Fil-Mor ? A.D. Transport?

[headborg]

Ok, first I tried the "search" --no luck.

Any Pros- Cons on these two? Compare/Contrast

Trash & Bash

Praise & Seek a Referral

[Jumbo]

I talked with one Filmor driver and he liked his job. Their trucks aren't much. Freightliners set at 350 horse, 12 speed autos, 58" bunks, a single 150 gallon fuel tank and super single on aluminum wheels. That is all I can tell you.

[mbadriver]

At least 5 years verifiable tractor / trailer experience
No tickets or accidents in the past 5 years
No more than 3 jobs in the past 10 years

Pretty much want the cream of the crop.

Ok, first I tried the "search" --no luck.

Any Pros- Cons on these two? Compare/Contrast

Trash & Bash

Praise & Seek a Referral

[headborg]

At least 5 years verifiable tractor / trailer experience
No tickets or accidents in the past 5 years
No more than 3 jobs in the past 10 years

Pretty much want the cream of the crop.

Ok, first I tried the "search" --no luck.

Any Pros- Cons on these two? Compare/Contrast

Trash & Bash

Praise & Seek a Referral

yep- found their website too. Nice that they don't require haz-mat, but when i talked to Christy she said- she didn't need/ have any openings in Arkansas.
And very little turn-over(172 trucks)-- for .43cpm to start.
They run mostly all dedicated runs too.

Well, it was a try.(not bad for seeing the ad on the back of a trailer)

fil-mor is a good co. I've spoke to a few of their drivers in Michigan and they really liked it.

Like mba said though, they want the best.

[headborg]

Seems it also helps to live WHERE they need you- or at least on their freight lanes.

[BMiller]

I assume you are talking about A.D. Transport out of Michigan. Their recruiters are liars. Real sneaky dirtbags. They left out a lot of information. 3 guys left before lunch the 1st day of orientation. They neglected to mention that you are paid less for empty miles. Then there was the $100+ worth of equipment you had to buy. And finally the $500 bond you had to pay in at $25 a week. If you had any kind of accident they could take the bond and dip into your pay for the rest. It burned me to no end that they didnt tell me this stuff up front. Even their website says nothing about this stuff. It is the only company Ive been with that required a bond. They were heavily into hauling auto parts, and you know how things are going with that industry. All the way around best to avoid them. I stuck around a week to have something to do, and gave them their truck back.

[headborg]

I assume you are talking about A.D. Transport out of Michigan. Their recruiters are liars. Real sneaky dirtbags. They left out a lot of information. 3 guys left before lunch the 1st day of orientation. They neglected to mention that you are paid less for empty miles. Then there was the $100+ worth of equipment you had to buy. And finally the $500 bond you had to pay in at $25 a week. If you had any kind of accident they could take the bond and dip into your pay for the rest. It burned me to no end that they didnt tell me this stuff up front. Even their website says nothing about this stuff. It is the only company Ive been with that required a bond. They were heavily into hauling auto parts, and you know how things are going with that industry. All the way around best to avoid them. I stuck around a week to have something to do, and gave them their truck back.

hmm, about A.D. Transport- my friend has been working for them since last August- is really enjoying it-- running 4000+ miles a week and home about every 2 weeks( lives 30miles north of Louisville-running out of Louisville) was trying to talk me into getting on there-and I was tempted as he's really making the $$$ and keeping the wheels turning.

Not sure I agree with your statement about all their Recruiters being Liars!

Have you ever dealt with any that weren't liars?

Did you ask about the pay? before jumping on the bus? I haven't called one of their recruiters- a year before my friend went to work for them-- and was told upfront---.37cent empty .41 cent loaded. ( Right, that kinda scared me off right then).

Crete/Shaffer makes you buy about $200.00 worth of equipment-Enforcer Locks, Load Locks ( and their recruiters never mention that either) so consider yourself lucky.

Yeah, the bond is crock of crap--$500.00; worse is the signed agreement that they can "deduct" for accidental damage.
Long time ago- Companies always deducted a $400.00 deposit- but the government( I thought) made them stop-- because they didn't pay you interest on that- and having to start paying interest was too much of a bookkeeping hassel.

They just lost the Ann Taylor( California) account- 2 weeks ago, so now my buddy is worried about his "GRAVY WAGON"- They said they couldn't hire me out of Arkansas because they just lost that account-- funny thing, they told me- before they told him-- I actually got to break the bad news to him. But, the promised to keep him moving....

[BMiller]

In my experience most recruiters are either bs'ers or outright liars. Perhaps not all. I'll admit I dont know who is their recruiters now, but I'm guessing the boss is the same. The effect is the same either way, bad information. I'm sure the higher ups give guidance on getting drivers in the door, or at the very least condone less than honest and complete recruiting pitches. You should not have to be a detective to get the whole story about a job. There is that little concept called integrity. Yeah I know it sounds like a naive idea in this business, but one can hope.

I worked for Crete in the late 90's, and they did tell me about the Enforcer locks. I even decided to buy a set of my own, and I've had them since.

I've been at this 14 years, and I've never heard of the $400 deposit thing. Perhaps that one was before my time.

The bond paperwork I signed said they could take the bond, dip into your pay, and come after you even if you quit. I'm not in the habit of getting in accidents, only 1 minor preventable my first 18 mos out. But if you get in one accident that could lead to one hell of a lot of financial exposure. Seemed a little unwise to me.

Most of the guys in my orientation group were unaware of the lower empty rate, the bond, or having to buy equipment. Not one knew about all three issues. All of those issues would have some bearing on your decision to take a job, and I'll bet A.D. knew it. All their ads and their website played up the loaded cpm, but not one word about the empty rate being different. Not one word about a bond. Nothing about buying equipment. Classic bait and switch. Personally, I cant stand being bs'ed or lied to. It starts a relationship off on a bad foot, and its unlikely to recover.

I wonder if it occurred to some of these companies that driver turnover is a monster they helped create.

[bigtimba]

Are they saying YOU have to pay for accident damage? And people fall for this?

I have news for you. Their only recourse is to reassign, suspend or fire you. If they believe you did something intentionally, they can sue you but they can't simply abscond with your wages. That's nuts!

That's like the CRST "return the flat tire or we'll make you pay for it" routine. They can't make you pay for it and if they do take your money they are liable for treble (triple) damages if you have to sue to get it back.

These companies can say anything they want and they do. That is not an issue. It is when they act that they get in trouble.

[BMiller]

I had to sign a paper to that effect. It was that or go home. I'm not a lawyer, but if you sign something giving them that right they can do it. It also would weaken your case later. I knew the instant that I signed it I would be done at the end of that week. The little radar in my head said this was not a good idea. That job was a lesson for me.

It all boils down to the fact that we truck drivers are not known for sticking together. It was getting like that when I started, and its ten times worse now. Companies can do most anything to one driver. What are the chances one driver is going to go through the hassle and expense of a legal fight ? Probably very little. The companies have more resources, and they can burn you on your record. Its a beautiful situation for them.


If you are lucky enough to get on with a company that is honest and straightforward sink your claws in and stay. That kind is a bit rare.