TransAm: It isn't THAT bad

Yeah, I'm still around, just running a lot.

-I wouldn't turn down all California runs. Actually, with eLogs a run from LA to Denver is about the same by either route...going through the mountains uses a lot of fuel and time, so it is about the same to just go the south way (it is a more pleasant drive as well). As for going to San Francisco, I wouldn't advise it...it isn't that you can't go through the mountains, it is that TransAm does not recommend it, and it is actually illegal unless you spend your own money to buy tire chains (required year-round). In all my time here I've only even been offered one run to California (LA) and even with the out-of-route miles to get out, it was a great paycheck.
-They do have some non-smoking trainers, you might have to wait a while, but they can get you one. They also have a lot of smoking trainers that are willing to avoid smoking while driving, you will have to deal with the lingering smell and you will probably have to make a lot of stops, but you can get one of these trainers without waiting.
-TransAm is mostly a young company. There are some old guys, but it is mostly people under 30.
-The fuel tax is deducted from the check, put in an escro account, you don't even have to think about it. On that, I have one correction from my original post. I just got a check with an escro rebate on it for the fuel taxes; it seems that even with buying fuel in the cheap states I overpaid with the 1CPM deducation, so buying fuel in more expensive states probably isn't a big deal, so long as you don't mind waiting for the rebate.
-The maintanance account deduction should cover most everything...assuming you don't do anything too stupid (it won't be enough if you keep running over curbs at high speed and destroying tires). I've done oil changes, a DEF filter, and a DPF cleaning, I still have over $1700 in my maintanance account, and my tires are still like new.
-Empty and deadhead are the same thing at TransAm; even bobtail is paid as empty.

 

Older people are less likely to start new careers, especially ones that require 70+ hours per week of work.

I was told possession of them is required year-round on the I80 and I70 passes, even when use of them is not. This might not be correct, I've been lied to by DOT officers before.

If someone was complaining about getting too many empty miles then he is insane. If I could get them to run me on nothing but empty miles while still giving me a good number of miles, I'd do it! I can totally understand your sentement for wanting to run hard and learn the industry, TransAm is a good choice for that. I would not recommend staying for a few years...one year should be plenty to go to a better company (depending on where you live, 6 months might be enough), and if you still can't do it after two years then you are in the wrong industry. Oh, and it isn't top-of-the-line o/o equipment. They are nice trucks, but the specs are not maxed out; they don't even have trailer handbrakes.

 

You can't...it is a predatory lease; their terms for taking it elsewhere are impossible to meet. Once again...not a good company...but better than most of the companies that hire new drivers from Florida.

If you don't want to lease, go elsewhere. Company drivers are not allowed to turn down loads, and TransAm has very few company drivers. Because of this, the company drivers end up getting saddled with 250MI loads with 4 stops that take 5 days...and not just once in a while either; they do that all the time. About the only thing positive about being a company driver at TransAm is that you will certainly learn backing and precision driving...you can't help it when you are driving through Pittsburg, Philly, and NYC all in the same day, and backing up to a tight loading dock at least 8 times a week.

I'm sure of it...and a lot of people don't belong in a lease yet get talked into it...heck, most of the people TransAm hires don't even belong behind the wheel of a Honda Civic, let alone anything Class 8. For me it was the right choice. I am looking for something better, but even with 6 months experience the only better opportunities I have are O/O positions. I'm sure if I lived close to I10, I20, I30, I40, or I80 then I would have tons of jobs available at this point and probably would have had better opportunities fresh out of school than I have now...but I live way down in the panhandle. Heck, Schneider just offered me a job...but they have so little freight to Florida that I would have been forced to live out of a single bag for 3 months at a time, then FLY HOME, FLY BACK to a terminal, and get into a different truck every time I went out...no way I'm doing that!