Marten Driver (currently)

That may not be far off the mark there. Not "GOOD" drivers but drivers who have worked with them longer have usually acquired more benefits (vacation etc.) and it may be cheaper to drop them in favor of newer drivers that can be pushed harder. It seems they have become a "meat in the seat" type co. now

 

There's no question Marten's survival strategy through the recession involved hiring "lesser drivers" the past few years, as well as some unsuspecting good ones who somehow got steered the wrong way. I drove OTR for them from 5/2000 to 6/2010 and watched the decline unfold. If I ever go back to OTR it'll probably be for some small company out west for less pay and benefits...and WAY LESS shenanigans!

 

Heard that, Driver !!!!!!!

 

If you were near where i'm at, id buy ya beer or two.

Companies no longer care for the vetern diver that has been with them 5+ years. Fine quit, we'll hire some one at al ower wage and make we'll more money. I've heard tell a few on the Jelly Belly account told Marten to shove it, after they started seeing thier Jelly beans loads get put on the train. This was confirmed by a Chicago local driver who is seeing more and more of those loads arrive in the Willow Springs Rail Yard. And those Jelly Belly Drivers had been with Marten 15-20 years, thus the reson they were on that account with the fancy trucks and trailers.

Found a company i could start with tomorrow, only thing they don't pay more than .34 cents per mile, and that includes a driver with 7 years exp.
Marten don't care.

 

Have been with Marten a little over 6 years and I've noticed it started when Randy hired our new company President from Knight. And he brought over a bunch of Knight retreads with him is what it looks like. Now we might as well be working for Knight Trans. from what I've heard from current Knight drivers. this is how it is over there.

 

Right on. This is a good post. The good, the bad, no hyperbole. Thanks for the post pardner.

 

Posted 4 years ago, when it was fun to work at Marten.
Now, more frieght on rail. OTR drivers from other side of the nation stuck on the other side running regional runs, but yet cant get hired in thier home region. New hires getting offerd those over guys/ galls who have been here 5+ years.
Garuteed home time, Gone is the $50.00 a day
foreced perdeim, and sliding pay scale.
Censored Wifi at the terminals.
SLOW ###'D shops cept Wilsonsville. 5 days backed up at most terminals. Wrench Monkees getting burned out, not completing the fix it lists.

Planners still planning trucks on paper, yet all company are going E LOGS.
Thus more repowers. I have repowered 10 loads this month so far, so the load could make del on time.
Except for Larado, no company car to use to run go get something to eat/ shop. So you have to bobtail.

Dispatchers who fail to read eniter msgs you send in, then a heated argument happens.

Company Preisedent who could care less about drivers.

 

It was 2008 when changes started happen big time. Now 2 years later, it's not the same company i started with.
Office staff who had been with Marten for a long time started leaving, while Tim Kohl bbrough his gangbangers in from Knight.
We're just a another Knight company in alot of ways now.

 

was rolling east bound on I-80 and due to a truck wreck near the ca/nv line I had to get off and get back on going west. So at the west bound scales at truckee I got a red on my pre pass and pulled into the scales. sure enough I hear the loud speaker go off telling me to pull up and bring all my paper work in. So I go inside and dot wanted my log book and I told him I was on the E-log. He says ok no problem and proceeds to do a level 3 inspection . (paper work only) He was cool and I passed.