Any Marten or New Century Transportation drivers out there?

Mandatory per diem was the biggest thing. They also made changes as far as mileage pay. Instead of just one standard rate for all trips; they made it to where you're paid more for shorter trips...less per mile for longer trips. Not bad really...just a change.

 

Ask yourself this question.
If New Century is paying 46 cpm, awesome benefits, and have such nice equipment, why, in these tough economic times are they hiring?
Answer:
1. The mileage rate is deceiving. They pay that high because you do alot of LTL (multi-stops). The fact of the matter is that last year we were at 52 cpm. Hence, a pretty substantial pay cut.
2. The benefits sound good until they tell you they will cost you almost $100 a week and the deductible is a sizable $2000. Awesome benefits?? I don't think so.
3. The newest trucks in the fleet are 2007 and the maintenance is really lacking. They may look nice but looks don't get you down the road and make you money.
4. And something you didn't mention, but maybe doesn't matter to you, is home time. 2 words, forget it. You'll be out for weeks,you will deliver on weekends and holidays, and the only thing that matters to them is that the freight gets delivered.
You are just a warm body in the seat to them and that's how you can expect to be treated.
I work for them and believe me, it is the most miserable job I've ever had. The only reason I'm still here is because I can make some money. I guess if you can put up with all the #### they dish out, you can do alright. I am down at least 20,000 from last year. I expect to make less than $60,000 this year. And I'm not at the bottom of the list. You will be.
All I'm waiting for is something better to come my way. For now, I'm still paying the bills, so for that, I'm thankful. I know a lot of guys who aren't making it.
I just wanted to put a word of warning out there to make you guys think about why a company like this is hiring right now when nobody else is.
It's simple. Because guys are quitting.

 

Here's some feedback from a longtime Marten driver (since Feb. '99).

Probably neither of these two companies is your best bet if what that last poster just said about NC is accurate, because I definitely can't recommend hiring with Marten right now. I used to really like driving for them -- best job my whole life -- but sadly, those days are gone forever.

I just talked with a Crete driver last night while doing my laundry and phoned one of their recruiters this morning to look into hiring over there. The recruiter (her name is Sarah) said they're not hiring anywhere west of Denver for OTR. I live in Nevada so that's probably not gonna work for me. I don't really want to move if I can help it.

The best conclusion I've reached so far in trying to figure out where Marten's coming from these days, is they now view drivers as completely disposable and treat them accordingly. My guess is the date for making per diem mandatory (Sept. 1st) was probably known way in advance, like about 2 years ago. All this buildup trying to hoodwink as many drivers as possible into volunteering for it before forcing it on everyone, was probably part of a grand plan designed to smooth out the damage done when Sept. 1st rolled around, because any driver who fell for the ploy earlier and signed up for it ahead of time wouldn't be upset at all.

If you have any interest whatsoever in being able to trust your employer, don't hire with Marten. You might want to take a look at Crete. They don't have forced per diem, and I think they have a pretty good reputation amongst drivers.

 

I'm pretty sure that sliding scale just piles on yet another pay cut. The term "Fair Pay" says it all: a few jobs have "excellent pay," others have "good pay," most have "average pay," some have "fair pay," and a few have "poor pay."

For some reason the company didn't force it on drivers at the top of the pay scale. I turned it down.

 

Don't know anything about Marten but I can tell you that NCT is an outstanding company. From the owner down they take care of their drivers. We do have a few a holes but what company doesn't. It's true the logs are matched up with the QC and that has cut our miles down but if you are a professional and don't ##### and moan you will have plenty of miles for the most part. I guess you know all of the benefits we get so I won't go into that. Living in Ill you probably will get to go home a little more often as we run Chicago and surrounding area a lot. Good luck with whomever you choose.

 

Can't send a pm. Haven't posted enuff. Avg 2300 mpw, 10 to 15 stops a week. 7 pd holidays and 5 pd personal days. 68 a week for blue cross/blu shield. hope that helps

gary