So, there's a few companies I am looking at before I decide which to go to. I am currently a student at SAGE. Now, it is my understanding, with a company like TMC, the pay (percentage of load) is better, and if you get in good with your dispatcher, you can kinda-sorta, as best you can, get your "weekend" time at a location of your choice. I know its not as good as it sounds.

My question is: Being a driver, OTR, if you have no kids, wife, things of that nature, not having to technically go home for your time off, can you request to pick up loads to end up somewhere you'd like to rest, say, for example: Colorado?

Any help would be appreciated. Just curious, thats all. Unless its in writing, nothing is real......

I'm still in school...and i'm intrested in TMC as well...but...i wouldn't go with percentage starting out at TMC...because if you think about it...they would rather give a new driver a bigger load and pay him less...compared to a experienced driver and would have to pay him more...TMC does .30 cent a mile too...so i would start with them until they see your a good driver then maybe try the percent pay...

Oh and with the weekends...you would have to tell them when you wanna take your weekend...so that way they can start to route you home...but if you wanna take your weekend somewhere besides home...just say..."You think you can get me heading towards Las Vegas next weekend...i wanna relax there for my weekend home with a friend"...

At TMC your FM can put any "home" location into the computer at the beginning of the week and they will try to get you there. There are some drivers that do this and each weekend is a different home. Now if you start out in Maine one weekend and want to be in California the next weekend it probably won't happen. Home can be anywhere you want it to be.

I also got to request area's I wanted to visit once in a while. For example when my Wife went with me last summer I requested to go Southwest, so within an hour of the request our first load assignment took us directly from Maine to Texas, then to Utah, back to Texas, then towards home again. Those requests didn't count against my hometime either, but I don't expect to get that sort of special treatment all the time. I usually preferred to take loads that made me money but allowed me to get home regularly.

__________________
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien

Sorry Minus but I disagree with your analysis. That is probably my fault as I have not explained the percentage pay very well around here. Your percentage rate changes each month. It is only your first month that you have a the lowest 23 percent. After that you should earn 28% to 30% most of the time. The difference being that small among most drivers it won't affect who gets which load assignments. Load assignments usually have enough restrictions about available hours, delivery times, hometime locations, and so on to preclude playing the game of who can we cheat out of a few extra dollars.

The conventional wisdom is that the percentage pay is better for the new drivers because it allows them to earn 28% or more after the first month so you don't have to wait for the senoirity mileage pay raises to earn as much as the experienced drivers. Then after you have been there a couple of years the mileage rate actually may earn you more than the percentage plan.

You do not have to make the decision right now. One of the requirements while being out with a trainer is to keep track of how much each load would earn you at the percentage rate and the mileage rate. Compare those at the end of your 5 weeks of training and see what you think.

There is also the fact that with mileage you have to earn every dollar by driving for a set period of time. With percentage pay you can earn the same pay for doing less work. I once earned almost $180 in my paycheck to drive a load 90 miles. Mileage pay would have earned you $30 for the same work. Of course your Fleet Manager would not have given you a 90 mile load if you were on mileage, but that day you would have had to work a tremendous amount harder to earn what I earned.

__________________
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien

Hey thanks for your insight on TMC and trucking in general. Seeing that you live in Maine, do you mainly do most of your driving on the East Coast?

You are quite welcome.

While I was longhaul I saw 48 states and 2 provinces of Canada in my first year. I did spend a lot of time on the east coast though. Most of the time when I would get home every other weekend my FM would try to get me a load going at least as far west as IN or IL early the first week. I spent a lot of weekends in PA under a load delivering in NY, NJ, or CT for monday, and then would see a lot of NJ, CT, NY and MD the second week out before getting home to Maine for the weekend. I would also spend two weekends away from home frequently and get to run out west to TX or UT before returning. I liked to get a break from the north east traffic.

Right now I am assigned to TMC's Home Depot dedicated division in MA, so I am seeing only ME, NH, VT, MA and RI. I get home every weekend and sometimes one or two nights during the week.

__________________
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien

Just starting out you better think twice before taking a percentage pay job,if that flatbed is empty your driving for free

In my opinion it is only the paycheck at the end of the week that matters, and I earned more money on percentage than mileage. That choice is of course up to you and you can switch pay plans twice per year if you so desire. Ultimately your location and running style may make a difference in which plan serves you better.

__________________
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien