AMST - Holland, MI

For lack of anything better to do tonight, I figured I'd share my thoughts about the company I work for: Art Mulder and Sons Trucking. Maybe some of you have seen our trucks around, maybe some haven't. I also know I am only an entry level driver (on paper), but still, I really enjoy this company so I would like to share my thoughts on them.

The first and foremost thing I want to say about this company is that it isn't a mega-company. It's a smaller company (roughly 70 trucks, 200 trailers) that is family owned and operated. 99% of the office workers and dispatchers have Class A CDL's and have driven truck in their life. Almost every dispatcher has been to almost all locations that they send us to, so if there is ever any questions, they're pretty great at telling you exactly how to get somewhere and what to do and expect when you get there. That makes life pretty wonderful! And if they don't know off the top of their head, they will look the place up on Google maps and give you step by step directions that lead you right to their docks. Since they have all driven trucks, they understand that things cannot be rushed and they understand what us drivers have to go through each and every day. What I am trying to say is that nothing is rush and they never make me do anything I'm not comfortable doing.

Although it pretty much is forced dispatch for local drivers (I have no say in where I go, but the OTR driver's get more of a choice), it doesn't really bother me. I've been to a ton of their local delivery and pick up locations so I know what to expect when they tell me to go to a certain place. But like I said above, if the weather conditions, for example, aren't safe to drive in, they will understand that and let me shut down for the night. They never force me to drive in any conditions I feel unsafe in.

Another thing I really like about this company is how nice and respectful everybody who works there is. When I first started, I was kind of nervous being around a whole bunch of people I didn't know, but I warmed up to everybody real fast. Everybody there is kind, helpful and happy to be doing their jobs just as much as I enjoy doing mine. I actually got connected with one of their dispatchers pretty quickly, and now he tells me that I am like the son he wishes he never had. Just little things like this make working for a company a thousand times better. I feel like I really wouldn't feel this comfortable this fast if I were working for a mega company.

I think the starting pay is a tad on the low side (CPM pay, that is), but the plus side is I make an hourly wage when the truck isn't moving. If I am sitting at a dock, I am racking up paying hours. If I am sitting waiting to get loaded or unloaded, that's money in my wallet. Just kind of a nice little thing I thought I'd add because I know there are companies that do not do this. Needless to say, I am pretty happy with my paychecks each week.

And the last thing I want to say is that the people who run this company will literally go out of their way to make a driver happy. They put me in a truck and I am the only one who drives it, so I "moved in" to it, so to say. I requested a different AM/FM radio to be installed (one with an AUX port) and requested to have a few things done to the truck to make it more enjoyable to drive, like getting the clutch properly adjusted. They told me they had no problem doing these things for me. Over one weekend, everything was done and it was great. I took a passenger with me last week and she had to be back the same night. Their original plan was to keep me in Grand Rapids for the night, but since I told them my passenger had to be back, they let me come back to the terminal to drop her off. Like I said earlier, it's just the little things like this that make working for a company that much more enjoyable.

That's all I can think of for now, I'll add more as I think of more. Overall I think this is a great company to work for if anyone in the Holland area is looking for a job. Everyone is kind and polite and it's just great.

 

We have both, but mostly reefers. We have 48, 50 and 53' reefer trailers, as well, along with single, double, and triple temperature reefers to accommodate tons of different customers.

I came across Kuperus' name first before I found AMST. Applied and they called within 24 hours wanting to interview me pretty badly.. Once I told them I was 20, they pretty much hung up and told me to call when I turned 21.. Well I'm sorry, but I needed the job now so I had to move onto other options.

Honestly, it's a mix of both. They have three options:

Local - It's what I do currently since I am only 20. I stay exclusively in the lower peninsula around the Grand Rapids area, occasionally making runs up towards Muskegon & Shelby, and quite frequently over to Brighton and other E. Michigan cities.

Regional - A mix of short OTR runs in states like Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, maybe sometimes a touch farther.

OTR - This position mainly runs around the 48 states, but there are a few states we don't run in (I'm pretty sure, never talked to anyone about it, just heard what the OTR drivers talk about in the terminal). Running into the East Coast is a REQUIREMENT to be an OTR driver here. I'd say we have more freight going into the East Coast and down towards Delaware and Florida over going west of the Mississippi.

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Another thing I really REALLY enjoy about this company is the flexibility they work around. When I first started, I told them I did NOT want to be home at all because my ex-girlfriend lives in my apartment.. So I did not want to be there. Just recently, I have been starting to get serious with a new girl and sometimes she gets very bad depressive episodes.. the only way I can help her is by being there with her in person. So I just requested to be home every Tuesday and Thursday night and they were more than happy to accommodate that need of mine. I also told them that when I turn 21, I'd love to run regional but still be home two nights a week and again, they were more than happy to say that is a very great possibility!

Talking to dispatchers and other drivers, it's easy for me to say that I truly believe there is no other company as flexible and willing to work with ALL drivers' needs as much as this company. There isn't one driver here dissatisfied with their job here.

One more thing I'd like to add, all of our unloads and pickups (minus the VERY FEW hand-unloads at places like hospitals and schools without docks), the driver's do NOT have to touch the freight. Lumpers are always paid for. But we have the option to lump the freight and get paid accordingly for it.

I just have nothing but good things to say about this company. We still run paper logs, which is great. Yeah, some of their equipment we have is older (like my truck), but you know what, I'll take this old 98 Volvo with 1.6 million miles over an emissions truck all day any day. Driving an older truck is nothing that would ever defer me away from this company. Plus one day, I'd love to become an O/O. They don't let O/O's lease to them so all of their O/O's are 100% independent, which would be hard to me because I am only 20.. Insuring a truck at my age would be simply outrageous, but maybe someday..