Bulkmatic reviews

Bulkmatic Transport has been my home for over 10 years. I don't see myself leaving any time soon. The people are good and they treat you well. There is no lack of work here. If you want to work, you will stay busy, that's for sure. Working for Bulkmatic is different than parking at a dock. There is a lot to learn with pneumatics, but once you get the hang of it, it's worth it.

Couldn't tell you the Chicagoland routes, but they're a short haul company. If it's like the terminal I drive out of, it's usually a 300 mile radius of the terminal.

Drivers are paid 24% of the load's linehaul on Monday through Friday. 27% of the line haul on Saturday delivery. 30% of the linehaul is the pay for delivering on a Sunday. If you have to dead head to get to a load from the terminal, you're paid $.28/mile ...it depends on if it's hub miles or company set, so you've got to keep track and turn in the hub EVERYtime. But, it's % of the linehaul pay, not mileage based pay.

I'm not sure if it's gone the same way at other terminals, but training is a week with a local trainer, then a week in Chicago (Bulkmatic University), then maybe a day with the local trainer when you return to your home terminal. I'd have to say the training is as only as good as the trainer, and in my case it was very good.

I, personally, think it's better on the food side of the company than the plastic side. I've spent time doing either and the food paycheck always comes out ahead of the plastic checks. My first year here, I brought home roughly $45,000. Over the course of time, my paycheck's roughly 7 to 10K less than it was when I started.

I've been here for a while and it's definitely gone down from my first year. More progressively the last two years. The owner's not worried about the turn over rate, "we'll just go find another driver to put in the truck." As a result, turnover has gone through the roof. However, if you've had more than two jobs in the past three years, they won't even consider your application.

Several bonuses have been taken and have not been reinstated, however the fleet's being upgraded to new Peterbilt 384's among other trucks. Due to customers wanting upwards of 54,000lbs, sleeper trucks are being done away with. Bulkmatic will pay for motels via a Corporate Lodging Card.

Rail yards are common, depending on the product being hauled, but it's not the same as dealing with a rail yard in the van/container side of the spectrum. At least the rail yards I have dealt with.

Pulling pneumatic bulk tanks has got some perks over pulling vans. At one customer I frequent, I went there in a van and did nothing but wait ...either in line or at the dock to get loaded. Now, I cruise past the lines and do my thing, then leave.

That's just a brief over-view of things as I see them. As with any other trucking company, your mileage may vary.