Marten Transport, LTD. - Mondovi, Wi.?

Discussion in 'Marten' started by kpnpeace, Jul 17, 2006.

  1. brianw900

    brianw900 Bobtail Member

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    May 16, 2011
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    FYI, this for former and current marten drivers. Don't know how many of you know or knew Jim Pendergast but if you did he died friday night.
     
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  3. skibum_63

    skibum_63 Road Train Member

    2,176
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    Oct 12, 2007
    somewhere, USA
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    Met him once when he gave me a new tractor. Sorry to hear he passed.
     
  4. scooby&eeyore2008

    scooby&eeyore2008 Bobtail Member

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    Oct 14, 2010
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    Sorry to hear that he passed away, does anyone know what he passed from?
     
  5. brianw900

    brianw900 Bobtail Member

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    May 16, 2011
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    He was in the hospital in TX and from what i heard they think he had a heart attack. He was in the hospital for a non heart related issue though so i think it was very unexpected.
     
  6. sgt slaughter

    sgt slaughter Bobtail Member

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    Jan 1, 2012
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    Yes knew jim,bye.I am waiting for the news that randy has died so i can go pay my respects to his gravesite:biggrin_25525:
     
  7. hardshellback

    hardshellback Bobtail Member

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    Apr 13, 2012
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    Man am I glad I quit when and how i did...I put 10 years in with Marten, waited till I got on vacation in Washington. Made sure I had all my money owed and my 401k taken care of.
    I had the tractor home with me, had my wife follow me to Wilsonville terminal, Had Mark the shop boss inspect the truck, took my locks and the keys and tossed them on Jeffs dest...he whined because I did not stop at Kent and pick up an empty trailer.
    I told him to tell Randy to shove it up an orfice of his choice and left.
    Best thing i ever did in my life...I got a job pulling U.S. mail for a great company out of MN.
    What ever Marten may have put negative on reports about me carried no water as their reputation follows them.
    Isn't one of the original Knight people a cousin to Moyers that owns Swift or something like that?...That would explain why the company really sucks now.
     
  8. hardshellback

    hardshellback Bobtail Member

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    Apr 13, 2012
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    Jim Pendergast was one of the good guys at Marten in the years after Rodger died. RIP JIM.
    Yeah I would to love to see Randys obit so I could pay a liquid tribute to his bones.
     
  9. IofTEXAS

    IofTEXAS Light Load Member

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    Sep 18, 2011
    in texas working
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    stupid idiot imposed alot of new policies unto the drivers who makes the bussiness go .....i tired of thier crappy low miles freight,,,,stupid pay scales ,,lousey payroll errors -every freaking week!!!! and stupid racist terminals

    GO TO HELL MARTEN , do send me anymore junk mail idiots
     
  10. CA_Medicine_Woman

    CA_Medicine_Woman Light Load Member

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    Jun 3, 2009
    Oak Creek, WI
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    I left Marten the summer of 2010, after 4 1/2 years with them. When I started with them, it was a pretty good company to work for. But, in 2009, the company began it's express ride to the bottom. Quite literally, the harder you work, the less you actually earn for your work, thanks to their so-called "Fair Pay" sliding pay-scale system. The per diem also became mandatory, a system that saves the corporation millions in taxes while destroying your credit, retirement, and other benefits. While all these changes were going on, Marten also started taking nearly all their long-haul freight and putting it on rail, essentially turning all drivers into regional and line-haul drivers by default. They also stopped paying "detention" pay on many loads, claiming if the customer wouldn't pay them for that, they wouldn't pay drivers. Next thing we all knew, we were spending just as much time in rail yards and customer docks as we were actually driving.

    Over my last 7 months with Marten, I also noticed the "official" miles on each load began dropping. Usually, I would notice that miles paid on a load were about 5% less than what the actual miles were. When I left, the difference was 15% to 20%. There was also a growing trend towards hiring drivers with little experience or questionable safety records, a sharp departure from policies established in 2007. From what I'm told, the Safety department now answers to Operations, which would explain why Marten's BASIC scores are getting way worse, and why they are killing so many people. They are even so desperate for drivers they are hiring drivers who are medically disqualified, only have learner's permits (and are operating as solo's), and a few never even had CDL's to begin with (one was driving on a Class C, got busted in California last March). That tells me the HR and Safety departments are largely a joke now.

    It's a crying shame that a company I was once proud to be associated with has become an industry embarassment, and another member of the Bottom Feeder's, Inc. If you're absolutely desperate for a job, and don't mind ruining your CSA score, then Marten is a good last choice for you. Otherwise, my suggestion is to avoid this company, or, if you are already working for them, get away from them as soon as possible. They've only gotten worse since I left Summer 2010, and Marten shows no signs of trying, or even wanting, to get better.

    Oh, and I know there are certain office workers at Marten reading this, and that they know precisely who I am, and always did. I could care less. I've always spoken my mind about Marten, good or bad, both while I worked for them and after I quit. There are those here who remember, I use to have nothing but good things to say about Marten, prior to 2009. Today, I see Marten hurting and killing people I know, and it really ticks me off that they are doing nothing to correct that. From ripping off drivers to killing a family of four I (and many that work at the Ontario terminal) knew, Marten Transport is definitely a member of the BFI club.
     
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  11. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

    13,776
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    Nov 1, 2010
    Burnsville, MN
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    Wow.

    I had a Marten driver approach me today asking if I was still happy at Swift.
    I told him yes, it has been fine for me.

    He starts telling me of 2500-3000 miles per week, the better pay, the automatic detention pay, $100 per day for layover or shop time, the 401, the... the list goes on.
    I start thinking that maybe Marten might be a good move.
    Then hands me a card with his name and driver code inside, telling me he will get $1,000 if he brings in a new driver.

    From what I have been reading here, it seems he might really need the thousand bucks more than he wants to tell the truth.

    He had started with Swift and left after 9 months when he started getting shorter loads.
    He assumed it was because Swift automatically sent the best loads to the new drivers that made less cpm, but I'm wondering if it wasn't just the time of year - or maybe his work ethic.

    I have been here a little over 1.5 years, so I have seen the slow times a couple times. And I still get my fair share of longer runs, even though I have made it through the aggressive pay raise cycle of that first year.
    There are a few things I don't really care for, but I mainly just ignore things like that and try to do my job safely.
    I have not had a problem getting detention pay or shop pay, and they do try to get me to my home time when I request.

    It seems like any large company you work for will have things that drivers think could be done better, and more fairly.
    Well, all of us drivers are right in that respect.
    But there is also something to be said for working the system to your best advantage, no matter where you are, until something truly better comes along.
    I'll be staying here, for the time being.
     
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