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

SarahHisWife · Nov 26, 2011

Thanks Man! I am glad you found a local company that is good for you and your family, but I am also thankful for your sharing experiences with us about MTL, even if you do not have current information.

I have read every thread about MTL on here at the time of this posting. I believe in being fully informed of what you are "getting into."

Now, I better get back to cleaning up this house so that when my Mister gets home from the trip to the new house, I can enjoy what little time we have before he rolls out tomorrow, headed to Emporia/Mt.Pleasant for orientation/training. I'll be sure to tell him about this place and maybe he'll create a username of his own.

Would be nice if he did... I'm sure he could get a good bit of information and support from this place. I know I have

trucker's honey · Nov 27, 2011

Glad to be of assistance. I have a friend that has a husband that took off to Cuba last weekend for his orientation. He was with another big box company with the fance literature and overpaid and overdressed recruiters. He was gone for weeks and made next to nothing. I recommended McElroy to them as well! Good people! I wish you the best! And no worries, he'll be home for Christmas (hears the Carpenters singing in my head)!

roaddoggsteve · Sep 12, 2012

very informative. keep us posted on how Bluelinx worx out for ya

fnlou88 · Sep 13, 2012

roaddoggsteve said: ↑

very informative. keep us posted on how Bluelinx worx out for ya
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Thanks Man!

I'm only replying for two reasons. #1)I get an email anytime someone posts a reply to this post and, #2)Today (of all days) I wound up at the same reciever as one of my fellow McElroy Orientation/New Hire buddies from back in the day this morning. Yeah, I'm still with Bluelinx and every thursday I deliver to the Lowes and Home Depots' in Hampton, Newport News, and Williamsburg, VA (amongst other customers through-out the region). So anyway, me and (name withheld for privacy reasons) were at the Lowes in Hampton, VA this morning waiting to be unloaded and we struck up the typical conversations that old trucker friends do - you know - is such and such still with them? and who did such and such go local with? and who got fired and who got sick etc?...etc.... And then it turns out that my bud actually visits this site too and he saw the negative post in the other forum about McElroy, so I asked him - Do they actually use "simulation machines" to train New Hires down in Cuba, AL? And he said YUP. And, he said that the physical agility test in orientation is WAY MORE exhaustive than when he and I went through it. He said that he thinks they are trying to weed out drivers who are likely candidates for workers comp type "accidents".

Anyway, I tell you (and anyone) all of this simply to remind potential recruits that I did indeed have a very positive experience with McElroy back at THE DATES AND TIMES I WAS EMPLOYED BY THEM, however, I do NOT know how they are now beyond what I have read and heard from my old friend who is still in their employ.

Bluelinx continues to be steady full time work. Did 11 stops today including two with "pick ups" (return merchandise). Clocked in at 4:00am this morning, got off at 2:00pm this afternoon. Have to clock in at 6:00am tommorrow, so that is "sleeping in" for me LOL!

OTRNoMore · Jun 4, 2013

fnlou88 said: ↑

To anyone who has ever considered or is now (currently) considering going to work for McElroy Truck Lines, Inc., then here is my review for you.

First let me explain that the primary reason I decided to resign and turn in my truck (Wed. June 9, 2010) was due to the fact that my 3 year old little girl kept asking me - "Daddy, will you come visit me again?" - every Sunday morning when I was leaving out for the week. It was becoming too heartbreaking for me, and too hard on my Wife being alone week in and week out. Therefore, I accepted a local driving position in order to be home every night for my Wife and kids.

Moving right along, McElroy hired me right out of driving school late September 2007. From day one, everyone at the Pleasant Hill, NC terminal treated me with respect and courtesy. I don't want to mention names, but the fellow who runs the orientation class was a driver for 20 plus years and he is super cool, funny, and knowledgeable. My over the road driver trainer was tough, but he was fair and patient considering how "green" I was back then. My final "training week" in Cuba, AL was also tough but fair, but, once again everyone I delt with in Cuba was very nice. During the whole training process, I got the impression that they really wanted you to succeed and that they genuinely cared.

