OK, let's examine the following statements made by a trucking company:
TMC Linehaul Driver
Drivers in this TMC division can be home 46 out of 52 weekends a year. You will haul freight of all kinds with an average length of haul around 600 miles. You are paid weekly on a percentage or mileage scale (your choice). Pay for performance allows new drivers to earn top pay in as little as 1 month after being assigned your own truck. Drivers in this division must live in a defined region. Call for details on this. 1-800-247-2862 ext 1
1) 46 out of 52 wKends a yr.
Yes, this may be possible. But let's define what a weekend means in the trucking world; You might get home saturday afternoon (before you know it it's nighttime) or sat night (time to go to sleep) and be require to leave, due to load scheduling reasons, sunday night). So essentially you got 8-10 hours at home on the "weekend." There are some trucking companies that will get you home friday night and have you leave monday morning. I do not know which companies these are-----yet. The exception is LTL.
2) i can't comment on percentage pay as i have only recieved mileage or hourly pay.
TMC knows that great drivers want to drive great, well-maintained and safe equipment. That’s why we have ordered 1,000 new Peterbilt trucks for delivery in 2006. Not only are these the best looking trucks on the road, the interiors are designed to provide superior driver comfort. Here are just a few of the features offered on our trucks:
• Leather seats and top-of-the-line interior package
• Power heated mirrors
• CB radios
• Power steering & power windows
• Eaton Vorad Collision Warning System
• Jake Brake
• 13-speed transmission
• Cat C-15 475 horsepower engine
• Qualcomm Satellite System
Drivers who take pride in what they do want clean equipment. TMC pays to have all of its trucks washed weekly. We also support you with round the clock road repair service as well as exceptional operational support.
At TMC, we really do treat our drivers like family.
Annett Holdings owns and operates the Baymont Inn & Suites near the Des Moines International Airport. This upscale hotel—which includes a swimming pool, fitness spa, game rooms, and a barbershop—serves as TMC’s Employee Hospitality Center. Drivers stay at the hotel, which is open to the public, while their tractors are being serviced in TMC’s nearby maintenance facility.
1) Peterbilt is good, not for the looks, but because of the high quality.
2) Leather seats are nice, but you don't need to worry about this now OR later.
3)Power and/or heater mirrors are a good thing.
4)You don't need to worry about CB radios right now, although this, too, is a good thing.
5)Power steering? Come on, who doesn't have P/S?. Now, the power windows thing is good. Especially on the passenger's side. You will find out why when (and if) you start driving.
6)This new fangled Eaton-Vorad thing is actually a good thing, but you really don't need it.
7)"jake" brake. Not essential unless doing alot of mountain work.
8)13speed. Unessesary.
9)Cat engines are good. No complaints here.
10)Qualcomm. I don't like them. But i will stay neutral on the topic for the sake of this discussion.
11) The hotel thing; Do you really have time to use it despite that fact that it is provided for you.
See, what they should have told you was how loud the tractors are, especially when you're trying to sleep in them. Bascally, i want you to try to imagine trying to sleep on last row of seats at a KISS concert.
Do the trucks have toilets on them?
Do they reimburse for showers?
These are the questions you should be asking (and the truck companies should be telling----but they don't)
Despite all this, the peterbilt 379, 378 or 387 are really good trucks and are definetly a positive thing.
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