Ask A TMC Driver

...DON'T get caught with anything standing in your tarp locker/headache rack. They crucified me for having a PVC pole in mine!! Honest. And also a broom, they claim it will hit the sleeper and damage the paint, I spun mine for him so he could see it doesn't touch, but he wasn't convinced despite seeing it with his own eyes!!

 

I start training with TMC sometime in the next day or two. Finished up the experienced driver orientation last Friday but my trainer was routed to Indy for some service work that needed done. He should be getting back up this way tonight or tomorrow to get this show started. Have had a CDL for nearly 20 years but have never been OTR, looking forward to the new experience.
Thanks for posting your experiences, if I think about it, I will try to do the same as things go on.

 

Ya, they sent out a picture and letter over the qualcom last year about that. The picture did show damage to the sleeper from the broom.

 

Questions for the TMC crew:

• How often do you change trailers?
  • Do you have to move all of your equipment when you do?
• Another question, do you still evaluate whether you are better off on percentage vs mileage pay to determine whether you want to switch back? (As I understand, you can switch twice a year.)
• Do they charge an administrative fee on the per diem?

Thanks!

 

It all depends for trailer swaps. I have been swapping trailers every week for about two months now and it sucks! You have to move your equipment from one trailer to the other. Then you have to deal with the issues the pos driver left you such as flat or bad tires, non working/ missing lights, air leaks , breaks or air bags. They just don't care about the next driver. Stay percentage, I have done miliage in another division. When I came back to line hall I came back to percentage. There is no fee for perdiem

 

What about unpaid time off? How do they deal with that? Are they relatively liberal, or do they prefer you be in the seat with the exception of your weekends and scheduled vacation.

 

That's about it. If you need to make a doctors appointment or such you will want to make it on a Monday. And talk with your FM in advance so they can get you home for it. Now if your talking taking a personal day off several times a month I don't think that will fly.

 

Spent my first week "training". Picked up a load in OH to run to IA and we were bounced to Des Moines for two days for some scratches. The shop found that the new bumper with flag brackets had not been put on so that held us up a bit.
Neither training nor the fleet manager were happy about it and my trainer was pretty livid as he had just had his shop in the Indy terminal for 3 days for service last weekend.
He did say that this was a one off situation and for the last 3 years he has not had this kind of an issue come up. It just seems pretty silly to send a guy with a trainee to sit in the hotel for 2 days instead of get training. I mean, I know how to sleep in a hotel and all!! lol

 

When you truck goes into the shop your world stops right now. They will not release the truck until the are satisfied with their repairs. I and several others have had service in indy and then find issues after that. They replaced a good windshield wiper arm and the first time I used it the arm started flopping around. They never tightened the bolt. Went to Des Moines for service for my 579 on a Wednesday morning for service, Friday night at 2200 they tell me I'm being issued a new 579. The reason was I had highway white paint on my right fender and head ach rack. SOO, unless your fleet manager can get you a loner you will sit until it finished. And if you sit too long they may take that load off of you. And remember to clean the truck prior to going in. You don't want to waste good time cleaning it after they look at it and write you up for it. Good luck with your training and be safe.

 

Complaints about Indy and their service seems pretty prevalent and I have only been with the company for two weeks. They had his truck down there for 3 days for service and were the one who said that his truck had some scratches on the top of it from the normal tree branches and such associated with our deliveries at times. Why they could not just buff them out is a mystery to everyone. They never noticed the bumper issue and that could have saved us a lot of time if they had or if my trainer at least knew there was supposed to be a different bumper. lol
Hopefully things get better with Indy once the new terminal is done. It will be nice to have a functional service center that is a bit closer then IA.

Safe travels