mercer transportation

no lease purchase on tractors

 

If your going to haul open deck freight your going to HAVE to get a TWIC 40% of my loads you need one any port or plant you go to is a must!

 

Gotta have twic. Will lease you a trailer. Gotta have yer own ride.

 

i have just been reading about mercer. I have never hauled flatbed or sd, will they train me, Also, i don't have any pf the necessary things for flatbed i.e. chains, tarps, binders, ect. Do I have to purchase all of this before I sign on with them. I am told it would all cost about $2000-3000. I do'nt have that much right now. Will they supply and let me pay it off?

 

If you don't have $3,000 to buy gear to start working you need to really think this thru some more you will spend that first week out on fuel

 

If you apply and get accepted they will have an extra day at the end of orientation for load securement class. It is some class room movies and such, then out to the warehouse for some hands on training. They used to let guys put half the money down on securement equipment, then take the rest out in settlements. Not sure if they still do this or not. Call recruiting, they are straight shooters, no bs, no lies. They will beable to tell you what the fleet average is on the flat side and van side. You will need your own trailer either way. You can lease purchase one from Mercer, or bring your own. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

Worked their for two and a half years. First and fore most I made money there! The things that bothered me the most are 1. they micro manage you. (why won't you take this load, it pays good.) 2. lousy/no freight in CA. (12/15/11) sitting in Ontario,CA. 44 drivers ahead of me waiting for a load.) 3.some agents will hold loads back until a "buddy" is in line for it. Those are my "gripes" about Mercer. Like i said in the begining there is money to be made there! Also great company store for purchasing securment equipment.

 

After really talking to them I just wasn't happy with them. the only thing I see is your cost is way down $25 for ever 10,k in insurance fuel discounts are very good when they told me most trucks average $2.05 a mile to the truck and how you get in line for your next load I was done talking. Why won't they let you book your next load in advance? I ask the guy if 10 trucks drop in Houston same day who gets the only load they have he said first one that calls for a release number don't matter if you do a 100 mile run or a 1,100 mile run

Last week they had some port of Beaumont,tx going to redriver I do this run for Landstar all the time and Landstar pays $275 more to the truck and I ask mercer for more money and all they said was "it pays over $3 a mile" I had five different people call me trying to get me to haul them but I left my truck posted all day

 

i know of a few flatbed companies that don't require drivers to get twic cause they don't go to ports or some kind of plant that requires it. i have the same outlook as they do on twic; IT'S A WASTE OF TIME & MONEY ALONG WITH BEING A HUGE JOKE TO DRIVERS

 

They don't micro manage you, maybe your coordinator at the time did with you. That's an easy fix, fire him/her and get another one. Comifornia is not one of their strong areas, some times you can do well coming out of there and other times you will sit and wait. I only go out there 2-3 times a year, and most times I try to stay up by Sacramento and can reload the same day I get empty. Yes, some agents will hold loads back, it does not happen very often as Mercer tries to watch that kind of stuff and will punish agents for this.