I've been thinking bout getting into trucking for sometime now and possibly doing flatbed. I want to be able to get out of the truck on occasion and move around a little bit. I was thinking bout going to TMC but I don't really know much bout the company. Are they a good company to work for? Are they bad? I've been on the website some so I have an idea of what to expect.

Another company I've been looking at is Prime Inc. I've heard a few things bout them. I know that their home time's worse than most companies. I also know that they run their own school and require new hires to sign a contract for a year. They're also notorious about trying to get drivers to sign a lease on a truck.....I'm really looking at Prime because of they're close to where I live.

So, any other suggestions I might've missed? I'd appreciate the input of others.

Thanks!

 

I can't personally vouch for TMC, since I've never worked for them, but there is (or was) one thread on here about them that had a LOT of replies.
As for Prime, run far and fast away from them.
Where DO you live, by the way?
Maverick and McElroy train, and so does TMC. Werner even has a small [comparatively speaking] flatbed division, but it may not be available where you are.
As for schools, talk to some non-company-sponsored schools where you are. That way, if you change your mind about who you want to haul for when you're in school, you're free to do so. Also, ask some of the companies with whom you want to apply if you'll be eligible for hire if you DO get a CDL. If you hear a resounding "No," this could save you a few thousand dollars in wasted schooling costs. (Hopefully, that will not be the case and you'll be eligible for hire.)
I know I won't be the last person to say this, but DO NOT LEASE A TRUCK from the company you drive for!
Also, welcome to the forum.

 

TMC trains?? since when?

 

A good article on Maverick can be found HERE

 

I know they were training back in 2008, when I started driving. I personally know someone who trained with them around that time period, also.

 

Last I heard TMC was a tough company to work for. Not sure if they still do it but they used to expect the drivers to get the trucks washed once a week and if you were anywhere near Des Moines, Iowa your presence at HQ was required for a little bit. By some of the last posters here to post about TMC it seemed like the company had gone to the bad side, drivers who had liked working for them seemed to be getting the shaft left and right. This was as current as about 2 years ago though.

The only training I knew TMC did was for the flatbed job itself with them, as for actually learning to drive they would set you up at a trucking school.

 

As far as getting the CDL, yes. However, they do train drivers who have CDL's and no experience. Pardon the confusion.

 

Rawlco comes to mind. Haven't heard from him in a long while. Last I talked with him, he was flatbedding for TMC out of Maine.

 

My brother drove for them for roughly 8 months. Said he really liked it and his time home was acceptable. Usually he would pull in Friday night-9am Saturday morning and be headed back out Sunday afternoon. They got to where they were shafting on his time home to see his daughter and thats when he left his truck in some podunk town, called dispatch, and got a rental car home.