mercer transportation

Anyone else getting red-lighted into EVERY scale with PrePass lately? The last six weeks the only time I get a bypass is if scales are closed. Not only that even with an empty flatbed I have to pull onto the scale and sit for two or three minutes until they let me go?

 

That’s because of the poor safety score mercer has..Until that score improves that will continue to occur

 

I’m based out of Fort Bragg/Fayetteville NC was looking at Mercer Transportation.

Where I’m at now, I like to pick up around here or the Florence, SC area to get to Atlanta then get something from Atlanta up to Louisville or Indianapolis and then run the Midwest for weeks/months at a time. Like to stay up and down 65/75 and I-80 across from Cleveland to Iowa.

Are these lanes persistent with dry van at Mercer? Every research I’ve done tells me that Mercer is mostly northeast for dry van and I would rather castrate myself. I also have open deck company experience pulling flat, step, curtainside, conastoga, and RGN but I probably couldn’t pull anything now with my truck specs at 221” wheel base unless they let me run curtainside without a headache rack.

 

Hey man, this thread is all but dead but I’d figure I’d reach out for you.

I know when I was at Mercer, those areas you mention were usually pretty good for both flatbed and van. It may be a little harder to find something out of your neck of the woods that pays decent to get you to Atlanta, but once you are in Atlanta it opens up pretty good. There was always work in a box drawn from Minneapolis to NYC then down to Atlanta across to Memphis and back up to Minneapolis. Venturing outside of that area at least for flatbed was iffy at times. Vans seemed to have the same luck though.

Mercer has a rule that all flatbed/stepdeck trucks must run a headache rack. If you can’t get one on that will clear then they won’t let you pull one, even if you pulled a conestoga. Or at least that was how I remembered it.

 

I might be wrong but thought I’ve seen Mercer trucks with conestoga trailers and no rack??

 

Used to be you had to either have a headache rack or a headboard on the trailer.

 

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There are better companies to lease on with.

Mercer's safety score leaves a lot to be desired and they now require forward facing cameras with audio. Their 75% used to be 75% of 99%. A friend of mine who is still there told me they just changed to 75% of 98%. Since they're self insured, someone has to cover the costs of law suits and it will not be them.

I just noticed someone above just wrote about red lights for Prepass. If you like weigh stations, you'll love it there. lol

 

You do understand the safety score comes from inspections, right? Drivers and their trucks get inspected not the company. Driver's actions cause the score to be whatever it is. But of course when any company does something to try to get drivers to improve, or terminates them, it is a bad company. Most negative comments here come from people who couldn't make it at Mercer for whatever reason. They will dwell on negative feelings for years apparently, rather than moving forward with their lives.

I as well as others have said Mercer, or any other particular company, is not a good fit for everyone. Some of us thrive, others will starve. If the freight available does not suit your desire for what you want to do just move on. There is plenty available, it is just whether what you are willing to do matches what there is to be done.

ELDs are now industry wide and cameras, like it or not are next. Thank the lawyers and insurance industry for that.

Heck the more Driver's that leave the more freight there is for me. This week is $9067 gross, previous week was $7K+ and one before that was $8K+. Had a week at home in between. Those who know me know I don't run hard. If your idea of a good company is getting 3500 miles a week then you are looking at the wrong company.

My comment about red lights and Pre-pass naturally brought out anti-company remarks, and no one answered the question of they too were experiencing the same problem. Contrary to statements the company safety score is not in the toilet. The issue is resolved, when we changed to Indiana plate PrePass got some of my vehicle information entered wrong thus when I hit a scale my truck and my pre-assembled didn't match. I never got pulled for inspection jist would sit in the scale for a minute or two until they electronically matched things up.

There was a time this thread tried to help people, now it is primarily ex drivers whining about past perceived injustices, just like the rest of society.