We think this is a great company to work for. What you hear is what you get, very refresing.
We drive team on a dedicated run from Columbus OH to LA and average over 6000 miles a week. We usually have our next load on the Qualcom before we deliver the load we're on.
The fleet manager we have has always gotten us home when we tell him we want to be there.
From all I've heard at truck stops the pay is competitive.
I would recommend this company to any O/O.
Only draw back I know of is when my partner ran as solo company driver he did have to wait to get the next load, and sometimes it was hours. But from what I hear all companies are like that with solo drivers.
Great company.

Well, I finished their orientation in Indiana a week and a half ago. It was very intense. The physical was much more demanding than any I have taken so far. The classroom training was fast paced but thorough. I got 10 hours of backing range maneuvers and learned more than I did in truck driving school. I got some driving time in which helped build my confidence. I feel much more prepared to be out there having gone through Transport America's orientation than I did before hand. Their range trainers were patient and presented the maneuvers in a way that made more sense to me than the quick shove through truck driving school.

They did okay feeding us all three meals and giving us motel accomodations. I appreciated not having to have so much out of pocket expenses. They shuttled us by van to and fro and I was able to make the 7 hour journey to Indiana in a company van as well. [Yay, no Greyhound for me but some others had to take the dog.]

I am still waiting for my trainer. I wasn't real impressed after talking to her on the phone and I am nervous about being out 3-4 weeks straight with her. Hopefully it will turn out better than expected and just inaccurate first impressions. The company still hasn't dispatched her to my part of the country yet and I am sitting and waiting to be called to meet her at the nearest terminal [which is 3 hours away from me]. One good thing, they are paying me $50/day to sit and wait. I don't know if all the other companies do that but I am appreciative this one does. I just need to "get'r done" and get in to my own rig so I can bring home more than the $249/ week [after all the deductions] training pay. I have bills piling up.

I am glad to read of the other "trainee's" experience. He is right, these companies are like trying on gloves. It is so very confusing as a "newbie". You don't know who to trust and what is best for you. I do feel that this company will provide me with the necessary training before being released on my own. So far, they have made sure I have had the training and answers I need. I feel I too have made the right choice. Will check in with ya'll later. Take care and be safe!

DG

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DG, glad you successfully finished orientation. I am sure you will do well with your trainer. Hope you two get together soon

Could you enlighten us a bit more about the nature of the physical... and any physical strength/agility tests at orientation?

I've got a couple of years on me and have been working a sedentary job for several years. I don't want to pull the plug and head off to Indiana if the physical requirements are tougher than I can handle.

Thanks.

I haven't experienced this and asked rob what is up...?????

so far, all but one load, has been preplanned for us... meaning we know what we are doing for load 2 while still hauling load 1, often several days in advance.

robs best explaination... daily we send in a qualcom macro updating the computer with our available hours of service...

this lets the dispatcher know how much (big) of a run you can handle before your 34 hour restart shuts you down...

3 points:

1) if you have 12 hours available... they won't give you a 14 hour run... that needs to be there the next afternoon... meaning you can't do it legally... exception... they may have you relay a load halfway and swap it to a new driver if it takes you close to home... they hate the 34 hour restart on the road as much as you do...

2) if you haven't managed your time wisely, (think, playing videos mid-day at the truck stop) you can effectively waste your line 3 and 4 log book all gone...

3) if you don't update your qualcom, they may think you are out of hours when you are not.

so.... maybe mid winter when freight is dead it could happen... hasn't happened to me and I've been told its doubtful it ever will so long as I am doing all I can on my part to work with dispatch to keep me preplanned.

the whole physical agility test takes about 5 minutes... and it may be harder on females than men... (no hate mail please) some is probably easier on the ladies also...

1st... (stairs) step up, step down, step up, step down, repeatedly for 2 minutes... two minutes isn't long but I'm old, fat and smoke... lol I never started panting but was breathing thru my mouth the last 90 seconds or so... haha... but there were bigger older guys that made it, so it is doable.
next: tip a hand truck back and push it the length of a 53' trailer and back with two milk crates on it, one with about (50 lbs.) in it.

next: pick up the 50 lb. milk crate and carry it the length of the trailer and back.

next: a lady empties the four weights from the crate (it may only weigh 40 pounds???? but my pride says it was 50) anyways she puts one weight in the crate and has you pick it up and put the crate on the tailgate of the truck then put it back on the floor.

you do this and she adds a weight and you repeat until all the weights are in the box. then lastly put the milk crate back on the dolly.

next: climb up in the trailer with a proper three point stance for safety then climb back out using the d.o.t. bar for a step.

next and last and please don't laugh:

on the ground... duck walk 8 feet to simulate how you would check the king-pin... I went first... and was like, really? your not teasing???? you want me to duck walk???? was told... well stoop or whatever so your head would clear the trailer...

done...

there was a 53-54 year old lady in our class and she made it ok... though the tossing the crate in the truck was hard on her... I didn't grin... because she flew thru the steps that had me sweating... lol so there is something hard/rough for all... but everybody passed, no big deal.

hope this helps...