The first truck I was issued was a three year old International 9200i with about 300K miles on it. It was clean and operable. They made sure that you filled out a checklist about the truck itself AND all of the equipment they supplied so that when you left out for your first load, you were "good to go". In other words, with all of the things a new driver has to worry about, a broken down dirty truck and missing equipment was NOT going to be an issue for anyone of us new guys and it wasn't.

My first year I made almost 40K. My second year was a bit less than that due to the recession and time I took off due to a death in the family. I have not added up this year so far, but things had been "OK" - not GREAT, but not horrible either. Started career with them at 38cpm. Ended up at 42cpm. when I left.

Over my 2 and 1/2 years with them, they never left me "stranded" anywhere. If I got a flat or blowout, they immediately dispatched someone out to replace it. If the truck broke down, they immediately sent someone out to tow me to the shop a.s.a.p. The two times I broke down and could not be repaired "same day", they put me up at the nearest hotel and paid for it directly. They pay all tolls. They have EZ-PASS and PRE-PASS. Anytime I needed major work done at the terminal that was going to take too long, they would offer me a newer/later model tractor to move in to. Anytime I bought oil, anti-freeze, etc.. for the truck, they re-imbursed me next check. Anytime I needed personal time off, they granted it. Anytime I requested vacation it was granted. In my whole time with them, they only kept me out "all weekend" ONCE, and that was my first weekend in the truck leaving Cuba to get back home to Va. Beach, and they paid me the extra "weekend pay" for the trouble too.

Now all decent sized companies have their "drawbacks". So, in the interest of fairness, here are some that I observed:

1)You will be WAY busier in the spring/summer than in the fall/winter. This is true for ALL flatbed companies, but it can be brutally slow for McElroy in the winter.

2)You WILL get home "every weekend". But there are quite a few "weekends" that mean home at 11pm Friday and leave 9am Sunday. Occasionally there were some home Saturday Morning/leave Sunday mornings, but those are more rare.

3)Despite what you may have heard, "MTL" does NOT stand for McElroy Truck Lines, it stands for "Must Tarp Load". Virtually EVERYTHING must be tarped with McElroy. My last load, in fact, was roofing shingles and the B.O.L. said "Load must be fully tarped".

4)God forbid if you need to see a Doctor or a Dentist Monday through Friday. If so, you are likely to sit at home the rest of the week instead of just the one day you asked for (at least in my personal experience). Your best bet is to go to a Doc-In-The-Box on a Saturday if possible.

and finally -

5)Weigh your loads out and CALL YOUR FLEET MANAGER IF YOU ARE OVER WEIGHT. If they give you permission to run with it, they will pay the tickets. If you don't weigh and/or don't call - be prepared to have $25 a week deducted from your settlements until the tickets are paid off. The reason I say this is a "drawback" is because you will occasionally pick up a pre-loaded trailer at a facility with no scales and the ticket says it's legal and when you get to the weigh station you learn otherwise the hard way.

Other than that, I have to give a thumbs up to McElroy from start to finish. My fleet Manager was a sweet lady. The lady in "Safety" down in Cuba was also very sweet. Even turning the truck in at the Cuba Terminal was a no-hassle deal. They will furnish you with either a bus ticket or a cab ride to the airport or hotel to get you home. So, despite what has been posted about McElroy in the other forums - if you are looking to go flatbed, you could do a whole lot worse than McElroy Trucklines and that's my 2 cents worth.
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fnlou88; For 2 years 7 months and 7 days I worked for McElroy Truck Lines. Everything you said is spot on and closely mirrors my experience with them. I have the utmost respect for everyone I worked with at McElroy. Great company.

I drive a fuel truck now, home every night, but there are times I miss the road, just not enough to go back out there.

PAHawkeye · Jul 10, 2013

Thanks fnlou88 for all the information about your experience at McElroy! Headed to orientation next week in Pleasant Hill.

B_easy · Jan 23, 2014

PAHawkeye said: ↑

Thanks fnlou88 for all the information about your experience at McElroy! Headed to orientation next week in Pleasant Hill.
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How did your orientation work out for you? I am assuming it isnt much different than the 2010/11 stories...I'm hoping to get there around May 2014

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