Questions about TMC Training

Alright cplmac2 almost time for you to be on your own right. How everything going so far with the trainning?

 

Sorry it took so long to update this time, it's been kind of hectic the past few days. We got that steel bar off in Centralia MO and caught a 280 mile bounce to Evansville IN where we hung out with a enough fellow TMC trucks to start a new terminal. After a bunch of backing practice we got a message on the QC to bounce another 80 miles towards Indianapolis to make a trailer swap at USG for a preloaded trailer with sheetrock. That's where the fun started...

So we get to the USG yard and start dropping our trailer, I noticed we only had one landing leg going down so I took a closer look. Turns out the jackshaft running between the landing legs was shearing off on one side and the driver side landing leg was seized up internally. Off goes the message to road repair, you might remember them from such classics as "Was it driver error that caused the idler pulley to seize up?". Got a message back asking if we had done a PTI on that trailer when we picked it up preloaded from John Deere just a few days earlier. I sent them a message letting them know the trailer was in fact PTI'd, although I failed to mention that the trailer had just gotten an inspection by the Des Moines maintenance department which is standard operating procedure for all trucks going to the Deere Ankeny yard.

I did however tell them exactly what was wrong with the trailer and they sent us to a shop that was very close to the USG yard and we had the landing gear replaced. We of course had to bring that landing gear to the Indianapolis yard so they could presumably inspect it and make sure it wasn't driver error that caused the malfunction in the landing gear. We dropped off the landing gear at the Indy terminal and watched with disgust as it was promptly tossed in the dumpster. Why exactly did we need to make a somewhat OOR stop and lose valuable (to us anyhow) time only to have the gear in question disposed of without so much as a cursory going over? At any rate, we are getting ready to get back out on the road to deliver this load and all I can say is I'm glad, these past two days have been a real frustration. This is the third breakdown in three weeks. This is also my last week training and hopefully everything goes well on my road test and I get assigned a truck next week so I can start earning.

Past two days wheel time 575 miles, total training miles 7918.

I would not be able to give a fair assessment on TMC until I get out on the road on my own in my own truck, but given the current economy I think any job you can get is worth giving a shot. So far we've been busy enough that I'm comfortable I can survive on what I'll earn so that is a big plus. I'm a little worried about the quality of the equipment but it's entirely possible that I just had a run of really bad luck this past few weeks.

 

Well hopefully your luck will change once you get your own truck, that is alot of break downs just for trainning but look at it this way at least you know what to do if your truck breaks down hopefully it doesn't. A do you get paid after bouncing so many miles? cause man all that bouncing you could get paid by miles. But keep use posted hope everything goes well getting closer and closer to making your own money and getting that truck be safe

 

All the bounce miles are paid for my trainer who is on mileage. Most of the bounce miles this week would have been paid either way because of the huge bounce out of MO. That's why I'm leaning towards mileage though, you are paid for all miles loaded and unloaded.

I just arrived at our destination in Green Bay with a load of powder from USG, pretty uneventful afternoon. Stopped at the Pilot in Hebron for a shower, and cruised through Chicago in real good time.

Today's wheel time 482 miles, training total mileage 8410 miles.

 

We caught a load of coiled rod out of Saukville just north of Milwaukee, so a short 80 mile bounce to pick it up and 5 hours at the shipper later we were loaded and ready to roll down the road. I'd like to say for the record that coiled rod sucks. I'm glad we finally got a coil load in though, I've only got two days of training left and we hadn't done a coil load. We are taking the load to west central Ohio, just pulled over for the night and we are about 90 miles from the consignee.

Todays wheel time 298 miles, total training miles 8708.

 

I was long haul and got caught in that cycle once. Picked up in Saukville delivered to Sunrise, something like that, another load back to WI all they had was another load in Saukville back to Sunrise.

I had a 53' trailer and the loader at Saukville kept trying to set me up wrong. Second time around my coil racks had left rust marks on the trailer which made it easy to locate the coil rack placement.

The only thing I like about that entire trip was one of our authorized fuel stop, Oak Creek, I think had two truck stops with a Starbucks Coffe in
between. Plenty of parking and Starbucks, what more could a trucker ask for.

 

We stopped at Oak Creek coming and going. That's a pretty decent stop and the Flying J across the street has a decent little restaurant. We delivered the load of coiled rod this morning and are headed down towards Cincinatti to pick up some steel bound for KC so luckily it looks like we will be avoiding the cycle. Tomorrow is my last day of training, looking forward to testing out and getting my own truck.

 

All done.......

 

congrats i left des moines on the 27th got a call from my traner that saterday he was stuck in mempis would not be home to pick me up.so i sat at home for the week called me yesterday he is home unloaded i meet him at his house monday to finlley start my training. thanks for all the info will post more when i can.

 

Congrats dude, getting your own truck is nice but last guy that had mine must have been a heavy smoker cause I can still smell the smoke. Also the first week is a little tough on your own but much easier by the 2nd as you find your way better.

Only thing I was disappointed in was my first check on my own, it wasn't what I thought it would be, I know things are slow and I am happy to be working but for all the time I put in I was hoping for a bit more. Might be looking for a local job by summertime when I have more experience.