Trans Am Still

Truly George, I think TransAm's business model is to talk as many inexperienced drivers into leasing as they can. They lease the same truck out over and over until it is paid for, give it to a company driver after that, and get paid to transport freight the whole time. Our drivers here have been successful at leasing but they are few and far between company wide......and our drivers on the thread hustle and keep the driver's side door closed. They use every available resource to educate themselves and get the job done......against the odds. TransAm (and some of the other carriers) count on lease drivers failing.

My belief is that they feed the myth that lease drivers get the more choice runs ......that's one of their selling points when they dangle those big numbers in front of the new driver's eyes. It is to their advantage to perpetuate that falsehood. The planners assign the loads to each truck and the dispatcher gives each driver their assignment. That being said, I have known dispatchers that have disagreed with the planners about load assignments.......because they didn't think that particular driver could or would make on time delivery. I do think your driver manager also has input into getting you miles....and can tell the planners that they need to get some better loads for a certain truck. It is on the driver to move the freight in a timely manner, as passport said, everyone there is a TransAm driver. If you are a good driver and a runner, when you make a complaint about your miles your DM is going to do their best to make it up to you and get better runs. There are times that are slow and there are times that you will be in an area that is difficult to find a backhaul...... for years it was hard to get out of Florida but over time they have developed lanes there.

 

How are you VooDoo Man? We haven't seen you online for awhile!

 

Just seen a story where a driver killed someone trying to break in his trailer. I'm at work so no details , seen it on CDL Life on Facebook I think ?

 

Queenie, I have thought about what you said and you make a real convincing argument. At the end of the day, TransAm has to turn to the most dependable drivers be it lease or company to get the job done otherwise we lose customers and we cannot have that. The company is trying to pass the cost, liability on to the lease drivers with the expectation that they can make more money. More risk, POTENTIALLY more reward. Personally I don't feel the need to be an O/O or a lease driver. I am happy being a company driver. Never have been much of a risk taker. Real conservative. Don't have much, but don't want much either. Either way, I am giving this company my BEST. They deserve that. They went out on a limb for me. Had two incidents my first week here, they stayed with me. They didn't quit on me. They have treated me well.

Aquarius, go out there and prove yourself like I know you will. You are smart to go company first. If you take care of business, TransAm will take care of you. In the short run you may get some unfavorable swaps, runs, but believe those things turn around too. If not, there are many companies out there. One thing for sure, keep your CDL clean, do your job, treat people decently and you will always be able to find a job in this industry. That is security. If the trucks stop running, somebody, somewhere pushed a button and the world as we knew it came to an end. Then we can call Austin Powers. YEA BABY!!

 

I just read it, Dennis. The truck driver was going to haul a motorcycle to Michigan for a customer. The shop was in Wisconsin, where the shooting took place. The driver was asked to step out of his truck by a person claiming to be a police officer. When asked to see his badge, the guy claiming to be a cop told the driver he was going to steal his truck. The driver shot him about 3x in the abdomen. The suspect was taken to the hospital and proclaimed dead. The driver is 22 years old and suspect was mid 20's. Appears he worked at the motorcycle shop. Guess he figured he'd get himself a bike!

 

Hey HTQ, where in LA is this spill???? I'm at the Petro in Shreveport while they weld on a new mud flap bracket. Planned to head down 49 and take 10 east.

 

It was near Shreveport, I'll see if I can find a mile marker. I don't think you are cursed, honeybadger ......I think you have an angel riding on your shoulder. All of your bad luck seems to be blessings in disguise!

 

Eastbound is open, just use caution it will probably be slow. See, told ya your luck is good!

Traffic is being diverted to the Hearne Ave exit, 16A, and from I-49. I-20 eastbound remains open, but drivers are urged to avoid the area. Cleanup is expected to get under way shortly and the interstate will reopen soon after.
Copyright 2014 KSLA. All rights reserved.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I know I get a lot of primo cake runs. One could just say that it's because I'm a lease driver. I am a lease driver, but it is only one of several reasons I get cake runs.

The planners know that I, as a driver, bust my butt to make OTP and OTD, even if the odds are stacked against me. They know that in the past that I have been reliable to save late loads on very tight time frames and not need to be rescheduled. I also think ahead and keep open lines of communication. I will give an approximate ETA to final within an hour of picking up the load in hopes of tightening up the delivery if I feel it is in my best advantage. I push for early delivery whenever I can. Even on drop and hook loads, I don't lollygag and take my time. I hustle it in and have a preplan waiting that I can head to pick up or wait for it to finish loading and pick up soon after. Because of the way I run, I dont wait at the meat houses very often because the planners put loads on me nearing drop dead when I am emptying out on my current trip. I've managed to make myself stand out through my aggressive push to run hard and habit of keeping the door closed.

