Thinking about Melton

@stwik , Can you give this guy the run down?

 

If your driving experience is worth anything. Look into SPD, ATS, LONESTAR, all will most likely train you for flatbed if you can show a decent driving record and maybe a year or two of experience.

I’d make some phone calls to smaller outfits, you live on the I35 corridor it’s a Mecca for Texas flatbedding... don’t settle for Melton like I did.

As Six would say, luck in battle.

 

I’m still here. It’s not that I don’t think it’s a decent place to be, but I think if you have some driving experience you shouldn’t sell yourself short with Melton.

 

Training — Out of the seat for 5 years? They might make you go through a refresher course. Not sure. Depends on the time you did before your five year break. Worse case scenario they’ll make you do the full-length orientation and three weeks with a road trainer. If you do good with a road trainer you MIGHT get off that truck and into your own truck quickly. Again, it varies case by case.


Hometime — one day for every seven days out. They do a pretty decent job at getting you home on the day you requested. You live in a very good freight lane for us. If I’m in Texas chances are I’m running by your home. I’ll mention this, as I always do on these threads, Melton favors those who want to run hard. If you want the hometime to be consistent and frequent look elsewhere.


Miles/Running area — these vary greatly based on your home location, time spent out, your own ability to manage HOS, and how YOU like to ride. I’m a northeast ##### for this company. I’m in DC/Philly/Long Island/Boston on a bi-weekly basis. I know other guys who haven’t seen the northeast corridor in months — it depends. We run the lower 48 and Canada. Stay here long enough and you’ll see every inch of the country. I’ve been to the far reaches of Washington state loading Alcoa and I’ve been in Miami picking up Lumber. There’s no “dedicated lane” OTR gig here. It’s forced dispatch go where they want you to go, hope they give you enough miles to make a good paycheck.


I will say, there are dedicated routes here. Very hit and miss pending on your home domicile location. I got a friend that runs dedicated coils outta Grapeland Texas. You might look into that after putting some time in (he was OTR six months before being offered this gig, he’s home every weekend).


Expect 2300-3000 miles a week. Plus a reset if you bring your A-game and can get it done. I very rarely run recaps and I manage 2800-3400 on most weeks as long as my ole hoopty Cummins doesn’t blow apart. Granted, I’m an above average Melton driver... not sure what we tote as the company average but it’s in the low to mid 2000s area.


They pay zip miles. You’ll drive 1200 they’ll pay 1050. Expect 100k-120k “Melton miles” a year, multiple that by your mileage rate and add maybe 5k for tarping. Our new bonus pride bs is 5400/year paid something like 1300/750/500 quarterly if you’re elgible and is a total slap in the face to our drivers. My opinion. It’s total crap — don’t let them spew to you how great it is. The mileage rate is your pay. Anything else you cannot count on. The bonus is a way for Tulsa to pat themselves on the back. Nothing more.

Melton has drivecams, forward and driver facing. Our new trucks are automatic freightliners and Kenworths. If you can drive a stick you MIGHT get a 680 condo for another year or so. Our new trucks can idle with bunk heaters, no APU, and they have an automated braking system. More cattle prods are coming. If you want to be left alone to drive look elsewhere.

 

Positives: Melton will give you top notch training that is industry standard or better. Melton equipment is new and shiny. Trucks are mostly brand new. They spend a lot of time in Texas and you would frequently be driving thru Austin. The recruiters are actually honest and you will absolutely get everything they claim. The pay starts higher than any other “new driver” company that I know. You rarely sit waiting for a load, but it does happen. My first year I grossed $60k. After 1 year you get 1 week paid vacation. 2nd year you get 2 weeks paid. You get incremental raises without reminding or asking. Home time is fair. Melton has never got me home later then I requested. In fact, I have 100% of the time got home early. Melton reimburses you for paid parking out on the road, no hassle. So with the T/A app you can always get parking.

Negatives: sometimes micromanaging your every moment. You will have a camera that goes off if you hit the brakes too hard. Then you get a call from safety and discuss what they saw you doing. You are expected to do their fuel stops or lose a bonus. You are expected to join their Facebook page or lose a bonus. I never get that bonus (called a P.R.I.D.E. bonus) because I don’t care to do those things and I don’t like motivational acronyms. Also I don’t like companies saying they are a big family when nobody really believes it.

I’ve been there 2 years and haven’t quit. I think stwik has nailed it on many issues. But everyone is different. I might have a higher tolerance for this company than others do.

 

Thank you also. I'm changing careers, went to a cdl school a year ago. I want to see the country, get out of the truck and get active and haul cool stuff, so... flatbed. Melton sounds a lot like Prime and TMC- has its good and bad, but they'll train me and if I work hard and don't complain I'll do ok.