Trans Am Trucking, Inc. - Olathe, Ks.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by Werewolf, Feb 4, 2006.

  1. Joethemechanic

    Joethemechanic Medium Load Member

    373
    32
    Mar 22, 2006
    Phila Pa
    0
    Lease Purchase deals just plain old outright suck. They are a lousy way of becoming an owner operator.

    If you really want to be an owner operator, this is pretty much the only way I ever see it work out.

    You work for somebody else and save your pennies until you have about $15,000 - $20,000 in the bank.

    You go out and buy a used Mack, IHC, Ford Louieville, or something like that for under $10,000. (Think Fleet Specs) The truck will probably be 15 years old or so. Be capable of doing your own repairs.

    Be prepared to get dirty.

    With any luck you will still have about $10,000 left and you are going to need it.

    Keep the truck clean and well maintained, but forget about fancy lights and chrome.

    Lease on to a carrier that does some kind of local work like sea containers, pulling off the rail head, flatbed loads of construction material, or something like that.

    Buy your own base plate and bobtail insurance.

    Be prepared to get dirty.

    Start saving your pennies again until you have $30,000 to $35,000 put away.

    Start shopping for a better truck (Hopefully by now you know something about the business, and you know what kind of truck is going to make you more money).

    Look for a better carrier to lease on to, or find a shipper that likes you, get your own authority if needed, and buy your own primary liability and cargo insurance.

    Be prepared to get dirty.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. rockcandy1013

    rockcandy1013 Bobtail Member

    7
    0
    Mar 30, 2006
    0


    How can u make that statement?, the lease program has only been in effect for a year and this I know for a fact! in defense of trans am I earlier didnt say trams am was the worst thier not beyond repair, just that for ME its not worth my hard work/time to get involved in a one win situation for a company, any company for that matter.

    Several individuals leased trucks with dents in it and torn seats ( they saw them comming ) and is paying 500 + a week for this? on the promise they would get into a new truck while waiting on a list,
    I'm not sure what part of the planet ur from but brand new means brand new where I come from......I also wanted to add and u didnt have any comment about, was the fact that i have spoken to a min of 30 drivers ( small numbers in relation to the amout of drivers trans am has ) and not one was pleased with the program or the maintenance especially when the "Guaranteed Home Time (Can be home every 8 days) " is not a guarantee..... ask them what it means.... now if u live in kansas area or texas area im sure its better than average.


    Personaly I left trans am for several reasons but one that sticks out in my mind the most is the decieving and the next is the mentality of its organization twards its drivers and how they have to put with the TA system. im sure u will hear more about TA in the future their on the second year of the least program lets sit back and watch the reviews come in Friend, and see what happens. remember thiers the rt way or the TA way lol........Rock
     
  4. rockcandy1013

    rockcandy1013 Bobtail Member

    7
    0
    Mar 30, 2006
    0
    OH and one more thing ....( of many ) " we have the best lease program out there" what kind of statement is that really? better than the other rippoffs? or the best one to keep u in the company so u can pay our payment on the truck ?

    and the last time I understood "Guaranteed Home Time (Can be home every 8 days)" ment ur money or some sort of compensation back in leiu of default... well i guess i was wrong....

    Im taking the old fashoned look at getting a truck work a year if i like it buy one threw a dealer and screw the leasing. after all this is AMerica and no one should have to bow to a company to kiss ### just to make a living rt? and ty turbo for ur insights well done mate.
     
  5. TurboTrucker

    TurboTrucker Road Train Member

    861
    276
    Feb 23, 2005
    Rossville, Georgia
    0
    What has it cost me?

    No...it's STILL my opinion, and I base it upon the responses you have chosen to offer on the subject. You see, you're not dealing with an amateur here. I've been around for just little while, both in the cyber world and in the trucking industry.

    Thank you. Your story has changed already. Up yonder, you specifically said you had been in the program for "15 months", so who's the one making false statements here? What you need to understand is that I am not trying to convince YOU that I am being truthful. It's the other way around, or did you miss this somehow?

