TMC

all trucks are 13speed w/cruise and a C-15 Cat Motor

 

i have been with TMC for over 3 years

 

samini so you have been with TMC for over 3 years, please give me some insight on the company, how many miles you average a week, how often are you home, how do you compare Maverick to TMC, what did you make last year, did you choose percentage or cpm pay, if you cold change 5 things about TMC what would they be, i would love to hear a "day in the life" of a TMC trucker if you would like to share. Sorry for all the questions, but im just trying to decide between maverick and TMC. Both have their pros and cons im almost to the point of flipping a coin!

Thanks.

 

i've driven flatbed for 28 yrs and i would not work for anything but percentage. granted 23% is on the low side to start, but with fuel prices the way they are companies keep raising their rates to compensate which equals a raise in drivers wages. you dont get paid deadhead but companies cant afford to deadhead truck today.companies WANT drivers to work mileage so the company can calculate exact cost per mile of operation.translated:" more money in the company pockets"

 

driver, living in tennessee you need to check into i worked there for 18 yrs before my health would'nt allow me to do flatbed work any longer. it's family owned for 40 yrs.and the owners are there every day. drivers work on mileage, w/ all the usual benefits. they will shoot straight and wont BS you.

 

would you work for a company who pays drivers to rat out fellow drivers? drivers at a certain company(who will remain nameless)are paid to rat on fellow drivers who do not double tarp and secure the loads EXACTLY as saftey department requires.hint:the company is out of little rock

 

you say TMC is not in any financial trouble as far as you know.....always remember this! When a company goes under, the drivers are the LAST ones to know.

 

Seems like someone may be getting a little jealous? Come on over to the dark (black and chrome) side. We can get you into your very own Pete 379 or 388! Just imagine all your friends turning Maroon with envy.

 

No thanks! I have loaded beside many of you before. Nothing personal, but I like my truck. I try to keep mine as clean as I can and too me mine is just as nice looking as those shiney petes. I was looking at TMC and maverick at the same time. Maverick was a better fit for me and I am happy with them. I even had one of you guys tell me my tarp job looked better than his. We both had big coils and he wanted to know if I had a special coil tarp. I told him no, just a steel tarp. I am the type that takes a lot of pride in everything I do. Granted not all my tarp jobs are top shelf, but sometimes I can tarp with the best of them. I drop my trailer beside a Mav IC. He was on the black team and swithed over to the good guys! He likes mav better. I have talked with a lot of your drivers over the years and the last few years I am hearing more complaints about TMC. I do admit you all have some nice looking rigs, but I am happy with the maroon badge of honor!

 

I have not been with TMC as long as samini, I have almost 1.5 years, a little over a year in my truck. I have a little more senority because I was sent home to fix a Umbilical Hernia the first time I showed up. After having the operation to fix that and getting cleared by my Doctor as well as TMC's I came back.

I am on percentage and do not look at miles at all. I have records of them all if you really want to know, I just don't pay attention.

So far, I have been in the Long Haul, Line Haul and Dedicated Divisions. I liked Long Haul the best. There is less work, certainly less tarping and more driving. You get to see more of the country. Of course, you are away from home more. Pay was better, my average was over $1,200.00 gross with a high of $1,800.00.

Line Haul keeps me closer to home. It is more work since you should have a load every day. I get home almost every weekend without fail. I have been getting home at a decent time on Fridays and have been leaving out on Monday morning. This weekend I may have to leave on Sunday. There is more tarping, the ratio is the same, you just have more loads. I have seen a drop in pay. I don't know if it is the economy or the time of the year. The area of the country where you live will affect the types of loads you get. I live in Austin, TX and it is not great for freight comming out of here. Even though Line Haul is characterized by shorter runs I have had loads to CA, CO, WI, IA, IL, IN, FL, SC, KY, TN as well as all the bordering states to Texas. There have been weeks where I never leave the state and other weeks where I will return to Texas for the weekend.

There are so many different Dedicated Accounts it is difficult to talk about them all. Dedicated will be simular to Line Haul, just dedicated. You will generally, know what your pay and schedule will be.

Let's see if I can come up with five things I would change about TMC.

1. The driver is the only one creating revenue for the company. Everyone else should be working to make his life easier so he can generate the revenue that pays everyone's salary.

2. Tie Load Planner, Fleet Manager and Customer Service pay to that of the fleet they are working for. I bet they would take a greater interest in managing the driver's time and loads.

3. If the Load Planner and Fleet Manager can't get their driver home for the weekend, they have to work too.

4. Create a position similuar to an Inspector General with real authority to make changes and correct problems on the spot. There is too much animosity and attrition because of driver's feeling they are getting a raw deal.

5. Give me a pay raise.

It is hard to get a "day in the life of a driver," other than the obvious, deliver a load, pick up a load and drive. There are many things to look at, timing being an important one. You only have 11 hours of driving and 14 hours to do it in. You have to manage your time wisely. Getting there early or the fastest is not always the best strategy. You don't to travel through a city during rush hour traffic, you don't want to be sitting at a shipper or consignee for hours waiting on the trucks in front of you to get loaded or unloaded. You usually have a deliver by time, you use your descretion about what time to actually deliver or get loaded. Only experience will tell you this. Generally, though, you want to get unloaded as early as possible so you have a better selection of freight. Yeah, you are competing against your fellow drivers. You will try to beat them to the consignee/shipper, you will send in you just delivered macros before you are actually unloaded. Nevertheless, most of us will help our fellow drivers get the job done.

I don't know if any of this helps or not. Just keep asking questions. Remember TMC is the much better company!