Hello TMC Drivers

1. Out Of Route, which are miles you drive over the miles you are dispatched. When you are dispatched they use a computer program that tells them how many miles it is from the nearest post office to you to the nearest post office where you are picking up your load, these are the dispatched bounce miles. It also tells them how many miles from the nearest post office where you are getting loaded to the nearest post office to where you are unloading, these are your dispatched loaded miles. Together they are your dispatched miles, the miles you will be paid for. Typically these miles are 5%-10% fewer than the actual route you will be taking. That difference is your OOR miles.
2. Bounce miles are deadhead miles, or miles you drive without a load on to go get a load.
3. You cannot operate the QualComm when your truck is in motion.
4. Yes, you can pay $40/night for a private room or share a room with another driver for free.
5. 379

 

Anything you get for the truck needs to have a DC (Cig lighter) adapter.

I never had the heart to tell those idiots working in the office over there that just because it has a DC outlet connected to it, doesn't mean it doesn't have an inverter inside of it that makes it run on that voltage.

It's the same thing. They're just childish about silly things. I used an inverter, a little plug in one, just put it in your bag anytime you go through DSM so they don't find it in the truck... Something like that shouldn't cause an electrical fire like they seem to think it will, now if we're talking about the heavy duty one that connects directly to your battery, yeah, that can cause issues..but i see no legitimate reason to not allow the plug in type other than their own ignorance on the subject.

You may get a 379, or a 387 (The football helmet looking one). 379's are similar to the 388's, they're the short-hooded version with a few different odds n' ends. You won't get a 388 or an extended hood until you're there for a few years. They no longer make 379's, you are correct, but the 379's in TMC's fleet are all fairly new, and well maintained.

 

Wouldn't it make sense for the co to offer to install an inverter for the drivers?You buy the inverter and all the wiring and the co mechs install...everybody is happy.

 

The new big pete is now the model number 389.

 

Yeah I don't think Pete makes 379's anymore but it doesn't matter, TMC didn't buy any new trucks this year and they are running their current fleet to a higher mileage marker. The overwhelming majority of their fleet are 379's. Everyone I was with when we checked out our initial trucks requested a 387 and only one person got one, everyone else got 379's.

Also, on the inverter pretty much what eckz said. I was always running two of the small plug in models and just put them in my bag when I went through the terminal. My laptop was the only thing I had that required any real wattage and that ran on DC so it didn't really need an inverter it needed a transformer. An inverter changes electricity from DC to AC, a converter changes AC to DC and a transformer changes voltage up or down depending on what it's for. All computers are DC whether it's a desktop or a laptop so you can pretty easily run a laptop with a cigarette plug transformer. I only used the inverter for the low wattage stuff like cell phone recharging which actually runs on DC as well. You can get just about anything for a truck that runs on DC.

 

The 388 is the shorthood version of the 389. TMC Only has one 389, and it pulls the racecar.