Hey Von the TMC recruitor told me i would have 1 week paper work load securment then four weeks with trainer because of my driving experiance.
I am just alittle concerned as i haven't done 90 degree dock since school and i have never done a 45 degree dock.
A carhual has its fith wheel located futher back which gives it a bit more response when backing up even though my backing up leaves a little to be desired lol.
It also doesn't turn the same so i had to take all my turns real wide do prevent damage between the tractor and trailer.
I hope they will give me chance as i made a mistake by not going to TMC from school and trying to haul cars. Well you live and learn. But any info on the yard skills test etc would be welcome

The Highlander

There was an experienced driver in my class. They gave him a driving test on the first day of orientation, as they will you. He didn't pass so they just had him stay through the driving part of orientation. No biggy really. In reality you will probably need some training with the spread axle / air dump trailer in backing and turning. You will get a lot of good yard training with the backing instructors, they are excellent and will show you good set ups. You might plan for the whole 2 weeks just in case.

The yard test is a straight line back with a side approach and an alley dock. In the alley dock, after your set up, the tractor is 90 degrees from the alley and the trailer is 45 degrees; I am not super on that terminology

Just be straight with them when you get there.

You will do fine as long as you don't walk on Harold's grass!

Im going to Des Moines this coming monday and I cant wait. Ive got about 8 months under my belt. Now, when they give me a driving test I am curious if they expect you to double clutch. I havent used the clutch since I got out of school. Not sure I remember how LOL! Just looking for a heads up on what to expect. Thank You

Officially they frown upon floating. At my orientation there was one trainer that bitched at you for floating. You can always fake it.

At the final test before my truck was issued the instructor just said "drive in a way that you feel comfortable"

Good luck.

TMC
 

I have been watching all the TMC threads for about three or four month's. I was wondering for all the veteran or should I say the more experienced TMC drivers. If knowing what you know, would you do it all over again. Has it provided your families with security (i.e. income) and the home time. All things considered would you still choose the same company. I have been driving for a year and a half or so, and I started out with Swift (enough said) so I have been, or I am trying to be wiser about my selection of companies, I know that not every company is perfect. After all said and done do you see your self retiring from TMC. They sound like a great company and the drivers that are in this forum seem to have a great team enviorment. I have not contributed to this site but have read alot and am gratefull for all the coments good or bad. So if any one would take the time to PM me and give me there insight I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks drivers and keepem rollin!!!

Thanks guys for all the info from this thread. I start school on july 5th and on to des moines after , bar any problems. I'm looking forward to working for TMC and appreciate all the info especially from joker, tcurr and fred. It maybe that i get to meet you guys on the road. I'll let everyone know how it's going later on. Thanks again.
Chris

NC_TRUCKER is soon to be, "T.M.C. TRUCKER"

I have my two week notice in with the company I'm currently driving for then I guess I guess I will be off to Iowa..

I must say, I'm most certainly looking forward to it 100%...

NC, just keep up the great attitude and you will go far. this is a good company. it has its qwarks just like any other but it is how you respond and deal with whatever comes up that will determine how you like it.
if you have any questions/concerns, air them in the forum, if not too personal and we, drivers, can give you an idea or help. thats what we do. you may not get a reply until friday or saturday but we have to make the big $$$'s during the week.
take care

i went to the SAFER website and looked over the incident reports. since i have been getting a new safety message about once per day. man, what is going on around here? lots of single vehicle accidents.

http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SafeStat/Car...hichForm=safer

Most of this is probably due to a poor internal audit from the DOT that was rumored to have happened recently. Drivers were not logging fuel stops and tolls properly.
Like I said, rumors, just stuff I picked up at the shippers and truck stops.

Not a rumor. Safety was shutting down many drivers because of hours a few weeks ago. Not sure if that was a warning shot or the new world order.

Where was this going on?

I have been running in just about every state of the South East and I haven't seen this yet, this is the first time as of yet that I've heard of it, not that I'm worried about it in any way, I run legal, or I don't run at all..

A great rule to live by is, "Drive Safe or Park it"..

Von, I noticed just that on the SafeStat page. Saw a rash of Hours violations for the mid part of April.

Mudflap, I sent you a pm..

Maybe safety noticed an alarming trend in posts on forums about the hours, loads, and potential issues and is getting serious about righting what has been going wrong at TMC. I applaud their efforts if it is making it safer for drivers and everyone on the road. Routinely working 18 hour days, running overweight, and pushing to the point of exhaustion isn't safe and I hope that safety takes this seriously.

Until I hear drivers talking like safety and rules are important at TMC I won't go to work for TMC. Safety isn't just good load securement! :) So I hope this means something good is happening. Just my 2 cents.

Longsnowsm

As I posted before, "Dive Safe or Park it."


It's not just a great way to live and do business, when your business is running up and down the highways of the United States, I'm quite sure the T.M.C. Safety personal push safety and and hours of service rules harder than a lot of Companies do, I could be wrong, but look at the Company, and look at the history of the Company, it looks to be a very respectable trucking company to me.

