unhappy in PA with TMC

Look in here: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/the-ladies-room/

Look...he needs your support in his chosen profession. He is "paying his dues" and like others have indicated, others out there would love to be in his position right now.

Take is from a 20 year Navy man... the support I have from my wife on these long deployments makes it much easier on me to focus on the job at hand on the deckplates. I am sure the same goes for trucking.....the support a spouse or significant other lends makes life on road much more bareable and he will be better focused on the task at hand knowing he has you to take care of things on the homefront.

I commend you..... as we say in the Navy.....the hardest job in the navy is that of a navy spouse.....just like the hardest job in trucking is that of a truckers spouse.

R/

Frat

 

Not to be a jerk, but "Get Some Balls"?? It sounds to me as if you are an o/o if your running 3 trucks! You have a choice. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's just how it sounds in your statement. This woman's bf is a newbe... He is gonna have to pay some due's. We all have had to pay them in this biz.

I'm a 24 year driver. And granted I am an over the road driver now. I started in the hay and grain fields of Texas but when I actually started as a company driver years ago, I was lucky to see my home once every 3 months. Hell I live in Dallas, Tx and was based out of Springfield, Ma for Van Pak. I had to run the Boston Market to Salinas, Ca.. how often do you think that route got me to Dallas?

Now I can go home anytime I want... But that don't pay the bills and keep The Mrs very happy. My dedicated run is from Montgomery, Al to Livingston, Ca right now. I am an owner op, no dispatchers so to speak, but I have bosses just like everyone else... My Customers! I call them, get a load and I'm gone. BUT, How often do you think I get to sit around my house? I am under a load both ways when in my home town. It's 3, 8, 10 or if I'm lucky 18 to 20 hrs at the house with the wife and then out the door again. If I want extended time off, I have to find a load out of the SE that runs me as close to Dallas as possible... then except crap rates to get me out, or dead head back to the closest Foster Farms plant in Louisiana. Sure I could move into a better lane on one end or the other, but my entire family and the wife's family are in the DFW area. Or I could even get other runs from other sources, but this has paid the bills for me and I don't fix what is not broken.

The bottom line is, "It Has Nothing To do With Getting Balls".. Its.. "You Do The Job, Or Someone Else Will". It don't matter if you are a company driver or owner op we all have someone to answer to and deadlines to meet. You do your job out here.. Or find another in a different industry. A driver must establish their self and gain experience, so as to know when they are getting what they need or if they are getting the shaft. Time weeds out the lifestyles. Some were born to ramble and do this job.. Some were not. Some were born to do it and their families were not. I have to do it and my family excepts it.

I think Her BF should stick it out for at least 1 year and should be supported to the best ability as possible. If he quits now, It may be the last time he works in the industry again... Want To.. Have To or Not.

 

This website forum is ridiculously hilarious. I'm glad I stumbled upon it. These posts about doom and gloom, paying your dues, and rate arguments are to much. The excuses on here of why its ok to be used like slave labor is eye opening.

 

Kraft makes a fine cheese !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i agree with the poster above, you come off as an o.o and its people like you that i HATE... no doubt your one of those drivers that are on the cb saying crap like " when will you new guys learn this, learn that " you prob dont go to cali either and let all the people you pass by well aware that you dont go to cali....
its great that you run 3 trucks, i look up to you for that, i to want to have a fleet of trucks of my own... and you have been driving for 20some years, thats great, i hope they were all safe accident free years, but you need to remember that you cant get a cdl with out school like you were able to get your chofers licens, times are different man, you need the school and the experience... now everyone has it " made " like you... the newbs of the industry should/do look up to o,o's... as i look up to everyone i meet...
standing up for us is outta the question, clearly you know that... hence the reason your an o.o where you can call the shots.

upsetinpa, sorry things havent gone as planned for you and the other half, as others have said, he needs the support for you, and it will make or break him if your not their for him... this job is not just a job but a life style that has no set schedual what so ever...
but also, like others have said, thats trucking for ya... yup, its true...
if you ever get the chance you should maybe go out with him for 2 weeks and see how it really is for us out here... what he tells you and what you read will never compare to what you as a human will ever understand.
where about in Pa are you from?
it sounds to me like your bf does as he is told? dosnt like to " argue " about loads, just accepts what he gets and runs with it... thats great and dandy, he should have a good name for himself, but it does not matter how many thousands of favors he does for tmc, he will never ever get 1/4 of those favors back in return... thats for the whole industry...
best of luck, and keep us updated
s2b

