TMC , need to know the TRUTH about them

Hmmmm, me thinks we have more TMC office staff than drivers here now. The more the merrier I suppose.

As for TMC's ISS2 rating being so high. I have a couple of theories. First is that TMC until last year did not do a stellar job of auditing drivers logbooks. This may have attracted drivers who could log "creatively" and this all came crashing down around their ears last June. Over time these drivers will no longer be able to log creatively and will leave the company.

The other issue that may have driven the numbers up is a belief by some drivers that it is hard to get a mechanical issue taken care of and it will cost them time and pay. They will put off getting any repairs done to the truck until something catches the eye of a DOT officer at a scale and they get put out of service. Twice I have had to contact road repair and found them quite easy to get along with. I made sure to accurately describe the problem and took the time to locate what I needed to complete the repair and where it was. Yes I did part of their job for them but when I laid it all out all they had to do was approve it, no questions, no waiting. I met road repair department halfway and they took care of the rest.

Those are two reasons that the ISS2 number is at 97. Both can be corrected by the individual driver. Don't be scared of being inspected constantly either. Even with the high rating I still have not been inspected ONCE in 23,000 miles (knock on wood, here )

For another company with a higher rating look at Arrow. They take new drivers and train them on flatbed, their ISS2 is at 99, highest possible.

If you are still considering other companies consider this: I loaded next to a driver for Boyd in Norfolk NE one day. This was a load of greasey bars requiring a bulkhead. A bulkhead is 4 pieces of oak 4x4 chained to make a wall in front of the bars. This prevents them from sliding forward. This driver for Boyd asked me if I thought he could use straps to build the bulkhead, since he didn't HAVE ANY chains. I told him that probably a strap bulkhead would be better than nothing, but I wouldn't want to do it that way myself. When that steel slides forward against the wood what do you think will happen to a simple piece of nylon that gets caught in between. At TMC you will at least always have enough stuff to secure your load if you do it right. Other companies don't seem to equip their trucks as well.

 

Well I have to agree with some of your statements with TMC and feel more clarity is needed on a few… Oh by the way I am a company DRIVER so only hold a pen when logging or filling out delivery receipts… When an owner operator with his already grossed out load of rail road axles gets stopped at an inspection station due to the fact the dope sniffing dogs are going in to seizures over the 2000 lbs of “Willies Best” hidden under a canary yellow tarp… A red flag tends to go up with our government agencies and they start to suspect “organized crime” and made the Houston 6pm news! This turned a 3-day audit turn into a 3-week audit! When a driver goes into Tractor Supply and purchases 2 gallons of Iodine and has no horses … Again a red flag is sent out to these agencies. When this SAME driver is stopped and found to have a rolling meth lab in his truck again “here’s yer sign…” Quite simply put our score is reflective of bad decisions drivers have made while out on the road… It is NOT reflective to how TMC runs its company in the least. We are suppose to be adults qualified with the tasks at hand and should NOT need a babysitter… Just look at our tarp pay! (ok not a good place to put it but had to say it anyway) However this score is NOT unique too just OUR company. A majority of owner operators and veteran drivers have logged "creatively" for YEARS! WE are just the first of the few to have been caught with our pants down due partly to all the negatives brought down upon us. Be prepared to see a LOT of those numbers go UP with other companies in the months to come. Most of our equipment is NEW and in tiptop shape although we are still weeding out a lot of our old worn out trailers… I tell you road repair at times can be filled with a bunch of egotistical jerks that have had too much desk time no empathy for the drivers that they are called upon to support… Some lack a lot of real world over the road experiences as a driver so they have NO idea what its like to be sitting on the side of the road broke down for hours when its 110 out side and they are sipping on their diet coke, eating pretzels in the COLD A/C watching a DVD… If you emit kindness it tends to be returned... If you are (like you said) precise in your description and a little forethought has been given over what its going to take to get you back on the road safely most of the time they reply with swift kind action… You start with a negative be prepared to have it stuffed down your throat 10 fold… Just ask for Richard...

