01/21/10 Update on good and bad at Marten

ok, now have been on the Electronic log for a month. So far im still getting the same amount of miles. The 14 hour rule can be a challenge sometimes. I also get a little more stressed with it, especially when the load is tight, and im eating up the clock in rush hour, and shippers, recievers. The E log wont kick on for a mile and a halif, so that you can move around at the shippers,rec. Or at the truck stop. Example- You are at the truck stop, and you want to move to another spot cause some moron is making a racket, and you are logged in the sleeper, and its past your 11 and 14. no problem, keep the truck under 15 mph,=still in sleeper

 

But dont go over 15 mph or the elog will put you on line 3 (drive). Best to keep it at 10 mph just to make sure. Like I said you can go up to a mile and a halif without the thing putting you on drive or on duty. It also has a line 5, ( off duty drive ) You can use line 5 to go do your laundry, shopping, etc. You can use line 5 for a hour per day. You can also use line 5 to get to a safe haven. But you cant use it to drive an extra hour to get to your destination. This line 5 cant be abused according to the log department. Also, you now have to have hours to bobtail to hometime, no more personal conveyence. When you come off of hometime, your going to use some of your fresh 70, if you bobtail back to the yard to get a trl. All the companies are eventually going e log, so we all gotta get used to it.

 

Reading some of these postings kinda make me glad I took this local job hauling gas instead of going with Marten a few months back. Home every night or every day I should say since I work the night shift for now, but the pay is good and benefits aren't too shabby. Good luck to you all at Marten wish you the best. I come on here every now and again, checking posts on a couple of companies I was trying to get on with when I was laid off, just to be sure I made the right choice. Local is nice but when you have been driving as long as I have "the road" can sometimes tug at your heart. Maybe not the right choice of words but I'm sure that plenty of you know exactly what I am saying. God Bless You All for the sacrifices you make to feed your family and at the same time keep this country moving forward. Be safe and get home in one piece.

 

I wish May would do that w/ Americold. Hey, Kabar, weren't you w/ May at one time?

 

6: They always get me home on-time. As long as you give them the required 14 day notice. You will not have a problem. I am home around noon on the day I request. That day is not counted as home time.

The last 5 times i have requested to be home on a certain day, i have been LATE EVERY SINGLE TIME. Once by 11 days.
Now that they did away with garunteed home time pay, that gave Mondovi the open season for planners/ disptachers NOT to get you home.
You could be in a major shipping area, and they will tell you, oh theres no frieght out of that area, to where you live.

Marten is joing the ranks of the other, I don't care about you drivers VCompamies

 

Here is my complaint with Marten #1 always late getting me home. #2 FM doesn't read my QC messages #3 Load planners don't look at my hours before giving me a load #4 My Electronic log #5 Per Diem pay #6 sitting at the forest park "Terminal" for two days for Apu oil change #7 Repowering loads all the time The following is what I like about Marten #1 Decent trucks and trailers #2 Apu and Inverter #3 Let me take truck and trl home for hometime #4 I can take hometime any where I wan't #5 I route the the way I wan't when I deliver the load #6 Get good miles I have been here going on Two years

 

The load planners are just east of Mars in terms of how near earth reality they are. It's not their fault, it's the fault of whoever decided to hire load planners that don't know anything about driving. If I can do the load, I do it, if I can't, I don't feel bad about saying, "Sorry, that's ridiculous, there's no way I can do that," and going to bed. I assume they don't take it personally, and I don't take it personally either.

I actually like the e-logs.
Then again I don't care too much about per diem, which apparently I would hate like satan if I had two brain cells to rub together, so either I'm dumb or I'm laid back. Either way, my blood pressure is really good last time I got it checked.

Oh yes, and the dismal turn-around on maintenance. Definitely irritating. I try to avoid Forest Park religiously. The new yard in Tucker or Stone Mountain or wherever looks like it might be pretty cool.

I guess one complaint I might register is lack of practical mileage pay. Especially with the toll routing. But, like you said, the miles are pretty good. I'd rather roll with short miles than sit with practical miles.