Two years on at May

Maybe ask for a different DM?

 

+ 1

 

Why is a DM looking for parking for you ?

 

You must have Brook for a DM. I was driving 9,000 to 12,000 miles a month with May until they switched my DM to her. Then it was phone calls at 10 hours and 1 minute asking why I wasn’t driving. Every load became ASAP loads but she would insist that I needed to be there when the dispatch said even if that was 2 days ago. Then what got me called in is when I tried to call her for the Load report and she told me to stop calling her. So I did. Some DM manager (name started with a K) forced me to drop a load for repower in Salem and set an appointment to come see him 3 days later. So after I cooled my heals for three days I showed up for my appointment on time and he made me wait for 2 hours in a side room. Then Mr K ( 6’ tall skin head with tattoos everywhere) started yelling at me. I started laughing and told him he’d have to do better than that because after 25 years in the military he was pitifully squeaking compared to some Chiefs I worked with. I left while he was still screaming when he grabbed my shoulder to prevent me from leaving I told him I’d be reporting him to HR. After I reported him I requested a load to Idaho where I turned in the keys and left for better waters. I don’t believe I’d have made it much longer unless they switched my DM. But the May god (said with an eyeroll) told me that wasn’t going to happen so I left.
At the time May was only paying $0.38 a zip code mile so 10-20 miles of every trip was unpaid and the truck I drove was governed at 58.
Yes, I left for better waters. Yes, I’m currently looking for another job. But that’s a different thread.

 

Great to hear a positive story about a semi large carrier. I hope you and your new wife enjoy the road, play with the puppy and most of all stay happy. I've been trucking almost 44 yrs and I STILL get excited and smile when I hear my truck start. Never worked a day as I love my world.

 

Sounds like you are having a pretty rough start. I am sorry to hear this, but it is common while you are trying to learn & figure things out.

Low man on totem pole typically needs to deal with some junk at first till you gain some footing & experience.

They may very well be trying some different things with you to see how you handle & how you start to grasp how things & hours work.

Do have to agree you cannot maintain on $, but it is very beginning.

First time I have ever heard of a dispatcher locating parking for a driver...? You're new & I realize it is difficult at times, depending on location & time of day.

Would suggest a truck parking app such as Trucker's Path for parking locations. While the availability of parking may be debatable at times, it will definitely give you locations of anything around area to try.

Hope things get better for you. Most likely, it sounds like it is the worst it is going to be for you. I am sure it will get nothing but better. Next up, dealing with shipper/receiver issues & breakdown issues. Promise, they are for sure next up to occur & you will need to learn to deal with in your own way.

Also, realize market has been complete crap for some time now. Even for the large carriers, but for their locked in contracts. Add in all the #### weather where it appears you have been running as a new driver...... recipe for very low miles & paycheck.

Heads up & best of luck to you. You are going through the hell most of us started with. It will get better. To your credit, sounds like you met some good folks when you started. Maintain those relationships. They could possibly help you out a lot in your start.

 

May is a great starter company, I started there and worked there for 5 years. The thing is after a while you are trading off the laid back style for more money. Its ok for a while.but as time goes by it.gets old. My main issue there was sitting between loads . Half the time you get empty and don't have a preplan till the next day... last I heard they were paying newbies 115 a day on that salary pay. That's great for the lazies who want to sit in their truck and play video games.
Glad the OP.is still happy there, if it works.for u enjoy. May does have strong points, good equupment, a good shop and office folks, except.for a a certain person who was in safety on a power trip.

 

I also started at May several years ago, but I didn't hang around longer than necessary. It wasn't only because of the pay either. But before I bash them I'll say what's good about May Trucking. First of all, the equipment is all in great shape, well-maintained late-model Cascadias. The maintenance shops are there for you, and they encourage you to let them address even the slightest problem. If you stop at one of their hubs for any reason, someone will probably check your tire tread while you're on the lot and tag you for new tires if it's low. At the main hub in Oregon I was even able to talk them into putting a bicycle rack on for me. They pay close attention to trailer maintenance as well.

They also have a lot of freight. Some broker loads, some contracts, but they are in business to do business. They'll keep you busy. And frankly, they are pretty nice people overall. Also, their facilities are pretty nice, showers, laundry, food and beverages, all the usual things you need coming off the road for a short time, clean, comfortable, not disgusting and basic.

Down-sides: Their entire business model is built around constantly hiring and losing brand-new drivers right out of driving school. AND ALSO crossing every T and dotting every I when it comes to economy and efficiency. They absolutely expect you to quit after 90 days because of the pay, so they will abuse you for those 90 days. My experience was basically a hub-to-hub tour of the country. They'd get me at a hub where they had a lot of drop-and-hooks to deliver locally and keep me in that area for a week doing local runs. Obviously that doesn't add up to many miles, you spend most of your day sitting in traffic in southern California or Portland or Chicago or Denver. When you complain they will give you a long run away from there, but as soon as you come within range of another hub they will suck you in again.

They will also choke you out on miles once you start approaching their bonus levels. You can actually make decent money at May if you can squeeze enough miles out of them. But you can't, not as a newbie anyway. As soon as you start approaching the first tier of the bonus structure you suddenly notice they don't seem to require your services quite as much.

Related to that is their fueling policies. The way their system is set up, they will literally send you hundreds of miles off-route just to save a few dollars on DEF. It won't take you long to realize that there is a disconnect between the fuel department and everyone else at May.

I would hesitantly recommend May for a new driver. I certainly got in plenty of driving. And because they are constantly hiring brand new drivers, there is a decent training period leading up to actually hitting the highway with a load. Not many companies will hire brand-new drivers so May is good as any, in a lot of ways better than most. But they definitely earned the nickname "No-Pay May."