 

I worked with TMC for a short amount of time. In fact, it was my first company out of school. I had read good things about TMC on this website, in fact, while researching various companies while still in school. I must have heard the word "safety" almost a thousand times while in the two week orientation. It IS true that one of the first things a trainee is taught in the truck with his trainer is "cutting corners" on log books. The guys in the safety department preach safety and running legally. This is either just for show, or these guys really are left out of the loop, while everyone around them is lurking in the shadows, nodding and winking.

My demise came relatively quickly with TMC. There was an "application issue" in which a couple of the higher ups became privy to on that fateful evening in November. I don't really blame them or hold them in ill regard for terminating me. Our separation had nothing to do with my job performance, however, it was within their rights. I was told to drive the truck to the nearest truck stop which was about 20 miles away and then they would help me get home. Apparently TMC's way of "helping someone get home" is to send a Qualcomm message to the driver in a manner somewhat like this: "You are terminated. You have 10 minutes to be out of the truck or the Atlanta police will assist you." By the way, there was no bus ticket. Those inhuman ######## did not care if I had 3 dollars. I was just a number. I have learned early and I will cherish this learning experience. To the ones who work for and praise TMC till the end, watch your back. TMC's #### DOES stink. You just haven't smelled it yet.

 

Anomeley,

I take exception to one point you attempted to make in regards to the "other" services.

It takes an even 'fewer and proud' to keep you guys going.

Doc Calhoun
USN

 

You all need to understnad where Anomeley is coming from. He is just is just proud of his past. I myself am in the Air Force and I do not take offense to what he said. If you do you must not be in the military or never were, cause that is how we all are. We will talk S%^t about each other but we will back each other up if need be. All he is saying is if you do not have pride and commitment do not even look at TMC. enough said

 

I agree with you to a point Smokehole, but Doc Calhoun is absolutely right. Marines are proud and we should be and nothing wrong with a little inter-service rivalry, but the fact remains that without Navy Corpsman, we'd be toast.

Can we get back to talking about TMC? I have some questions. I just spoke with the recruiter today, here is what I got from her:


Starting CPM: .30 or 23% of load (averages .34cpm)
Tarp Pay: $10 per load
Layover pay: $? after 24 hours
Detention pay: Yes, but no idea how much
Tuition Reimbursement: $100/month til paid in full
Avg Miles Per week: 3000-3200
TAH (west coast): 1 day off for 7 days out, most likely home every 14 days
Avg 1st year earnings: between $55k - $60k
30 day performance reviews with bonuses that could take earnings to 32% or .42cpm for previous 30 days.


Any of this true? Can someone clear up the pie-in-the-sky clutter for me?

 

I made closer to 30K my first year @ TMC which includes your training time ... Not to burst anyone's bubble but hanging out a 60K carrot is just that... Don't expect to make that kind of money your first year at ANY trucking company...
Starting 23% but hang yourself out one weekend and you can be at 27% within your first month then take a TQM class and bring that up to 32 to 34% and make closer to what you are worth after 90 days! Yea 10 bucks to tarp a load is a crock but it is what it is... Detention pay you get ONLY if TMC collects any from the shipper or consignee so if you don't report it you wont be getting it period... Lay over pay will be based off your daily revenue averages as well as your break down pay.
30 day performance reviews with bonuses that could take earnings to 32% or .42cpm for previous 30 days is true but have to throw the TQM class in there to get to those higher numbers. (TQM class is just a weekend class and an additional training class offered by TMC to help you mange your time more effectively while running legal). Oh and don't forget paid vacation after you have been in your truck for 1 year AND 500 bucks apprentice pay if you have behaved yourself and had no major load claims or accidents within your first year... Hope this helps!

 

I think that was WELL said!

 

Thanks LakeReady.

I have absolutely NO trucking experience whatsoever. I'm a former corp mid-level exec who was kicked to the curb when the sub-prime mortgage company I work for imploded. Trying to use the opportunity to NOT return to offices, cube farms, and pointless long meetings that make me wish people in the room would choke on their coffee.

My plan is to run as hard as they'll let me, get all the education I can from them and other experienced truckers, and take the job out of Kalifornia to North Carolina when my box (house) sells.

Anyone else who drives for TMC, be sure to pipe in with your impressions and advice, good or bad. I know I'm in for a financial beating my first year at least, but I'm pretty sure it'll be better than those unemployment checks.