I just can not believe T.M.C. would ever ask a driver to run without hours, or to lie on their log books to get farther down the road, so I believe drivers are out here running in violation then that would pretty much have to be on the driver, not the company..

NC,

For the most part I agree with your assessment. I don't know that it is TMC itself that is pushing drivers to run illegal. We see top performers in the company admitting they are pushing and doing "whatever it takes" to make the $$$$$ then that worries me.

There have been a few posts about TMC safety telling drivers to run overweight and bypass scales. That to me is disturbing if true, but it has been repeated several times now so I suspect that is the case.

Regardless, If safety is now cracking down on this I think it is a positive development. I think TMC has a lot going for it, and is one of the reasons I like to follow the TMC threads. So I hope to hear more that the problems are being addressed.

Your right that TMC is no worse than a lot of other companies. TMC has a good reputation for good loads, good pay, good trucks, and a reputation for trying to take care of their own. It is a shame to have that tarnished by things that shouldn't be tolerated. We will see if they can get a handle on it and get it fixed.

Longsnowsm

i have been 12 minutes off between my logbook and the web-log and have had to shut down. i rounded up and web-log rounded down. safety is taking this stuff serious. some drivers just dont know when to open their mouth and say enough. safety cant monitor 2400 drivers at one time. for the most part, they do a good job at catching the bad ones and stopping them. last time i talked to safety, the last accident was 2 hours off on log/web-log. not bad, but enough to get him a civil lawsuit.

I hope your wrong, I personaly don't believe that, but there again, I haven't sat behind the wheel of one of their trucks yet either, I'm curious as to what the current T.M.C. will have to say about that.

Thanks
 

Thanks to all of you who have been contributing to the TMC threads.
I'm headed for Des Moines on Memorial Day for orientation that starts the next day (Tuesday the 30th). Your honest opinions have been a great help in my decision to get back into driving after being out of it for a while. Looking forward to the hard work and camaraderie with fellow TMC drivers.

Thanks Again,
Hope to meet you guys out there.


"If life were just, we would be born old and achieve youth about the time we'd saved enough to enjoy it.

man where have I been? I have alot to catch up on since I have been gone for the past three weeks.

Well last week I last Wednesday I went back to Des Moines for my road test and truck issue. I had to leave there and report to Indy because they didn't have any trucks... wwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllll ok, like the upper lot is just full of trucks. Not complaining because I did get a 387. After getting my truck and trailer I headed to get my first load... Paper rolls which I delivered on Monday morning and then reloaded at the same place. all in all I had a great week for a newbie... 4020 to the truck and I got home today, but I don't have that far to travel to get to the consignee. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Perhaps they picked on one Fleet Manager, not sure, it did happen.

No one at TMC has ever told me that I had to run illegal or run tired. If I Qualcomm or call my FM and say I am tired or out of hours, no questions asked, pull over and rest. They call the consignee and make arrangements for a later delivery. If I say that I am beat and need an easy/short load, I get it.

That being said, every TMC driver on this thread knows that we were "enabled" by trainers and in orientation to run "productively". Whether we abide by the law or abuse it is a personal decision that each one of us has to make. I am not saying that I run perfect all the time but I shut the truck down when I am supposed to.

I would guess that 90% of the drivers, not just TMC, out there are manipulating their logs and driving well out of the legal limits. Companies push the hell out of their drivers to the point of exhaustion, either sublimely or blatantly. Every diesel cop knows this when they check a logbook. It's like the immigration thing, it is just a frikken joke.

The whole industry is basically out of control. The HOS regulations are stupid. FMCSA doesn't have the manpower to enforce the laws anyway. A wholesale change has to happen and it all involves more money. If drivers are going to drive as they are supposed to they will need to be paid more or the same for working legally. Freight costs will have to go up. The cost of everything that we purchase will go up. Because of that the government and industry will continue to look the other way, tolerate the accidents and fatalities, and go on with more of the same.

Longsnowsm, you make an excellent point that safety isn't just good load securement. Very true.

Sorry about the ranting.

I am still very torn about trying to come over to TMC and I am currently trying to decide if i want to apply again . Driving record is good and i have well over a year in and all that stuff and i can drive like crazy. I just like reading and getting all this input from the other TMC drivers on here.
So are there any TMC driver here from Tennessee? I am curious as to whether middle Tennessee is a good place to be from as far as driving for TMC. I se some TMC trucks parked near by on the weekends but never get to stop and speak to the drivers. I have got a pretty good grasp of the van side of truck driving and I am just very curious and interested in how the other side works and i want to see how good of a driver i really am......come on drivers and recruiters....sell me on this company..I need to make up my mind.

i have an old navy buddy who lives east of selmer and i can get a load to and from memphis or jackson within a day or two of letting my fm know that i want to get there. i go through at least 2 times a month and never have problem getting in or out. dont know how close that is to you but it may help.

