Dedicated routes are gonna be close to impossible for a new hire. Plus, many of them have a long waiting list. Best thing to do is, get on linehaul, pay your dues and keep your fleetmanager informed that you want a dedicated. I hsave been shooting for Northeast Regional deicated for the past 4 months, and there is still a waiting list. Something like 40% of our drivers are from the NE, I was told.

Yes, you must prove to the company as a new hire that you have the organizational and driving abilities needed to become a good dedicated driver. These accounts are very important to the company, throwing a new driver in the mix to possibly mess things up is not going to happen.

The rumor mill has churned out that we are in proposal to Lowe's in Westfield, MA. That would be that we handle all the logistics, loading, securing, and tarping, at the facility. I.E. the whole shebang, Black and Chrome all over the place. Believe me, they need us. Just a rumor from a driver to be taken at face value or a significant discount.

Where is your home 20 Ramsey?

any body in DM im here to get me truck finally was the longest 6 weeks of my life. my trainer sucked but at least he showed me how to work the system to my benefit$$$. Let me know if anyone wants to grab a bite to eat Steven room 148

Steven,

There is no possible way that two males can spend 6 weeks together and not get totally get sick of each other's smelly a**es. If your trainer showed you how to work the system, buy him a Christmas present for God's sake, he did his job.

Good luck with the test.

v

V,

I agree there was a few small issues not worth mentioning but your right it's impossible to spend 6 weeks together and not go crazy.
Just found out I have to go to columbia to get my 387. Did very well on my test. There was one poor guy doing his 45 across the parking lot as I was he started 5 mins before I did went over his 15 and got out of the truck without setting the brakes and thank god he was still on the steps as it strarted rolling or it would have ended up in the inspection bay. He barely got it stopped.
i believe he will be spending a few extra days here for some remedial training. well thanks to all for the info and help.

We might end up in Columbia for a service this week. Trainee's last week. Look for 92277 around the area.

Good luck and congrats.

Well, I'm changing careers. Currently, I am a package handler for Fedex Ground. I make $10.50 per hour, no benefits. If I milk the clock pretty good, I can hit $200.00 per week net. 25 hours max per week they allow.

Before deciding on flatbedding, I was thinking of becoming a package delivery driver. But I've done delivery jobs, 14 stops per night and I didn't like it. I can't imagine doing 100 stops per day, running as fast as possible. One of the drivers I load for delivered 480 packages in one day, probably 100+ different locations.

I'll be heading to Des Moines May 14 to start orientation. Looking forward to start flatbedding. Hopefully I'll make more money in the trucking industry.

If anybody has any questions on Fedex Ground, feel free to ask.

Where do you Fedex? The trainee sitting in the driver's seat is an ex Fedex Ground guy from Willington, CT.

i seem to remember getting a qcomm about someone forgetting to set their brakes at a fuel stop a few weeks ago. maybe its the same guy

Geez, I'm out off the game for a few months (well maybe more) and ..........To Much Chrome is still at it?... LOL, what ever happen to the threads about how great that % deal is? or how u hands can run forever and the company lets u go? Humm. by the way stay the F out off the hammer, just because your at 66 & 3/10th ya don't need to drag race with the pumpkin trucks.....K and learn to strap down your tarps, geeeeezzzz

Did someone hear somthing? Nahh, didn't think so. :D

I think it was a mouse fart or someting. :lol:

Fisrt DOT ever...
 

Ok, i'm pissed.

I pull into this scalehouse in Mayview, MO and get pulled into the inspecion bay. Logs, Fine. Tractor, Fine. Trailer, not so much. Leveling valve is off, so i'm 22600 on the front axle, and 15620 on the rear axles. Yayy. Also need to readjust the rear two brakes on this POS 96".

So yeah, only god knows how long i'll be sitting here. I need to get to Lincoln, NE by 8AM tomorrow. Have about 4 hrs to drive. By the time my 14 is up, i'm probably still here.

Happy times over? PLS not. I had a winning streek till this week. Never got overlayed, always delivered 5 loads a week, and avaraged a total of $830 a week to the truck rolling avarage. Now this week, on monday i take the truck in for service, took them fricking 7 hours to do a full service that probably would've taken me about 2.5 hrs. Than i get overlayed, b/c there was no loads in VA for the night.

