mercer transportation

I know their turnover rate is one of the lowest in the industry, not sure currently but last year before I signed on, they showed me what it was.
Yes some O/O at Mercer have Conestoga's. And I see loads specific for them on the board. Not sure I could justify the cost of one.
I've heard West coast is bad area, but I can't say as I just don't go out there with my old Pete. I do see lot of high dollar freight going out there from the east.
Guys with normal weight trucks don't have many bad areas especially if they carry tarps. Its' just the less pay load and less equipment, the more bad areas. That's why I carry tarps and ramps. Almost makes up for the low payload.

 

Man. I never sit long. when I used to go o.t.r. I would unload in the morning. I would wait til 4-5 p.m the next day. that is it, then I'm gone. I had to do that twice in 13 years. thought both times I was 500 miles from home. no way I am spending 3-4 day's in my truck.

 

i have also heard if you go to CA plan on a long layover. i am thinking i.might just go with the 37state plate. i dont run ca but i do like running slc, portland, seattle. i havnt really decided yet.

 

are any of you guys leasing a mercer trl, did you have to put money down? i was just sent a credit app and my credit sucks. on the app it says something about a downpayment and nobody mentioned that to me

 

I rarely sit long either unless over the weekend. That pictular time of a week was in Elpaso and not a light load within 900 miles and I was almost 2000 from the house.

 

Some of the stuff they "require" like 6' tarps and coil racks is dumb. Sometimes they check for that stuff at orientation and sometimes don't, just take it along, get a load going by the house and drop it off. My coordinator has never booked me on a load without calling me first. Some guys will let their coordinator book stuff then call, not me. They will only do that if you tell them its ok. And yes, they require a headache rack or head board, no getting around that, that is checked for when they inspect your truck. No one has ever tried to micro manage me. I work when I want and stay home for as long as I want. They do not care, they just want you to be happy. I have had nine weeks off this year so far, no one has said a word about it. My coordinator told me when I started that if he called me 100 times with loads and I turned every one down that he could care less, he makes the same amount every week regardless of what I do.

 

that must be a thing at mercer because chastity told me she makes the same regardless of if i signed on or not so she didnt really care. lol. in context it wasnt as bad as i just made it sound, i just got telling her they werent my first choice

 

So Wide load, who's your first choice and why?

 

i was going to.go to daly because i want to to the big stuff. they said even though i had no flat exp they would take me on because i have 19yrs trucking with no accident and only one ticket. so i filled out all the stuff and he calls me back and says he cant get me approved because my last two leases were only a year and a half ea and its not long enough tenure with a company. even tho the one before that was 7yrs.
of course since then i have heard more the.once those guys are real slow and mabey its a good thing

 

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my current situation versus my planned move to Mercer and whether I would be happy in their system. It dawned on me that it's been one year today since I leased on with Admiral Merchants and in that time I have never been to their head office or even met anyone from the company face to face other than one of their agents whose yard is 4 miles from my house and lets me drop my trailer there when I'm home. I LIKE THAT! The thought of having to work with a coordinator daily to line up MY LOADS doesn't really appeal to me and I got thinking that Admiral never once even asked me what equipment I planned to carry on my trailer let alone told me what I would have to have to haul their freight.
The thing that appeals to me about being an owner operator is the freedom to sink or swim at your own risk and I don't like to be told what is "best for me" whether in the freight that I haul, where I haul it or what equipment I choose to carry on my trailer to haul it with. In the past I have been leased to Oakley Trucking where it is mileage pay and forced dispatch (not for me), Miller Transporters (went to forced dispatch on percentage of revenue pay, not for me either) and to be honest when I read between the lines even though it may not be forced dispatch at Mercer there is a certain amount of control involved that makes me uncomfortable. So I would like to thank everyone who has answered my questions and I am going to give it some more time where I'm at.