PAM

i'd say your chances are very good, you'll be leaving the country. have a passport ready.

 

You might go to Canada depending on your criminal record. You will not go to Mexico though you will get pretty close.

 

I live in Michigan as well. My husband drove for PAM for a very short time. The terminal he had to go to was in Ohio. Near Allentown if i'm not mistaken. They usually ran him from Ohio or Michigan to Laredo and a few other locations in Texas. There we're other drivers down there (from Mexico) who drove the trailors back and forth over the Mexican border. I am not sure about Canada, he was never sent there. I would be cautious if I we're you though. My husband found himself sitting at docks more than he was driving and PAM does not pay layover pay. So some days he made nothing. It can be quite frustrating. Hopefully you will have better luck with them than he did. :smt043

 

Once again, I've gotta step up to the plate and defend the company that gave me my start into this industry.

As I've stated many times, I worked for PAM from Aug. '03 to Jul '05. I was able to make a success of this company. While with them, I ran several of their dedicated accounts. One of these was from Laredo, TX to Toronto, Ontario (actually Etobicoke, ON, a suburb of Toronto). This run paid me 3470 miles per week every week and allowed me a 34 hour reset at home every week. This run, in addition to being a trainer later in the year, is what allowed me to make just shy of $40,000/yr in my first full year with the company (2004).

They didn't have a great deal of runs into Canada when I worked there, but there are TONS of runs to Laredo, TX and El Paso, TX. When I worked there, 75% of PAM's freight was from the automotive industry, specifically, General Motors and all of their suppliers such as Delphi.

Are there better companies than PAM? Of course. Can a driver make money with PAM? I reckon that would depend on how flexible the driver can and will be. Myself, I didn't care much about hometime as I am single and without children, which probably added to my success with the company. Throughout my two year stint with them, I would be willing to bet that my average dock time was not any more than the industry average (this is directed to the "more time at the dock than on the road" comment).

I had one great dispatcher with PAM, unfortunately she retired. Everyone else I had dealings with from within the company will shoot you straight so long as you shoot them straight. Norma, the driver liason, is a great lady and knows enough about the trucking business to have her own fleet. She will go to bat for ANY driver, so long as he/she has a legitiment complaint.

Hope this helps.

 

Okay I am new as well and I am concidering going to work for PAM or USA Truck after school. My school is in Little Rock, AR I have a brochure on both companies and as for PAM they have listed Additional Pay and that includes..Loading and Unloading pay, Extra stopoff/pickup, Layover, Home time layover, Road Service Layover, Tontitown yard pay, NYC Pay, Shuttle run/City Work and Canadian Border Crossing pay. I have this brochure in PDF format as well if anyone would like a copy I have a accoount on Trucker Spaces under the same username as here.

I still haven't made up my mind yet as to which one I want to go with but I am leaning towards PAM The Training is through Driver Solutions.

Merry Xmas everyone.

Marty

 

the biggest thing about anout crossing the border is , if you owe child support you will be detained til they come get you. kiss the job goodbye along with your stuff. nobody tells you this gut i found out about this through another driver last year.

 

the chances of you going to Canada are very slim.I asked at pam headquarters if I need to go home and get my passport, I was told that there was no need. PAM has a Canadian fleet just like they have Mexican drivers who bring and take trailers over the border # laredo, Tx.

 

closest terminals are at Effingham IL, North Jackson OH, and At WIllard OH.

 

Could have been all different back in 2006.