Need Answers Fast - My Kids Are Starving

hey red frog, im going to tmc in november, i was looking at usa but tmc's equipment and having a lot of good information from tmc drivers on this board have helped make my decision. I am glad i made the decision to join tmc and the few friends i have that are truck drivers say i made a great choice. read the forums and you will find a lot of what you need and also check out the tmc training centers website - lots of info there. Im sure if you need anything else rawlco will chime in sooner or later. I am also in the 46 out of 52 home.

 

Without a lot of experience you are going to have to go through some training with TMC. I would guess two weeks of orientation and 4 weeks on the road with a trainer in your case. The orientation pay is $300 per week and the training pay is $350 per week. That won't leave you with much for the first couple of months.

After that you should be able to earn $900 to $1000 average per week in that area with TMC. You get good weeks and bad weeks, as well as good months and bad months, but it averages out in the end. Of course you do need to WORK to earn that, because flatbedding is a lot different than driving a van.

Home every weekend means that you will take your 34 hour restart at home, not much more than that. When you are home you aren't making money. On Friday you will pick up a load that delivers on Monday and usually be sent through home. This means that once you get loaded and drive home it may be midnight before you get home. On sunday you will probably need to leave home in the early afternoon to drive 400 to 600 miles and park at the consignee so you can deliver and have a full day ahead of you monday.

Since your home is only a spot in the middle of your trip any loads going along I-40 or I-65 will get you home. You live at a great spot so you may even get a load that takes you past home during the week sometimes, but don't count on it.

To maximize your income I recommend that you take the TQM class offered a the terminals as soon as you can after being in your own truck for a month or two. That will explain a lot of things about how TMC works, and the more you know the better prepared you are to make money.

 

even though i dont work at USA anymore i can say. i got plenty of miles and got home when i was supposed to. but FLATBED WILL PAY MORE PERIOD!! AND THEY (TMC) TAKE ALOT BETTER CARE OF THEIR STUFF THAN USA!! USA TAKES HORRIBLE CARE OF THEIR OF THEIR STUFF! THAT WAS MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT ABOUT THEM.