I pick up this load, pass about 5 scales till they look at it closely and pull me out. So yayy.

Also my wife lost her job, b/c she had to go back to Europe on a Family emergencie just after she came back 2 weeks ago, and her boss didn't like the concept. Atr least once she gets back, she'll be coming out on the road wirth me.

Anyways, wish me luck, that i'm not still here tomorrow.

Cheers

Re: Fisrt DOT ever...
 

How will you ever be able to fit your wife in your truck with your, microwave, egg poacher, refrigerator, ice maker, George Foreman grill, merry-go-round, bicycle, and big screen TV?
:)

BND
Please explain (rolling average of $830 a week to the truck) . What does that mean to you? What does that put in your pocket? Also are you line haul or long haul? Thanks

TMC's procentage pay is based on rolling avarage revenue to the truck, Out of route, and your fuel milage.

Rolling avarage is based on the last 13 weeks, they add up all your revenue to the truck, and take 23% of that. and my certification today just came out, and my rolling avarage is $870 or so, really good, almost the best.

what that means to me? I'll get a lot of point towards certification. :D

Any more Q's?

cheers

BND

BoyNextDoor,

Sorry to hear about your experience running across the scale. But that is part of trucking. It is also a very good example of why a companies SafeStat score matters. I was pulled in going over Tapatche CA and was told that I was pulled in because of the score that TMC had. You have to realize that driving a TMC is like driving with a target on your chest in regards DOT.


Devildice,

The company I am working for is BTI Special Comodities. They are a smaller company with only 85 company trucks. They require at least 2 years experience. But it is 180 degree difference from what I experienced at TMC. If you want more info on it PM me.

Saw something really funny going South on 35 just North of KC MO. I was just passing the North bound scale where I saw a TMC 387 with a permitted over sized load. What was really funny, he had his yellow and black " OVERSIZED LOAD " banner strapped across the front of his LOAD, not the bumper............I guess he was really proud of that shiney chrome bumper and did not think it should be covered by the banner. I am sure the scale master had a good laugh also. The thing is even if he had never pulled an oversized load before, it is obvious where the banner is supposed to go just by looking at the other oversized trucks that go down the highway.

Buzzdog,
Well glad to hear you're enjoying it there and hope your success continues. BOL

FYI

I've been thru 3 other scales with the same load, with the same problem on the axles in the back the same day, i got pulled in on my prepass, and had to jump on the pad. None of them ralizes my split axle problem b/c my combined on the split axle was arount 37500. so they let me go. This last scale pulled me in b/c he did his job right. Not b/c i was a TMC.

That being said, I did get a clean DOT after the leveling valve got adjusted by a tech, and he even gave me stickers for the truck, and trailer. So i don't think they specifically target TMC trucks.

In TQM class they told us that the chances of us getting pulled into a scale for DOT is 97% b/c of our ratings. So you are right on that aspect. But i don't believe that just by chance they gonna pull out more TMC's than other trucks. If we F up, we get pulled in, if we don't we don't. I got pulled in b/c i was 2600 pounds over on my front axle on my trailer. Mechanical fault on the trailer that i could not know of. I even scaled out the load when i got it, everything was fine. so i'm not being charged for that ticket.

What i'm saying, I don't feel like i have a big target on my chast b/c i work for TMC. I tend to think, that you only seen the bad of the crop, b/c every company is going to have bad drivers. Try disprooving me on that one. Not everyone is perfect.

This was my first DOT ever, and now i know what to expect. It's not all that bad. But than again it might be b/c i keep my logbook up to date, have all my paperwork in order, my truck is always clean, inside and out, and i'm always anal about everything working correctly on my truck as it's supposed to.

My $.02 worth

cheers

BND

I'm pulling an oversized load for the first time. From Laredo, TX to St. Paul, MN. I was born in Mn and haven't been back since, so I'm looking forward to this trip. It was supposed to be picked up on Wenesday, but I couldn't move until I had, at least, the Texas permit. I got all of them eventually. I have to deliver on Monday, Austin is on the way so I get an extra day at home because it won't take me four plus days to get there.

My take home pay for this week was over $1,100.00, I guess I did some hustling last week. Next week is going to suck big time, I was dispatched on some poorly paying runs. I was supposed to pick up a load of aluminum bound for In. I couldn't take it because I would be overweight. Then I had a flat. Most of that day was wasted.

