Melton, Whatcher 20

bman...

i dont have very many complaints. treated well and in the short few monthive been here already received 2 raises.
equipment is top notch, they fix things sooner than later. we go all over so i dont think VT is a problem, i know we have a few drivers from there

 

Sitting at the con in IN for a Monday delivery bringing coiled calcium wire from CT. They might be able to take me today if things get slow in the melt shop. I'm planning on 0700 tomorrow morning. Won't have to start a clock right away. Probably wouldn't get a load today anyway. An average week for coming off of home time.

 

bnrobot, would you know the drivers from my area that i could talk to.??? I havent called Melton back yet until I have most of my questiosn answered.......But burnt in the past with OTR companys...... I do think I will like Flatbed till I get use it to it how is the tarping???

 

mrh2008, is tarping hard??? i think thats going to be my hardest task to tarping how long you been there??

 

Last time I saw for Vermont it was minimum 3 weeks out and 3 week notice to get home for any new England state


Found it for you

 

Amarillo petro, got 627 in 9 hours 50 minutes and still sat at 7.8 running 65 whole way.

 

Honestly, I don't see myself leaving Melton any time soon unless it's to get into my own truck. I've been with Melton for 13 months now, did a year and a half pulling dry vans before this. Zero flatbed experience when I applied and did not have to go with a trainer.

there's tons of companies that claim they offer some of the best pay in the industry, but Melton truly is in the top 1% for pay.

There's drivers here that have been with Melton for 20-30 years and still going. That's gotta say something about the company.

However, melton is not perfect. No such thing. Hometime could be better. We get 1 off for 7 on and as mentioned before, West of i35 requires 3-4 weeks out along with you being in vermont. Melton does let us bank hometime tho. We do not need to use it all at once. Last year I saved a day here and there and took 2 weeks off for Christmas. We can take up to 14 days without turning in the truck, longer if management approves it.

Our equipment is excellent. Not only do we look good, we run good. From my experience, if I need to call in to get repairs done the shops answer is always something along the lines of "pick a shop and have them call when you check in." Or "I'll find a shop and send you directions." If roadside repair is needed, there's not a question about it.

We have APU's and 1500 watt inverters.

We do tarp a lot of loads. Much more tarp loads than no tarp loads. At first, tarping is not easy at all. My first load took me over 3 hours to secure and tarp, and it was one of the easiest loads we pull! Throwing tarps in 100 degree weather with 100% humidity is a nightmare, but we have to do it. It gets much easier with time. After a while, I'd look at tarp requirements on load info and think "ok, there's another $40 in my pocket." Instead of "how the heck am I going to do this!?"

Now, there was a guy in orientation with me that died in his hotel room after tarping a load in the Texas heat last summer. I re powered a load just a couple months ago after the driver fell off his load and broke his hip while tarping. There's always that bit of danger. Take your time, take breaks. You'll do just fine.

There are a couple recent threads on Melton's orientation if you're interested. Lots of good info in them.