Central Oregon Truck CO.

Was gonna work there but they wanted to pay me 32 cpm to pull a flatbed are you kidding me and they wanted me to pay my own way out there for training then pay me back after training and get the honer to drive a 62mph truck and stay out 2 to3 weeks seems like a good deal lmao

 

Thanks for this post! I'm trying to choose between this company and May Trucking. I've gotten the info I think that I need. I don't know though, I really like Central Oregon's equipment. It might work out for me with home time. I from the Reno, NV area so I might be able to get home on the weekends. We'll see how things work out. Thanks for the info!

 

I wish I would have known about this web site before I went to work for COTC.I lasted about 2 months I suppose and it was terrable,I only got home once and I was cut short on my time then.I called in and gave them notice so they could get me a load to their yard because I found another job,they drug their feet and waited to the last minute hopping I would change my mind,I had to start my new job so I called them and told them that now they had to come get their truck.I kept it at my house so that it would not be unattended or vandalized.they inturn put it on my report that I abandoned it.So now as it turns out I am having a very difficult time finding a job with a real trucking company.I ran loads for the owner when I told them I was out of hours and they still pushed them on me,If you do go to work for them be very carefull they wont have your back ,and anything they promise you is as good as a rubber check,

 

The one thing I have to give COTC is their orientation is very good,Joe is top notch.So my advice to anyone would be ,no matter how much expierience you have if you do go to work for COTC make the best of the orientation,if you pay attention and participate when needed and dont try to prove to everyone in class how much you think you know,You will learn. GOOD LUCK

 

Thanks ''Nop'' for your information. It was very helpful. I don't know what to do now, haha. I think I'll just stay driving local, I have a great boss right now and get along great with everyone, so I think I'm just gonna stay here. I just wanted to see how it would be out on the road. It's just hard to decide, ''Year around work or seasonal work?'' Thanks for your info though ''Nop''!

 

I applied and was hired to COTC about 2 years ago. When they called to hire me, I said I'd like to accept but mentioned that I had an appt. near lunch time of the 3rd day of orientation that I couldn't cancel and so could I miss approx. 2 hours of class and make it up somehow? The instructor decided that I would have to make it up by attending the same 2 hours at the following week's orientation and only then could I go to work; so it would be 1 1/2 weeks until I could start earning. This struck me as ridiculous, especially considering the 14+ years of experience I had, and my gut told me to decline the job so I canceled out as politely as I could. There were countless other observations I had that the company was just not geared toward maximizing efficiency. Every thing I observed at the terminal appeared to be inefficient like a gov't operation. I thought far too much time was for orientation, especially the time spent teaching tarping (even if you know how to tarp); IMHO tarping could be taught quickly and easily with a piece of paper as a pretend tarp and a toy truck, demo'd on the teachers table, as it's not rocket science. The proper folding of a tarp can be demo'd with a piece of paper (maybe I over-estimate some of the students they hire, lol). 13 years or so prior, on my first flad bed job ever, as a total rookie, tarping was explained to me in 15 seconds and I was off and running, no problems. Of the 4 COTC drivers I talked to, none had more than 6 months with COTC, and this I considered a bad omen. Everyone I met in the office was pleasant, I will say that for them. Just thought I'd share my experience, what little I had.

Regarding May, I drove their dry van side (11 western) for about 7 months in 1998. I'm not saying it was a picnic or a sweetheart job, but this was the best I've had of 5 carriers over my 16 year career. But things can change a lot since 1998, so my observation is very outdated. I would mention that if you take a leave of absence for even a few days to go to your mother's funeral, dispatch will tell you to notify payroll and be sure to sign some papers there, and payroll will tell you that you don't need to sign any paper but to be sure to notify your dispatcher, so you do this and you think you are good to go. When you come back you will find that you have been fired because you didn't sign some paperwork with payroll before taking your leave (but payroll said there was nothing to sign, remember?). That's what happened to me, and I've met so many drivers whom it also happened to. I tried to go up the chain of command because I wanted to stay with May, I had six months in so I qualified for a lease deal and I wanted to do it, I had long range plans with May. I thought it was a simple mis-understanding, but was I given the rudest boot back out the door of the office before I was even seated by the high boss at the terminal; I don't recall his name now, a big huge man is about all I remember about him. But this type of firing was a regular routine for anyone who took a leave. Apparently it's a way to get you to start over at the new hire pay rate and work without benefits for 2 or 3 months all over again. Regular home time went smoothly, however; I put in for what I had coming and was always home on time. Regarding their lease offering, all leasors I talked to said that when they took their trucks to May shops for anything, that they were put at the front of the line, first out, so that was one of many things that impressed me and tempted me to want to do the lease deal. I did verify that May goes over the maintenence records of their trucks and keep only the ones that are most reliable to offer the leasors if they choose to lease a used truck (the leftover rejects go to auction). Back then, May held out 11 cents per mile on the oldest used trucks (less on newer ones) and all the leasors I talked to said any repairs they needed were first class and timely. But the 11 cents was not escrowed, you didn't get back any of it that wasn't used, but on the other hand you got whatever repairs or lubes that were needed even if you hadn't paid much into the fund yet. But, again, this was all so long ago that much may have changed. But I fully believe that I would have been a leasor with them and would have been there a long long time if I hadn't been fired over the stupid leave of absence scam. In the months to follow my firing, my ex-dispatcher called me at least twice to try to get me to come back, and the 48 state reefer side called me at least once to offer me a job, but I declined all due to the bad taste in my mouth from the leave of absence scam. One thing they don't tell you in orientation that you should know, is that all trucks are keyed alike (per brands) and the theft from unattended trucks (by someone with a key) at the terminal is regular and routine according to the Deputy that took my report. But alas, I guess May will never build a fence around to protect, or maybe even that wouldn't help. The Deputy and I went down the line of trucks that were parked in the long term parking for drivers on days off, and all the doors were ajar (about 10 trucks) and the CB was missing from all of them, and no doubt much more was missing besides just CBs. I took a written suggestion up the chain of command that drivers should be notified because the break-ins are so frequent and routine, and this should be warned in orientation, but I was met with worried looks and silence at the lower levels of the chain, and angry glares that seemed to say "You better GTFO" at the higher levels. Nothing changed. No memos, no fence. But I don't suppose we will ever find a carrier that is totally righteous, so the best we can do is try to choose the least evil of the bunch, eh? Perhaps May is one of the least evil. But a lot can change since 1998. I'm just sayin'.

I hope you will let us know of your choice and how it works out for you.