TMC Transportation, Inc. - Des Moines, Ia.

And this is the perfect time to point out that when a contract like this is shoved under a driver's nose, he/she should politely excuse themself and leave...quickly.

I know that most people reading this will say to themselves..."What's the big deal?". The big deal is that it's an indication of a problem that plagues the company. They cannot keep people, so they try to strap them in the seats with a second seatbelt, of indentured servitude. I can't think of anything more objectionable to myself. Conditions like this tell me immediately that the company cannot keep people on staff, and rather than to create an environment that WILL lead people to stay, they attempt to force them to.

Unfortunately as any Attorney will tell you, if you sign a contract that does not contain anything illegal in nature, you are bound to the terms contained within it.

Your suggestion to thwart them having access to a final paycheck is asound advice. To add to that, ALWAYS look out for yourself at all times, because there are plenty of companies that will take advantage of you, if given half the chance. They will even cross legal boundaries too, because they know that the chances that a driver will actually call them on the carpet over legal issues is remote.

 

I can appreciate that, and perhaps I jumped the gun a little, and for that I apologize. This thread has been hijacked several times by those who have not been completely forthcoming about their interests.

I get very suspicious when horns are tooted and there is no balance.

I read with interest some of the comments offered from those that have worked with the company, and have a little more inside info. I deal in the factual aspects, and are more concerned with their lack of attention to the safety issues. I am concerned with their turnover rates. I am more concerned with how newbies who land there, are treated.

My question to you concerns with HOW your husband is able to do so well with the company, when others seem to not be able to do so well, even if they have lots of time in with the company. Is he running legal?

I mean, let's face it. A "go-getter" can do well anywhere, but how far does one have to go, to do well there?

You pooh poohed that "stats" that bear out the fruit of their regard to safety issues. To me, and many others out there, those stats are important. I don't want anything to do with companies that either condone or turn a blind eye to running illegal. I would also never recommend others to such a company. It's the DRIVER that get's nailed when all goes wrong, and a company that is your best friend when you are putting all that money in their pockets, will turn their back on a driver when something goes wrong.

No one would expect you to hush about your endorsement, as long as it is valid. But a couple of things bother me. One, I don't see any balance. It's all good, and nothing is really bad in your estimation, and that makes red flags start flying. Secondly, the downplaying of the facts in regard to the company turn me completely off. I am then led to question why, in an environment where this company has been caught twice in a year with falsified logs, with safety numbers that are out of control, and with a plethora of issues being raised by others, how your husband can do so well, and not be experiencing any of the problems that others offer?

I would also be more encouraged if there was anything more than such a brief history to work with.

Let's be realistic. Annette Holdings can put whatever figures they want on a website. They can be true, they can be false. They can be skewed any way they want to offer them to make them true enough. I trust those kind of blurbs about as much as I trust an SEC filing of information in regard to a company that I invest in.

And again, I question why you would be so concerned with trying to convince others of that. If you're beating your head against a wall, then there has to be some reason for it, outside of the reasons you offer.

I not a fan of third party information anyway.

Let's just lay it on the table. TMC is a company that may well offer some people a satisfactory experience when it comes to trucking. It wouldn't be my cup of tea for several reasons. They go through too many people. They suffer horribly in regard to their attention to safety at the moment. I gave up flatbed freight three years ago and will never look back at it. It's just too dangerous for me for what little there is out there to make anymore.

When it comes to those seeking to find out information on a company, they deserve to know the good and the bad of a company. That's what this site is dedicated to delivering at all costs.

When it comes to personal commentary, including that of my own, never take it for granted that it is correct or without some sort of bias. With the rare exception of a couple of companies that I have worked for and posted in regard to, my opinions and offerings will be based on information that I derive from several sources.

There's a person who posted in this thread that despite all the negative he has read, he's gonna take the plunge and find out for himself. I wish him well. I doubt that it will be a positive experience. Why? Because I've went against the grain in my past, and had to find out the hard way too.

Everyone has differing standards as to what their ideal circumstance consists of, and that's okay. Mine certainly differ from others. Pay is not the highest category on my list. It never has been. I place a higher priority on aligning myself with a company that places a priority on safety and that treats drivers better than they do their equipment. I seek companies that are financially stable, and who have a history to delve into.

I'm not turned on by flashy trucks and crafty advertisements. TMC is hardly the first to succeed in adopting those strategies as a means to lure people in the door. Not many last however, because there are plenty of those that have fallen the wayside having tried that tactic. Some might remember Burlington Motor Carriers, one of the largest truckload carriers out there a decade ago, who fell hard when that campaign failed to keep the doors open.

TMC is not the worst out there, but they are far from the best. There are better options open to anyone seeking a job as a driver, regardless of their experience level, and that's the bottom line.

 

This is strictly opinion, but I would imagine that because of the churning of drivers, along with all the problems that surrounds having to deal with a new staff of drivers all the time, a fleet manager is going to suffer in some ways as well. Let's suffice it to say that there are going to be some days where having a bottle of the pain killer of your choice will come in handy.