Transport America (TA)

[just_froggy]

Transport America is one of the best companies out there, especially if you are just starting out.

I got on my Yahoo and messaged one of the instructors at the Scottsburg termininal, and his response to TA filing bankruptcy is "barefaced lie" and "they have been in business 22 years and have never filed for bankruptcy".

Look at some of my past posts on them.

[Jason607]

A buddy of mine went to TA, seems very happy, and what I am looking to get on. He has been home every weekend. I am almost at the 6 month expereince level so I am looking at getting the 29cpm for about a month, then jumping to 33cpm. Beats werner's 25cpm and minimal 18-21 days out running shortruns in the Northeast like a daycab.

[just_froggy]

We drove together for awhile at TA, and I had to come off the truck do to problems at home. My other half drove solo, was home every weekend, and he made pretty good money. If he wouldn't have screwed himself, he would be back there right now.

[ReconMarine]

How does it work with the home time at Transport America. I would be able to park the tractor but not the trailer. Do they allow this or what?

This is one of the company prehires I have.

[just_froggy]

We brought our truck and trailer home, but we were not allow to drop the trailer anywhere, whether it was loaded or not. If there is a secure lot near your home, they might be able to work with you.

[spencerian]

A friend of mine went to TA after CR England.
They processed his application within a few days, and set him up to come in right after Christmas.
He had to do a week of OTR training as he did not have enough experience (only 5 weeks at CRE).

He has been at TA for 4 months now.
This is what he complains about:
Hometime. He sees it every 3-4 weeks.
Miles. The do pay HHG. He is struggling to get above 2200 miles per week.
Insurance. Too much to pay for so little.

[TwinPack]

spencerian wrote

He has been at TA for 4 months now.
This is what he complains about:
Hometime. He sees it every 3-4 weeks.

This link http://www.transportamerica.com/driv...g_areas_e.aspx states that in the white area, home 46 out of 52 weeks. Everyone else every other weekend.

What gives? Is he choosing to stay out longer?

[trahkle]

I have worked for Transport America and they have treated me like dirt. Currently they owe me around $1600 in unpaid loads. Refuse me home time every time that I ask for it, and everything that comes out of my dispatchers mouth is a lie! I stayed out three weeks and they gave me one day home time. They said that my 34 hour reset was my off time. (which most of the time I am stuck hundreds of miles from home!)When I first talked to the recruiter he had promised me that I would be home every weekend. When you ask these people direct questions they are evasive! ABOUT EVERYTHING!!!! Whenever they don't pay me for a load, there is some huge excuse, last week it was a Texas run, ($600), they didn't receive my transflo paperwork. This is the third time that they have pulled this crap. If the transflo doesn't work, then why do they still use this system? I will tell you why, it does work! It is just their excuse not to pay me. Anyway, if this company is not in financial woes then I am not sure what it is. I won't even talk about my dispatcher until next blog!

[trahkle]

hey spencerian, ask your buddy what dispatcher he had. I am wondering if it's up to your dispatcher when to send you home, because that is the problem that I am having! I have been home one day in a month! Do these dispatchers get paid by load or how long they keep you out or what???

[momx4]

[/quote]How does it work with the home time at Transport America. I would be able to park the tractor but not the trailer. Do they allow this or what?


Alot of times they will let you take your tractor home if you are allowed to park at home and have the room off street parking. We have a driveway just for his truck and my bus. He doesn't bring a trailer home anymore. When he did, the trailer was dropped down the road from us at a lot we paid to be able to.

[wepwawet]

I work for TA and have no probloms with them at all.

There was a ? about how to earn the bouns of .03 of all miles ran the prev month.

Idle: Hit the preset Idle % thats 1c
Safety: Dont hit stuff/others 1c
ON TIME: Umm yea 1c

Transport did have a woe after the org. owner stepped down and the son took over nearly drove the company into the crapper. He got the boot TA started the recovery processes and was bought out. That pretty much sums it up.

Home time: Umm I dont take much like im out about 10 wks and take 2-3 days off at home and call it good. I have not heard of them ever counting a 34 restart as home time and I would be calling Scott Hunt right after some dumbass told me that and had it fixed in a heart beat. thats whats nice here you have a problom that cant be fixed thru ur means then climb the ladder a open door policy that is as they say it is. I have no probloms calling the upper brass and talking to them about things. and they always make time to talk to me.