WEEK (4) FOUR !!!!!

load to baltimore... back load from there to saint louis, from there to minnesota via a (one day layover for testing) then to minnesota then back to iowa...

testing...

108 questions, general company policies, how to operate the qual com... (what macro to use but they gave me a cheater card just like the one taped to the dashboard so this part was a real no brainer... duh???)
about 10 hazmat questions... test took about 30 minutes... I missed 4 or 5 and scored a 94%, they said this was real good, rob said it is his student average...

girl from scottsburg, I was in class with at the same time, was there... she scored a (missed 14) whatever percent that is... her trainer... well the trainer took the test and missed 17...

true story lol and rob was just shaking his head....

the trainer passed also.... : ) I think you can miss 20 and pass...

next:

the drive test... I was so nervous I blew it big time... grinding away, tunnel vision, the whole nine yards... backed the trailer into a three hole slot... the safety guy (keith) says I know there are three holes there... don't park it in the middle... keep it tight right so I know you can back up ok... I backed it in perfectly... and failed because I didn't g.o.a.l. get out and look.

then the attitude sealed it... goal???? it's three wide and I straight-lined it in... I didn't need to g.o.a.l.

now keith is a very nice guy... but he has no sense of humor about safety... which probably why he has the job in the first place...

he said we'd try it again later... and left me hanging for about an hour and a half wondering if I'd blown the job...

came back out to retest and he didn't get in the truck???????? what's up there???? he said you passed the driving... (shock, I was nervous) just need to back properly... told me to pull it out and move it over six holes in between two trailers.

I pulled it over... got out and looked.... back up even with the trailers... got out and looked again... and backed it in...

he passed me...

no trucks available... : (

the yard was crammed full of brand spanking new freightliners.... said... no no no.... you ride home with rob and we'll issue you a 2-3 year old truck... when you don't wreck that one... we'll bump you into a new one in 6 months...

lol... yeah well I can dream can't I ???

anyways...

good run home... and am to call my local guy monday and see what he has... may be monday or not??? maybe friday...??? will go recover a truck or else shuttle to another yard for my truck...

what a shame... I was right there with a lot full of new'uns they could have sent me out on a run that day... hehe

seen ya soon...

Good deal. Congrats on testing out and on your way to being solo. Now stay clean for 6 months, are you'll be in one of those brand spanking new Freightliners.

Gray Wolf Trans: I looked thier site over and I saw the .92 cents per mile, but it didn't list any fuel pay. Do they pay additional money for the fuel... or does it come out of the .92 cents? ( I may have missed it...?)

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In the wind...

yes, they pay a fuel surcharge...

Week 5 or Week one Solo ; )

monday I sat around til 9:30 before "chris" called. took til noon to firm up I was going anywhere. took til 3:30 to actually say, head to north liberty, your ride is waiting for you.

my ride was emanuel, owner op, headed to egan mn.

once there:

I was handed keys to a truck taped to an 8x10 picture of me.

not my truck... just one they needed hauled to janesville wisc.

spent the night in the truck, met my "fleet manager" phyllis and her boss mark or mike???

drove to janesville under load to chicago. swapped to my semi permanent truck, slept and headed for chicago. (more on chicago later).

did chicago, had a load cancelled to kc then loaded for eua claire wisc.

hopped the bridge to plainview wisconsin loaded-up and headed home...

got to north liberty and did a quick trailer shag. not real happy...

ooooooo wait a second..... grabbed the drivers handbook... yep $60 bucks for slightly under 2 hours wished they had a dozen more... which they didn't so I headed home... don't have to be back until 7 a.m. monday morning...

and they truck is in the shop having a B maintenance done over the week end. will bring it home next week...

good week... made about 600. No, I'm honestly not sure... lol newbie forgot to right down the pay approvals as he went. next post for more about chicago. / fiasco...