The final, and a very big, factor in good loads and miles is my dispatcher. This person is commonly regarded as one of the best with the company. She doesn't just slap the first run the planners send for me on my truck. I know for a fact that she will filter through options and try to get something better before it even gets as far as becoming a true preplan. She has taken the time to get to know me and knows where I like to go and where I just won't go. We never have to discuss Boston or NYC or places like that because she knows me well enough to know there is no discussion as far as I'm concerned. My DM knows the value of throwibg me a bone when Ive been in a bad rut and will generally make it up to me by securing me a load to Florida, Cheyenne, Odessa or one of my other favorite places. She has also learned how to deal with me when I'm moody and not make me more aggravated and she never takes it personally when I am snarky. She gets me home when I need to be and I know I can count on her. In return, I try my heart out. I don't necessarily do it for TransAm, I do it for her and for myself. My DM trained her counterpart and has passed on the notes on "how to handle Kris" because yes, I am one of those drivers that come with memos LOL. I have my faults and I like to vent my stress through complaining, but it's a matter of pride to be able to sit on that shelf of favored drivers who get cake runs because I earned my place through a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and energy drinks in my nearly two years with the company.

Do I think I could get the same kind of miles as a company driver? Absolutely. Attitude and performance coupled with great support staff are what have played into my runs the most. I would probably do more swaps as a company driver, but I like swaps because I run hard to run out the miles before they can make another move and then like handing it off in a swap again and let someone else deal with the paperwork.

Like HTQ said, those of us succeeding with the lease are the exception, not the rule. I had the advantage of walking into this having run the numbers side of a lease truck for 3 months before I got my CDL so I knew exactly what I was getting into. And I'm stubborn to the point of stupidity. I don't WANT to let TransAm win. In 3.5 years I can hold the trophy up to prove I won the game. Weeks ago I made the analogy of my time as a lease op as a game of Survivor and I live that every single day. Next year I hope to play my immunity idol and take this truck to Landstar to finish out the lease and buy out the truck.

Take every day as a learning experience. Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. Some lessons come with learning a new way to be more efficient whether by routing, trip planning, or familiarizing yourself with particular customers and freight lanes. Other experiences may shine a light on how you can avoid ending up in that situation again.

As HTQ pointed out, my blown tires saved me from sitting stuck in an interstate shutdown from a Hazmat spill. It also git me $13 in TA points which is really good because my Bluetooth headset went for a swim right before hometime and I'm just waiting on a good paycheck to replace it and so far I have $22 in points that will ease the pain of buying a new one. I might have saved myself a little time had I insisted on having the tire replaced from the start, because during my quick pretrip I noted to myself it was pretty dryrotted, but I was more concerned about getting to FL to take care of my bank issues ASAP and figured I should be able to run it and then deal with the tire over the weekend when I could slow down. But the tire blew this morning and caused damage to the mud flap bracket and practically destroyed the outside tire too. There's no use crying over spilled milk. I was only mildly annoyed that this threw a wrench in my plan today but it is what it is and I was long overdue for a roadside blowout. I was honestly more annoyed with the people who chose not to move over for a disabled vehicle on the shoulder.

 

In Denton, Tx. for the night. Plans changed I am heading to Amarillo with a bud load then to Tyson for a 3 stop delivery starting in Atlanta on Tuesday. Wrote to them yesterday saying I was not refusing original plan but didn't think I would have the hours to do that load.

I would have been company but they told me I could only sign on as a lease so I did. I make it work for me but it is not easy. You will get negative checks when you go home. So far in this stint I have only been negative(13.75) once in my 3 times at home. Passport is right we are just glorified company drivers. Yes we have the right to refuse loads and swap but if you do not play ball enough they won't either. If you are company all you have to roll is a few miles to be making money but lease has to roll 1,900 before we see a profit. The odds of finishing a lease here and buying a truck are less than 5%. This is what everyone need to think about before they lease. The reason Trans Am leases to new drivers is for the write offs. They get paid for every load but if that driver doesn't know how to plan loads and does not have enough experience to get out of bad spots they don't get paid but Trans Am does. Just about every lease driver that leaves here gets a bill for the truck. This will not go on their credit but they get to write off this as a loss which helps them with their taxes. This company makes plenty of money, millions. Their truck gets paid for and the maintenence gets written off twice. It is a winning plan for this company. It gets way more involved than this simple explanation but I hope everyone gets the drift. We have said it many many times on here DO NOT LEASE especially if you are new to this. It is not a very complicated job but there is so much to learn and ways to apply yourself. It is not an easy job but a rewarding job. Unrealistic expectations are a big reason for failure(this I have covered before). Many who try to get into this industry because they think it is easy fail that why there is a driver shortage. When you go through the backing for 4 days they make it seem real easy to succeed and make all this money but the truth is company drivers do better, just have to be realistic. Thinking everything is going to be perfect and the shippers and receivers will hop up and snap a sharp salute when you show up it is not going to happen. Most wouldn't try this industry if life was perfect, so why do so many assume things will be perfect in this industry? Just my 2 cents

Be safe out there