[Deere29]

Originally Posted by USMC Vet

Hey Deere29,what do you think of the people and overall professionalism of the instructors and everything in general with Maverick ? Nice facility and good equipment.Did you get to meet Steve Williams ? Hopefully you got the opportunity to meet him and Dean Newell,2 very good people,also Curt V. in safety.Arky,the box they are talking about is not too big of a deal,like they said its there to simulate a small load of lumber,etc; You cannot go wrong going with Maverick as long as you do not mind the hard work,securement,tarping,etc; They do care about their drivers and you will get your weekends off,they do everything in their power to make sure you get some time at home on the weekend.

I got to meet everyone but Steve his father was having medical problems and he took somew time off. I everbody was real professional and they did everything they could to help out and to make sure that everyone had what they needed. I really like the company and look forward to working for them.

[superflea]

Originally Posted by Adam9315

Yea that's what i figured. Flatbedders don't have to wait around as long; plus they get paid better than van drivers. Thats a big plus in my book, with flatbed.

i been flatbedding for a number of years myself, and a few observations after coming from grocery.

first the work is over stated and mostly by those that never did it. the tarps are heavy, but the forklift can manage them all right. that is to say, you lift the tarp on the forks they drop them on top of the load. aint much lifting so far. the tarps will be rolled in a manner that you will decide and thus you will know how they are rolled, start from the rear with the back tarp and roll it forward, throw the sides over then roll the front tarp from the front back overlapping the two (two piece tarps) throw the sides over. walk down one side of the truck hooking bungees and down the other then just pull it tight, close the flaps and done. after you get a system working most loads you should be able to tarp in around 30 min. machinery is a different story of course. throwing straps can be done in a lot of cases while the fork lift is loading you. a flat bed driver can be loaded and unloaded faster than the average van driver, including messing with tarps.

second you will find that the shipper and consignee treat you much better on average. the shipper is for the most part shipping their product to their customer. they take pride in the load and usually listen to the driver as to how to load it ( yes exceptions exist) because they want it there in good condition. the consignee is usually the one that ordered the load, they are glad to see you arrive. there is not normally that 'take a number and wait outside the gate we'll call this afternoon' crap. it is almost always first come first served to unload. loading glass and steel can sometimes be a pain in the butt, but the only time i saw a grocery warehouse was to deliver a new cooler. i was in and out so fast i didnt notice the reefers in line move.

third. you will work something closer to a normal work day, shippers tend to go home in the evening (exceptions i know) and the customers are usually starting around 7 - 8 am. no more be there at 0200. i like that, maybe its just me though.

[skills]

Sorry about saying you had to jump. All you have to do is climb on the box and trailer. Maverick is big about safety and you can tell it by how they teach you to do things and also by looking at all the safety devices they put into the trucks. I have nothing bad to say about Maverick, cause they are a great company to work for and I couldn't pick another one closer to them. I was actually talking to a TMC driver this week that is even thinking about comming to Maverick cause everything he has talked to drivers about. I'm not trying to say TMC is a bad company or anything. I am just happy to be with a great company like Maverick.

Skills A.K.A Mator

[arky]

Thanks Skills, I mean no offense by questioning what you said. I know how easy it is to write one thing and mean something else...don't sweat it. I just wanted to clarify that part of your blog...as much for others as for me.

Please continue to update your blog. It is very good reading and very insightful for those of us interested in driving for Maverick.

Thanks to everyone else too!

Arky

[arky]

Just thought I would add this in.

I have quite a bit of experience with securing loads on flatbed goosenecks and such. I grew up on the farm and most of my family is also in the farm machinery sales business. We have loaded farm equipment on gooseneck trailers for the last 25 years around here. I've not actually driven any of those loads since the pre-CDL days, but I still get to help load and chain now and then.

The tarps will definitely be knew to me and we never used straps, just chains and binders (called boomers around here). I don't think any of that will be a problem. I know that I'll have some learning to do, but maybe not as much as some of the others.

The flatbed work does seem like it would be harder than van, but as mentioned, it pays better and it's not like your doing it all day every day. I can handle sweating for an hour or two a day. The last job I had was a good job, but it was inside a factory with no A/C. This time of year you could barely get your breath on 2nd shift...and that lasts for at least 6 of the 8 hours your there and the other two hours, you sure don't need a jacket!..lol.

Thanks for all the input. I'm not sure of what I'm gonna do yet, but I might not be too far away from becoming a driver.

Arky

[Deerhunter]

Hi everyone I gave permission to contact my current employer on friday I had to leave a message might call again on wed to make sure it got thru. I am glad to see all the positve input about maverick. I was a little concerned about it untill all of these positive post started showing up. I think I am making a good choice here . My first choice was going to be van with sni. but the pay with Maverick is much better for newbies and I really need the money. I have 8 mouths to feed including myself. and the extra money sure will help. I am really excited about my new career choice. I will try and post as soon as I am able about my progress I still have about a 3 month wait to get started though that is going to seem like an eternity.

[arky]

Ok everyone I'm back again

Since this has been the 4th of July holiday for most folks, has it been for Maverick drivers?

I'm just curious. I can't imagine that a driver could expect to get all holidays off (I don't consider them off if your not at home). I'm just wandering how this works. I'm going to start a thread with this subject also.

Thanks, Arky

[Deerhunter]

I was told by recruiter yesterday that drivers are home most major holidays since most of their customers are closed. But there is no pay.

[Deere29]

I just got home and yes we worked through the 4th.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by Deere29

I just got home and yes we worked through the 4th.

Deere29

With just getting in on Saturday morning when will you go back out? Will Maverick have you out on Sunday or Monday?