My 42 year-old husband decided he needed a career change. He got his CDL and is now going through his fourth week of a six week orientation/training with Cypress Truck Lines, which is owned by TLC ( I assume it's the same TLC.) Does anyone know anything at all about either one of these companies. So far, we've heard good things, but I would like to know more. Thank you!!!!

Yes, I know. But no web site tells everything you want to know. Most of the pertinent information, we received after my husband's application was approved. But anyway, I would like to hear from someone who has worked for them and can tell me about their experiences with Cypress.

If you are an experienced flatbedder, Cypress may treat you right. But newbies fresh out school are not assigned safe - let alone halfway decent - trucks! You have to "earn" the right to safe working conditions. After a newbie has "proven" that he or she "deserves" a safe, mechanically sound truck, they will "reward" you with one - assuming you survive.

New CDL graduates should stay far away from Cypress Truck Lines!! Please see my story in the "Report a Bad Trucking Company Here" forum. I promise you, my story is typical for new, inexperienced drivers.

Respectfully,
Robin
(6-weeks Cypress survivor)

I'm Going to work with TLC out of Holland MI. So I gess I'll fond out what kind of Co. TLC is

There is a company called TLC out of i belive Chesterton IN, this is a payroll only company, many mid size trucking companies contract to them for their payroll and workers comp issues. From what I have seen they are good people

Working for Cypress Truck Lines, Inc. is like working for any company; it's what you want it to be. Like any trucking job, to make money, you have to keep the wheels turning. Cypress is primarily flat-bedding and that means extra work and responsibility on every load, from tarping and strapping, to extra care in transport to prevent load-shift.

If it's raining, or cold, or hot, you still have to get out of the truck to secure the load. Is flat-bedding for everyone? NO. Is it a good place for new drivers? Only if you don't mind working hard and starting out at a lower pay scale than most OTR companies as a trade-off to gain experience. Mileage is paid point-to-point via straight-line miles, and not hub miles. Extra pay for tarping/polywrap, live loading, and extended wait-time adds up at the end of the week.

Of course, Cypress does make good on getting regional drivers home every weekend and even during the week if you live along one of their terminal corridors like Orlando, FL. Local Terminal and dedicated drivers get home every night, so there are some trade-offs to consider vs. OTR companies that keep a driver out for up to 3 weeks at a time.

There usually isn't enough work in Florida alone, to make over a $900 in a 70 hr work week. The Fla. market is considered an arc within 300 miles of Jacksonville, FL. Accounts in sheet-rock, steel, lumber, insulation, and sod make up the bulk of the loads. New drivers earn from $600 to $900 a week with normal effort. Most earn around $1200 per week by driving S.E. regional, after 6 weeks of training and 90 days probation.

As for driving vehicles that aren't SAFE; that's totally bogus. Vehicles go through a safety check coming-and-going. The company will not risk failing a DOT inspection or sacrificing driver safety. They would be out of business within a month if that were true. Older trucks are assigned to new drivers, while experienced drivers will get newer models. That's standard practice with any trucking company. Cypress has been actively purchasing some VERY nice KW's and Peterbuilt trucks within the last year (2007) so the older, used trucks are quickly being retired out of the fleet. (Most are within 3-4 years old since the hub miles are lower than OTR fleets that run coast-to-coast nonstop.)

Again, it's what you want to do as a driver and how much you want to put into it to make money. Like most jobs in trucking, better opportunities are a year away with experience and flat-bedding will give you twice the experience in half-the-time as will driving box vans. Been there, done that... -Hope this helps answer some questions.

tlc is a payroll only not part of cypress

skipper01uf

this is a trucker forum, why would anyone put a payroll company in it?

TLC ( total logistic control ) is a trucking company in holland, mi

They also do background checks and make the final approval on whether or not anyone gets hired. My husband left Cypress, went to PGT, wasn't happy there, and wanted to go back to Cypress. Cypress had already given him his fuel card, log books, truck, etc. and was ready to send him out, but TLC called and rejected him. Trust me, it is more than just a payroll company.

TLC (transport leasing company) does indeed handle payroll, workers comp. and a couple other things. If a company that uses TLC, and TLC turns down the driver, its more than likely because of some kinda issue that may relate to health or something that may lead to a workers comp issue down the road. They will review DAC's and past work history, but USUALLY wont turn anyone down unless there something really glaring bad. There is a Logistics/Warehousing company that goes by TLC, so we maybe talking about two different companies.