First of all, 23% will be short lived. Most new TMC drivers get to at least 27%, if not higher, the first snapshot. Doing 5/600 mile runs per week is next to impossible. Your FM should be taking it easy on you. Long hard runs are not always where the money is either. Learning the plan and the ropes is VERY difficult the in first months. There were times that I was almost in tears during the first three months. You will find that the things that are squandering your time now, will come automatically in a short while. Things that take you an hour or more will soon take you a few minutes.
I don't know what your trainer showed you. It's more about a good system than just driving and loading. I beat the system aspect into my trainees. They may not always like the method I use but my trainee retention rate is 100%. Hang in there and see what happens in a few months. Three weeks is not a long time.

JQ

 

Howdy Terry,sure enjoyed the company the other night up at DM and thanks for all your advice,I managed to survive oreintation and am home for the week waiting on my trainer,just hope I get a really good one as this is like most things I've gotten into in my life the more I learn the more I find out I need to learn.If you happen to be comming thru central Mo. give me a holler ,I've not got much going on this week just some piddling chores on the farm and such.
Cadet if you get a chance give me a call and let me know how things are going,and how you made it in the big metropolis of Rolla.
Jim

 

Jim,

I don't know where I'll be going after Tulsa, I'm certainly in your area. Maybe they'll send me to TAMKO in Joplin. I'm glad to hear you made it through orientation. Too bad I'm not a trainer. Your six weeks will go by quickly. Try to drive every opportunity, some people are being released early if they have their 10,000 miles completed.

 

You should give ANY company at LEAST 6 months. With TMC most guys can't even BEGIN to realize their potential until then. It takes time to "learn to earn". You need to get to know what shippers, loads and areas pay well and which ones don't. Load securement gets much easier and faster too. Three weeks is NOTHING. Be patient.

 

Fred,

I was wondering if you have ever heard any response from Des Moines to my questions. The only official respons was from the recruiter TMC that refered to the tarp pay.

On a side note, I had absolutely no problem getting another job. Funny thing is I am paid a lower % hauling the exact same freight I did at TMC, but I am making more money. Just reinforces what I was saying about TMC taking money off of the top.

I have no issue against any TMC driver that I come across at these shippers. It is funny though the difference in how the customers treat me now compared to when I was at TMC. They would never say it to your face, but trust me TMC is not thought of highly at your customers. TMC as a company is no different then SWIFT, they rely on a revolving door of recruiting new drivers with no experience to fill the trucks. Actually that is not fair to Swift drivers, they have a better safety record then TMC. If any dispute this it can be easily confirmed based on safestat scores. But TMC along with Swift and all of the mega carriers continue to drive rates down by undercutting. In the end all it does is hurt the industry as a hole. If none of you can see this fact, then you are just as much of the problem as the people on the top.

 

Buzz,

who are you pulling for now?

 

Quote of the Day:

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

 

Does anyone know where if there is a tmc terminal close to chicago? Or what would be closer besides the iowa terminal if any?

 

Hey there everyone, I am new here so I wanted to start out by thanking everyone for all the great post on here, there is alot of great info on here. Here is my problem, I have it down to 2 choices, TMC and Roehl. I live in the South East, (Go Ga. Bulldogs! ) and I am looking to run OTR flatbed. Any advise or help on picking one of these two companies would be greatly appriciated. Thanks again and be safe.

 

hey cuff, i used to work for roehl, and as far as I know from the time I was there, theyre a really good company for people starting out. They keep there word, big on safety, decent equipment and a variety of fleets. I trained on the flatbed even though I was supposed to be van but from what the trainer taught, I could tell there serious about load securement. In my opinion u cant go wrong. As far as tmc is concerned, im currently looking into them myself. Hoping the application process goes smooth and fast.