[Frogman]

First, I want to thanks ALL the folks here who have helped me understand enough about the trucking industry and the challenges of driving to be able to make a solid decision. I could not have made the decision without your help and I greatly appreciate it. Thanks too to the folks who run this website for offering a valuable service.

I have gone back and forth like a pendulum trying to choose between TMC and MAVERICK.

Both appear to me to be very solid companies. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. The decision was very hard and like most important decisions came down to "gut feeling." (BTW, I taught Decision Theory and don't let anybody ever kid you about decision making . . . when it comes to choosing between two close alternatives it always come down to a gut feeling :-)

I've already been pre-hired by TMC. I submitted my application to MAVERICK earlier this week and was told to check in Friday to see if I had been pre-hired.

I called this morning. A real snotty recruiter (not mine) answered the phone and said the decision was still pending because I had "failed to submit appropriate paperwork and still needed to fax in some documents."

I said, "well, that's not true, sir. I have my notes right here and have sent in exactly what I was told to."

"No," said Snotty Recruiter . . . "your recruiter has been here a long time and wouldn't make a mistake like that."

Hmmmm.

My recruiter never returned the call and I had to call back twice before finally getting in touch. She asked how I was doing.

(ME) "Not so good."

(RECRUITER) "Why?"

(ME) "Well, because you told me you had all the documents you needed to make a decision and now I'm told you don't"

(RECRUITER) "Whoa now. Wait a minute, I think I'm sensing some attitude. The recruiter you spoke to earlier said you'd shown him some attitude too."

(Hmmm. So she did get my message after all and just chose to ignore me . . . and Snotty Recruiter ratted me out . . . interesting . . . )

(RECRUITER) "If you can't get along wih us recruiters, I don't think you can get along with the Fleet Managers. You may not be a good fit for us."

So, my recruiter is infallible and a fortune teller. Interesting.

Now, let me explain that in terms of background, education, physical fitness, IQ, leadership experience and experience working with people, I'm probably in the top 1% of all candidates who show up to drive a truck. I'm not kidding. I mean, if I'm not "a good fit" then no one is. And yeah, I have a high opinion of the value I bring to a company . . . but why shouldn't I? It's true.

So anyway, at that point, I stopped the conversation and asked to have my recruiter's boss call me. The boss was very cordial and obviously a bright man. I explained the circumstances and he read me (verbatim) the notes my recruiter had on the computer.

Clearly, there was a major communications problem between me and the recruiter after we hung up earlier this week. My notes and her notes were totally different.

The boss then explained that there was a waiting list for school . . . but that since I'm from Texas and they already have too many Texas drivers . . . which makes it difficult to balance out their "home on weekend" program . . . the Waiting List could be 3-4 months! We ended on a cordial note with me telling him that he would have the appropriate documents ASAP.

But, I've thought about it all afternoon, prayed on it, and decided TMC is my choice instead.

So, here's what it comes down to:

a. MAVERICK'S Waiting List is very long if you live in certain parts of the country . . . at least Texas.

b. My recruiter obviously did not know that and should have.

c. If my recruiter was waiting for additional documents and had not received them, she should have made a follow-up call to me. She didn't. If my recruiter and I had a misunderstanding about what I needed to send, we could have settled it without her immediately concluding that I had "attitude."

From this, I conclude that MAVERICK recruiters (or at least the two I've dealth with) are suffering from a delusional sense of self-importance. I believe that they see themselves as superior and infallible . . . when compared to the customers (that's us) who call in. The two recruiters I dealt with are in fact, unprofessional. Their representation of the company does not match what I sense to be management's intent.

d. I don't believe that MAVERICK management (i.e. my recruiter's boss) suffers from the same problem. I believe the problem is at the lower level.

e. Compared to all the above, TMC was as slick as wet snot. They were friendly, down to earth, unpretentious and highly professional.


Now . . . could be that I just made the biggest mistake in my life! But there's something that I find troubling about MAVERICK. I feel like TMC wants me to come to work and do well. I feel like MAVERICK (or at least their recruiters) believe they're doing me a favor.

Like I said . . . it's all about gut-feeling . . . so TMC, here I come.

(And by the way, because they don't offer free schooling, TMC is less advantageous to my wallet than MAVERICK. But money ain't everything.)

So, right or wrong, that's my decision. In the end, it wasn't about money, miles, commitment or any of the things I thought were important. It was about what "team" I could play for the best.

I hope this helps some of you who are having trouble deciding between the two.

Feel free to PM if you have questions and I'll do what I can to help you make your decision. I'm not going to promote TMC or any other company, but I'd be happy to help other newbies sort alternatives.


Edited for poor spelin

[terrylamar]

Man, you are only in the top 1%? I don't quite get why TMC or anyone else for that matter, would even want you. That's a long drop from where I'm looking!

[Frogman]

Originally Posted by terrylamar

Man, you are only in the top 1%? I don't quite get why TMC or anyone else for that matter, would even want you. That's a long drop from where I'm looking!

That's cuz you're standing on your head :-)

Where I come from the top 1% are the ones who sit closest to the TV, get first dibs on the unopened bag of chips and leave early with the prettiest girl in the bar.

[dieselgrl]

You know, that sounds like the Maverick recruiter I had - rather snotty and really didn't give a damn.... You're not the only one that caught the feeling that they were "doing a favor" for the applicant.

I ended up with Arrow, and don't regret it for a moment.

Good luck to you at TMC 8)

[GoldiesPlating]

Guess MY help's NOT needed HERE though I AM looking in the mirror to see if I really DO look like wet snot. LOL
CONGRATS and WELCOME ABOARD!!!
You won't regret your decision. I never have.
Keep in touch and call me to let me know how things are going from time to time. BOL! arty:

[acranger]

What does TMC offer for tarp pay? Do they do any DD or oversize loads?

Avg. length of haul?

[terrylamar]

Originally Posted by Frogman

That's cuz you're standing on your head :-)

Where I come from the top 1% are the ones who sit closest to the TV, get first dibs on the unopened bag of chips and leave early with the prettiest girl in the bar.

Where I come from the pretty girls comes over to my place with the television, the chips and the beers and we share. :lol:
Hey, this could go on forever. You know what they say about Marines? It's hard to be humble when you're the best! If you weren't a Marine, you should have been!

[Frogman]

Originally Posted by terrylamar

Where I come from the pretty girls comes over to my place with the television, the chips and the beers and we share. :lol:
Hey, this could go on forever. You know what they say about Marines? It's hard to be humble when you're the best! If you weren't a Marine, you should have been!

I was Army armored cavalry with Ranger and airborne training . . . you know, I heard it said that to be a Marine you have to prove you slept with your sister. Is that true?

Just kidding. USMC was actually my first choice in college but the Navy ROTC program sucked . . . so I ended up Army.

Always said though . . . if I was in a fox-hole and the Russians were coming, I sure would have felt a lot better with a Marine on either side.

Long as they kep their hands off my ass, of course . . .

Just kidding.

Have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving.

[Jumbo]

Originally Posted by Frogman

That's cuz you're standing on your head :-)

Where I come from the top 1% are the ones who sit closest to the TV, get first dibs on the unopened bag of chips and leave early with the prettiest girl in the bar.

So, you sit too close to the tv, eat unhealthy foods, and go home before the real women even show up?

[tcurr]

WET SNOT rofl