I've been in Texas for over a week now. Usually, I am far away from Texas. I am used to the heat, but I really want to go back to the mountains. It has been in the 90's in far South Texas and that is not even close to being hot yet.

Those two sentences contradict eachother. The company has told you that due to the safe stat score you have a 97% chance of being inspected if you cross a scale. So just based on the statement more TMC trucks will be inspected then a company with a better Safestat score.

Good job on passing on your part, that will help improve the driver portion of the safesat score, but the fact that the trailer was placed out of service will go against the vehicle portion of the score.


terrylamar,

Make sure you read your permits completely and do not deviate from the route that is on the permits. Some states you can not run at night depending on your load and others will not allow you to run on the weekend. I asked Josh in Indy if TMC had a book of the restrictions for over sized loads for each state and he said no had had a kind of dumb look when I asked. Much to my satisfaction when I started at my new job, I was given a binder with each states oversized requirements and restrictions broken down by each state. What a concept. :roll:

Terry, the other night when I was at the warehouse, I thought of ya. Our warehouse is right behind the Flyin J/right beside I-27 in Lubbock. I saw a TMC going north towards Armadillo on I-27, but I didnt see a no flag on the trailer.

Sounds like a good check you had. Some times it happens like that. One week, real good, and the next you get short hauls, or cheap freight. :P

That is not true, I was faxed all that information. I don't know about Josh, but the permit department certainly has it all.

I still seem to be slow turning in my Trippak. Or rather, I think Trippak is slow picking up and turning them in. I have been turning them in on the same day I make delivery, I make sure the pickup time is after I turn them in and my average is still 3.1 days. I'm screwed by the fickle finger of fate!

I haven't been out your way in a while. I constantly ask my Fleet Manager to send me to the West. I get sent where I'm needed. I'll be out that way before long.

Cool beans. Hopefully, you will get a chance to come out here more.

Ok, hope these aren't stupid questions. Does TMC have a time line for you to secure your load during pickup? I know as experience grows you get faster but what happens if it takes you longer to secure as normal due to weather problems, injury or even being a new driver with inexperience? Also does TMC add extra time to give you time to deliver the load safely? Other words, allow time for fueling, time for you to eat, shower or even get some sleep. I read a post, here I think, that a driver waited almost 10 hours to get loaded and it had to be delivered the next day and it was 500 miles away. So the hours he waited to get loaded, he logged as time off, and drove all night to get the load on time. Ok, more than likely he didnt get any sleep while he was waiting to get loaded. If I remember right he got the load there on time. Good job BTW. Would he have gotten written up if during the night he couldn't take it anymore and had to pull over and get some rest which would make the load late getting there? The way I look at it, it's the shippers fault getting him loaded that late and knowing it has to be delivered the next day. So that shouldn't make the driver or TMC look bad because it got there late. Am I wrong looking at that situation that way? Ok thats all. Thanks.

I'm a brand new driver, I take my time securing and tarping. It is done to my satisfaction each and every time. If you are delayed for any reason not your own, your fleet manager will call and change your delivery time. From what I have seen there are several extra days built into almost every load. Your fleet manager takes the miles and devides by an average hour, I don't know what this average is. He gives you more than enough time to make it. There are some loads that have to be there at a certain time or day. You better make these. It is in your best interest. If you have to sit and extra day or over the weekend waiting to deliver that means less loads for you, consequently less money. It also means less money or TMC, they won't fire you, you penalize yourself with less runs and TMC might/probably will take off certification points so you will be making a lower percentage. In my very short experience, it is extremely hard not to make an appointment on time, even early. I am asking my FM to change my delivery time a day or more frequently.

I have determined that the very best way to succeed at TMC is to communicate, early and often, with your fleet manager. I have missed delivery appointments because of shipper, traffic, or regular truck driving BS. The thing is that I let my FM know what was going on and all was well. The FM's are overbooked on drivers and expecting your FM to know what is going on in your life is prit near stupit. Another example, if I end up being off schedule on my delivery times, I simply let my FM know the day before so that he can schedule a short load so that I can catch up.