Are the TMC recruiters still on here? i thinking of going ahead and filling out tha application again online today and i would like to have it sent straight to one of them instead of it falling blindly into the hands of someone I have never talked with.
Also, how many of you TMC'rs are married and/or have kids...how is this company working out with your home life...what does your family think about your job? I hate to sound pesty....but as i have been around trucking for a little while now...i do see it is definitely important to investigate all angles..

My future ex-wife would like it if I was gone more often.

IMO, you are in pretty good shape in middle Tennessee, I assume you are talking about being in the general area of Nashville. The crossroads of I24 and I40 is a busy freight area. Steel, sheetrock, lumber, pipe, are all major products manufactured around you as well as in adjoining states. Many of the local TMC and flatbed drivers would be able to tell you what moves through your area.

You would probably have little problem getting home every weekend. If you live close to one of the interstates or near a large TMC shipper there is a good possibility that you could get home during the week on occasion.

The best part about where you live is that you would mostly stay out of the GD northeast. The more you avoid New England the better.

If I were you I would have a good talk with some veteran and rookie flatbedders, TMC drivers and others. Make sure that you understand what it's all about and how it differs from van.

I can't and won't sell you on jack. Keep researching and you should make a good decision.

I definitely appreciatethe input VonSeggern. I have been weighing the decision to switch to flatbed for a few months now and have talked to people and researched quite a bit and i am certain i can handle the work...I almost welcome with as lazy and out of shape i am becoming sitting in the truck bumping docks. I live in lower middle tennessee, about an hour out of nashville a little over an hour from chattanooga and only 15 or 20 minutes from I-24...just a little way over from Monteagle.....seems that I should be in a good freight lane there.....My wife is encouraging me to go ahead and try and get on and I think I am going to listen to her...time for a change.

Well then here's the hook.
I lost 20 pounds without trying and my forearms are like Popeye's.

I just went through and filled out the application and submitted it.....What recruiter would you TMC guys recomend i allert to this so maybe they can get a jump on looking at it?

Well if you PM either JFLOYD or TMC well Jeff Floyd is a field recruiter for the area outside of Virginia and TMC or Matt works in Des Moines along with Gus, Jason, Brianna and alot more. I would give them a call first thing tomorrow morning. and not to steal any bodies thunder but just get Von Seggern's name and truck number that way he get's credit for you. Great company for what I have seen so far. I think that for someone like me that can come straight out of training, and make $4000 to the truck the very first week is doing every pretty good.

NC_Trucker
 

Hey, NC_Trucker

What part of our great state are you from, and how are things going for you so far. I hope to make a career change in the fall of the year. I am very interested in hearing about your progression, challenges, and sucesses. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

You ar WELCOME!!! and GOOD LUCK to you! Keep in touch!
Fred

goldie
 

Hey goldie are u still here

Weeeee Finished my training and go to Des Moines Next Week to take my final road test and hopefully get my truck. I posted a lot of new info on my website including load pictures and a download link to get a TMC brochure if anyone wants one. My phone # is on my website so if anyone has any questions, feel FREE to call me anytime. I've been "away" from here for a while because I had no internet wireless card for my laptop but am getting one today.
Good luck to everyone considering TMC or already with them!!
I've been reading a little bit here about running illegal and I can honestly say that TMC does NOT condone or permit it. That said, remember that being a truck driver is very much like owning your own business as far as the amount of decisions left up to the driver. No one is with you to hold your hand or spank you if you are a bad boy. If you run safe and "adjust" your log book you MAY be able to skate by and not hear from safety at TMC, but remember, YOU, are CHOOSING to run illegal, TMC is not MAKING you. They much prefer you run LEGAL and get your job done. Some people just can't seem to get any driving done without running a doctored log book but is safety catches you, they WILL shut you down. You MUST learn to manage your time and schedule your day EFFICIENTLY.
For example, during my last week with my trainer, we were running hard through 18 states and 4,000 miles in a week. We technically were allowed to do this since at that point we were driving under team status, (one drives one sleeps then reverse the process), but we still got a phone call and were ORDERED to shut it down for a rest period. They said, "Hey guys, we appreciate your hard work and your great numbers, but your truck hasn't been off since midnight...... ON TUESDAY.... SHUT IT DOWN NOW!"

Anyway, gotta run and get my PC card for wireless. Call or email anytime!!

This post intentionally left blank. Duhhhhh I wrote something here that was repeated in an earlier page.... Sorry bout that! lol

well im sitting in W Memphis again waiting on a swat to KC MO and hopefully be in des moines on the weekend with some luck

Re: NC_Trucker
 

I'm from Gaston County, and so far, I just ended my last day with T.C.W. trucking company in Charlotte, I'm leaving on the Grey dog Sunday for T.M.C. in Iowa, I'm really looking forward to!!!

Orientation
 

NC Trucker,

I will see you there. I'll be driving from Wisconsin, leaving on Monday. Let me know if I can help shorten your ride on the gray dog. Congats on the job change!

Hey jhatt,

Same goes for you. I just now read my PM's from the both of you.
Looking forward to meeting you guys. Let me know if I can help you out.

Re: Orientation
 

My name is Gary Hopkins, I will be looking forward to meeting you there..