Market Transport / DSV BEWARE !!!!!!!!!!!

^^ True that. The difference is that the mega's are more of a known quality; They kind of all run on the same screw the driver model.

It is not written in stone that a smaller company will be better. Some smaller companies are even worse then the worst mega as far as being a bad situation for the driver. Maybe even a majority are. But their are some better small companies; You just have to learn what to look for.

 

I didn't know Market Transport was using the rails. I thought they were primarily a local/regional contractor for Krogers/Fred Meyer. Wonder if it has something to do with the Sammons or DSV buy out of Market in recent years?

You are right train bringing down the average length of haul for trucking in general. The CPM model of paying truckers just does not work out as well with the shorter average length of haul.

 

Nowadays most companies (my employer included) are big time into intermodal operations. It's cheaper to send the load by train than by sending a driver on a long haul run(although my employer will do the long runs if the load has more than one stop and/or if there aren't any rail yards close enough to either the shipper or receiver to justify sending by train. Norfolk Southern & BNSF are typically the preferred weapons of choice for our company.

 

They (Market) had been using rails to get freight up north for awhile, as lotsa stuff doesn't really need to be delivered in a few days max; it can sit just fine.

BUT, there are significant new fubars with the changeover from Market Transport to DSV. (Enough problems that I came back to the just forum to compare notes)

Changes that I have noticed:
Before, getting 9,000 miles got you a three cent per mile bonus. If you couldn't make 9,000, well OK.

Now with DSV: You MUST get 9,000 miles in a month or else: "We will be exdpecting everyone to hit min miles of 9000 per month. Remember, it takes you to run 8750 miles just to pay for truck cost and keep you employed. That is the break even for DSV. 9,000 miles is a min requirement. Management will be monitoring miles closely going forward. The key to success to manage your HOS and 9k will be a walk in the park."

Now then...No Driver should have any problem driving 9,000 miles, but only if those miles are available. And right now, they're not. (Unless you are one of the DM's favorites) No 9,000 miles? No hometime!

Their newest trick? If you get a run up to Puyallup or Sumner, you are held hostage up there to do Puyallup local loads. (Nice way of cutting into your 9,000 miles goal!) Delivering to a friggin' Fred Meyer's retail location with a sleeper cab is a big PITA. Our OTR trucks simply do not fit behind those stores.

This is not the company that I signed up for. An obvious sign of the serious issues of the new management, is the fact that so many of the good, longtime, Market Transport honchos have resigned en masse to work over at Market Express.

 

I went to orientation at Portland last year.

Within a day, I could smell the manure - especially from the guy in charge of operations (medium height, pleasant demeanor, darkish hair, kinda pudgy). Every time I or someone else brought up a touchy but important question (such as the dsv buy-out), he'd deftly change the subject to something light. The guys in the room would then have a good laugh and the pertinent issue was forgotten.

But I made a mental note.

And as these moments added up, I knew in my gut it was a mistake. I knew it was just one big bait and switch job the recruiters tricked me with.

The final day of orientation, I told the scumbag recruiter Eric "thanks but no thanks" and bailed.

The rail system from Southern Ca to Oregon and Washington will absolutely hurt drivers who thought it'd be an easy gig driving an automatic up and down I-5.

Bottom line - I agree with the posters and advise anyone thinking about Market Transport to stay away.

 

9k miles a month is a lot more then most drivers achieve in a regional delivery gig. That is hard to achieve in the first place, let alone with having a slower then hell operation like Fred Meyer is you main and only customer.

 

Let me tell ya'll this! trucking companies all a shady bunch. If they can, they'll steal your lunch. Beware In California, DOT will be your nightmare. Companies paying us by the cent but they pay so low, that we have a hard time paying our rent. No wonder everyone leaving companies be deceiving. Now the industry stuck so they coming up with Uber-owned, self-driving truck.

 

DOT is definitely *NOT* my nightmare in California. I usually get the green light. About once a trip I get a red light, but usually just at Cordelia.

Despite everything else that's wrong with Market/DSV, our score is still excellent.

Also, with trucks that cannot go over 62 mph, I am ticket-free. Many people consider speed limiters a bug, I think that they're a feature. I see heaps of trucks pulled over in Oregon for speeding on downhill grades.