Is everybody here feeling the effects of slow freight as the majority of other companies are now? I know I sure am. The slow construction is really hurting us now. I know it will turn around for the better. Still see tons of TMC trucks rolling through Northwest Indiana.

The big stuff is still moving at a great pace with excellent rates.

I was just wondering if the TMC drivers are seeing all the detention time and scarce freight that a majority of other carriers are seeing now?

I can tell you that I haven't seen nearly as many TMC trucks thru my area as I used to along the I-95 corridor.

Are you TMC guys getting in and out of Phoenix AZ much.

If you are talking about paid detention time at TMC, that is pretty much non-existant. Don't believe the lies they tell you about getting paid when shippers pay them, they pocket 99% of it, and pay it out very rarely.

If you're talking about detention time in the let-you-sit-and-rot-for-nothing sense... yes, there is plenty of that.

I stuck it out with TMC for almost a year. In that time I had at least 25 instances where I was eligible for detention pay. I filled out the required detention macro every time and never got paid once. I finally gave up on filling them out in the last couple months.

The main reason I left was all of the unpaid time. When including loading/unloading, load securement, tarping, and waiting... I averaged just over 25 hours of this a week. If you figure you're only getting paid for 5 max tarp jobs at 10 bucks each, you're making $2/hour for all that time.

I also found that it is impossible to make the money they advertise running legal and getting home 46/52 weekends. To make 52k/year or average 1k a week you will need to average about 10 hours of illegal drive time past your 14 hour clock per week, or 2 hours a night.

TMC is a very shady company to work for. Their percentage/mileage program is a scam. This pay program is not implemented to benefit the driver, it is for the sole benefit of the company. Instead of having one pay option for their drivers, they can plan their loads accordingly to give them a better bottom line. If you take 50 random drivers on the percentage/mileage program and switch their loads, you would see a loss in their profit per load. I would like to see an independant auditing company proove this, as would many of their drivers.

If percentage/mileage options are such a great deal for the driver, why is it so rarely offered in the industry? I'll tell you why. Because it's nothing but a scam, and slightly less shady companies don't want their load planners pressured into blatant scamming of their drivers (beyond the scam that any big OTR carrier is pulling inherent in their existence).

I'm working local now, paid by the hour, and out 1 night a week (paid in a motel). I'm making about the same money as I did at TMC, putting in much less time. It's not a great job, but it's miles ahead of any coolie OTR gig. I will never go back to OTR for any company... only on my own authority and in my own truck.

I agree.

I guess I won't argue about that. But I will counter that the drive time averaging 60 mph at $0.40 per mile is $24 per hour, which is a rediculous amount of money to earn by sitting down. There is a discrepancy between the pay and the work because you get paid well for the easy stuff and not at all for the hard stuff.

I never ran illegal more than 15 mins here or there and averaged $1,000 per week on Long Haul. Of course I only got home every other weekend or so giving me the chance to earn an extra few hundred dollars over the weekend I was out, but took two full days off at home leaving late monday morning., Even on the weekends out I still took a 34 hour restart which amounts to the time you line haul guys spend at home, so it can't be that different.

Did you ever take the TQM class? That explains the ins and outs of the pay program and teaches you the tricks. It also gives you 5 bonus points on your pay permanently. Understanding the way TMC works will give you a better ability to work the system. It gives you a better idea of what is possible and what works well.

Since you claim that you would like to see an auditor prove this it seems to me that you do not have a single shred of proof of this and are simply guessing about how the company operates. I contend that there are enough variables for TMC to deal with regarding delivery times, pickup times, hours remaining, bounce miles, etc to preclude them from having the chance to play games to cheat you out of two cents here or there. By the way a company is in business to make money, it is not in the companies interest to line your pockets at their own expense just so you feel good. Did you have your sense of capitalism removed by some socialist teacher along the way or something? Get over your own importance in the world, not everyone exists to serve you.


It is rarely offered because it is an accounting headache. It also gives paranoid drivers like you excuses to fly off the handle. You should seriously consider seeking professional help for this anger management problem of yours.

So now it isn't just TMC that is out to get you, but the entire OTR industry? Give me a break. I agree that being local is a huge improvement for similar pay, but there are also problems of dealing with the same people over and over so you have to always be nice to the shippers and receivers because you will see them again next week. You also have to deal with more local rougher roads and fewer interstate highways, so it isn't just a bowl of cherries. I also agree that no system is perfect for paying the driver excepting perhaps the chemical tanker type pay package.

I believe that the percentage pay system is the only fair way to compensate drivers for the numerous short loads that TMC hauls. Anybody on mileage pay would scream about the 90 mile load that took me all day one time (customer stops receving at noon) where they would only earn $32 for the day, but on percentage I earned $168 for that same load. On mileage you have to drive for every mile, but on percentage you can get paid about the same for less work. Life has rules, so learn to work the rules to your advantage until you can become elected and change them.

You would have to drive over 75 mph to 'average' 60 mph.


Illegal by 15 minutes is still illegal. The jury at your manslaughter trial isn't going to make a distinction between 15 minutes and 15 hours because the prosecuting attorney will convince them that if you were 15 minutes over when your accident occured and you killed a van full of children you probably run a lot more than just 15 minutes all the time.


This I agree with. If you understand the company's system it can only help you be more productive. Productivity=money.


Hourly pay is the only fair compensation system for in town or short hauls. Percentage pay or by the load just makes too many drivers run illegal and fast to squeeze in more runs in a day.


As far as detention pay goes, didn't the owner's son get caught pocketing all the money the shippers and receivers were paying TMC for detention a while back? That's what I heard anyway.

Thanks for the post Rawlco. I was simply gonna tell him I was sorry TMC did not work out for him. Most professional OTR drivers I know simply "eat" all the lost time and consider it part of the job. It may sound silly but it really is part of the job.

Finding a company that works for you is like trying to find a good fitting pair of boots. TMC is a great company, just not for everybody.

I take all rumors with a grain of salt. Even if it was true, I simply would not care. Like I said, your pay is part of the job. If I'm still bringing home a good wage every week, I don't care if what TMC is making or taking in revenue of the load. As long as I am happy making good money, I just do my job and don't ask any questions.

It's a lot harder to smile than frown and complain. Everyone should try it more regularly.

Safe traveling this week to all.