One More PAM Thread

So let me tell you how PAM really does you, and this is from a driver who walked away so I wouldnt be screwed anymore, so I was not fired or had any hard feelings.

I signed up through Drivers Solutions for PAM. went to C1 FT worthless, and went with my trainer.

When I was finally given my first truck, there was a waiting list for about 2 weeks to get one, I offered to go somewhere else to get a truck, so they sent me to North Jackson OH, to get a 2002 Freightliner Centry with 429,000 miles. The truck had been in the shop for A/C and some other differental problems, and was horrible on the inside, now I understand if a driver smokes, and does what he likes, but to give me a truck that the company never cleans out for a new driver is horrible. On top of that the shop didnt want to give me a new matteress. So I head to the truck stop and sit for 2 days on my first load, out of campbells soup. I head home to AL, and get set up.

Well the first few months are great, here I am a truck driver, headed all across the country, wait the lower parts of the us, and moving loads, and it comes time to check that paycheck on the qcomm. 14 bucks... wait what? With all the escrow, school fees, taxes, and my 2800 mile week, i make a whopping 14 bucks, something doesnt add up, I call the office and they state there are more fees that dont show up on the qcomm, so when i finally get internet, i look it up online and there they are other misc fees, like insurance, advance layover fees, it was out of control.

Well I drive more and more, and end up getting sick in my truck, and head to the doctor and we come to the conclusion that the smell of mold is on my truck, and I am unable to get to any of it to clean it, so I make a request for a new truck, only to think to get a 9400i or another century.

Well after another 2 weeks in Tontitown, I am given a PROSTAR, because I complained that I was always breaking down, having to use advances to pay for items, that come out of my check to be paid back weeks later when they get the reciepts, and the driver leasion and myself looked at my average miles to breakdowns and its about 1100 miles a week.

So i have this brand new prostar, other drivers are pissed cause i have a great truck and it runs great... start making more runs, and then freight drops, BIG TIME, every driver is sitting and not for a day or a weekend but 4, 5 days at a time, Laredo, horrible place to be expect a long wait, and i started seeing more broker loads, JB hunt loads, CH robinson, and we all know these loads are horrible, so it takes me sitting in OK in the middle of no where for 7 days, no lie. Finally get me headed to texas, where I put my truck in the shop, and this is where the biggest problems start to occur, the shops are horrible as well taking weeks to repair something small, making your 40 bucks layover and hotel pay just covers food and a room, so still not making money. and I have spent my fare share of time at shops, and my fifth wheel is starting to have problems when I get mt truck back.

I am unable to get my king pin to lock when i back under a trailer, i bring this to the attention of the shop, and they LOOK (as in visual inspection) and say nothings wrong and that i just need to work it, so i hook to the same trailer for 2 weeks, no drop no hook, all live load, and finally have to do a drop and hook with another driver in orange tx, and we swap trailers, and i do my walk around and pull test, make a turn around and 3 right turns later my trailer drops off, i threaten to quit, the night DM calls and says that im a great driver wants me to stay, and that he will get it repaired asap. Drive the load all the way to NC through the house, where i was supposed to have medical hometime, and deliver, drop the trailer off for landing gear repairs that i destroyed, and international checked the fifthwheel, and said it was fine, i made it home a week later after my asked time, and parked the truck and told them to come get it

I never made a check over 70 bucks, Pam doesnt care about their equipment new or old, and have no problem letting you sit, just think about what most drivers say, no company is great, but there are some things you really need to think about with PAM

 

I worked for PAM from June 2006 to August 2008, they had good shops and the eqiupment was fixed if it needed it. If you took advances, you had to expect to have a smaller paycheck. You borrowed against your pay and had to realize they would deduct it, plus they would charge you some fees. I never took an advance, so I don't know what they charge.
Now you have a truck abandonment on your DAC, good luck getting a job now.
If you somehow get another OTR job, waiting for days for a load is normal right now. In your spare time read a USA Today, we're in a big recession.
Were you laid off from a factory job and jumped in the OTR world expecting giant paychecks?

 

Actually i was medically disqalified to drive a truck so no abandonment, and i went from a satellite installer to eventually team with my brother who has been driving for years, i knew what I was doing when i jumped in, my family has been in the business for years

 

PAM is nothing more than a pack of liars. Lied about Mileage pay. Told me 28 cpm to start but when got first check it was 26 cpm and then they take 5 % off the top of this so really sucks, largest paycheck was for $137.00.

 

Welcome to trucking in the 21st century.

Perhaps it will come back, and bite them on their butts !!!!

 

My brother inlaw took the pam oad as well against my sound advice and he was in the same boat as you was in. He workd for them about four months and cut his cdl up and said the heck with it.

 

Well, if your currently with PAM and reading this - try to get a dedicated lane, it will help you get thru the year, and the DM's on those are much better.

Living in or around St Louis works great for those

I worked there 2002-03 and it was tough then - but with the economy today I can only imagine.

 

I know many live-in fleecers that can make it at $14 a week by using their stored-up fuel points. )-: but if P.A.M. is stealing those away from you --you're screwed.

 

You need to look at the positive here:

-At least they didn't push you into the negative -but at $14 that is cutting it awfully close. Many fleecers end up in the hole in the thousands and sometimes ten-thousands.

-"Joy" of the fleece some say and I don't fight them.

 

what kind of miles is pam otr pulling a week?