Mercer Transportation left hundreds of us drivers stranded.

If you have been terminated from a company you need to know what your lease agreement states. If it is in your lease agreement, in which case many are, the company has 45 days to return any escrow account. They do this because it is usually 45 days that their vendors has to file claims. This way they have a way of getting a least some of the money you would normally be required to pay in damages.

 

I can remember what I was told when I was moving over to Mercer. Mercer is a FLAT BED COMPANY. I remember hauling brokered freight for them years ago before they grew to what they are now. Back the they was a FLAT BED COMPANY.

Their main contracts are with companies who uses flat beds. They are busting into new territory with the van freight and I believe that once they get it going it may do well. When I hired on there I did go with flat bed and know people who did go with the vans simply because they were cheaper to purchase. But after seeing them in truck stops over a period of time, I learned that I made the right decision. Allthough I am not still with Mercer, I would go back to them in a heartbeat, I am just not able to run over the road right now with my family situation.
Dont just go with what you hear in the fourms. Get out there and actually talk with drivers who are still with them. Ask them the right questions and see if you hear close to the same from them. If you are being told by most drivers what you expect to get out of a company, chances are you will be happy with them. They do have rules, but they are in place for their and your protection. They also expect your equipment to look good and be well maintained. I was in the home terminal one day and saw a really nice W900 trying to get leased on. I mean it looked great except for a place on the passanger side fender that looks like it was hit in a truck stop. Was not bad, just a broken piece about half the size of a dollar bill. They made the guy have it repaired before they would sign the lease on it. I never look at only what is said in the hate mail on the forums. I have even left hate mail here on a company. Even then, I dont expect anyone to take what I say as the gospel. Just do as much research as you possibly can on any company you plan on going to.

 

They are crap when comes to the van freight. I've pulled one.
They are bloody cheap with the flat freight, when compared to the Canadian carriers.

 

You mean those same Canadian carriers who are severely undercutting rates on one of my good shippers, just to get back north with "fuel money"?

Four or five times I was to be dispatched to Canada this summer only to be told at the last minute that a Canadian company said they'd do it so cheap that they saved money by paying me TONU, cancelling my load, and shipping with them. And the Canadians tarp every load (not even allowed to tarp on the property) for no extra charge.

Sweeping generalizations about any carrier or group of drivers are usually not accurate, based on the limited experience of one individual. While our personal interactions with a company shape our impression of them, others can have a vastly different experience.

 

Not really.

 

$1.19 with their trailer plus fsc = more money.
Now, if you sit a lot then it does not matter.

 

So far, I'd disagree with you, based on my info, so far. I've spoken with few drivers from one of the carriers out of canada. They pull company's step and get 80% plus fsc. One said that he doesn't take anything under $2.4 , while some setTle for $2. That's driver's pay. Even if I'll have to deadhead 500 mi home everytime and the same to get back out. I'm still better off, financially.

 

I may not have extensive length of time on the American roads. I do have common sense and more financial math skills than most cdl holders.

 

You are saying the DRIVER gets 2.00-2.40 per mile, not the truck? If that is what the TRUCK is grossing you still need to take deadhead into account to know the true revenue per mile. And if there is one thing most drivers / o/o's do not do it is to keep good records. I always suspect what I am told for revenue and miles unless it is documented.

There are cheap loads at Mercer, no one says you have to take them. Saying or implying that the average van rate is 1.19/mi is entirely wrong. I see a lot of van freight that seems to be paying better than flatbed, and in some locations there are way more van loads available much of the time.

It has been pointed out many times already there is plenty of 2+/mile freight out there every day, quite a bit over 3/mile also. And as I've said (and others) shorter runs can pay quite well, 400-600 for 40-70 miles. Part of succeeding with this company is developing working relationships with agents and even shippers/receivers. Find a customer you like to haul for and pursue getting more freight from them. Do an outstanding job so that they even request you personally.

Solely relying on the load board or your coordinator will do little to open doors for you. Regardless of "policy" we all know that there are loads that never make it to the board, and especially local loads that generally go to drivers an agent knows is nearby. When something needs to be picked up in an hour or two they can't wait four hours for the #1 driver on the board to get there.

Complaining about rates will not improve them. Be proactive and chase the good loads, or go with Oakley or to Canada where apparently the big bucks are.

 

That is cheap and it is not all miles. Yes they pay loaded and empty but it is paid of computer miles. Have you or are you leased to them? It cost more then $1.19 to run a truck and their FSC is one of the cheapest.