    But yesterday, you were so convinced that any person who made any claim that he wasn't making a great living with TransAm, had to be a guy that parked their truck early in the day, or was holding a grudge of some sort due to the buyout of James Helwig And Sons. It absolutely couldn't be due to the fact that there are problems making enough money because of the specific issues that Werewolf raised.

    He states clearly the problems that have led around 250 contractors to hang it up in the past year:

    When a management change occured, routing and mileage changed. Terms outlined in the contracts were being breached. They quit paying detention time. They drastically altered their fuel surcharge program. As a result of these things, the man began suffering negative settlements.

    The reason why I know that you are not what you claim to be is simply because you have not addressed ONE of these specific issues, which anyone with a brain would do with little problem, if indeed they were false.

    After all of this, you are simply going to offer that you are not aware of a thing that he raised because "no one has said anything to YOU about these type of problems."

    Dontcha think that your defense is a little weak?

    84 cents per mile is extremely cheap, and that is a rate that is most certainly less than doable. It's an insult. It's nothing short of a rate that demands that the only way to stay above water, is to work your butt off week on end. They rake in the larger share of the profits while the driver hopes that nothing goes wrong during his week, because if it does, he's going to tank into the red.

    When I offer that there are companies that offer a buck a mile in base pay, they do it on every dispatched mile. They offer a clear and concise fuel surcharge program that is based on the Department Of Energy web site, and they pay accordingly to the changes that occur every Wednesday in the retail price of diesel fuel.

    The sad thing is, there are so many drivers that are not aware of what they should be getting in terms of a fuel surcharge, or what the prevailing base rate being offered out there at any given point, and those that lease trucks from a carrier, are the most likely to suffer in those two departments. In addition to that, these drivers will often pay up to double the worth of a truck in the span of the lease, and if they reside in some states, the company will be more than willing to assess sales taxes and fees that would choke a mule if it had to eat them for lunch.

    That's not a TransAm issue from where I sit. But it's nice to see that you recognize that it didn't address the issue at hand.

    I didn't get any impression that this was his problem. He stated that they were not ROUTING drivers near their home, and thus was having to endure driving many unpaid empty miles to get home. It's more an issue that due to the change in management strategy, things have been going downhill. This is also typical. An idiot with an agenda will take over as the head cheese, and will do whatever it takes to drive up profits. What better way to do it, than to make it economically uncomfortable for the driver, which will then force him to work harder, and longer to try and compensate for a loss in compensation?

    Gee..that line right there could have come from an operations department employee's lips VERY easily. Care to confess?

    What you say is true, to the bone. The thing here, is that I don't think the man up there was one of those irresponsible drivers. He offered that he had a history with the company. He weathered the buyout. This indicates to me that he knew the system as it was, and hometime was one of his least concerns and charges. To throw this in, is an attempt to further obscure things and to cloud the issues at hand.

    On the contrary. I happen to be extremely open minded and am capable of being fair to companies and the people who discuss them, even when I disagree. Peruse the forums. The thing is, I can spot dishonesty and misrepresentation a mile away, and I will denounce it at every opportunity.

    That's easy. The vast majority of the guys that make it through those lease/purchase programs throw caution to the wind, and they run illegal. They may be company "kiss-ups", and will do anything short of offering sexual favors to get the gravy runs. Others may actually do the deed to get what they want.

    Percentages. That's the REAL question to address. What are the PERCENTAGE of people that enter the program, that actually do make it to completion? The national average is less than five percent. 75 percent of people that enter lease/purchase scams wind up in trouble with the IRS. 25 percent file bankruptcy or lose substantial credit standing due to their direct association with these type of arrangements.

    You're now getting the picture. You're not going to float this fantasy past me as a means of luring in unsuspecting people to the spiderweb. You're now sounding like a recruiter or a company plant. It's not the first time this has happened in here, nor will it be the last.

