Builders take TWO: my 6 months at BTC memphis and why I still recommend them....

Sorry to hear that sculver6. Stay with it and don't give up. Something will turn up for you.

 

We run mostly Midwest , East coast, as well as South and some Southeast. I would say mostly everything east of I- 35. However we are a 48 state carrier so Northeast does happen from time to time. I went to New Jersey twice and Massachusetts once last year. As far as west coast we do have freight going that way but you must be certified in that area in order to run that area in winter. During summer you can ask for a load going out there if you want. Miles are real good right now. I am averaging around 2300 to 2500 a week at the moment. Keep in mind I am a trainer and we do not run as a team operation. So the student driver is doing mostly all those miles. Now that's not an every week deal but an average .

 

Yes we do hire out of tech schools. Tech schools in my opinion can be great. Are they any better any better than other driving schools? Now that I don't know. Schools are only as good as the instructors. So some driving schools are better than tech schools ,and some are not. You will have to be the judge on that one.

 

tryin to get on with your company, do they do orientation in birmingham?

 

no they dont. Orientation is at the memphis terminal. The birmingham terminal is little more than a drop yard. Ive been in my own truck at BTC for about a month now and i can say nothing but good things. My check last week was $1045 before taxes.

 

hey Honestsin, I been following up on you and the guy you trained posts. Im interested in BTC i went threw one of them schools little over a year ago and been hauled heavy equipment since. Ill be 21 in 8 months and plan on getting on with BTC. You sound like you know alot a bout so if you dont care to answer some questions for me id really apreciate it man.
1. Is the trucks freightshakers or makes?
2.What motor and tranny they got.
3.I keep my door shut so how many miles can you max there.
4.how many riders will the allow.
5.how much freight heads out toward north east TN.
6.with no otr exp but i been drivin odd an ends for a year how long with a trainer would i have to do.
7. Are the trucks really governed at 65mph
8.How accurate are they on getting you home EVERY weekend cause i know every weekend probaly aint possible.

Thanks man if you could answer these it would help me out alot with all my wonderings ya know lol. Hope to hear from ya soon.

 

Ok King lets see if I can answer some of the few questions you have.
1.We have both freightliners and macks, but we are doing away with the frightliners. We will soon be all macks with a few (25) internationals. The macks have built in power inverters, bunk heaters, and blue tooth radios. Very nice. In fact I got my new Mack today.Let me go ahead and answer question #7. Yes they are set at 65 mph. These trucks are getting 7.2 to 7.6 miles to the gallon. So makes it easier to get the bonus.
2. It has the new 435hp mack motor in it with peek torque (hope i spelled it right) around 1350 to 1400 rpm.Also has a stright 10 speed Eaton Fuller transmission in it.No 550 cat motor but it pulls the way it is set up.These motors are a low rpm shifting to get the most out of your fuel.Which also uses the new DEF fuel.
3.Ok so everyone that pulls flatbed this time of the year knows that freight slows down this time of the year.So you will have good weeks and bad weeks.But in 8 months from now when you get in it, it will be better.But keep in mind around november it will start slowing down again.So with that being said I am right now running around 2200 to 2300 a week.Some weeks, more some less.But I would say that is as close to an adverage as I can get.People who keep the doors close always make more money.But in flatbed you are required to show a load check every 3 hours or 150 miles of driving which ever comes first.Best case try to make the 150 miles come first.
4.They will only allow 1 rider at a time after 6 months of employment.
5.If you live in north east Tennessee then getting you home is no problem.We have several loads going that way.Elizabethton TN, Unicoi TN, and Norton VA to name a few. Not northeast but we do a lot of Alcoa in Alcoa TN.
6.Unfortunate enough any experience before you getting your CDL will not count. So training for you will still be 5 weeks. However it will be a lot easier for you with that experience.
7.Answered in part 1
8.Finally but not least hometime. First of all glad to see that you understand enough about trucking to see that it is impossible to be home every weekend.They try every weekend unless you ask not to be home, but anyone in trucking will tell you things don't always go as planned.Loads cancel, run out of hours, or just a bad place at a bad time. But I will say that this has been the most accurate with the hometime policy than any other company that I have worked for.I stay out to make extra money sometimes,and do training,and ambassador metting on the weekends from time to time.So I stay out a little more,but I will say things went wrong maybe 3 or 4 times in a year that kept me out.You are in a good area.
Hope I answered all of your questions.(all 8) My fingers hurt now so thanks.LOL Any more questions just let me know, and I will try my best to answer them as best as I can.Be safe

 

I to am also considering btc when i turn 21, i was wondering what can the average driver expect to make weekly after they finish training, and what does the experienced driver average weekly with trap pay and detention time etc...?
I was also wondering how many loads a week on average do you guys tarp?

 

Some weeks it seems like every load you get will have to be tarped, while other weeks you won't have to even touch a tarp. I am not one to give you the best case figures so let's just say 3 tarps a week. So after training you will make $.35 a mile plus $25 for tarp. So if you ran 2000 miles plus 3 tarps that is $775 for that week. Running 2000 in a week is pretty easy to do. This time of the year with freight being slow I would say 2200 to 2300 is about the average. Hope this answers your questions. If you have any more feel free to ask.

 

I am currently in the process of seperating from the military and moving back home ( Alabama )
Once there, i plan on obtaining my CDL through a local tech school...(still deciding which one)
I have been researching lots of companies, mainly the flatbed carriers.

BTC
McElroy
Hornady
Maverick
Cypress
Boyd Bros

BTC seems to stay at the top of my list.

1. They train newbies
2. They have a terminal in Bham
3. Their Guard/Reserve friendly...at least that was the answer i got through their facebook page...
4. Home on weekends. Now i know enough about trucking to know that i wont be home EVERY weekend, but as long as they dont keep me out for weeks on end, im cool with that.

What i want to know about BTC:
1 Maintenance--if its broke, do they fix it?
2 Dispatch--Do they give you the run around? How knowledgeable are they to the questions you might have? 2.1 How do they treat the new guys once they are solo?
3 Freight lanes--i will be moving to Prattville, Alabama(just north of montgomery) does frieght go through there very often...i-65
4 Does BTC value their drivers, or are you just a number?
5 Training--while in orientation/securement training, is it fast paced/rushed, or do they make sure everyone understands before moving on to the next task? Do they teach you how to secure everything they haul, or just go over a few securements on what they haul the most? How soon after going solo will they have a newbie haul a coil?
6 What seems to be hauled the most at BTC?
7 How many loads per week do you average? 4/5 wk?
8 How often do you get 100-200 mile loads that have 3 days time to deliver?
9 Are you run hard, making it hard to deliver on time in the summer months?
10 Routing--do they plan your route to the T, or do they allow you to think on your own and plan your own route?
11 Fueling--same thing as #10......
12 Qualcomm--do they bug you? Or leave you alone to drive
13 10 spd--do you like it? i've read....read....that they suck....but no one really explains how/why they suck.....
14 APU? Do they work good?
15 Are they sticklers on idling?
16 Hometime--do you take your truck home? Do they allow you to drop trailer and bobtail home?

I think thats all for now.....Thanks in advance for answers!