I spoke to PrePass today and got their explanation on a few things

okay one last thing and i'll shut up (maybe). i wanted to get some facts for myself about how much ezpass costs a trucking company so i did a bunch of google searches. guess what.......turns out that every toll authority charges their own fees to ezpass users and that there's no regulations on what those fees can be. here's a link to just one of many stories i found complaining about these fee increases. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010502150.html i guess my point is that many of us sometimes think that trucking companies are just rolling in dough and that everything is a scam, but the reality is that they carry a tremendous amount of the financial burden so we don't have to. i guess a guy could always become an owner operator so that the "the man" doesn't stick it to him but I think it would be a real eye-opener to most of us myself included but i'll take my 2007 fully loaded hood pete with aluminum trailer and my $1,134 load of billets for monday delivery (because i'm sitting in my recliner at home right now just like every wknd!) and knocking down 29% of every load i haul and do it all as a just a "lowly" company driver!

 

Not to rain on your parade, but i spent 3 years defending some of the stupid things TMC did, and talking about how fairly they treated me and what an excellent company they were. I recruited countless individuals, and they always treated me fairly.

At least that's what i told myself, because it's much easier to look at the good than it is the bad. Are they a horrible company? Heck no! I made great money when i was with them drove nice equipment, etc.

But having to pay 2.00 a week is just stupid, paying an "advance fee" out of your check to pay their bills is equally stupid, I don't really care how little it costs, it's the point.

 

See, here you go again! "having to pay 2.00 a week is just stupid" Like i said in my previous post, you didn't have to pay anything. tmc didn't put you in a dark room with thugs and force you to pay the $2. Did you take the time to read the link i posted?? did you misss the fact that tmc also has to pay fees to various states in order for them to even offer the ezpass so all they said to you and me both is hey, if you would like the ezpass then here's the fee. if you don't want to contribute then no sweat, just call for an advance and they'll give you the money up front and you can cash your comchek when you fuel. that's whut i do.

CPLMAC2, not sure what the .25 driver advance fee is. i looked over my last few statements and i don't have that on mine and i just texted a buddy of mine and he said he hasn't seen that either. sounds like maybe some weird error. dunno?? i'd call your fleet manager on monday and see what he says. i've had a couple mistakes here and there over the time i've been with tmc but they've always fixed them right away with no hassles so it's probably just something simple to resolve.

 

You are correct, i diddn't have to pay. But that would mean stopping at every scale, dealing with FM's on a daily basis for toll money, and possibly being a loan officer for TMC's bills, and i'm not down with that.

So, with that being said the alternative to paying was equally ridiculous. Prepass is common in this industry, almost all companies use it, and unless you're an owner operator, to my knowledge TMC is the only company silly enough to charge the drivers for it.

 

My husband has $1 out his check each week for his prepass. He's a company driver with Roehl.

 

uh-oh! roehl is obviously conspiring with tmc now!!

 

eckz, who do you drive for?

 

I diddn't say it was a conspiracy, i said it was silly.

I drove for TMC. I don't drive anymore, and i'm probably not going to go back. I don't typically "bash" TMC, in fact i spent the majority of my time on here defending them, as most of their drivers who frequent this board, and ex drivers even will probably tell you.

I was in the process of getting rehired when I read that they were taking away prepass, and decided not to go back. It's not just that, though, it's the money that i've been hearing my trainee's have been making, and all the silly new rules that are being implimented to increase their bottom line while sacrificing driver productivity, alot of what any larger company (not just TMC) does makes little sense from a drivers perspective, and sadly it's something we will always have to deal with.

As far as TMC not paying their bills -- well, that's not just prepass, they have that reputation amongst many of their vendors as well and i've heard it first hand from many of them, i've sat there at a peterbilt dealer that wasn't authorized for literally 6 hours because TMC was refusing to pay them the amount that they wanted to charge for replacing my alternator. Instead of paying the bill, and letting me go, i waited through 6 hours of their "negotiations" which i found to be a tad bit rediculous considering i missed a load that week because of it. I diddn't say it was a conspiracy, I just said that for the sake of their drivers they should get their #### together, and realize that you guys come first.. You're the one making them their money.

 

I stand corrected. It's still silly, in my opinion. That is a tool, a tool to get your job done for their company, and ultimately the toll roads are their bill, not yours.

After all, it's a dollar a week. What does that really accomplish? Next they will be charging rent to sleep in the truck!