Trans Am Still

Ty cranky. Do they call u about a swap or does it come across the computer. I am one to do what I'm told. Unless it is illegal or unethical. I don't mind making my bones. We all have to. I have drove before though it has been a while so hopefully I'll get back into swing of time management. I use to run 3-4 weeks at a time and rarely needed a restart until I went home. I just hope the dm can recognize my dedication and take better care of me as I prove myself.
I live about 3 hrs from rockwall. They do let you take the trucks home correct. I forgot to ask the recruiter that. I have also heard nightmare stories of drivers having to wait a while to get a truck after training. The ones I have read this from figured this as a maneuver to get people to lease. I asked the recruiter about this. She assured me that once training is done there is no wait for a truck. Is this true. I know to tread lightly with what recruiters tell you. After all they are in the numbers sign up game.

 

TransAm is also one of the few companies that guarantees home time ....so some of the swaps are to get a driver home. There are also prime locations that they seem to like to swap at ....if you have a load that you want to keep get through those areas quickly. If you have a sucky load that you would like to get rid of you can sometimes do it by taking your break in one of those cities. They will keep track of your miles .....but it is always a good idea for you to keep your own notebook, not only with your miles but also make notes about shippers and receivers, parking, etc.. We had maybe 3 times during the time that the King was there that we were missing miles from his paycheck .....all 3 times were swaps made by night dispatch. He told his DM and they were on the next check.

 

We had to wait for a truck .....but no big deal, it was only from Friday until Monday. I think at that time they did do it purposely so that you would see all of the people leasing pull out on Friday while you sat at the motel .... It was not a problem for us.....we live about 3 hours from Olathe and I just went up and spent the weekend with the King.

 

In our case, the lease drivers didn't have to wait. .....it seems like everyone has had a different experience depending on when they went through orientation. A year or so ago many of them were being sent out on recoveries right after orientation. I think their numbers for orientation are way down in comparison to what they were a few years ago.

 

A copy of an article Panhandle suggested -

J.B. Hunt Asks Shippers To Quit Wasting Drivers’ Time
They’ve listed 4 things that shippers can do to make drivers’ lives easier.

Posted on July 8, 2015 in Featured, News





One of the largest trucking companies in the world has put together a research report in order for shippers to “attain the greatest value” from their drivers, while operating within the current hours of service (HOS) regulations.

The whitepaper created by J.B. Hunt is entitled 660 Minutes: How Improving Driver Efficiency Increase Capacity. In plain English, “everyone makes more money when a driver’s time isn’t wasted.”

The report highlights several major issues the create lost revenue for both shipper, company, and driver; such as the time wasted when a truck driver has to look for parking, and the time spent waiting for a shipper and/or receiver.

According to their white paper, a truck driver that spends 60 minutes looking for parking throughout the day, and is forced to wait 30 minutes more than necessary for delivery and pickup, forfeits approximately 100 miles for the day.



Although it may seem small, these delays lead to a large loss of income/revenue, for both the driver and company, throughout the year. Following the previous example, a driver who worked 250 days in the year would lose approximately 25,000 miles under current HOS regulations. A fleet with 100 trucks, would lose 3,600 loads (average 700 miles per load).



Not only does losing time on the road hurt drivers and their carriers, the increased demand and regulatory constraints can lead to higher shipper costs, especially if the drivers who are on the road are forced to endure preventable delays.

J.B. Hunt goes on to list several ways for shippers to maximize the 660 driving minutes in a day. Some of their recommendations include speeding up loading/unloading times, utilizing drop trailers, creating onsite parking and amenities for drivers, and making delivery and pickup times more flexible.

In summary, reducing a truck driver’s downtime would benefit everyone involved — shipper, carrier, and driver. J.B. Hunt is looking to create strategic partnerships with shippers that treat driver’s time as a “perishable commodity” in order to create a more efficient work environment for all.

 

TX road dog. Looks like my friends here took care of your answers. Yeah TA does swap a lot. A) to guarantee on time delivery and B) to get drivers routed home for their hometime. Cannot argue with either of those points. Sometimes you come out ahead, sometimes you lose. Either way I kept my head up and a good attitude about them. I got my year in and moved on. I might have stayed longer but my miles were dropping the last two months plus breakdowns with my old 29012 with 360 k. The people at TA were good to me. Made some good friends there. Jonette Owens was my recruiter and I made it clear that the only way I was going there was as a company driver. NOT ONCE DID ANYONE PRESSURE ME ABOUT LEASING. NO ONE!! I got a truck right out of orientation out of Rockwall and hit the road to Florida with a 3 dropper. I had a great experience there and I credit them for extending and perhaps saving my career. The bennies are that of a starter company and so is the pay. You may find yourself looking after 6-9 months there unless you can make it leasing. I will never say anything bad about TransAm. Great place to start or ressurect a career. Keep your eyes on the prize. May God Bless

 

Got a nice surprise this morning as I was finally convincing myself to get out of bed and grab the load that has been ready at Farmland since yesterday... Last week I picked up a load at a smaller chicken plant ((we do a LOT of other poultry places besides Tyson)) and it had to be reworked because it was slightly over gross and so tail heavy I couldn't get it legal. I was stuck there for 17 hours from the time I arrived until they finally got someone to come in and rework it. Because of that, my delivery appointment had to be rescheduled for the day after the original appointment. This morning I got a message saying 2 days of layover had been approved. I initially thought this paycheck was gonna suck, but I've got two runs giving me lower, but still acceptable miles, plus the $360 in layover, and $150 in stop pay. It helps that my DM rerouted my multistop load to go home and babysit it for the holiday weekend because that extra leg alone was at least 500 miles. Finally, the higher powers cut me a break and things worked out! May or may not have a referral on this check too which will really save my rear.

The new week is starting out well enough. I got moving with my Farmland load and deliver in Laredo on Friday morning. Though Laredo being the way it is, I could get stuck there for a hot minute...

My DM is keeping tabs on any southeast dedicated opportunities that might come up. I am crossing my fingers that a second slot comes up on one account because it's based out of the Florida panhandle and they work Monday thru Friday and are home weekends. My kids have been having a hard time recently with me being gone which is why I'm looking at dedicated runs to try to be home more with them.

 

Good luck with that, Kris. I hope it works out for ya! I am getting home more often with my new company too. I think, I am seeing the light side.