Ask A May Trainer

If I made the rules... Any truck Driver that drinks energy drinks and drives would have their CDL taken away for live and imprisoned for 1 year.

 

OK, I'll bite.

Why? Would you ban coffee, tea and caffeinated soft drinks also?

 

My spouse is considering working for May trucking but we have a few questions, hopefully we can get some opinions to help us make a decision.
1) he is wanting to do 48, will the pay be worth being away so much?
2) does May care about their drivers? Treat them with care and respect?
3) he heard that he would not be able to get his sign on bonus until after a year, is this true?
4) is it true that they only offer medical and dental benefits?
5) because pay is based off mileage, what happens if he were to have to sit and wait for his next load?
6) is May a good company to work for?

It would be greatly appreciated to get feedback. He is to finish school in just two weeks and it is a big decision to make so any feedback at all would be fabulous. Thank you.

 

I have been with them for about 14 months, so I give it a try.

1) you get paid the same either way. The main difference is you are required to stay out longer as a 48, and you can get longer trips; there are innumerable posts about who has it better and gets more miles, but the pay structure is exactly the same.
2) In my experience, it all depends upon who you know. The company culture is based around an expectation that most new drivers won't last the year, so there is little incentive or opportunity to really form any kind of relationships that someone might be expecting from a "normal" job. The primary person a driver will interact with is his/her DM and there are great DMs and there are #######oles as well. But you
can request a new one if you can't work with the one you are assigned.
3) This was offered after I was hired so I didn't get one, the recruiter can tell you the exact policy. However, it doesn't make sense that they would give you the bonus right away if you can just quit the next day?
4) yes and they are not great either
5) If you have to wait 24 hours for a load, you should get $50 a day layover, If you are broken down, you get breakdown pay and a hotel room ( forgot how much breakdown pay is). If you are sitting because they gave you way to much time to get to your destination, then you are not compensated for that wasted time. If you have a good DM, they will work to get you your layover and Breakdown pay, and try to find a solution to get you off a load that is wasting your time, If you have a poor DM, then you need to make sure you get those things.
6) I have only worked for May, but from what I have heard talking to other drivers I meet, May is one of the best companies to go to with no experience, That is not to say it is a great company, but compared to a lot of the others it is better.

 

Of course not .. there is no crash to the body after a cup of coffee or a Pepsi .. But energy drinks are advertised differently and they do have a crash effect after a few of them.

You don't drink coffee or a Pepsi to get energy, its just a beverage to be enjoyed .. big difference.

Look at the advertising for energy drinks .. telling you if you are tired, drink them for energy, if yer tired.. get off the ######## road!

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond.. I greatly appreciate getting feedback from you. .

 

Just waiting for the recruiter... and then to see if any female trainers are available. Kind of a handicapping deal for me. I dont care if a trainer is male or female as long as they're reasonably clean and know how to drive.
Y'all take care
Mary

 

You only get to choose one of those.

 

Lol thats funny I guess we should bring glade with us lol

 

Hmmmmm.hard decision ... but I'll take clean.... :0)
Mary