As far as detention, I am sure the ne'er do well's and disgruntled ex TMC drivers would assume that TMC is stealing all the detention money and buying a new motor for the TMC race car. In reality, if you think of the fact that TMC has multi-million dollar contracts with shippers (Phelps, LaFarge, Tamko, Lowe's, etc.), weaseling detention pay out of them may not be good business. Although slow shippers F's up my day, I deal with it and go on. Often, because I am not a whiner, my FM rewards me with a sweet load.

Any current TMC drivers have any opinions on the new depart macro?

It's the begining of a new era, where eventually the company want's to go paperless logs. I met a newbie yesterday who was in his truck for 2 days, and he's on the Macro 11, sending in his 14 hrs start times. halfway there. Every fleet manager had to assign 2 guys to this new system.

I had a guy in my orientation class, who was also there on TQM the same time i was, and he's also on this 14HR thing. He says it's not hurting him a bit, b/c he mostly gets preloaded every single day, to match up his 14hrs, and to match his delivery times, even if it's delayed or so.

IMO until they figure out the weblogs to see that we are in the sleeper or off duty, and not on duty not driving or driving, i don't want anything to do with it.

Cheers

BND

i got 2 messages about the new macro but i still had the old one yesterday when i delivered. it makes more sense to get the hours for the day instead of whats left of your 70 for most of the drivers anyway.

BND, were you in the TQM class in joplin 2 weeks ago?

Yup... i was the 4.61% guy. lol... Don't tell me you were there too...

yes. i was #2 on that list

crap. wish i would've known... was pretty cool thought hat we set the building ion fire, right? lol...

yea those women at the desk had a pi$$y attitude after that. well now they know how well built that hotel really is. me and 2 others had to re-certify and didnt want to go to dsm and joplin is convienient. from what i have read, you are staying pretty busy. i have been on a few laredo out and back runs. they pay real well and get me home. its getting boring though. i havent thrown tarps in a few weeks, so i might forget how when i need to :shock:

Oh yeah. My FM is a big part of that. This certification i got 185 points, and now i'm really happy. The hing is though, that i stood out a couple of weekends and one time 3 weeks in a row. It was by choice, and sort of by chance too. My wife went to Europe for 2 weeks to visit family, and i stood out 3 that time, than she had to go back on an emergency this weekend, so i'
m stayong out this weekend too. She lost her job over this emergency visit, so once she's back, she's going to ride with me for a couple weeks, so again i will stay out. If i have Home on the road, Y go home? If i have my wife with me, the only thing holding me to NYC, why even bother going back up there...

We were also playing with the thought of putting all our stuff in storage, and totally live on the road for a while to help put away money. $1800 a month for rent is a little steep. hehe

can't wait for her to see the country, and i told my FM to take us west. see the rockies, the grand canyon, and so on. I might again go to LA. lol...

This was my fist week that sucked. Every week before this one i delivered 5 loads in a row, and had great checks. Thank God i'm going to be excused for this week, since it wasn't my fault. I believe i even get breakdown pay. the good thing that came out of all this is that I got a DOT sticker for both the tractor and trailer.

Hey Terry. Have you changed your phone number? I've been trying to reach you, and nothing happened. Please PM me your new number.

Cheers

BND

PS: I apologize that i couldn't update you guys more often about my progress, but i'm working hard, sometimes really long days, so all i think about at the end of a day is sleep. I'm going to try to get my crap together to start actually documenting the loads i get, and different conditions i get in

Cheers

well i hope everyones week went better than mine got my truck in columbia tuesday dropped two loads picked up from us fence in tn going to ca and been broke down every since made it to little rock blew a turbo got a new one put in on the roadside. made it almost to Oklahoma city blew the other one and pretty much the whole top end. I sure hope this is going to get all my bad luck out of the way in the beginning. 5 days in the truck broke down 3. peterbilt isn't even going to look at my truck until tuesday. so ill probally be stuck here all week unless they send me to get another truck some where else. well hope everyone has a good week.

hey were old flatbed fred? havn't seen him in here for awhile.
must be running hard making the big money

Hehehe. I've been here lurking. Didn't see any questions that required my response and my trucking stories are kinda boring now given I run dedicated and haul the same old stuff day in and day out. Compared to the driving stories here now, mine are downright BORING. Job is great but not as exciting as it used to be when I ran OTR for TMC. I really miss the open road and time away from home. Strange? I guess so.
Anyway, thanks for asking about me.... Made me all warm and fuzzy inside!