 

yes, so does every other trucking company. if they told prospective drivers what the job was really going to be like (or if the schools told prospective students,) there would be no more truck drivers. and with the way the economy is right now, trucking companies can't afford to coddle drivers. he should be thankful to have employment. either do the job, or go home. after he cleans out his truck, there will be 500 people in line to take his seat. sorry in advance if reality is offensive to you.

 

Took the words right out of my mouth!!!!!

In my opinion if people were to research the trucking industrsy b4 getting into it talk to drivers b4 and not let schools and recruiters fill there heads with pretty things that probably wont happen alot of things that happen wouldnt be a big suprise and potential drivers would know b4 hand what to expect. I went to a truck stop and talked with drivers b4 I started my school and I asked them questions and my first was home time and I remember a driver who told me with hometime you can request it but dont expect to be there when you want and if its that important tell them you want to be home a day or two b4 you need to. He told me ill miss birthdays weddings births etc etc so buy a camera and leave it at home for someone to take pics for me and if thats something I couldnt handle missing I was going down the wrong career path. I was actually out for 4 months b4 I was able to get hometime but it didnt really bother me. I don't have kids, I didnt meet my boyfriend until after I started driving and so the only reason I came home was to see my mom and I never really told her when I was coming because if I wasnt there by when I told her I was coming I would have to hear her mouth and so would my fleet manager so I used to tell her ill be there when I get there.

I dont really know what a spouse goes through though but I suprised that the boyfriend I had he was extremly understanding. But he works at one of the places I used to deliever to and he said he talks to drivers all the time and so he understood trucking as far as me being able to see him and that he wouldnt be able to see me as often or when he would like. If I ever told him I was coming and I would be late he was just say ok babe let me know when you get here and that was that. But I would also see him also when I wasnt on hometime and if i was usually within a 100 miles of where he lived he would drive to a truck stop to see me.

 

yes i am an o/o but not allways and when something was wrong or was treated bad i spoke up and got the problem resolve same as i do know it blows my mind how so many just except what happens and say its the way of trucking its the way of trucking because so many let it be this way i dont care if you have 1month or 30 years there no reason to be treated like crap lied to or taken advantage of just like rates guys keep hauling it for nothing and the rates stay low just like company driver to many just accept it and it never gets better and home once since October i think thats just insane but like said before it will never change because theres allways another warm body waiting in line and a recruiter giving the line of bs this is just my opinion and don"t get me wrong the way it sounds like you run is not my bag of tee i injoy my job and my home time just as much i work to live not live to work i bust my but monday thru friday and saturday and sunday is my time if i have to run that much and only be home 20hrs at i time i'am doing something wrong in my eyes

 

upsetinpa,
your boyfriends DM is screwing him but at the same time he may be screwing him self. the trick at TMC is to deliever early in the morning every day after wednesday, that way he may get a choice of the loads he can run. now this may be harder with freight being slow. if he does get a choice he has to put him self in a place where he can get home on friday. with in 300 hundred miles from home is where you want to be come friday morning. now he can lose money like this by passing on better paying loads so its all about how bad he wants to get home. also tell him to talk to other TMC drivers and find out about loads that would get him to the house and try to remember some of those places. i drove for TMC for a year and some times you just have to help your self . i live in louisville,ky so if i wanted to get home from the east coast i would get as close as i can to kearney,NJ TMC loads shingles out of there and alot of those load go through or to louisville.i can think of like 7 places in other states that are the same way for me as for as loads go. i am sure there are loads like that for you and your boyfriends area, but he has to learn them. hope that can help him.

 

For your info my cb is never on i dont like all the bs on there and i have no problem with new drivers i do my job and don't care what others are doing you hate guys like me why because were successful o/os and say it the way it is and dont put up with all the bs before ya hate me get to know me first then make your decision ya might be surprised in what ya find out.