earn more than $46,000 per year."......
Well at an average of $0.3175/mi (I took 6 mos @ 0.305; 6mos @ 0.31 PLUS assuming he makes ALL performance bonuses) he would have to drive 144.9K miles per year to equal $46K.

Maybe they should revise that website statement to read: Our first year student drivers CAN earn as MUCH as $46,000 per year.

We're aware that the 46K figure is probably exaggerated. For us we're coming from under 20K a year, so 35-38K or so would NOT be a problem even with his extra expenses on the road. I understand for other people it might be.

I will try to keep up with his actual mileage better once he's in a solo truck. His trainer is a lease operator, and its his first time training (I guess somebody's gotta be first ). He's the "run hard, get there on time no matter what" type, but is trying to "unlearn" some of his bad habits for the time he's training, as he says. He is not asking or requiring my husband to do anything illegal so we understand that everybody has their own style.

As far as drop and hook goes, the load they took to MI was unloaded by a lumper, which apparently a lot of their loads are, so mostly live unloads. They are no touch freight, but apparently mostly due to requiring lumpers, rather than the drivers to unload.

[Cluggy619]

I'm glad to see things are starting out good for you. I don't have too much info on other companies, so your post is really helpful should I ever decide to go back to OTR.

[shadowsknight]

Once the hubby gets 1 year OTR if he wants to be home every weekend then look into Westar there in Witchita Falls. It's a flatbed company but they run mostly the south (Texas, OK, Kansas, NM, and Louisianna). I run with some of their drivers on a regular basis and most of them seem happy.

[madii'swife]

Once the hubby gets 1 year OTR if he wants to be home every weekend then look into Westar there in Witchita Falls. It's a flatbed company but they run mostly the south (Texas, OK, Kansas, NM, and Louisianna). I run with some of their drivers on a regular basis and most of them seem happy.

Thanks, we are aware of them. They said to talk to them once he's had 6 months experience. He doesn't want to hop jobs much at all though (as that is why we are limited on options now) so may try to stay with TransAm. He is hoping they have a regional or dedicated of some sort that would get him home weekends without having to transfer companies but we will find that out when the time comes. Westar is a definite option though, I've heard mostly good things.

[madii'swife]

Just a quick update for tonight. My husband heads out from Flint, MI in the morning. They pick up a load in Grand Rapids, then deliver it to Houston. Not sure when they are due in Houston. His trainer says he expects to be taking a load to Denver from there. If they do it will take them straight through town and they might be able to stop for a bit! That would be really nice, even if just for 30 min for lunch or something. I'm not holding my breath though, as I understand he's not here until he's here.
My husband is glad to be going back on the road, as he's been rather restless sitting in Flint this weekend. They have a nice long haul ahead of them after an early load.

[madii'swife]

When I talked to my husband tonight he was in between Indianapolis and St Louis on I 70. They were going to get into St Louis and stop for the night. The load from Grand Rapids got cancelled so they ended up deadheading to Toledo, OH, and picking up a load to be deliverd in SE Oklahoma. Its due Wednesday morning, the trainer says they have plenty of time, but the last time he said that, the trainer ended up driving some of it because my husband wasn't willing to "do what it takes"
I have to admit to being concerned that what started looking out good with the trainer may be turning bad. His trainer wants them to go team already, and this is only my husband's second load. My husband says he feels the trainer may just be bored riding (this is his first time training). My husband is unsure what to do with it, as he doesn't want to cause waves for no reason. His trainer is a lease operator, and my husband feels that maybe this is the cause for some of his "different than school" ways.
I'm not there, so its hard for me to know what to tell him. Also, mods please forgive me as this is somewhat of a double post, see "trainers" in new drivers.

[kraftyballs]

Hey.... haven't been on these boards in a while, but I've been with TransAm for about 10 months already...

Make sure you tell your hubby that once he gets on the road by himself and is assigned a dispatcher, he should make it very clear to him/her that he's not going to take any crap from them. I've noticed lately that they've been trying to put the fear of god into the new drivers.

Here's the real deal:
It's VERY difficult to get fired from TransAm. They are a very forgiving company because they know how hard it is to retain drivers.

A lot of us drivers tend to forget that we're the ones in demand here. I've just noticed lately that drivers are letting their companies push them around, and it's quite sickening to me.

As long as your hubby does his job well, he'll ALWAYS be in demand anywhere.

Make all your loads on time, and your dispatcher will do anything not to lose ya. And if your load is late, and sometimes it will be, make it up to them.


As far as TransAm as a company, they are a pretty good outfit to start with. They're a very laid back company, and your husband probably told you about how personable the owner is.

Hope your hubby enjoys it! I know I do.

[Piece Of Work]

I drove for Trans Am. My experience was that the company organizes "Swaps", sometimes as much as 3 times a week for solo drivers. This can get irritating. My miles were great but I was never passing by home during the course of a trip. I imagine during training that swaps would not be used as much, but maybe they will.

I wish you and your husband the best! At least you will learn where your ground beef and steaks come from!

[madii'swife]

Thanks for the input guys, all of its appreciated.
My husband and his trainer dropped the load early today in a little town in Southeast Oklahoma. He was carrying 38,000 pounds of chicken feed. They are spending the night there and will head out for Northern Oklahoma for a pickup in the morning, then on to PA. His trainer has been driving when my husband was out of hours or needed a break.

My husband is still having issues with his trainer. He was flat out told tonight there's no money in running legal logs. He also has not been the one doing most of the backing (had to push to be allowed to do any), has not done any of the trip planning (trainer says he doesn't want to get lost), and is generally getting put off when he asks to do things.

He is planning on bringing all of this up with his trainer tonight. His trainer had threatened to have him placed with a new trainer earlier in the day, but stated tonight he hadn't done anything about that. My husband is planning on standing his ground, as he doesnt' want to lose the time involved in getting a new trainer. I am hoping they can work out their differences long enough to get done with training.

[greg3564]

Thanks for the input guys, all of its appreciated.
My husband and his trainer dropped the load early today in a little town in Southeast Oklahoma. He was carrying 38,000 pounds of chicken feed. They are spending the night there and will head out for Northern Oklahoma for a pickup in the morning, then on to PA. His trainer has been driving when my husband was out of hours or needed a break.

My husband is still having issues with his trainer. He was flat out told tonight there's no money in running legal logs. He also has not been the one doing most of the backing (had to push to be allowed to do any), has not done any of the trip planning (trainer says he doesn't want to get lost), and is generally getting put off when he asks to do things.

He is planning on bringing all of this up with his trainer tonight. His trainer had threatened to have him placed with a new trainer earlier in the day, but stated tonight he hadn't done anything about that. My husband is planning on standing his ground, as he doesnt' want to lose the time involved in getting a new trainer. I am hoping they can work out their differences long enough to get done with training.

If his supposed "trainer" is really telling him things like that and not allowing him to do critical items like backing, trip planning, etc., he should call the company and request to be moved to a new trainer. He should not be threatened by his trainer to be moved off the truck. What does that say about his trainer? Good luck.