BTC (Builders Transportation Company

nice. that sounds good i just started driving for a company here that hires drivers for o/o and so for i like the loads but the dispatch department is very unorganized, and im basically training myself as far as the paperwork and how their operation works, thrown to the wolves lol

 

I am a dispatcher for BTC...I was first a driver here, then a trainer, then a member of the road team...lol...then they finally pulled me inside and Im dispatching trucks. They might start teaching me how to change brakes next week..I dont know, however, I DO know that its very rare when you find a job that you enjoy as much as your home time and thats exactly what I have found with this place. Its VERY family oriented because it is owned by one family. The owners work here and we see them daily...Its not one of those places where they stroll through to check up on things either...they actually are here with the rest of us making it all happen. Home time is so very important to this company and I for one can tell you that the drivers matter to the operations department. Im here right in the middle of everything and I promise you that if a load comes into conflict with a drivers home time then that driver is put is on something else. The freight is important because it is the income of the company but the drivers are our lifeblood.

 

I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge. First of all, L/P and O/O drivers are kept on the same board under a dispatcher/planner that is very good at what she does. She actually books her own freight for her drivers to best fit their needs. The rest of the drivers, or company drivers, are grouped into the regional area in which they live. For example, all of the drivers that live in the Southwest region of our hiring area fall under two dispatchers. One dispatcher has all of the trucks that want to be home every weekend and the other one has the drivers that like to stay out two weeks or more at a time. There are four of these major regions on our board.

As far as would I recommend someone with no flatbed experience to go directly into L/P??...my answer is a resounding no. I really feel that flat-bedding, just as any other type of hauling, should be experienced first before you decide if its what you would like to do permanently. I would hate to think that I went to a company and signed into a lease purchase program only to find that I absolutely hated it. You should really think about experiencing the job as a company driver before taking a step like that. Just my personal opinion of course.

lastly, I have known drivers from as far South as Biloxi that have worked here and they never seemed to have an issue as far as freight goes. We sometimes have issues getting coastal drivers home EVERY weekend but for the most part home time is a constant with our drivers.

Check this out, when I was a driver, these guys actually dead headed me 804 miles home because there was no freight coming back from where I was and at the time I was a mileage driver. That right there was strong enough for me to stay.

 

And people wonder why I laugh at them when they try to poach me from this outfit!

Never before have I seen an admitted company representative steer a new driver away from the lease purchase program without gaining experience first!

As far as I can remember from orientation lo those many months ago, drivers need to have a minimum of six months with the company and a proven track record of keeping the truck profitable before they can qualify for Builder's lease deal, anyway. Kind of a way to protect both the driver and the company. And I THINK its a "walk away" lease. But I will check into that tomorrow if I get the time.

 

I tell ya what Builders is the best place I've worked. They understand and respect you have a family and I can say this they've gone outta there way to make sure I got home. Even when I broke down 3 days before my wedding they called a wrecker at 11pm and towed me home no questions asked. Other places I worked wouldn't have done that for me.

 

Well that answers my question, I live right across river in Columbus GA. I was just looking for a company to be home more cause of my daughter's health. Apu? Idle percent you have to maintain? Fuel mpg have to keep etc. I love my company and been doing flatbed my whole career but I need to be home more and if I can make 900 to 1000 and be home weekends. I'd be happy.

 

We dont use APUs for the simple reason that they are so darned heavy. Our trucks are on the heavy side already so we try to keep them as lean as we possibly can. We try to keep our trucks at a 40% idle time. As companies go, this is actually a fairly high percentage. Going over the 40% will disqualify you from the quarterly incentive bonus. We try to stay above 6.2 MPG if possible as well. We run Mack Pinnacles and they are very VERY stout so you dont have to worry about power and as far as the interior goes, they are quite spacious.

Now down to the bottom line. I cant really quote what all of the drivers make because it varies so much. When I was driving I brought home between 800 and 1200 every week. My last year on the road here I grossed 63,000 and that was without staying out not even one weekend. I control the Southwest home fleet and my guys go home every single weekend.I'll go to the mat with whoever I have to to make sure that that happens. The only way my drivers stay out is if they ask to and the other kicker is we try our best to get our home drivers home not only on the weekend but by Friday afternoon if at all possible.

Home time is something that our planners and managers start working on starting on Monday. Plain and simple - Our drivers that want to get home do get home.

 

I can confirm everything stated here. Since I now work the Pittsburgh local, I get to see what our local planner goes through digging up freight and figuring out how to get the drivers up here pointed back to the house. I'm amazed sometimes at what he and the office crew in Memphis can pull off sometimes!