My 16 Week Experience with TRANSAM

The two things he listed would be impossable to prove or disprove.
How can you prove that his tire wear is x% more than it should be? Prorated wear? Give me a break. He does not even know that the tires are even on that tractor anymore. So he cannot disprove it eather.
Same with Battery usage??? WTF is that? Chargeing someone for the idea that there battery is discharged past where it should be? Again, it is something impossable to prove or disprove.

In both instances. He can ask to look at the items on the truck, and see if they are correct..... This will not happen however, since 1. they can change the tires and batterys. And 2. The truck has most likely been released to a new driver.

I feel bad for most people that lease trucks from the companys they drive for. The programs are mostly designed to make the company as much money as possable with the least exposure to loss. The driver making money is optional. Anyone that thinks that any run should for any reason pay an owner OP less than 1.50 a mile + full FSC, is an idiot as well. Many companys are still doing well not accepting any freight for less than that ammount, and most of there freight is paying better than that.
Good luck

 

I get so tired of hearing people say "we live in a box with no shower" QUIT CRYING! I mean come on when you were getting your cdl and actually got inside the truck did you think the sleeper was gonna get any bigger??

 

I have seen them increase in size over the years.Started w/a real crawl thru to a cabin over that had a man crawl over the dog house(lay down to pull pants off/lay down to put'em back on),to a sit in 40" bunk to a 42' to a 48" culminating w/those of today where a driver can do jumping jacks in them.
perhaps the OP actually learned in a coffin type sleeper truck.10-4?

 

I rem drivin a old cornbinder like that had to crawl thru a hole and lay flat
Then went to a one stack mack with a window inthe back i could bend over and walk into it but the bed was so small you had to lay on your side

 

That's a good attitude !! ..If you do the job.. DO IT !
I'm no trucker, and MAY become one?.... But, this is a "Must Have" attitude for this job, and any other job you can think of. Nice Post.

 

Oh yea ok so over the years they have gotten bigger but to be realistic, anybody with a smudge of common sense can just look at trucks today and see just about how big the sleeper is! 10-4

 

So you take the attitude that whatever I do, I'm screwed? Might as well run illegal all of the time if it doesn't make a difference...I prefer not to give them extra ammo to hang me by running safe and legal. Do I know every legal logbook trick to maximize drive time? No, I'm new, you just said it.

I don't think it's "bashing" as much as it is making observations in an industry that needs an overhaul. I can see paying your dues and earning a low wage as you gain experience, but c'mon, does starving and going broke while operating a large, expensive piece of equipment (requiring extensive training) make sense? Why should a trucker who carries a huge liability for his life and other's on the road while performing a vital service get less pay than the fast food worker???

 

Thank you for that excellent and extremely valid statement!!!! That is part of the problem with most of the industry!!! Drivers should be compensated for the risks they face every day, whether it be other trucks, 4 wheelers, weather, oh and the fact that they pilot an 80,000 pound guided missile down the highways of America.

 

Just got through reading this entire thread (15 pages). Sounds to me like being an owner operator is not at all the way to go. Then again, I knew that long before reading this thread. If there's a scam in the trucking biz, it is the O/O "option" (at least in a dead economy).

I think we have to take Old Guy's commentary with a grain of salt. Until we hear from company drivers, it's hard to issue a fair ruling against TransAm. To newbies reading this thread, I'd recommend paying particular attention to Thumper's commentary, as this person has been around the block and knows what they are talking about. Perhaps the reason there is little commentary from company drivers is that they are reasonably satisfied with TransAM?

I've been in contact with TransAm for two weeks now. My recruiter says drivers are averaging 2800-3100 miles per week as of March. Recruiter says this figure comes from taking the total miles driven per month, then dividing it by four. Recruiter also says that their alleged practice of coercing newbies into the lease option is false.

Of course, all of this is heresay, especially coming from a recruiter. All I know for sure is that TransAm is currently taking on student graduates and that there is not as much of a wait for orientation/trainer/truck as some other companies still taking students. This is probably a point against TransAm, however. With the economy at a stand still, is there something fishy about a carrier that is still actively recruiting? Maybe.

Right now, these are the major companies that are still hiring students: Werner, Swift, May, Crete, Shaffer, Hunt, TransAm, Roehl, KLLM, and FFE. For all of these companies, there is a four to six week wait for orientation dates. After that, one can expect a further wait for a trainer and possibly another wait for a truck to free up. That's the reality right now.

From noob to noob, do your research thoroughly on ALL companies before you sign, and plan to stay with your choice for at least a year. Trucking companies loathe jumpers and won't invest time and money into training you if they think you're going to elope. Also, the economy the way it is, a reefer company is going to be your best bet right now, or a flatbed company once summer construction starts.

A final word. Thumper is right about not complaining and tightening your belt. I treat going into trucking the same as going into the army (maybe even prison). When you become a trucker, you're moving into your new home, like it or not. I don't mean house, either. I mean home. Where you live right now becomes a place youwill visit from time to time, as approved by your warden. Suck it up and come to terms with this, or you'll wash out and sure as the trucking industry's turnover rate is 150%.

Trucking is not for the thin-skinned. It isn't for the pessimists. It sure as hell isn't for the cry babies. And it's a good #### thing that it isn't. Otherwise, the industry would be saturated and there wouldn't be any room for student grads like me.

Best of luck out there everybody. Hope to see you OTR.