Hay..hey..hay..no..wait..HAY.

Hubby says he's tired of it already lol. He picked it up in Idaho, doesn't drop it until Monday..somewhere in Indiana. Only contact info for the drop is a dairy name that doesn't show up on the net anywhere....and a phone number nobody answers..at least not on Friday afternoons or Saturdays. Thats his complaint for this week I think :D

But then again he voices his complaints about anything that requires his lumber tarps and is taller than he is :lol:

We are cool with you being a recruiter. Matt, AKA TMC, was a regular here before he left. When a potential recruit here or on the road asks about the company, I can always say, "They never have lied to me." with a straight face. That's the way we like it.

As the company often is a little neglectful about disseminating information, any news that you can pass along would be great. I would love to hear about, or see pictures of, the new training center in Ankeny (sp)...the status of the APU experiment, Transflo, etc.

Peace

First let me say that I'm glad no pets are allowed. My wife and son are highly allergic to cats. If she gets into a truck that someone else had a cat in she instantly gets allergy symptoms.

Jerod give me what details you can about this SE regional. I have alot of linehaul/longhaul drivers asking me about this Texas Dedicated and/or regional and there is some discussion about expanding our dedicated division to a regional division. I need hiring boundries along highways, running area, time off, and where the FM's will be located.
Some people may not realized the importance of FM location but the Joplin FM's control most of the freight in Texas and the SE.

As far as Transflo.......it sucksssss.... big time. I used it with another company and it is so bad that it is a huge time waster. 1)it's mostly at pilot and everyone knows that paying for a soda takes forever. Now imagine handing over your docs and asking them to transflo them. You goto the back of the line because fuel customers come first. I've gotten fuel, shower, and lunch in the time it takes the cashier to do transflo. 2) there are 3 locations in my running area meaning that getting it done in a reasonable time will be almost impossible without going out of route on a regular basis. 3) you keep the paperwork. Keep a file folder. The company may say 2 weeks but then ask you about sometime from 3 months ago. 4)Their system regularly breaks or the cashiers don't know how to operate it. 5)they regularly run out of the labels that they print your confirmation on and can't get you a number.
I gave a linehaul guy a stack of envelopes because he had been trying for a week to get his transflo'd in but couldn't find a cashier with the time to get it done or a machine that wasn't broken. This system sucks.
Just for comparison. My running area is Houston to Midland/Odessa on the back roads.

Not to sound unsympathetic to people with alergies, but if you weren't issued a NEW truck, couldn't you just do a THOROUGH wash-out and cleaning of the truck when it is issued to you? On Peterbilts, when you get your first weekend off with your newly issued truck, you can remove the carpets and mattress and clean (or have them cleaned professionally) and just about hose out the interior and scrub it down top to bottom. The interior is pretty much water resistant except for the dash.
I would do this ANYWAY regardless if the previous driver smoked, had pets or was even a perfectly sanitary driver. You never know WHAT may have taken place inside someone elses truck so better to be safe than sorry. Also, if you request a new mattress, TMC is pretty good about giving you one. The rest of the truck is all hard plastic, vinyl or leather and can't be sanitized perfectly.

Not to sound mean but why should I have to have to. I won't drive a truck that someone else has smoked in. Pet dander is a very different problem. It stay in the a/c ducts and is hard to clean out. Not to mention the smell...wet dogs and ferrets stink worse than any other animals. That smell will permiate the truck just like cigarette smoke every time you turn the a/c or heat on.
I make the shop do a detailed cleaning on a used truck including new matresses, a/c filters, a/c cleaning, and such. If the shop complains I say that I have allergies and they have no choice unless they want to give me a new truck. i won't drive for a company that allows pets on company trucks.

You shouldn't HAVE to but wouldn't you WANT to? I would. How do you know how many lizards he had or what kinda funk ooozed out of his pores all over YOUR new "home"? I worry MORE about PEOPLE dander, breath, dandruff, hair, spit, etc since you can catch a disease from a fellow driver easier than you can from a dog.
In a perfect world we'd all get brand new trucks like I did when I worked there. :wink:
My first was a Pete 379 sleeper with 500 miles on it and my second was a 379 with 5 miles on it. So cleaning wasn't an issue.
I guess if someone liked animals a LOT, then they'd be more forgiving on the odor issue. Then again, some drivers are PIGS, I agree with you! If I kept a pet with me in the truck, the truck would STILL be kept in immaculate condition.
My FAVORITE pastime at TMC was stopping by the schools and watching all the newbies with stars in their eyes "Ohhh and Ahhh" at my ride and before EVERY SINGLE VISIT to a school I detailed my truck until it was as clean as an operating room.
I ENJOYED keeping my ride shiny and clean always.

TMC Southern Regional
 

Hey Jerod, I'm from Miss. I talked with Todd Cooper the recruiter for the Mid South region last week. He was telling me about this new Southern regional run, but he didn't have any info on pay. Can you give me any info on the pay and types of runs......Thanks

I have alot of linehaul/longhaul drivers asking me about this Texas Dedicated and/or regional and there is some discussion about expanding our dedicated division to a regional division.

Re: TMC Southern Regional
 

As of today MS AL GA and SC drivers are technically considered linehaul drivers meaning they could be hauling anywhere in the eastern part of the counrty. But we are working on the the south central and south eatern regional assignments which should be operationing very soon. Pay at TMC always depends on experience we pay either percentage or mileage, your choice. TOP PAY starting out would either be 38 cpm or 27%

I made it back to DM after 24 hours on the bus from hell. Greyhound has to be the worst business in existence. We even had a pervert pull of the bus for molesting himself. I'll walk before I ever ride a bus again.

I was told I had to go through a mini-orrientation. Mini was right, I had to do a drug test and I was on my way. I was assigned a truck and trailer, then had to get my securment equipment, PreePass and ComData card.

I was assigned a new Pete 379 with only 23K on it. The previous drive got caught with a dog and was fired. I guess TMC takes that no pet policy pretty seriously.

I may have to wait for the drug test results to come back before I can go on my way. They said they may make an exception, I'll know tomorrow morning. If they don't, I wont be home for Thanksgiving.

I met Jared in recruiting and Jon who was the one that answered my call this time arround. Anyone interested in TMC give either one a call. Both are good people.