Well said LennyD. I have to agree in saying leaving TMC and never looking back was the best decision I ever made too.

Did you know the reason they run such shiny equipment is to blind anyone with a lick of common sense to make the decision that TMC is where you need to be. As I learned a long time ago. A nice looking truck is a pleasure to drive, but it doesn't pay the bills.

 

Carter, What part of Western Pa. are you from?

 

I80 exit 24. you can see my empty flatbed parked at the TA at exit 29 about every other weekend.

I used to disclaim in all my posts that I was not a TMC cheerleader. they treated me pretty well (and still do for the most part) but at the time, I was making money and running as hard as they could run me. it is not a part of my work ethic to babysit a truck hooked to an empty flatbed.

I think the difference is that I finally realized this company has no loyalty to me, or any of its other drivers, thus I have no loyalty to them. looking for something a little more lucrative if things don't pick up.

 

Carter, I sent you a PM

 

I will have to agree with both of you, when I moved on from them that was the best thing I ever did as well....

 

I suppose that I was considered a former "cheerleader". Essentially the world of flatbed freight has changed significantly. When I was with TMC in 2006-2008, I was making $1200-1400 a week regularly, depending how hard I felt like working.

Freight rates are horrible now, I know because I now book freight. When I get emails that say "I have 40 empty flatbeds in New England, can you help?", you can be sure that the rates paid are not going to be the same as 2 years ago. TMC isn't hosing drivers, they are just dealing with the worst economy in decades.

 

Your right..."they are dealing with the economy" Which is the same as 99% of other trucking companies out there...if its you or them...guess what, its you on the chopping block. Loyalty in trucking is like a bull with tits as they say. Since most drivers change companies every other week, companies will not invest much in the "driver appreciation" category because they get burned every time a hot head driver quits.

Carter, if you want a more personal touch, go with a local company or a small company. But large enough to have some freight base. The company I work for in western PA has 26 trucks, and there are more drivers with 5+ years seniority, than with under 5. I am treated with respect, I am treated like an adult. I am treated like an employee should be. If something is wrong, I dont speak with 6 different departments that try to put the blame on you, or "figure out" anything.

When I need a day off, I ask the boss, and he gives me an answer. When I had a cargo issue, he took my word...he TRUSTS me, and I respect that. BTW, I dont have to purchase anything to show my pride for the company I work for, no $60 sweatshirts, etc Nope, during Christmas I got 2 hats, a nice carhart sweatshirt and 2 t-shirts.

Sure not everything is a "honey moon." But I dont have to worry about sitting while they give our freight to another company. I dont have to worry what their intentions are etc. I have been here long enough to know intentions.

I didnt leave TMC on bad terms, just to be home more. It wasnt until a few years later that I realized, in both talking to current drivers/friends and seeing how loads do pay, etc that I realized my decision to leave was better than I thought.

I hear 3-4 year TMC drivers bringing home $2-300 bucks a week because they sit, wait, bounce 100 miles to get a load right back to the same area with 27 guys ahead of them.

They will continue to pay their bills, regardless if you can pay yours.

Goodluck

 

I have to disagree....TMC is hosing drivers and will continue to do so. They have been playing the game of shuffling drivers and watching percentage they pay for years.

They have also "made their own bed" when fighting low freight rates. Whenever TMC goes into a shipper and undercuts everyone elses prices what do expect now?

It sounds to me that somehow you are still "connected" with TMC in some way or another...That's why you can't really say what you think.

I don't see Harold backing off on supporting Michael in his racing career. He expects everyone else to suffer while he is living the high life.

 

What the heck is that supposed to mean? TMC doesn't even sponsor his car and it's Germain Racing in charge. Daddy has no say like he had with the ARCA car. It's up to the Germain owners to decide how things go, if he keeps struggling, he's going to be out of a job. Once he signed with Bill Davis Racing and got Pilot Travel Center's as a sponsor(that might have been daddy's doing) Dad no longer had any say. BDR shutdown and he moved to Germain while taking Pilot with him.

 

Right now all the larger flatbed companies are in "survival" mode and gambling on being "top dawg" when the economy levels off...

From a drivers point of view it feels like a hosing but for management it's called taking necessary steps...

It's NOT just TMC. PGT is doing the EXACT same thing.

Yeah...I was getting pretty po'd in the beginning but one day I started talking to the folks at many of our shippers and started seeing and hearing many things.

Working four day weeks...going from 3 shifts to 1....paycuts...layoffs....shutting down...

I finally realized I guess I was lucky to even have a job at all compared to a lot of other folks.

Now I feel bad for THEM instead of myself.