I apologize for giving wrong information. Yes, you are correct, TMC didn't pay extra for tarping when I was there. And running mileage at that time wasn't even an option. I am glad to see TMC stepped up and gave the driver a little bonus for tarping. Good for you. It's usually the worst part of the job anyway, so why do it for free right?

 

this thread still cracks me up. i havent been on in a while but nothing has changed. glad to see some of the regulars are still around. and that there are a couple new faces popping up. so HOWDY to everyone.

As for me everything is just kinda moving along. taking the good with the bad. $10 is better than nothing for throwing tarps but it is still a slap in the face. concidering how much customers actualy pay for the tarps to be used. i have to say though i am getting better at handeling the crap on a daily basis. kinda getting used to it. learning the game. dont always win at it but i am getting better i think. i use delorm and my oor is still about 10%. still got to check some of the roads to the atlas but it works. oh well i know i am just kinda throwing things out there from the top of my head but oh well been pretty buisy so i just spit the thoughts out when they happen. oh and another thought while i am at it. that 10 bucks is why i dont turn my truck off when i am sitting around. i figure if i have to bust my rump throwing tarps i am going to live comfortably. that tarp charge that they are putting in there pocket should off set some of the fuel costs.

well have fun going down the road remember to GOAL, sleep when you are tired and keep the rubber side down. remember those and it will be a better day at the office. 8)

 

Hey John, good to hear from you. Yeah still spreading my BS. I agree $10 for tarping is a frikken joke.

Turn the truck off in the summer? NFW! In the winter I can sleep in the cold weather, in this crap, no suh!

How have your loads/weeks been since the "New World Order" of sticking to the HOS?

 

I've been wondering something as I've reread this thread. It appears that TMC trainers log as if they were in the truck by themself. So what financial incentive is there to train, if any?

A warm feeling for training a new driver or training an experienced driver the "TMC way" is all well and good but it looks like there would have to be some more money somehow end up in the trainers pocket.

Are some "asked" to train? i.e. "train or sit around waiting on cheap freight for the next year"

Or, is the high dollar freight reserved for the trainer teams to "help" as a financial incentive? ... thus giving the trainee an illusion of good money potential, only to have his hopes dashed once he gets out on his own and begins seeing completely different freight rates.

Any TMC drivers here working by the mile? and how is that working for you? Probably not good unless you're consistently running 3,000+ miles per week (i.e. no more than probably 2 to 3 loads) ... is that consistently possible on long haul?

Does TMC run to the Northwest and up/down I-5?

 

From what I understand the trainers now have to log on duty not driving for the first couple of weeks. Then they can drive as a team. That enables the trainer to take 2 day freight and run it in 1. The trainers get $75 per week to put up with the newbies.

My trainer made it plain to me that I wasn't going to see the $1500+ checks that he was getting as a solo. No one at TMC has ever given me any illusions of anything. The one thing I can say for this company is that they NEVER have lied to me. They ain't perfect but they are, to this point, honest.

I ran a few weeks as a long haul driver, I was on percentage of course but my per-mile pay was still higher than if I was not on percentage.

TMC runs to the money. I5 and the northwest. Neither are in the line haul area. I know they do quite a bit of Boeing (Seattle) work, mostly through KTL.

 

My husband is in training at TMC. His trainer gets paid an extra $75 a week and gets a bonus if the driver stays without accidents for a certain period of time.

Beginning of the 4th week, they were allowed to drive team status. Before that his trainer started his log book when my dh did.

 

vonSeggern .. I understand what you mean when you say TMC runs to the money, and I can appreceate that. Bottom line, what's better? 5 cheap loads or 3 "good paying" loads? ... usually it's the 3 better paying loads, although it probably means someone is sitting around.

I just think that since TMC is so geared around percentage pay and getting the drivers "involved in the money/profit aspect" of the business, that they should do away with mileage pay altogether and eliminate any potential for shuffleing loads around between driver types, to help the TMC bottom line.

Percentage pay (to the driver) is good IF the company has a sound rate policy and a good, diverse customer base, and can react well and quickly to changing marketplace occurrences.

 

I agree with your percentage only theory but there are long haul high seniority guys that need that mileage pay. At some point, after my per mile rate goes up that I might elect to go with mileage. Living on the east coast that would be financial suicide for me now. I often get 200 mile loads that pays $500-600, the math there is pretty good for a percentage driver. I couldn't imagine making $65 (200X.32) for a days work. I have yet to see even one load that benefitted me financially to be on mileage.
Just my opinion.

 

Well, with seniority, one's percentage goes up, and even today if they only charged a $1.30 mile, and only payed 30% that's .39 mile .. not too bad.
I hope the rate and the length of haul remain (or are lat east mostly) directly proportional, keeping EVERYONE happy, on the percentage method, across the board.

 

Uh, I beg your pardon, if it wasn't for us "lazy union jackass's" YOU wouldn't make SQUAT ! It isn't OUR fault your company is too cheap to pay you by the HOUR for your waiting time. Don't paint all union people with the same brush and I'll try hard not to use the word scab.......