Trans Am Trucking, Inc. - Olathe, Ks.

Think of that old adage, "if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is..." If you think the math is good with the lease option, just remember two things:
1. As a newbie there may be overhead items you haven't even thought of yet...
2. You yourself bring up the most important caveat, "sounds good... if you get the miles"

A lot of companies will sweat a lessee for no better reason than they get the truck back when the lessee finally gives up. You might think that they would help a lessee succeed, but looking at the bottom line it actually benefits them to be soulless.

Personally, I wouldn't ever lease a truck unless there were a provision that allowed me to find and pull brokered loads if my miles dropped to a certain point. This is a provision that I seriously doubt most major companies would allow.

(in interest of full disclosure, I am a newbie, and am looking to sign onto my first company as well.... however I have been doing months of reading and research on forums and the internet here, which has given me a much better grasp of the industry.)

 

From what I have read on here, be very careful on a lease. It doesn't look like the majority have wroked out for the driver. The company, however, continues to thrive. Imagine that? What type of benefits (medical, dental, vision and retirement) would you receive? Those are very important long term items that need to be addressed. Good luck and let us know.

 

I have a bridge for sale.........interested???

 

a bridge, hhmm, i might be interested.... hehehehehe hahahahaha

 

yea you would be better off buying the bridge then go to work for trans am trust me i know!!!

 

thanks for the input. i called them and they cant give me a pre-hire anyway. go figure. i have on from like 10 other companies but not them. maybe that is a good sign. thanks again for the input.

 

Fate has a funny way of making things happen.....

 

yes it does, now the problem is who else to go with. i am trying to take the lesser of all evils. i have prehires through werner, swift, usa truck and am waiting to hear back from tmc, roehl, us express, england, and a couple more. i think i have ruled our werner and swift. leaning towards usa, but would like roehl or us express. just dont know. see how many more turn me down or give me prehires and narrow it down from there.

 

Well Good Luck Buddy..... let us know what happens!

 

Is Transam a good company to work for? Can't answer that for anybody but me. I am a felon and they were just about the only company willing to give me a chance so for that, I am grateful. I am a company driver so heres some of the things you can expect when hired by them.
Your trainer. They have good ones and bad ones. For some reason, this company thinks that a driver with only 3 months experience can make a good trainer. Mine had 6 and he was ok. I was only his 2nd student so it was kind of rocky. Have done most of my learning on my own once I was by myself. Seems I learn best from my mistakes and have made mosy of them that you can.
Once you are finished with your trainer and have tested out in Olathe. You will sit a minimum of 6 days waiting on a truck. UNLESS-you wish to do the L/O bit. Then you can have a truck that day once the paperwork is finished. If you do do the L/O, please remember that you have just become a small business owner with all that entails.
Once you get a truck, you will be introduced to Your FM (fleet manager) and hope you get a good one. haven't decided if mine is good yet. Seem to have ok miles but seldom have a preplan. Know they exisit and keep asking for one but seldom see it. Once I do an empty call tho, usually have a load.
Hope that you get an 06 or 07 truck. I got an 04 and am now sitting in the yard waiting on a different one. Lease on this truck is running out and it now has to be parked. Have been here since the 23rd and am still waiting. Would have thought that one would have been here waiting for me to just swap with, but you would have been wrong.
Don't know if i am rambling or not so will close with this. Plan to stay here a year for the experience then go somehwere else. The worker bees here do seem to try to help out but management seems to be pretty rocky. I say that just from my experience of having to sit and wait. Looks like they hire more than they have trucks for, then just wait for somebody to quit.
Better stop there cause now I know I am rambling. Hope I helped.