McElroy Truck Lines - Cuba, Al.

Well, I've been driving with them for 8 months, the tarping is not bad once you get a system down...

What has been burning me is that they have been so slow as of late... I have talked to various trainers and other drivers who have been with them for years and ALL have said that this slowdown is the worst they have ever seen.

I averaged 2000-2600miles per week when I started, now I am lucky to get 1600 on a good week combine that with paying$87.00 a week for their mid-range crappy insurance, and I'm lucky to clear $425 a week...kinda hard when your the breadwinner for a family of 5.

The coils arn't that bad... just got to pay CLOSE attention to what is going on around you... I've hauled 15 outta Columbus since the 1st of oct. Got one on my back going to vonore on the 26th. I do agree that they are letting some haul a little too early.

 

Firstly I will tell those reading about last week. Was sent home on Friday with no load. Was given a call early Sunday telling me to go to Bridgeport (USG) for a load going to Salisbury, NC for Monday morning. OK, jump up, crank 'er up, roll! After dropping Mon. morning, got another load in Roaring River, NC, at LaPacific. 77 miles empty, going to Farmers Branch,TX! 1100 miles loaded. (cement siding) Good riding load but HEAVY!! 48000. Hooked, tarped, lets roll! Went a route totally different from their "shortest" suggested route, thank goodness, as I was crossing the SC/GA line, BEEPBEEPBEEP, CHECK UR ##$% ENGINE. Had to pull over at the GA scalehouse on I-20W, shut er off, OH NOOOOO, tensioner spring has lost its sprung!!! Shop says to use bungees to put tension back on the V-belt and drive to Cuba shop to be fixed. OK? I did so and CLICKCLICKCLICK, batteries too low. Call out roadside for jumpstart ($125), SCREEEEEECH!:disgust: Squals but runs. OK, roll thru GA by candlelight power to shop at x26 behing the WILCO/HESS. Drop trailer in truckstop, pull into back bay, out in hour and half!! Not bad! ($425 parts/labor)Stop by Cuba to get new belt next day (Tuesday), continue to TX for dropoff next morning (Wednesday). After drop, no load till 8 hours later, go to Waco,TX next morning for recycled cardboard going to Campti,LA for Friday drop. OK, pickup next load and make it to Campti same day, empty at 15:45. Sent load p/u in Natchitoches,LA, 15 miles away, scheduled for p/u at 11:00 Friday?? I scoot myself over to the p/u at Weyerhaeuser, get there at 16:30, they AGREE to load me!! 49,200lbs. Leave there at 19:30, took so long 'cause there was 2 Boyd Bros trucks ahead of me at the tarping station (no climbing on loads at this facility). They each had to put 4 tarps on their loads to cover it!!! Mine took the 2 black/red lumber tarps!! Made it back up to I-20E, shut it down at 21:30 at the rest area east of Ruston, LA. Next morning, up at 07:30, rollin,rollin, get home in N.AL by 17:30. Gotta be in Baltimore,MD for 07:00 Tuesday morning.
Not a bad week you might say till you add the miles up. Will be less than 2000 turned in for Sun-Thu, start next week with 1225 from Fr-Tues. HHG MILES BLOWS!!!! No breakdown pay, no tarp pay, no layover for no load from Wed morning thru Thursday morning 'cause they sent the load info at 16:30 Wed., they love doing this!If you are reading this and are considering McElroy, read your check statements closely, make sure they dont "forget" anything!!

 

A friend of mine drives for them and he called me and said he will have to go somewhere else soon. They have really cut his miles lately. This is the 1st I have ever heard of this from them. In the past they seemed to be a good outfit.

 

Well I FINALLY did it!!! That's right, I QUIT!!!!!! Of course I did so with my new employer ready to send me on my first load the very next week!!!!!! Gonna work for a company that manufactures and ships their own products from right here in Huntsville,AL!! Leave out loaded and ALWAYS back empty, paid same loaded & empty, tarp pay/ detention pay guaranteed, MORE MILES than hauling for McElroy, (esp. since 95% of McE loads are housebuilding supplies, and with the housing market in such a SLUMP and projected by ALL the experts to slide about 15-20% more in 2008, and get THIS, I will be the SOLE driver for this location!! 8)Their previous driver of 5+years had to pee in the cup and LIT IT UP, so bye-bye he went!! Bad for him, GOOD for me.. Now, some would say that this is a HUGE risk being in such a tiny "fleet", but ya know what, ANY company can fail at ANY time. ANY job can dissolve before your eyes OR behind your back!!This is a stable company that fills a need, and fits what I WANT in a job, so HOORAY for ME

 

When I was in our yard the other day getting my truck serviced. I was talking to one of their former trainers. He was going through our orientation. Said his miles was cut so bad he could not stay on. If a training truck is not moving then there is a problem.

 

When I turned in MY truck yesterday it was about the eighth truck that I PERSONALLY seen in the line to be stripped of all its equipment and be placed in the "waiting for a new driver" section of the lot. This section has RAPIDLY filled in the last few weeks/months, including quite a few trainers trucks. Overall I would say that there is about 50-60 empty trucks in a fleet of about 500, so say 10%??? And the majority of the drivers I have talked to are looking to go elsewhere also. With the housing market in such a slump and projected to slump more in 2008, new drivers need to CAREFULLY choose who to work for. Make sure their freight is diverse enough to keep you rolling!!

 

My buddy told me they have 8 empty trainer trucks.

 

That is part of the problem that I am having with the place I am leased on with .... their truck (yeah yeah I know)

The freight they have is not that great .... and the dead head is way to high .... I told them earlier this week that I was looking to get a load back to the yard to turn the truck in .... that I cant justify loosing the money that I am and that I feel I am paying them to work

Since then I have spoken with the main boss there trying to offer things to keep me from leaving .... I have been told that no one else is leaving .... but the offers are saying something different

If they werent loosing drivers like this they wouldnt be fighting to keep me there .... and yeah I have one offer right now with another company to start there in the 11th and another one on the table if I want it .... both running flatbeds .... but as company drivers

The freight just isnt there for some of these companies .... or in the places that they send you .... as a lease operator .... you pay all deadhead miles .... and outta 4 loads I have done a total of over 1000 miles deadhead

Its a good company and that was the only reason that I did it .... problem is the freight isnt there that pays enough and in the area that you need to make a go of it

Every one is slowing down and suffering .... especially when you see TMC running hay loads

 

Well, I was gonna ask you if your new company had any openings, since I don't live but 45 min from Huntsville, but I see they are a small fleet... oh well, I'll keep looking... I'm so sick of them right now I'm almost willing to go back to working in a factory (SHUDDER). And to top it off... my former dispatcher(who was piss poor) whom I thought had been fired CAME BACK last week... GREAT!!!

 

My husbands experience with mcelroy has been BAD! He is a newbie and picked mcelroy first. you get NO miles! He has worked for them 5 mnths, he had 1 paycheck that was 700$ the rest has been 300,200,165 & last weeks was 49.00 that is after tax & ins they blamed it on dispatch & sayed they moved the dispatcher back to customer service. We can not live on that kind of money it was a joke ,he also turnerd his truck into their south pittsburg terminal told dispatch and done a inventory of the truck & south pitsburg checked it out said it was all there. The new company he applied for contacted him & said mcelroy put on his d.a.c report he abandoned his truck. That is a lie ,they shouldnt use christian for their recruiting. He also hauled coils from day 1. The new company he applied with said they dont usually take a drivers word over a companys word but they did this time and hired him THANK GOD with that now on his d.a.c I dont know what he would of done.