My 16 Week Experience with TRANSAM

One thing I forgot to mention that you should know before you go to orientation with TransAm is that; if you do not work for them for at least 3 months, they will require you to re-imburse TransAm for the costs of the bus ticket, motel, physical, and company training. I do not know what these costs are but I am sure they will be more than they are worth.

 

Don't take too much with you when you go, certainly no more than 1 moderate suitcase. A duffle would be better. The Kenworths are so small that you will sleep with your stuff (however much it is) in the bunk with you. You might also have to sleep with a microwave (I did) or some other belonging of the coach. You will need: 7 days worth of clothes, toilet articles, a couple of pens, a small clipboard, and a cellphone. Anything else is just something you will have to lug around. If you have a laptop with a wireless card you will be able to get on the internet often enough to make it worthwhile. If you do not, there will not be enough low cost wi-fi to make it worth hauling it around. If the coach will let you eat in the truck (mine wouldn't) you should get food at wal-mart after you get with a coach. I had no money and was sending all that I got home to my wife. As a result, I only ate once a day most days and had several days I did not eat at all. That was the only good part of the whole experience; I lost 50 pounds in the 3 weeks I was out with the coach.

 

A couple of things I forgot are: a sleeping bag or other bedding, cold weather stuff. (even in the summer you will need these because the receivers are mostly refrigerated and are #### cold inside)

 

In the interest of objectivity I need to report that TransAm did send me a final check and accounting for my last settlement. For 3600 miles of driving in the last 1-1/2 weeks I was there they paid me $953.34. $300.00 of this amount was escrow withheld in excess of their required minimum. This means I was paid approx $.18 per mile net or $653.34. This was better than most of the weeks I worked previous, but they had fired my driver manager the week before and there was no one actively trying to limit my miles. I did sit for 2.5 days of the last 4 days I worked. I feel lucky to be out of there without any other damage to my wallet, but this amount is still less than I am receiving on my extended unemployment for the same number of days.