The day he got on the truck with me I was told that I would have to come to Joplin for service so we scrubbed the truck out at the Petro. I got told that there were inspectors in our area because we never get inspected and our trucks would never pass a TMC inspection. It's hard to keep a truck clean when paved roads are a luxury and mud is the substrate of choice for us to work in. oink oink :roll: Even going to Rotan is better than most of the places that us Texas guys deliver to. My favorite oil rig to deliver to was the one that was 22 miles from paved road to rig. It took 2 hours to drive down the Peterbilt torture test track. I had stuff thrown off of my shelves that had never moved in over a year. It rained while I was out there and a sand truck got stuck in the mud on the road in so I followed the forklift driver and took a "shortcut" thru the Pecos River. That was an interesting way to get a truck wash. :lol:

So I'm not the only one,

Our company is always harping on us on keeping the trucks clean.
It is near impossible to keep my cab spotless with constantly being in the steel mills, landfills, lime processing plants, etc. Also being a mechanic and getting into the truck dirty does not help. I really do try though. Some guys trucks are terribly filthy. After rolling around in coke dust all day, it is hard not to bring it in the cab.

I can see it difficult to keep your truck clean when running very hard. It is very hard for me to do it whether I get paid or not. After multiple long days, all you want is some rest.

Anyway, TMC has the cleanest trucks on the road (for a large fleet). You would really be surprised by all the kids who point out the shiny Pete's. I'm sure it helps customers fell more secure also. Great job everyone and safe travels this week.

Jeffro

You guys are killing me, I want to put in an application so damn bad but I don't want to because I haven't been at this job long.

I was in the Marine Corps for 12 years, got forced out due to an injury and started driving a truck earlier this year. I graduated from Central Tech in Oklahoma which is a badass driving school and went to work.

The company I am pulling vans for right now is a great company with good pay but I am running teams for them because I just couldn't get the freight to make a living solo. I love the job, and I have a good team mate but I just prefer to be alone, force of habit. Solo I was only making 1500 miles a week, sometimes less.

I have no problems staying out for extended periods of time to get in good lanes and what have you, I just like to drive and keep the truck moving because sitting for 3 days to get a 250 mile load doesn't pay the bills.

I know I would have to go out with a trainer for a while and I have no problem with that because I only have about 45-50k of driving experience but I am curious, what are the average paychecks for new drivers? I can run as hard as the next guy for the legal time with no issues what so ever so I can pull all the freight they can give me, the question is simply is the freight there?

I really have a strong interest in this company because of what you guys are talking about through here, the cleanliness of the trucks (I HATE driving a dirty truck to the point I will wash my company truck out of my own pocket), and the overall atmosphere of the company (or at least the best I can get as a feel for the atmosphere through the web).


It all boils down to pay though honestly, can 800 a week be brought home doing long haul? I don't expect to make what I make teaming right now which is very nice, but I will take a pay cut (reasonable at least) to be alone again and just driving. Thanks for any tips guys.

Terry Lamar probably has the best take on longhaul pay.

Dropped my app today - we'll see.

I got my own truck! a 379 short nose! just what I wanted. man is it nice. almost don't want to stop driving it when my 11 hours is up. what a change from a 387. geared lower and tons of power. first week was uneventful. tarping and trailer swaps are kicking my butt. I wanted work, I got work. had no idea what I was getting into but I'm sticking it out. hopefully things will click and fall into place and I'll be making some $$$$ soon.

why are they losing the single wide tires? mine did great in the rain, it poured in Indiana all day yesterday.

After a couple of weeks, it will all be second nature!

While I am not currently with the company, I too am curious about the sudden switch back to duals. The SS set-up was saving them a ton of money and the ride of the truck is noticeably better with the SS's, although once switched back, after a couple of weeks, you will not notice anyhow. You will be too busy routing your next load!

Take time to study your map, and if you can, get a decent GPS or routing program for your Laptop! Once you learn how to tweak them for truck efficiency, you will notice your OOR drop significantly! Do not be afraid of running the legal 2 lanes, there is much to see on them that you will never see on the Interstates!

Good Luck and keep us up-to-date!

I submitted my app as well. I would love to hear my phone ring soon.





I am down with 100 bucks a week and all the cleaning supplies I can get ROFL.

Do not wait for a call from them. Once your application has been submitted give them a call. They will look over your app and let you know if it is OK and then it goes to their hiring committee. TMC recruiters, in general, are awful for returning calls but will give you plenty of time if you call them.