My 2 & 1/2 Years with McElroy Truck Lines, Inc.

wow! ! ! you nailed it shut!

 

Great post. Your exactly right. I definately see your point. Have a great weekend.

 

I am sched to go to Mcelroys orientation in november, what is the final road test like? was it similar to the DOT road test we had to take to get our cdl? I am thinking it would be here is your load secure and tarp the way we taught you now thats done lets take it for a drive and lets see how well you can drive loaded. Would you say this is close or not at all?

thanks for the insight.

 

fulou88 you hit the nail right on the head. thats was my experence with otr and local home life. im now back otr with a co. with no benifits. i live about 40 miles ne of columbus ms. mcelroy hauled a lot of coils out of sevcor. if i went to work with mcelroy do you think i would haul alot of coils, and where would they go with them.

 

My friend, you nailed it. I ran flatbed local toting huge metal poles for cell phone communiction towers. I never had a 5 day week that was under 55 hours, most were 60 -65. Sleeping in your own bed every night and seeing the family everyday makes it worthwhile, as does the hourly pay with OT after 40. Makes traffic jams MUCH more tolerable!!

 

When my hubby graduated school, he was slammed with "job offers" from all these big named companies like "Swift, England, etc". Being a newbie to the industry it was a bit overwhelming and unnerving. So, we hit the trucking forums to see what we could find out. Did our research Mind you, this was Dec., 2004. There was plenty to say about the big ones with the pretty, fancy, colored literature with the paid actors dressed up with their company caps on smiling like they're loving it. Then there was McElroy's very basic, black and white reprint of a reprint literature. No frills, little money spent. In fact, he never saw a recruiter at school, where the others were practically stalking him, LOL.
We couldn't find anything negative about McElroy, our guts said do it, so he got a bus ticket and headed to Cuba, AL. A week later our boys and I made the 9 hour trip out there and they let us share a hotel room with him and paid half the room price. Our first impression of them was that they were family oriented. When he finished orientation we drove back to Dallas to hear from his trainer. The next day he called. It was a tough few weeks getting used to him being gone. Especially when the three of us all get the stomach flu and he's in OKC and can't come home and help. I am boiling at 102 trying to not puke my brains out while caring for a 1 yr old and a nearly 3 yr old doing the same thing. It was tough. Toughened me up, though in a hurry.
Trainer was a real nice guy that liked to talk A LOT! LOL. My hubby, well, he's not a big talker. Acutally, more a quiet type. So, he had smoke blowing out his ears for a lot of it, but liked the guy.
Bobby, the FM was a real cool guy. A real family guy, too. He was out of the Ennis, TX terminal. He was out a lot but Bobby was real good about getting him loads that got him through Kaufman so he could stop in through the week and at least eat dinner with us. He hardly ever had to leave out on a Sunday morning. More like afternoon to early evening. And sometimes Friday nights were late.
They were ALWAYS truthful. Never one time did they lie to him. The insurance stank, but, it beat nothing at all. It was tolerable. Holiday pay, was $50. But, we knew that in advanced so we prepared for such.
One time, I got real sick suddenly, and was 30 minutes from home, and he just happened to be coming in from Houston (empty) and was in the area. Bobby told him to go park it at a truck stop and take care of me. He said, family first! So, I managed to drive to the nearest TA, where he met me, parked and drove us safely home. As for going to dr. appts and such, they got him home for the scheduled appt., and had him a load that evening. My only warning is don't eat the hamburgers bbq'd at the pick ups. Nice as it is for them to do that, they are full of ecoli. LOL. Yes, he got ecoli poisoning from a hamburger bbq'd at a pick up in Nacadoches.
Bobby's not there anymore, but he was really a great fm. Mark isn't there anymore either. He too, craved to be home in his own bed with us and got a job at Saia, as a city driver, which was a huge mistake. Ended up back on the road with Exel, but not out as much as he was with McElroy, and made a bunch more money. Until JB Hunt came in and jacked everything up and his record.

Bottom line, for a newbie they're a good place to start, if you aren't afraid to work. They'll be straight with you, always pay you and they do respect the family. We always recommend them to new folks. They don't always listen and have ended up regretting it (one to Werner, the other Arrow), but we still sing their praises even now, 5 years later. They gave him a good start to his career!

 

As a soon to be trucker's wife, I have enjoyed reading this entire thread. My husband leaves on Sunday to head to orientation with MTL. He did his research, and they were his top pick. He had three other "bigger but not better" companies stalking him, and it was the day before he had to make the decision that McElroy finally called and said they wanted to give him a spot. We are grateful, even if cautious.

This all comes in a stage of transition for us, but after two years of less than gainful employment, we are glad he finally found something that looks like it will be a good fit for him. He really enjoyed driving during school.

To the gentleman who started the thread, thank you so much for your candid and honest responses to all the questions people have asked. We have benefited from your knowledge.

To honey, it is nice to hear an account from the other side of the cab. I am no stranger to separation, or even to trucking. My father was a driver for TWX many moons ago. Most of my family, my spouse included, has served in the military. I don't wear rose colored glasses, and it's always to meet someone who has been there and understands that the life is not a glamorous one.

Like all things, OTR has its benefits and its drawbacks. It's nice to read both in the same thread. It gives a fair and balanced perspective.

Best of wishes to all currently, previously, or considering OTR. I'm sure I will see some of you around again soon.

I have one question about McElroy, what should I expect as a spouse during the orientation and training phase? It comes smack dab in the middle of Christmas!