Avoid Marten Transport LTD.

The Irving shop is tiny, tiny, tiny and you want what kind of truck??? I was silly enough to ask for a clean non smoking truck and guess what I got? You will get an old KW and in a week will have knots all over your skull from bumping it on the overhead light. No drivers lounge in Irving but Marten doesn't believe in Drivers lounges, go figure. Good luck with Marten, that's all we need, more drivers to devide what little work we don't have.

 

LOL, yeah, well, if you want a Pete, keep quiet about it. You're a new hire, new hires get the next truck available, unless they make a special request. If they make a special request, that will be the one truck they never get. Don't believe me? Check out the premium whining on this issue in this and other threads.

Just be happy if you get a truck that you can make money with. Like every other industry, this is a buyer's market, and the employer is the buyer. Focus on the safety and trip information in orientation, make sure you understand everything, and don't sign a ###### thing unless you know what you're getting into. Many of the problems being posted here are because drivers didn't pay attention during orientation, signed stuff without reading AND understanding it, and then want the rest of the world to be responsible for them.

And, Irving isn't a terminal, at least not in any sense I understand. That they're doing orientation there is amazing, I didn't think they would have the room. When you get to one of the real terminals, you'll see they're much different.

 

They are firing or "starving out" anyone who will not accept their per diem package and/or costs them more in medical expenses than the driver pays in for premiums. Anyone older than 55 is in danger of losing their job. Anyone with a chronic medical condition is in danger of losing their job. If you fit any of these, and work for them, make sure you stay spotless, never grumble about your 1200 miles/week while perdiem guys are getting 3200 (I've seen logbooks and trip paks), and for god's sake don't you dare ask for any more paid work to do.

 

Sounds like someone got on the wrong side of the Bluebird. This may be about the only bad thing I have seen written about Marten. I guess even the best companies have whiners - and I am sure there is more to this story. Always has to be the "company screwed me over". Nothing to do with driver attitudes or anything like that.

 

On a side note, I have a dumb question....If you look at the Marten logo on a trailer, right under the bird there's a vertical line...What is that? Wife and I always called them "Bird Turd" because I can't see what else that line could be! It is RIGHT under the bird....Just wondering....She has been bugging me to finally ask in the forum.

 

Tell me this company ain't that bad!! If their per diem drivers are getting 3200 miles, that's betteer than what I've been getting lately!

 

they're running the perdiem guys harder, cuz at the end of the year tax time, they make a fortune. If you accept per diem, your company gets your $52 per day over the road write off, not you. So for 15-22 dollars extra per day now, you lose your 42 dollars per day at tax time. have fun on 4/15.

 

That'snot how the tax time will work. You figure your number of days you would be eligible for the $52, and what you rec'd in per diem from Marten, and then you can claim the difference on your taxes if there is one.

 

-That's not how the scam per diem works.

Scam per diem:
-you get nothing and maybe a cpm charge.
-the company collects the per diem on your behalf
-company deducts your per diem and pays less taxes
-You pay full tax on your earnings. (no per diem deduction)

You are talking when a company actually pays you a per diem and they have underpayed or overpayed your per diem.

-they will say on the scam per diem you pay less taxes and take home more money. -Sort of true if you earn less you do pay less in taxes, also S.S. Is paid alot less and your income will be factored at less.

 

Also if you want to buy a House, Car, etc the bank will only see the amount you are making now not the amount you could have made had you not received per diem. Trucking companies who "give you" per diem are only in it for themselves, not you, this does not help you in the long run. I hate to be scammed and told that someone is doing me a favor by taking my money, like they could spend it better than me.