Marten Transportation SUCKS!!!!!

When it comes to home time at Marten, the only time they guarantee is Christmas. They'll tell you that up front. The rest of the year, home times are merely a suggestion to those who get to go home daily and have most weekends off.

That alone tells me I'll never work there. If a company refuses to acknowledge that drivers have lives outside the rig, screw 'em.

 

Yeah, this is pretty much the pattern I've been noticing as well, with some differences...

My miles have been significantly lower, as well as the amount of home time I'm allowed to take. I'm averaging for 2010, overall, about 243 miles each day out (does not include home time in that number). This is about half what I was doing prior to March 2009.

As for home time, while the policy is 1 day off for each 5 days off, I've never been allowed all the home time I have had coming, save for once in 2006. Until a few months ago, I stayed out an average 6-8 weeks, but was never allowed to take more than 6 days off. A couple of months ago, I had a family emergency, but could not get home prior to my regularly scheduled home time.

This month, I have to take 11 days off, to finish moving from SoCal to Wisconsin. Normally, this would be only 5 days, but given the company's extremely poor track record for getting me home on time, I had to pad the home time in order to make sure I don't miss my flight back to my old home (I'm driving my pickup back with what's left in storage).

Since I am taking more than 6 days off, I am forced into taking a Leave Of Absence. I have to leave the rig in Mondovi, and clean it out (move out of it). I've been told there is no guarantee that there will be another rig for me when I return. This despite the fact that the fleet manager has the authority to grant up to 14 consecutive days off as earned home time. This despite the fact that I have never been permitted to take all earned home time in the last 4.5 years plus I've been working for this company.

Here's something I stumbled across, and this liberal isn't afraid to call out Obama on this one:

HR 2847 (the HIRE Act), passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, appears to be directly responsible for what we are seeing going on at Marten. According to the IRS, employers will not have to pay the 6.2% employer share of FICA, on any new employee hired after February 3, 2010, for earnings paid between March 19, 2010 (when Obama signed the HIRE Act into law) and December 31, 2010. There is no minimum time the employee needs to be employed for the employer to claim the credit.

An additional tax credit of $1,000 will be available towards any new hire retained as an employee for 52 consecutive weeks (such as if hired 2-3-2010 and still employed until 2-3-2011).

To qualify, the employee hired must have been unemployed a minimum of 60 days, or have not worked in the previous 60 days more than 40 hours for anyone (combined), upon being hired by the new employer wishing to claim the credits. New employees must also sign a statement to that effect.

Also, and here's the trick here, the employee must be filling a position vacated by an employee who voluntarily resigned or was fired for cause, or filling a newly created position. Oh, btw, if you are rehired after 60 days, and you did not work more than 40 hours in that period? The employer gets the same tax breaks (but only if hired between 2-03-2010 and 12-31-2010).

I think you can put the rest together at this point?

 

Wow. I'm usually not in the tinfoil hat brigade, but that makes a depressing amount of sense.

 

Yeah, tell me about it. Up until I came across this one last week, I just figured what was going on was just crappy management.

Now... ?

 

Cuz they're cheap A-holes? But they'll fire you for having a dirty one! Doesn't matter if you haven't seen a terminal with a working washbay that isn't being hogged by the detail guys in three months.

 

I may not have mentioned this, but my truck hasn't been washed professionally since December 2008, 1 month after I was assigned to it. I stopped trying to use Marten's wash bays when I realized that for all the half-##### clean I could get the outside of the truck, I ended up tracking grease and other muck into my living space. Not to mention staining MY clothing that I have to replace at cost. It ended up being more trouble than worth.

As to being fired for not washing it... I'd love to be the guy on the receiving end of that one. I'd dig up emails I sent to my FM along with documentation proving I've paid for washes out of pocket. Unemployment may not be great income but it is that great "something for nothing" we sometimes wish for...

Like I told em... Run me 10k in a calendar and I'll wash that truck. Less than 10k and the company can wash it or forget it.

At any rate, I'm on the market and have some prospects. Seems like it might be time to move on along and take my experience with me.

 

I agree' they are'nt very professional and dont gave a #### about your record. i had three "accidents" with them! 2 were rated by their safety as NON_PREVENTABLE, and one preventable, first the N.P. one was running over a rubber chock' the other some driver litely brushed his steps into mine' this was grounds for them to hang as an accident on my 20yrs safe driving record as a Accident! with no explanation's added. this was good enough to kick me out of an excellant driving job,with a company ive tried getting on with for years! the other preventable accident was bending a rim that a 5 lb hammer took care of with two strikes! these 3 S0-Called ACCIDENTS wher the same as if i had Major accidents! CHECK YOUR DAC REGULAR "now called "hire rite" And FIGHT for your Licence!

 

CA_Medicine_Woman I live in L.A. is there a dedicated run out of here or which is better the regional or OTR thanks hope your move goes ok

 

Who turns you in for running over a rubber chock?

 

From what I see in here, i don't knowwhy anyone stays there. 10,000 mile months being considered as good, is rediculous. I've had more than that for well over a year, I have some lower weeks, but that's just how it hits paydays. My monthly avg is always higher than 10,000. If it wasn't, I'd be looking.