TMC , need to know the TRUTH about them

Here is some info I found from another site.

Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:20 am

I started orientation in Columbia, SC on the 11th. The day before are log class we were told that if we were caught running illegal that you would be fired; in are log class the next day are instructor was giving tips to cut corners of the logs & tricks to fake the logs. Also with 3 different people are instructor brought up medical info in front of the class that pertained to the person which is a violation of HIPPA. So Thurs before lunch I called my recruiter to tell him what was going on. He had me talk to his supervisor to get a an investigation going. I told them that I wanted to leave & they kept asking what it would take for me to finish orientation. I told them I was willing to work with them ( I didn't know if the issue was the Columbia location or a TMC wide issue) I wanted sent home then to be sent to Des Monies the 1st opportunity. I was told to call back in an hour. After calling & leaving messages several times Thurs I was left stranded to get myself home Fri. Currently looking at other companies since TMC has yet to contact me.

Thu Dec 21, 2006 11:21 am

As far as the log class goes I THINK you may be referring to how an instructor was showing you how to "cut corners" so as to maximize your drive time while remaining LEGAL according to the letter of the law. Having said this, here's how I did MY log. In the beginning, I ran according to the law and "logging it as I did it". This simply does NOT work in the trucking world. Doing it this way I found myself driving when I was tired and taking my LEGAL break when I was wide awake. This SUCKED. Eventually I drove as much as I could when I felt good (rested) and took my sleep break anytime I felt tired. This didn't always match with what the law wanted but since the lawmakers themselves are still fighting over and changing the HOS (hours of service) rules, I ran how I SAW FIT and made my logbook legal. I never drove "hot" because a dispatcher or TMC required me to and I never went too far outside the law but I'll be ###### if I'm gonna run unsafe just because the law thinks they know when I should and shouldn't sleep. Get trained, get into your own truck, and run it the way YOU see fit. That's what I've done and it has served me well so far. TMC does NOT condone breaking the law and WILL shut you down if you disregard it.

Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:27 am

I have been with TMC for a while, it has its good points as well as bad. I have found a niche with the company and am reasonably happy. I still have times when I get mad about not getting home when I want or taking some crap load but that is anywhere. TMC has consistently paid my bills. I wont lie to you, are you gonna get home every w/e... sometimes you will. I just got home from 6 weeks out, yes I spent thanksgiving on the road b/c there was no freight going towards my house and no drivers willing to swap out. I get home about 80% of the time I ask to. This time of year freight is awful but that is typical, from thanksgiving til about march flatbed freight is generally slow. HAPPENS EVERY YEAR!! If you got people complaining about it, thats b/c they are rookies who have not worked through more than one winter. The trick to flatbedding is to enjoy the slow winter months and bust out the summer. If you are looking to start flatbedding TMC is a good place, they have one of the best training routines out there. Most drivers that I know who are trainers really take it seriously. Flatbedding is dangerous, it takes a soecial kind of person to handle it. I teach my trainees everything I can to help them do thier job safely. Our companies stance on safety is pretty strong. If you want to do it right, look good doing it, and make decent money this is the place.

So its like anything else I guess. You can always call the recruiter and inquire about their ISS-2 number being 91, or hopefully more info will be posted.

 

If you would like to read all the threads about TMC click on the search tab and type in TMC. 3 years ago TMC was the place to be......it has changed drastically in the past 3 years. There are other flatbed companies out there pgt and I think roehl runs curtainsides. Read everything you can on all the companies before you settle on just one.

 

I read up on a lot of companies and I decided on TMC. I have been here for two months now and I love it. I have seen nothing that encourages drivers to run illegal. I have talked to drivers for TMC who choose to run illegal some of the time - mostly when they want to make it home friday night rather than take a ten hour break just a few miles from home, or drivers who want to spend more time at home and leave late on Sunday/Monday morning to make the delivery. You are going to be the driver of the truck and you -ONLY YOU- decide how it operates.

During the first three weeks of my training period there was only one load that could not be run as it was dispatched. Actually it would have been legaly doable if picked up by 9 am by someone with a full-ish available clock. The problem was that we had already put on 200 miles between the first and second stop that morning and then had a 240 mile bounce (deadhead) to make it to the shipper. This was not a time-critical load so the delivery was rescheduled for the following morning.

During the last three weeks of my training period there were a few loads where a solo driver would not have been able to pull them off, but that is why they are team/training loads.

There is a lot that goes into planning your trip to maximize your time. The first rule is to always park at your destination so that your 14 hour clock does not start until the receiver is ready for you. If you have to drive for half an hour before getting to the receiver and you get held up for 3 or 4 hours getting unloaded your day is pretty well wrecked unless you cheat on the logbook, but if you are simply waiting for them to be ready for you while extending your ten hour break the clock isn't ticking.

The second rule is to keep the left door closed. You can easily loose 15 minutes every time you stop so plan as few stops as possible. Do combine stops if possible. One 30 minute fuel, food, and shower stop is preferrable to taking 20 minutes for each one seperately.

