Will a dry van Mercer O/O please PM me or give me information on their dry van operations ? I read mixed reviews on dry van operations, they are expanding, its a instant recipe for failure, 2 people quitting in 10 days, so many mixed opinions, I would just like some brass tax info on the van side of things, and just a FYI , i don't plan on staying on van just until next year ... I am starting late next month and want to absorb as much information as possible.... Theres over 600 pages for me to read but any more insight on the company and how to run van successfully would be great. the do's and donts etc... Thanks & Be Safe out there, look forward to drinking the Kool Aid & Becoming Mercerfied
It is funny to read what some of you guys said. I have been approved for orientation for over a week and still waiting because the recruiter claims that they don't have any trailers available for flats....uhmmm I wonder who lies?
They are hiring a lot, sometimes there is a lag on trailers turned in that are checked and serviced for leasing or new trailers arriving.
The party / cookouts have started here at mercer town. Say hi if you see me and I'll share my koolaid
There are plenty of flats and steps sitting here, some stacked 3 high. Perhaps they are not ready to lease yet for some reason, but there are quite a few sitting here. And new vans outnumber them maybe 3 to 1, just a rough guess. Photo from other side of the flood wall when I arrived yesterday afternoon. All these empty vans and a few flats/steps to my left, more to the left in the row where I'm parked, and more across from me to the right. Most brand new. Can't see how trailers aren't available, then need to get them moved out to make room. View attachment 81255
that lot with all the stored trailers is usually the main lot where drivers coming to the show are parked. Last year I was the first driver to park in the lot the minute it opened, I was in the first spot to the left alongside where security sits. No other equipment of any kind was there yet. That is not Mercer's property and they pay to use it during the truck show, so it seems safe to say they are renting the grounds just for storage now also. If a lot of trucks come in later today it will be interesting to see where they end up parking. For the L/P trucks, I can find a pretty #### nice truck for $65,000 and sure wouldn't want that payment due AFTER I've already paid for four or five years. I think that those of us that think it may not be a good deal, especially for a first time buyer, base our opinion on how many drivers we have seen fail due too high payments, high home expenses, and often, as said earlier, that many drivers are in debt way over their head by the time they sign on and get rolling. Also, many of us run a more "relaxed" schedule after learning how things work here and finding our own particular niche. At most other companies you could never take a couple months off and (1) still have a job, and (2) go all that time and never have 'dispatch' call and beg (or demand) you to do a load. So the amount of work to make those big truck payments, and with a trailer payment added to that, well it just kind of ruins the Mercer lifestyle many of us have become accustomed to.
