Can any current TMC drivers verify my information?

First and formost know that I don't drive for TMC yet. Im currently in orientation so ill answer your questions according to the info given to us by George.
Hometime is dependant upon where you live but you will be home every weekend or ever other weekend. The actual amount of time your at home on the weekend depends on the load your deliverying monday morning.
Drivers are on their own for showers. Its tax deductible at the end of the year anyhow so you'll get it back.
Their equipment is in very good condition and no more than a few years old
Some of their trucks have APUs but their not installing anymore in anymore trucks.
TMC pays for your truck to be washed every two weeks unless it gets dirty again real quick which in that case you wash it again. Don't be caught with a dirty truck.
The amount of loads you get depends on you. If your constantly late and this and that then your not gonna be top priority to get a load, they'll give it to someone who they know will be on time.
Most of the drivers do take percentage pay. George explained that with percentage pay...if the company gets a raise - rate increase from the customer- the driver gets a raise also. Your percentage rate depends on your abilities and your evaluation therefor you can make good $$$ if your a good driver but don't expect to make much or last very long with the company if your a terd.
Inverters are allowed in TMC trucks with a few conditions. They have chosen a specific make and model inverter thats allowed in the truck. You can buy yourself from somewhere or you can buy it from them - the payroll deduct- and the other condition is THEY INSTALL the inverter. But if you leave the company or change trucks the inverter is YOURS so it goes with you.
Hope this helps.

 

I think it's funny,back in the late 80's I applied with TMC, I was hauling for a John Deere Dealer at the time, they told me that I ddin't have enough experience.(3 years.) Now they are hiring out of driving schools.....

 

Elendil, I was w/TMC for over 2 yrs., but I've been gone for about 6 months. My comments below are based on my experience. Hope they are helpful. YMMV.

There is a lot of TMC info. here on this site in the older threads, and much of it is still true to this day.

 

Everything Ignatius says is pretty spot on and I would assume still holds water today. I would add that a good weekend off for me would be getting home Friday afternoon and leaving out Monday morning but usual was getting home early Saturday morning and leaving out Sunday late afternoon or evening. Depends on you FM how your home time will be.

$45k a year or more your first year I would also say is very hard to do. I never knew any first year drivers that made that and I still talk to some that are there. Remember, you are getting the experience they are getting the low cost driver, thats the trade off. I myself only made about $400 a week take home while I was there and it was one of the reasons I left. I might have not been the best driver but I was far from the worst. Idling the truck and out of route miles also dig into your % pay, and believe me they will find any way to get it. I did a lot of sitting waiting for runs as well so be prepared. Hopefully you'll have a laptop or other form of entertainment.

Never worried about showers as I always had a steady build up of free ones from fill ups. Truck washes are paid, use to be once a week but now I read its every two weeks. They require you to carry all 4 tarps in the headache rack which I and many other drivers found impossible from what I have seen to do during the winter, especially when it snows. So strapped to the deck it went, just don't ride into a TMC yard like that.

Overall my experience at TMC was good, wish I could have stayed longer, but low pay and problems with being away from home contributed to me leaving. When I left the truck at the Indy yard my last day there was a lot of other drivers leaving as well. Not sure if this is still the case but it seemed like just as many were joining TMC as were leaving.

I thought of coming back but don't think my new wife would like it as she is trying to get me away from truck driving. Plus I am sure since its been two years that TMC would want me to go through the whole two week deal again since I haven't driven a tractor trailer since (only straight trucks). But I do miss the shiny black trucks.

You could do worse than TMC thats for sure but don't expect it to be peaches and cream, and don't believe everything they or the recruiter tells you, and goes for any company. Good luck and be safe.

 

Not much I can add to what has already been said.

Used to be no trucks over 3 years old. Unfortunatly the economy has forced them to hold on to trucks a little longer. I have an `07. But it`s clean and top notch, runs like a champ. Just getting broke in actually.

As far as APUs. I think that`s correct. But the senior drivers are gonna get them first. I was in Indy for service and another driver had some eletrical issues that they couldn`t fix quickly. So they gave him another truck to swap out. He got a long nose with an APU because it was all that was ready. Lucky dog

 

Yeah not much I can add either. You being from IL not far from myself(Naperville) getting home for the weekend wont be much of a problem. Getting a load into and out of the Chicagoland area is pretty easy at TMC. For the whole pay thing with that guy making $400 a week take home, I am making much more then that and I am doing 4-5 loads a week. The weeks that I do 4 is because I am getting one that is a 2 day run which is nice usually because the pay is great if your a % driver.

Just remember you will have people getting on your nerves and you wont get home every weekend like you want. Sometimes they will offer you a load to stay out the weekend with and the extra$$$$ is well worth it. If you have any questions for me just shoot me a PM and I will help you out with it.

 

elendi,

you should ask thumper rabbit out of olive branch mississippi about home time with tmc.

 

How is to get freight to and from the north east with tmc