Interstate Distribution Company - Tacoma, Wa.

Well it seems like IDC is a pretty decent place to work from what I've heard here. My wife and I are about to start school and Interstate seems to be alot better then Covenant whom we were looking at before we read these boards.

Id love to hear more from teams currently employed with IDC about the quality of the equipment and maintenance, available miles/runs, etc. Where to start your career is a huge decision.

 

A few posts back, I ranted and raved about a few things that were going on with us and IDC and was perusing the forums to check out what was being said about other companies. We decided to stick it out with IDC and am now glad that we did.

I recently finished my training with them and am now teaming with my husband and they are keeping us running our butts off. I tested out and was turned loose on a Wednesday to drive and by that weekend, we already had 3200 miles. We are turning in about 5000 mi for this week... was hoping for more, but they consider us a training team. Hopefully by showing on time deliveries, we will be in the "extreme team" category soon and get more.....but I am happy with what we are doing for now.

The equipment is generally really good. Our truck is older.. a 2004 Freightliner Columbia, but its in great condition. They all have 1500 W power inverters, so you can take along a microwave or whatever else you want to bring thats 110V. They are fully automatic.. and while that receives a lot of groans from veteran drivers, my husband, who is a 20 year veteran that swore he would never drive an automatic, now loves it. I trained on a manual and loved it... but now I'm sold on the auto-shifts.. LOL but I am a rookie so I don't think my 2 cents really counts for much. Basically the trucks are not lacking in anything when it comes to comfort and convenience on the road. I hear a lot of teams complaining about not having APU's on their trucks... which I really don't understand, because the wheels rarely stop turning on a teams truck so the trucks AC or heater is just fine to keep comfy with. A lot of newer trucks do have them, though.. but as a newbie with the co, expect to get an 04 or 05 for a while.

Maintenance-wise, IMHO opinion, they seem to stay pretty much on top of things. They keep track of when your truck is due for whatever type of service it needs, and let you know so that you can get to the nearest IDC yard to get it done. Most of the facilities are excellent. Our biggest issues haven't been with the repairs done at the terminal, but rather with Freightliner dealerships themselves. They bite!

Anyways.. In a nutshell, I am glad that we are staying. I think we are going to do just fine here. K & J.. good luck to ya. Are you planning on attending the IDC sponsored school or pick your own? I went through their school.. if you have any questions about that, don't hesitate to ask.

 

Congradulations GungHoGal!!!! WTG!
Im glad you guys are happy with IDC... I spoke to their recruiting office but did not ask about their sponsored school... Id love more informtion about IDC sponsored school as both of us going thru a local school will completely deplete our savings. Sad huh?.... Well thats why were making this change.. Its time to put some money in the bank for retirement and stop living paycheck to paycheck hoping to have enough to pay the bills. Any advice you can offer about the schooling, getting adjusted to the lifestyle, etc. is most welcome.
=========================================================================

Well... after I posted this I called IDC to ask about their sponsored class and actually got a recruiter on the phone... when I asked about IDC sponsored schooling I was informed that they are not hiring trainees from FL right now.... DOH!

 

Well... Interstate did call us back and ended up hiring us both. We start school at Mesalands on Sept 5th and look forward to orientation after that. I'm glad Interstate gave us a look after all!

How is it going for you guys? Any hardships adjusting to the road? Getting plenty of miles?

 

Hi K & J.... Awesome to hear that you guys are starting school. Just as a warning.. Mesalands is.. "different" LOL BUT looking back on my experience there, I did learn TONS and although I kind of thought that we didn't get enough OTR experience there, I did feel pretty comfortable going in to orientation and local training. The instructor at Mesalands, Kenneth, sometimes seems a little bit harsh at times, but he's ok. Vernon is the backbone of the program and he is a great guy. Just a tip... when you are going for your local training, you will most likely be doing it at either the Tacoma facility, or the one in Troutdale, OR. INSIST on the Troutdale terminal. That's where I went while a few other close classmates stayed in Tacoma and wow.. what a difference in my training compared to theirs! Mine was much much better! You each will probably get your own trainer for that specific training and Jack and Ed are awesome.. 'Rob?... ehhh not quite sure about him lol. Interstate is treating us very well.. keeping us running pretty good averaging around 5000 miles a week. A while back we had hit a few bumps with them due to a lousy dispatcher, but the one we have now is fabulous and we are calling them "home". If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask!!
Tracy

 

Hi GungHo Gal, I just got a pre hire letter from IDC calling today to schedule a orientation date. Do you know if they hav any terminals in Cal where they hold orientations? I live in Nor Cal. Thanks Rick

 

Tacoma, WA and Lebanon, TN from what they told me for Orientation... They do have terminals in CA however according to the webiste

 

They told us we would be trained together! The trainer will stay in a motel while we live in the truck... At least its not all 3 of us living in the truck.

A couple of questions... Is there anything to do in Tucumcari? Is there a laundrymat near by the motel and do they have internet access in the motel?

The other line of questioning is what should we bring with us to training besides clothing? Should we bring a 12v cooler? sat radio? cb? etc.... dont know what we should bring since the truck will be the trainer's truck.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Keith & June

 

Bring as little as possible to orientation. Bring any doctor releases Drivers License and your Social Security Card and a credit card/ATM card. Knowing the S.S. number is not enough you must have the card. Make sure all info such as past employment current driving record and names and dates are in your possession and accurate when going to orientation. Clothes, bedding and grooming supplies only. When you have your own truck then you can get routed to the house and load up on things. All IDC trucks have shore power ( house outlet) and the trainer probably has his/her appliances in the truck as well. Call IDC recruiting and have them send a list of things needed to complete orientation successfully. On Orientation day 1 Have a Full Bladder also.

Remember that you are not hired till they clear your application give you a road test and you pee in a cup. You have been invited to orientation and that is it. Best of luck!

 

Do you know if they hav any terminals in Cal where they hold orientations? I live in Nor Cal. Thanks Rick

You have to do orientation in Tacoma Wa if you live in N-Cal. They have terminals in Fontana Ca and Orland Ca. But only do orientation in Wa for west coast drivers. Good luck