I like working at TMC. I have not had any problems with the company "forcing" an illegal run on me or requesting a falsification of a logbook. If a delivery can not be made at the appointed time due to HOS the company will find a solution. That solution may be to reschedule the appointment or give the load to another driver.

Now if a driver chooses to run illegal he may get away with it for a while. With a company as large as TMC not every illegal act will be caught every time, but people with a pattern of log violations will be put under the microscope. The qualcomm system will check the truck's status every hour or more often if requested. Too many hours on the drive line will set off alarms at the Safety department. This happened the first day I was in my trainers truck when we had been driving for 11 hours. As a trainer/trainee truck we are allowed 14 hours on the drive line if that fits within the 14 hour rule, but the system still picks up on the 11 hour rule.

 

I won't say it is the only way, but I think it is the best way. The load screen that TMC gives you will indicate weather or not there is parking at the shipper or receiver. If there is specifically "DO NOT ARRIVE BEFORE APPOINTMENT" instructions then that is what you do. Most of the time even if there is not parking there is at least one place to park one truck while it is being unloaded and that is the spot that you want to take. If you are in the unloading spot then you remove your securement and tarps if the weather is cooperative. That way if they ask you to move you can counter with "I am sorry to park in your way I didn't know it would be a problem. It will take me about 30 minutes to strap this down again. Perhaps I would be out of your way faster if you just unloaded me." You ALWAYS be polite to the customer and do as they demand. Sometimes if you ask nicely the night crew will also unload you rather than make you wait until the right department opens. About 10% of the time you can get unloaded when you arrive at 8 pm and in some locations get a shipper that loads 24 hours nearby. Basically the rule of thumb is to mosey on out to the location and see what you find. When you arrive you try to find a live person to ask what time they think you can get unloaded and where you will get unloaded. Sometimes there is no place to even think about parking so you find someplace nearby and arrive early enough to have your tarps and securement off when the gate opens.

I have the Delorme Street Atlas software with GPS. This gives me a chance to zoom in on the location and see what is around. A whole lot of nothing with some railroad tracks indicates industrial park with opportunities to park. Sometimes I can come in on a side street and be parked out of the way ready to pull in first thing in the morning. Sometimes I can find a gas station, convenience store, or fast food restaurant within walking distance.

As for restrooms you stop at the last possible place before arriving at your destination to get a meal. This may involve a two hour stop at a truckstop for fuel, shower, meal, etc and then park at your destination for 8 hours utilizing the split sleeper break rules. The restroom break is your excuse to bug the customer about getting you unloaded. "Do you have a restroom I can use? And when do you thing I could get that truck unloaded?" Is a favorite opening line of mine.

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With my trainer one week we got our 5 loads and were home thursday by noon. This involved an excellent receiver who unloaded us at 8 pm tuesday and we were waiting down the road to get reloaded at 7 am. Unloaded that one at 2pm got in our ten hour break and convinced a shipper that our load appointment was one am instead of one pm. Unloaded that and reloaded at the same place headed through his house. I wish all weeks went that well. Sadly they do not and sometimes you get held up for 4 or 5 hours getting unloaded.

For morning meals I plan on eating in the truck anyway. One banana and a can of Mountain Dew is all I want first thing. I always have a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and jelly on hand. I don't use it unless I have to, like one receiver we were waiting at from 10 pm to 2pm - 16 hours - because their crane was broken. (You also need something for when you are stuck in the snow for two days.) Had we started our day at 7 am driving to the receiver for our 8 am appointment our week would have been screwed up, but since we had not started our day we were ready to run when they finally unloaded us. I should point out that this was our monday to tuesday load on the SAME week as described in the previous paragraph.

Once you experience some nasty truckstops you will find out that it isn't really a picnic spending the night in one of those places. It is usually safer and cleaner to park elsewhere. The other problem is that when your day runs from 8 am to 10 pm all the parking spots at the truckstop and rest areas are full. Parking on the street at the receiver is much better/safer than parking on the side of the interstate past a rest area.

You are free to drive your truck however you see fit. If that means you want to park at truckstops then feel free. Neither I nor TMC will force you to do anything one particular way. I didn't plan on doing this whole park 10 hours and wait to get unloaded either but it does get results. Once in a while it will cost you an hour when a customer tells you to leave and come back when they are ready for you. So far that is three hours lost in two months, I can live with that.

 

I forgot to mention the handful of peanut M&Ms about 20 minutes later. Most of the time I don't want anything more until noon but sometimes finding a good restaurant about 10am for a satisfying meal is necessary.

Yeah you had better get that metals endorsement from NY. It will limit your load options if you don't have it. Glad to be of service, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask. I don't get internet often on the road so you may need to PM me to get results. Good luck.

 

I worked for Tmc for 4 years and I loved it there
I was a trainer for 3 years for them
They have a very unique pay scale that will allow new drivers who can
perform well to get to top pay quickly.