Hazmat Pay

Yes get your hazmat, I think it is the most important!

 

Thats what i was thinking. Im going in this week to do it.

 

Cplmac. $10 for steel and $20 for lumber same rates we got in the 80's. As for the bailing out the turnover is still high at most companies I know we are running 10 to 20 a week thru oreintation so yes I do think drivers will continue to look for greener pastures. I guess we can thank the terrorist for the TWIC and the need to have a passport to access Canada. I know some companies do pay for Hazmat endorsements but I know of none who pay for the TWIC or passports. I can't say Maverick shared in the cost of these items they did however take in out in small payroll deductions on a weekly basis making the burden a little less on their drivers. Most of the TMC drivers I know run on milage in the winter and % during spring and summer when there is more freight and the rates are better. Semper Fi

 

TMC said in 2 or 3 letters pertaining to the PrePass issue that all of TMC's competitors do not use PrePass/EzPass. I would like to hear the truth about that being that I have seen plenty of Maverick / Melton and other large flatbed companies zip right thru the EzPass lanes while I'm sitting and waiting in the Cash Lanes for my turn to pay.

 

There was a time when there was no EZ Pass and everyone paid cash for tolls even fuel was done by ComCheck. I admit I like the convenience of using EZ Pass and PrePass they do save time however it is not that difficult to pay with cash, either your own or by using company advances,( my perferred way of operating if I had to pay cash), and be reimbursed. Yes it does require more work of the driver but trucking is a job and most jobs do require you to work. I know TMC had certain restrictions on toll roads you could use and my guess as to why they did away with the EZ Pass is it was being abused I'm not saying this is the only reason but it only takes a few misifits to ruin a good thing. I'm also sure that TMC as well as Maverick, we lost our 800 mile weekend pay, and most other companies have had to cut operating costs as a result of this economy. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm kind of happy I still have a job and I hope Steve Williams makes alot of money so he can afford to keep me and the other 1000 or so Mavericks employed as I have yet to have poor man give me a job

 

You know, a company can "stay alive" and "do well" if run well in a pretty crappy economy. Sadly i don't believe that "doing well" or "staying afloat" are the reason for recent changes or cutbacks, I think it falls down to corporate greed. Maybe i'm just nieve, or maybe it's because the shoe has been on the other foot and i've worked hard jobs for a living all my life and most of these corperate people haven't had to do so... But, I don't believe i'd be making changes like this if i ran a large trucking outfit to benefit my own pocket, I think that i'd have made enough money by now to keep the good drivers that i have happy, instead of causing this revolving door.

It shouldn't be your responsibility to pay for -anything- pertaining to that truck, that company, or it's load, period. The fact that there are people here defending that proves my point: As long as people deal with it, it will only get worse. A good example of this is simple marketing... Do you know how companies figure out what the "market rate" for a product is? By researching how much people will be willing to pay for it. It's the same principle here, as long as you are "willing to pay for it" it's going to happen.. And this isn't directed just at TMC, it's the industry in general right now and it's a silly attitude for drivers to have about certain things.

I worked for a company once in the steel industry where when times got bad the owners and all the big wigs came in to explain to us that the reason our benefits were staying the same, and the reason that our pay wasn't cut, and the reason we weren't laid off was because they all took pay cuts for the next 5 years until things got sorted out. We worked for the next 2 or 3 months simplying painting floors, cleaning the lines, sweeping, mopping, etc. There was no steel to run, we had no business but you know what? They kept their word, not a single layoff.

Go ahead, keep that "I'm just glad i have a job!" attitude, because they have you exactly where they want you. Ask any old timer out there, things are only getting worse. You should do some research about how jobs work in other countries, and what these other countries require of their employers as far as rate of pay, work week (hours), and time off during the year. It's funny how france has a 35 hour workweek compared to our 40 and is still more productive, why do you think that is?

The japanese realize it, and have for a long time: If you want people to work and put out a quality product, keep them happy.

And while i absolutely love our country, and believe that capitalism does work i also believe that we have the right to stand up for certain things that we don't believe in, and to change things as we "the people" see fit, this is a democracy and as long as we sit back and deal with it feeling 'fortunate' that we have jobs, it's not going to get any better. Easier said than done, I understand, and i'm not proposing any silly strike or anything outrageous like that.. But like i said, if people are willing to deal with it, it's going to happen, and happen, and keep happening until drivers are down to minimum wage... Last i checked, most of 'em were pretty close if you actually added up the hours that you worked and were away from home, now they expect you to pay for things to help them out?

I just don't agree with it, sorry, drivers have enough to deal with, and last i checked driving a truck/pulling flatbed was pretty #### hard by itself, let alone the extra burden of worrying about comchecks etc. And in response to that driver that said last he checked this was a job and most jobs required work... Don't you think that we work enough for free? Why add more to it? Did you get a raise for doing any of this extra work? Is any of this "Extra savings" being rolled over into your check each week?

Somehow i doubt it.

 

Very good post and I agree with it. One of the reasons I left TMC was because I was only averaging $400 or less a week. And after hearing they making people get haz-mat Twic and passports without any help, plus taking away Pre-pass makes me feel better about leaving. I do miss it sometimes though, and I don't think TMC is a horrible company, but they are making it harder on their drivers.

TMC could have at least paid for the upfront cost of TWIC, passport and maybe even haz-mat. With a years service required or they take it out of your last check if you leave before a year is up. That would have been fair to everyone and easier on the driver who is trying to raise a family on $400 or less per week.

Also a lot of companies are treating their employees like ####, trucking or otherwise , its seems to be the American way now, they say well quit theres tons lined up to replace you. People just don't care anymore except for making more and more money. Greed will doom this country, we already seen it on Wall St. and I even read they are doing it again, raping the taxpayers. Yet we do nothing. Most people do nothing to stand up to this crap. I read somewhere that the ratio of CEO pay to regular worker pay is 450/1 here in the U.S. but ion other countries is like 50/1 .