Det/Layover again nvr had a problom put in a macro 1hr after being det the rest is auto.

I will gladly give my phone number to anyone that wants to talk to a driver I am not a recruiter nor instructor just a newbie learning the ropes and enjoying it while it happens.

Are they the top end all be all for everyone NOPE. Are they a good company YES.

Transflo Yes it dont get forwarded right sometimes which is true BUT 97% is because YOU didnt fill the load sheet out right. and if you have the transflo code and can prove that you did it before midnight on sat they will load the pay on your comdata if you ask or pay you the next week YOUR choice.


Miles while I cant complain about miles persa avg around 2800 wk I like to run hard I grew up in a truck so I like to run run run


PM me if you want my number

Thanks

Troy

[trahkle]

Well, I just ended up quitting this company, we could never seem to get on the same page at all. After quitting and returning their truck to their location I did receive a call from Scott whom I spoke with and he agreed that I would get a good reference from this company. Then, only after i quit did they pay me for the runs that they owed me for. The trips that they paid me for were months old and they were the trips that they previously refused to pay me for. Not sure why it had to be that way but I wouldn't recomend this company to any new driver that doesn't already know the ropes because I think that they take advantage of you if they can!

[BORN2DRIVE]

I'm new to the trucking industry. I just finished school in March. Things did not work out at the company I was with. However I did get 2 wks. of OTR in with a trainer.
Anyway, TA has approved me to come to orientation. Hometime is a really big thing for me, and they have told me that I'm in a "freight lane" and that it wouldn't be any problem for me to get home weekly. Is this for real or are they just blowing smoke?
Also, can someone give me some insight on the orientation process and when I can receive the orientation pay?
Thanks in advance.

[jnk2001]

I'm new to the trucking industry. I just finished school in March. Things did not work out at the company I was with. However I did get 2 wks. of OTR in with a trainer.
Anyway, TA has approved me to come to orientation. Hometime is a really big thing for me, and they have told me that I'm in a "freight lane" and that it wouldn't be any problem for me to get home weekly. Is this for real or are they just blowing smoke?
Also, can someone give me some insight on the orientation process and when I can receive the orientation pay?
Thanks in advance.

Did you bring up home time first? You know, recruters are like car salesmen, they'll tell you anything you want to hear....

[Gearjammin' Penguin]

I started out with TA. Bear in mind, this information is over a decade old, and we all know how trucking companies can go from "great" to "suck" (or vice versa) in a heartbeat.

Picture this: I'm off my weekend. My truck is stocked, I have all my stuff taken care of, I'm ready to roll. I end up waiting all day and finally get a <300-mile load that was due an hour before I picked it up. I tell them I have to stay close to the house due to dental appts or whatever? Ten seconds later, I get a 1200 mile load. I basically had to tell them the opposite of what I wanted.

I found out the hard way that it's advisable to get your truck serviced anywhere but Eagan. They had good mechanics everywhere else, but Corporate sucked the big one.

I got screwed out of >200 miles of pay. A dispatcher sent me to pick up a nonexistent load, and TA decided they weren't going to pay me for it.

After over a year, I found myself getting @ 2400/mi per week(and I stayed out three weeks at a time and turned down about 4 loads in a year). I finally told them where to stick their 64mph cabover and endless South-and-East, overnight, multiple-stop, driver-unload, just-in-time overweight hazmat bullsh*t, and found a job with a real trucking company.

Your mileage may vary, but that's the experience I had. :x

[BORN2DRIVE]

No, I didn't ask them about home time they volunteered it. When I told them what area I was in they pretty much guranteed it. They said I-70 was one of their main routes. Does that sound right?

[ROCKYROAD]

Safety and Logging are 2 different things. When some yoyo blows 6 of your hours to load or unload, then you practice defensive logging.

Last week I went to orientation and I must say that I was very impressed. They really emphasized driving safely and legally. They did not teach us how to be creative on our logs, they taught us how to do it legally.

Yesterday I met my training and we are on our way to deliver a load in Minniapolis. We made it to Eau Claire Wisconsin and will complete my first trip this morning. I talked to him about being impressed with TA and he said they really do emphasize safety it is not just lip service (their record also supports the claim). I am very happy so far, I have made the right choices to this point.