My honest, no BS, opinion of P.A.M.

I've cooled off a little. Stacy was more helpful than yesterdays cretin at getting the straps I needed.

 

You're complaining over 3-4 hours to replace a couple of tires? That's actually not bad. I've waited at Laredo just over 24 hours to have a trailer door hinge replaced.

Effingham, N. Little Rock and Willard are the only shops worth a ####. I hear Bath is pretty good, but I've never been there for service yet, so can't be 100% honest about that.

 

First off - be VERY careful about what you read/believe concerning ANY company. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Likewise, if it sounds like someone is bashing a company, they probably are.

If you look around long enough, you will certainly find the BM&C's about PAM far outweigh the number of times people will praise the company... This doesn't mean that this is a fair representation of the company, or how drivers feel about it.

PAM is NOT PERFECT!!! But are they close enough for you? Personally, I've not had any MAJOR problems with them so far. I've had some problems that seemed MAJOR at the time. I've had to deal with some people that didn't seem to give a flip about me or my issue, but then I've had other people who took ownership of the issue and found a solution for me (one that ultimately profited both myself and the company). The biggest concern that I have about the company, is the shops and protocol on how they are run. I run into several company drivers each week, and most seem to be satisfied with them, and with the mileage they are running. One thing that did make an impact on me, is that even though PAM is widely recognized as a "training company" (meaning that they 'sponsor' the trainee, and obligate them for a contracted term), there are quite a few drivers who have been with PAM for far longer than that contracted period. There are also quite a few that I've met, that were with other companies for x number of years and chose to drive for PAM. If they were as bad as many of the bad press postings on here would leave you to believe, I don't think anyone would stay 1 day longer than necessary.

Good luck with your decision and with driving. Hope all goes well for you.

 

Been with PAM since September. Some days it totally sucks ### and some days it's great. Just like any other job. Got my CDL through Community College. Only $2000 no contract required when PAM hired me, and no team driving requirement, just 4 wks out with a trainer then upgraded to 1st seat and out solo. I learn something new everyday. Some days are way more challenging than others. I was lucky enough to get home early for Christmas.
For new guys, learn as much as you can from your trainer, get as much practice backing as possible, get as much practice following routing and map reading as you can. Ask questions and take notes. Buy yourself a truck stop guide book, this will help you plan when to make your enroute stops. No sense in driving an extra 40 miles if your not going to have a place to park and you'll be short on hours.
PAM is of course not perfect, but it is a place to get good experience. You'll hear horror stories about any company you ask about or read about on the internet. You just have to make up your own mind. Trucking is not for everyone, there's so much more to it than sitting in the seat rolling down the highway.
Go luck and be safe.

 

what is your weekly mileage at this stage for you?

 

Low of about 2000 and high of 3800. Frieght is kinda slow right now but I usually get between 2500 and 3000

 

That's better than nothing though right? What all does PAM haul? Is it the automotive industry and such?

 

I see you are a fellow arkansan. Im from Greene county myself.

 

I think PAM hauls about anything they can get into a trailer.

 

Lol thats good