[bentstrider]

If anything, I've had the most difficulty with "mom and pop" companies where everyone is known by their first name.
Another good gripe would be having one yard, as opposed to having at least several across the country you could go to.

I guess it's all a matter of personal preference, but I'll take driving for a mega-carrier, over driving with the small guys if I ever get that chance again.

[VitoCorleone99]

I won't pretend to know all of the ins and outs of working for a small outfit and I'm not sure if my company completely fits the "mega" label (~3,000 trucks). That being said, I hear probably the same stuff that everybody hears from people who work at the smaller companies, e.g. - "When I call, I don't even have to tell them who it is. My dispatcher knows my voice." Really? That's one reason for me never to work for your company then.

I started driving a truck mainly because I wanted to be left the hell alone. I find that many people are largely ignorant and substantially annoying when you're around them too much. Now I don't have to be around them. As long as I pick up on time, deliver on time, and don't hit anything, there is no reason for anybody at my company to know that I exist. I like it that way.

There may very well be a thousand wonderful reasons to work for smaller companies, but that "they know who I am" nonsense is enough to keep me away.

[zipy46]

From personal experience...smaller companies cut you a little more slack

should a really minor scrape or ding occur....big companies on the other hand chew you up

and spit you out and your career is over. (at least for a few years anyways)

[bentstrider]

That's pretty much the reason why I enjoyed doing long-haul with Swift.

There were periods where I actually only spoke with management for roughly, a month at a time.
I mean, if you could be an employee and not have to consistently worry about your back being watched, or having to be competitive with other employees as is the case with other career-fields, then this is the field to stay with.

[Mr. Ford95]

bent, it's mainly because of the way they usually treat their drivers. Smaller operations tend to treat their drivers with more respect whereas the Mega's could careless about the drivers. Why, they can bring in 20 other wet behind the ear kids and stuff'em behind a wheel each week. Having that mentality endangers everyone on the road when you have a bunch of kids driving.

[vavega]

there's good and bad's about both, but another disadvantage of the smaller outfits is the driver politics. you haven't lived until you've listened to a group of guys complaining about how the work is divvied out.

having said that, an advantage of a smaller outfit is more than likely they will take care of you. when my husband fell off our front steps i was told to park the truck right then and go home.

[Windwalker]

Originally Posted by bentstrider

That's pretty much the reason why I enjoyed doing long-haul with Swift.

There were periods where I actually only spoke with management for roughly, a month at a time.
I mean, if you could be an employee and not have to consistently worry about your back being watched, or having to be competitive with other employees as is the case with other career-fields, then this is the field to stay with.

You don't think your back is being watched? Really? Let's see...
Qualcomm
Aethernet
Highway master
People/net

The first two use GPS Locating, the last two use cellphone tower location.
They know what road you're on, how fast you're going, about the only thing they can not tell you is just how long that piece of toilet paper was when you took your last "comfort stop". They can check any one of your trucks parameters at any time. Idle %, top speed, average speed, where you've been, fuel economy, etc. Ok, they can not tell if you have a lot lizard in the truck with you instead of sleeping. But, if you think they are not looking over your shoulder, you're kidding yourself.

I once took a detour around a traffic back-up because of an accident, and didn't get 5 miles off the route and got a message across the Qualcomm. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE? IS THAT A TRUCK ROUTE?" And, before I went to work for that company, I had been pulling oversize on that same road. They knew where I was within a couple of feet.

You'd best believe they're watching, you just don't get to see them. They can also bring up a screen that will give them a track on a map. A wiggley line on every road you've taken.

[bentstrider]

Originally Posted by Windwalker

You don't think your back is being watched? Really? Let's see...
Qualcomm
Aethernet
Highway master
People/net

The first two use GPS Locating, the last two use cellphone tower location.
They know what road you're on, how fast you're going, about the only thing they can not tell you is just how long that piece of toilet paper was when you took your last "comfort stop". They can check any one of your trucks parameters at any time. Idle %, top speed, average speed, where you've been, fuel economy, etc. Ok, they can not tell if you have a lot lizard in the truck with you instead of sleeping. But, if you think they are not looking over your shoulder, you're kidding yourself.

I once took a detour around a traffic back-up because of an accident, and didn't get 5 miles off the route and got a message across the Qualcomm. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE? IS THAT A TRUCK ROUTE?" And, before I went to work for that company, I had been pulling oversize on that same road. They knew where I was within a couple of feet.

You'd best believe they're watching, you just don't get to see them. They can also bring up a screen that will give them a track on a map. A wiggley line on every road you've taken.

I was aware of this fact, but when I drove for them through '06-'07, I was never hounded for anything like that.
Yes, they're watching you, but if you do things right, it will be as if you're doing nothing at all.

[devildice]

IMO......I am not sure drivers "hate" mega carriers as much as are disgusted with them. Not all, but some, so called "mega carriers" treat their drivers like an expendable commodity. The driver is just a number and can easily be replaced by another with the drop of a hate. They have either forgotten or ignore the fact that without the driver they are nothing. The down side for the carrier is that they do not always get a quality driver in return.

Many, not all, Smaller "mom & pop" companies know that the driver is the backbone of their business and tend to treat them with more respect because of it. The driver is not just a number but is a vital component of the company's success. As one posted stated, they tend to give the driver a little more slack especially if he/she is a quality driver.

With all that said, there are many pros and cons to both the big and small companies and what it boils down to is drivers preference.

[Windwalker]

I carry a good chain, along with a few other things. I've had to use the chain for my own benefit once because someone at the yard left lights on and the battery went down. We pulled my truck to start it. Otherwise, I've used the chain to pull other guys out when they were stuck, or if they have a bad starter in a truck stop or rest area. I've gone through more airline splices than I'd care to count by giving them to other drivers that have lost air because of a ruptured line under the trailer. In the old days, if another driver had a problem on the side of the road, you would stop and try to help him out. The "mega-carriers" seem to promote the "NEW BREED" of drivers that don't even move over to the left lane when passing a truck that's broken down. "Hey, big truck on the shoulder, you ok?"... And, zzzooooooommmmmmm........ They go right on by without even slowing down. That "new breed" of driver goes a long way in giving the rest of us a reason to look down on the mega-carriers.