mercer transportation

Never said you didn't make any money. You simply asked why so many are leaving Mercer and the truth is the majority shouldn't have been there in the 1st place. I didn't leave because of lack of money or any corporate issue. I did just fine there as well.

 

Well said!!!

 

Unloaded with another Mercer driver today also running local. First thing he did was complain there are no loads and he's going broke. I booked five loads to complete this week through Thursday and turned down three offers for Friday. People that dont make it here blame the company, and should be looking at their own decisions instead.

And company policies change at all companies, it's the nature of any business to make changes. All these upcoming ELD requirements were known years ago and should be no surprise to anyone. Those caught off guard have only themselves to blame, not whoever the carrier is. Every company has the same deadline approaching.

The grass is always greener .....

 

A whole lot of Truth here.

 

I already paid for one logging device will not payfor another just because Mercer wants to run omnitrac ! Keller can be updated to el.d. but Mercer don't want it any more, company rules change so will I to another company.

 

There are reasons they are dropping Keller, it was not a random decision or a conspiracy to piss off drivers. To those payng attention, that we would make the switch to omnitracs from keller was inevitable at least four years ago. I ran keller and consulted with them on several occasions, I was intimately familiar with the problems, and contributed to their solution. Their attempt to create a compliant ELD has been fraught with major issues far beyond the issues we had with the first AOBRD software. Taking a gamble that they will fix this is a long shot from what I've seen. And running two separate systems is a real issue from the administration and management standpoint.

I, and others, am not pleased with the bundling of drivewyze and the near useless copilot navigation. I don't like paying for what I don't need but we got a better price on the hardware and the discounted bundle price is only slightly higher than the base price anyway. Ever carrier has to have a compliant solution in place by Dec so there will be many of them making changes.
Nothing is free, you pay for things one way or another. Like cell phones We pay $100+ a month for but get "unlimited FREE long distance"

 

Perfectly stated

 

It's just a cost of doing business. That's what happens when you have your own business. Believe me, nothing is free. If you go somewhere that offers "free" elogs you're paying for them one way or another. No company is gonna pay to run your business out of their pocket.

A lot of companies advertise "no trailer rent" but they only pay 65% or even worse, $0.99 cents per mile plus FSC. You're renting that trailer alright. They are charging for it for sure. Same with anything else. A lot of companies don't give the full fuel discount so they make money there so they can offer you other "free" stuff. If you feel the need to switch them that's fine, it's your business do with it what you want. My only point is you're not going to find free elogs. You pay for it one way or another.

 

These rates are a joke anymore. Doesn't help we are getting doubled Broker ####..

 

Trucking rates and driver pay never keep up with inflation. Not the phony government numbers, the real world cost of goods and services we all see every day. It's just a fact.

The rates have been climbing over the past two years with freight outstripping capacity, especially early last year when trucks were in short supply. People got used to naming their own price to haul freight. That never last. Everyone started buying trucks and trailers, and now here we are with freight slowing down and more trucks on the road. It always cycles like that.

Add in Swift and all their affiliate companies, plus Schneider, and every other big van company all fighting for the same box freight in a slow market, and rates go down. The big guys can run their trucks for pennys a mile profit a lot longer that a one or two truck operation. Plus they have lease operators running to their door everyday just waiting to haul freight at a loss. Next add newbies in a trainer truck making $50.00 a day or less running team freight under the guise of "training".

We are coming upon an election next year. The election season has already started. The economy and rates always suffer during this period. No major company wants to invest millions or billions of dollars until they know who is going to be in the white house and congress. Some of you guys may have been trucking before and just after the 1980 election. You want to talk about slow freight and low rates, that was it.

The best thing I can recommend is be very conservative on spending everywhere, home and truck. Hang on and save money. I have changed companies three times in a row because of shady dealings from carriers. It's very expensive to change over. Each change was a definite plus, for a while, then the new company ended up like the last, or even worse.

As far as changing because of a different ELD,. I have been watching and reading this thread from the very first. I never would have had the JJ Keller unit to begin with. It started out on a sour note, and never did get straightened out. The Omni-Tracs has seemed to be far ahead since the start.

I would chalk up the Keller to me making a mistake when picking a unit, and eat the cost of the Omni-Tracs. You do the same when you buy a different set of tires that wear out way too fast. You complain, buy better tires, and move on. If I was at a decent company, was doing better than average when compared to others, and especially liked the place I was working, I would never let a few hundred dollars and pride cause me to make a potential huge mistake by moving somewhere else.

Heck, how many dollars have been spent on refrigerators, microwaves, and inverters that didn't hold up until you paid up and got a better one? Same difference.

Just an observance......