Anderson Trucking Service. My true experince.

I've heard orientation & training with ATS lasts only 4 days at their training center in Gary, IN and then they send you OTR. It that true? No drill with trainer for 2 weeks OTR like TMC does?

 

It is true. They don't hire new drivers so there is no reason to run with a trainer

 

what goes on in those 4 days? anyone got a rundown of the orientation?

 

Well.. I've got recently an invitation from ats to come to gary, in, for orientation. 4 days. All kind of tests, phisical test, road test, load securement practice and so on. I have read here on forum that load securement class may be in HQ St. Coud, MN. So people have to ride on rental car there.
I still have some doubts about if I'm doing right switching to ATS. Let's see then..

 

Can you explain me pls what is the sense to work for ATS as a company driver if:
1.Their "Top pay" means that they start from 40 cents per mile. Guys look... it's a flatbed, not a dry van. Which means you work physically hard, lifting up heavy tarps, have more responsibilities, more risks to get tickets, to get hurt falling from a load for example. Man, drivers have to work outside in rain, snow, wind and dirt securing their loads. All sweat and covered by dust and mud. And you spend hours on tarping, strapping, then taking that gear off the load. The majority of loads should be tarped and many loads will destroy your tarps. It has to be paid way more than 40c per mile.
2. No home time.. 1 day off for 7 on the road. Really? That means you see you family 3 days in month.
3. Layover. First 48 hours no compensation. Means you can sit 2 days at truckstop, spend your money on food and no compensation.
4. Wanna park truck and stay home for 2-3 days? No problem, but you have to find parking lot and pay for it and company will not reimburse you for it. Are you happy to pay 40-60$ from your pocket for staying home?
5. Fleet management. Women and men. Well I'm sure you're all good guys and gals but you never work as flatbed drivers, so how can you help newbie with load securement and pay his attention on details if you don't have experience in flatbedding?
So what's the point? I can drive dry van for 40 cents per mile and have less headache and more miles and stay in clean warm cab all day.

 

Ur absolutely right. The heavy haul guys I was told make ok money but starting out company drivers & l\p I've read stories that made me glad I got turned down

 

Your right but some of us leave that repetitive job (open door close door...repeat) for a challenge and the physical part of fb. Someone has to start somewhere and I'm not going to go to a company with no open deck experience and demand I get paid a kings ransom for me to learn how to do the job with the montra being lesson learned. And you get paid $50 dollars to tarp, if it takes 2 hrs to tarp then that's $25 an hr that's a respectable wage, no?

 

Yes, they pay 50$ for tarping BUT tarping takes whole lot of time and they do not pay $25 for extra time you spend tarping loads. Sometimes you have to stop every couple of hours and fix that #### thing couse it's flapping, it's getting loose, it gets damaged and so on. And you waste hours and hours fixing tarp instead of driving and making money. .

So, my point is if you want do flatbed NEVER WORK FOR MILES DO PERCENTAGE or buy your own equipment and make even more money

 

If you have to stop and fix your tarps, it means you didn't do it right the first time
Don't start about it being the tarp. It is you because you failed do do it right in the beginning. Yes tarp straps break, but one breaking should not cause it to flap around

 

Tarping doesn't take that long if you know what you are doing UNLESS it's one of those complicated loads that need massive amounts of padding and has all sorts of odd shapes.

Speed in tarping with most regular loads comes with time and experience.