TransAm Trucking, Inc. - Olathe, Ks.?

Probably the same here but see what the wife wants, she needs to watch all her pinoy soap opera's Lol. That T 700 looks big enough to put a hot tub in that thing is huge. I guess I will see how things are going. My contract is up in September and we will probably get it again but ready to move back to the states. Going to suck to have to pay taxes again
Did you do a lot of drop and hook or is it a lot of live loads.
What about New York and North East

 

^ Yeah, I understand about the Pinoy soaps. Ms. Passport is trying to watch the Thai soaps (she does not understand a word of Thai) just to get her fix.

TransAm's M.O. is to pick up meat loads in the mid-west (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska) and deliver them to the population centers in the East. My home address is in the Omaha area and I ran a TON on I-80. There are exceptions but we usually deliver to the outskirts of the large cities and not right in the city center. That is where the grocery warehouses and the restaurant distributors are. In my one year with TransAm, I went into New York twice to make a delivery. I have only been inside Philadelphia once but have been a bunch of times to Swedesboro, NJ (outskirts of Phily).

Some drop and hook pick ups but plenty live. I had no reason to keep an accurate count but as a ball park maybe 30% D&H, 70% live.

Backhaul from East back to the West can be anything. Often in two stages, as in example: Pick-up in New Jersey, deliver in Ohio. Pick up in Ohio, deliver in Iowa. Back to a meat plant to start the process over again.

Others (like Honeybager I think) keep a more Southern route. A lot of loads between Kansas, Texas to the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, etc.

 

That's good info, being I'm going to live in Indiana I would probably get the north also I guess but I like the south better not as much snow and ice. I hear sometimes them meat loads take a while.
Do the trucks have GPS or did you buy your own.
Don't let me keep you on here I don't want to drive you crazy with questions all at once.

 

^ you're right about the ice and snow but in all other ways, I pefer the Northern route. I-80 is good running and TransAm pays for us to run on the tollway. Much better roadway, less traffic than I-40 for example. Just IMHO.

The trucks have a Traq, touch-screen, communication device loaded with Truck-Specific Co-Pilot GPS Navigation software: http://copilotgps.com/us/truck/ . There is debate about it on this forum and in this tread about running a second Rand McNally GPS. For me, I have always just used the Co-Pilot system and feel it works fine. Google Maps is also your friend regardless of the GPS that you use.

The Traq device is also loaded with the main communication system that you will use to communicate with your driver manager and also your e-logs.




Out of focus, but you get the idea.

 

^ Also, if you are interested, TransAm uses Blue Tree Systems software as a base (it is used on the in-truck, Traq device): http://www.bluetreesystems.com/region/us/home/ . I talk about how well equipped the trucks are but feel disappointed in the Traq system. The user interface/input system just plain sucks and the units seem substandard in basic workmanship. Having said that, other than feeling a bit frustrated by it, it does get the job done.

The website above has a link a PDF with an overview of our e-logs: http://www.bluetreesystems.com/?wpdmact=process&did=NjcuaG90bGluaw

 

not entirely true about all kenworth, they have 10 freightliner cascadias that are company trucks... Lol and HTQ were stopping in mt Vernon tonight just left friona tx Jaso in Amarillo now fueling

 

gamma are those new cascadias or old left overs being rotated out of the fleet
and don't be calling passport a liar for 10 trucks out of 1200
you darn rookie you

I will jump into the gps debate
I run a rand McNally I can look up where the truckstops are walmarts etc
along my route and better plan my day
but as passport said google maps to me is essential
I have my laptop and mifi to keep track of all the rookies when HTQ is sleeping

 

I am not a driver yet but it seems to me the Freightliners are not as good as the KW and Pete's from what I have read on the Internet but I can't really say.
are they automatic also

Do most drivers there like the automatics

 

Lol cranky I wasn't calling him a liar I wAs just picking lol and they are 2012 freightliners according to jay at rockwall they were some kind of deal where freightliner have them to transam trying to woo them back to using freightliners

 

I drive a Cascadia now for another company
I loved my KW T700 with all the comfort
I love my Cascadia for ease to drive turning radius is exceptional
but they are a lil noiser and rattle more then the KW
only one bunk so the wife stays home
but I doubled my salary after 2 years with transam
I am 60 years old just transitioning in life too
but I don't live in the Pacific...........sigh

traveling 80 is what I do WI to CA good truck route

don't worry about where you will drive some places are worse then NYC

Burgermeisters in Joisey has no business bringing 53 foot trailers in there
that was my first run alone
another sausage place in joisey has people come spot you to back you in

in LA I had a chinaman stand in front of my truck and blindside down a one way street to get to the dock

if you can live overseas you can handle driving a truck

biggest challenge of my life was running commercial fishing boats in Uraquay
trucking is easy