Life at American Central Transport (ACT)

Wow, how do you make so much money?! My boyfriend says ACT told him he'd make anywhere from $800-$1200 a week. Well, he has yet to see $800 a week and he's been there a month. Do you think it's his dispatcher? Is his dispatcher holding him back?

 

He already is a lease operator.

 

Then that's terrible. You can't survive on that set up a face to face meeting put it in writing have them.sign.everything you discussed. Cya, always.

 

I have been with ACT for 2 1/2 months now.I'm making avg. about 900-1000/week.You have to remember this is the worst part of the year for freight.I also think you have to be patient,and dont get to excited yet about miles.I think with any company,they're going to start you out fairly slow and make sure you're up to the job,no lates,being safe and doing things they're way.what kind of fuel mileage is your BF getting.I'm only getting avg 2200 since I started so I figured out real quick that if thats all I was going to get,I better make the best of it and get the best mpg I can on every load.Tell him to Slow Down!

Who's your BF's dispatcher?(first name only) As far as sitting down with ACT and talking to them,that would be fine.But whatever he does don't listen to that guy that told you to get everything in writing and have them sign it.That's the stupidest thing he could do.Trucking company's have no way of knowing what,where and when freight will be available at any time.Alot of truckers think that when they studied for their CDL and passed that it came with a law degree.Remember ACT is owned by a family of real lawyers.You go in and insist on them signing anything and you might as well paint a bullseye on your back.Dont get to frustrated,things will get better.I always give a company 6 months before I make a decision on weather to stay or look elswhere.

 

Good advice there. With any new position, don't go in expecting the world. If after 6 months of honest, dependable service, he isn't receiving an equitable slice of the mileage pie it may be time to start asking questions. If he is doing everything right (being available, loading/unloading on time, sending check calls, fueling appropriately, staying positive..) there is no reason to believe anyone would be holding him down. My best advice is to do his best to avoid the conspiracy mentality, that someone is out to get him or someone just doesnt like him. That colors his interactions with people and customers and it may actually prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Also, dispatchers rarely have influence over freight fyi. The people who plan loads (load planners) look at things like HOS, time to empty, hometime requests, etc when matching loads. They don't deal with drivers. Dispatchers are the liaison, handling present and foreseeable (sp?) issues and maintaining contact with all relevant parties. It's very easy to blame a dispatcher for things not in that person's control simply because they are point of contact.

Help your man relax and understand that learning to get off on the wrong foot is an admirable trait. We all have bills to pay, and slow periods hurt. Asking questions to the right people about what he could be doing better should at least raise the issue in a positive light, without painting him as another whining driver.

Best of luck, new starts can be anxious times. A level head will prevail.

 

Let me clarify, you go in with your complaints. You signed a lease, you have your complaints on paper that they were discussed is all. It does not intend to get more miles out of it, but rather proof you assessed in case of total loss, legal and peace of mind. What's wrong with that, you signed a lease right?

 

Thanks for all the info/advice guys, I really appreciate it. I hope I didn't paint my bf as being a whiner because he isn't at all. He's just a hard working guy trying to pay bills. As far as how fast he drives, he drives slow. I believe he said he drives 57mph. He's read your posts and learned from you guys to go slow He'll definitely give it some more time. We really hope this works out with ACT.

 

Again,This is horrible advice.If he needs to go in the office and talk to them thats fine,me personally,I wouldn't.But if he does, go in like a man and speak to them man to man and ask how he might be able to do his job better.Going in with paperwork and asking them to sign it is crazy.They're not going to sign anything,as would no other company out there.ACT doesn't want they're guys to fail, and I think they try hard to get everybody miles.I get frustrated all the time not getting more miles or just a 5 or 600 mile load on fri that doesn't del till mon.We all do.Look at the bright side in a few years he'll own that truck and be able to do anything he wants.