    Thank you for the spiritual debate.
     
    roaddawg92 Thanks this.
  6. TurboTrucker

    TurboTrucker Road Train Member

    861
    276
    Feb 23, 2005
    Rossville, Georgia
    0
    No...he's not on thin ice. I welcome the opportunity to debate these kind of issues. He made no direct attack on Werewolf, so what he's offered is fair game.

    He's not even grasping at straws. He's not offered ONE credible contradiction to the evidence that exists in this thread, which makes TransAm questionable to any reader who stumbles upon this thread.

    He can call me a liar all he wants. Proving that I am is another task, and he's not up to the challenge. This is why I don't get upset. I can back up my stances, and have.

    BINGO!!! If theirs was any different, he could cite the reasons why that would be so. Has anyone learned a thing from what he offered in his responses, other than what the hometime policy is?
     
  7. RIFLEMAN

    RIFLEMAN Bobtail Member

    9
    1
    Apr 1, 2006
    0
    I said that I had been with Trans Am for 15 mos., not that I had been in the LEASE Program for 15 mos. I started there as a company driver. I've in in the Lease for nigh on a year. Keep twisting it. You do good at that.
     
  8. PortlandDriver

    PortlandDriver RIP, May You Be Heaventown Bound!

    335
    17
    May 30, 2005
    Pacific Northwest
    0
    The rate of .84 cents a mile is at least 5 years if not 10 years out of date.
    I drove for an O/O leased onto Werner in the mid to late 90s and the going rate at the time had been .81 a mile, at the time it was not to dificult to find fuel for well under a dollar a gallon. He was thrilled when he had a truck payed three cents a mile..

    With fuel over two dollars a gallon through out the country with some areas pushing three you are not working for yourself but a slave to the truck.
    And seeing this is a "lease to own" deal the situation is nothing more indentered servitude.

    There are some maintenence items that can be planned for such as services and tires. $3,000 plus can be a bitter pill to swollow for drive rubber when you are also looking at other repairs such as a clutch/drive axle or an inframe on the engine. The last I checked the going shop rate in my area averages $60/an hour. If you have a serious amount of work to be done the bill can add up quickly. If you are on the road you will need to plan on a motel room and depending on the area it can be spendy.. I broke down in Oakland Ca a couple years ago and had a lay over during a weekend and the cheepest room I found was $150 a night...
     
  9. TurboTrucker

    TurboTrucker Road Train Member

    861
    276
    Feb 23, 2005
    Rossville, Georgia
    0
    Well well well....That puts a whole new spin on things, doesn't it? I knew that he was not being forthcoming in his responses.

    Now THIS is pertanent information. You offered a figure. You offered something with teeth. $500.00 a week in payments for a used truck is outrageous.

    I wish to thank you for your insight into TransAm. You cite the good and the bad.
     
  10. TurboTrucker

    TurboTrucker Road Train Member

    861
    276
    Feb 23, 2005
    Rossville, Georgia
    0
    You're absolutely right. You did word it that way. I apologize for the incorrect statement.

    This does not take the focus off of the rest of the innacuracies and the salesman like tactics you have offered in your responses, but you get a cookie for that one anyway. I've done no twisting of anything you offered. The above was a simple misunderstanding. My bad.

    C'mon...fess up. What's your actual involvement with TransAm Trucking? You're not a truck driver. You're WAY too defensive. A driver wouldn't go to the lengths that you have to defend a trucking company, no matter how much they liked them.

    Do you know how the average driver's mind works? Most guys want to see empty trucks. That means more freight for them to haul.
     
  11. PortlandDriver

    PortlandDriver RIP, May You Be Heaventown Bound!

    335
    17
    May 30, 2005
    Pacific Northwest
    0
    You could have been more forth coming on this point, your statements up to now indicated you have been on the lease program from day one of your "employment"...

    I don't agree with this at, TurboTrucker has been stating his opinion on the subject. In fact it is a common concencus with experienced drivers and O/O to stay away from a situation you are in.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.