Starting up Tommorow with my first trucks For Truckmovers

first how much did you make minus expenses on first 2 trucks
and second 2 trucks. what was your total take home pay. how many days did it take. so they paying you .80cents a mile i taught it was .65 cents. chuck paid for the hitch and tow bar. how old are you and are you retired. how much wsa transportation to get to your second 2 trucks.

 

I made almost nothing delivering these trucks for TM.
$595.00 for both trucks from Erie,
$204.43 reimbursed for Fuel I paid for.
(I paid 418.50 for the fuel, TM paid me 1.51 per gallon I used, and not the COST of the fuel. so I LOST 214.07 in fuel cost.)

I did advances on my comdata card, for the fuel to get the trucks delivered.
MY Mistake, as there are fees. I also had an advance on my card that I DID not see, at $334.17, this was for the second truck to be driven home from Erie, as it got only 4mpg. I WILL be getting answers from Chuck about this.

So all I made on my Erie TM's were bring home was $260.55.

I just got paid for the 2 NY trucks and these paid about the same, $244.80 for both trucks. $28.57 for fuel I used at 1.53 a gallon. But another comdata advance # $80.00 for fuel brought my total earnings down to $222.85, minus payment processing fee and $100 dollars to help pay for my truck hitches.

I took the Greyhound buses to NY but had to pay for other ways to get to trucks, mainly taxis, so both sets of tix were 25, and 45 respectfully from my own savings.

Hope this helps.

Oh, I am NOT retired, I was a security guard/driver for a college before signing with TM.

I had a rather harsh Email, but it was helpful from a reader, about how much CHUCK and TM has 'helped' me, or how much I feel I was suckered, or screwed.

I really think I was suckered into delivering these trucks for free I think.

I feel TERRIBLE, about all the high hopes I had with TM. But I think it is starting to become a nightmare.

Kimmyskunk

 

I hope things get better.

You Have to have a toad !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now its Tigers turn............


If it was that good, don't you think they wouldn't need to keep hiring !!!!!!!

 

After posting my reply, me and my wife had a long chat about TM, how much I paid for fuel, supplies for my Ford Explorer, the time out of the home, and the pay I brought home after paying for my fuel for each run.

And this morning I got an email from a reader here in the forums, Noting I was talking about Chuck helping me this way, Chuck doing that, Etc. etc.etc... They (the emailer) said it in so many words, LOUD enough to get through my thick skull, that TM basically screwed me over to get 4 trucks delivered in a week, at any cost.

THAT woke me up like a slap across the face, HARD.

The amount of money I put out to help get TM their trucks delivered, was stupidly insane, and what is worse, is I was happy about it, thinking I was going to get reimbursed for the fuel I used.

Boy was I wrong when I seen how LOW that first settlement was for the first 2 trucks from Erie I did. From $855.63 down to a dismal $265.55
I found out that TM did an advance against my next load, just to get me enough cash to buy the fuel for #2 truck from Erie. (thats the truck that ran at only 4mpg, btw) That cash alone to get truck #2 from Erie to Philadelphia,

So after grossing $855.63, my deductions just from my buying fuel off the comdata card, including the pay surcharges for my money to be deposited into my account, along with Occupational Accident Insurance, all those costs AGAINST my settlement was -$595.08, for both trucks on that weekend in Erie, leaving me with $265.55

I had gone to get my towbars installed on my Explorer that TM provided, and during the install, but before buying the Driveshaft disconnect. I decided to pull the plug on TM.

What I was counting on with TM, was that each truck would be full of fuel, ready to go, but Chuck at TM said all the customer was required to leave was 4 inches of fuel in the tanks upon pickup. Not only did I end up paying for the fuel, I was only getting HALF back of what I paid out of my comdata settlement JUST to get the trucks delivered. I paid over $400 bucks JUST in fuel, and I barely got back $200 from my receipts.
I was loosing BIG money all around.

I got everything disconnected, and the Explorer returned to normal.
I notified Chuck that I will be returning all the hitches, towbars, fuel placards, and the license tag on Monday. TM said that to save my time and fuel on my Explorer, to just deliver everything to Iron Tiger @Macungie MACK plant.

(I nearly fell over, TM WANTED me to try to conserve fuel and my time in dropping off the equipment to IT. Little LATE for that now.)

I will still try to come here when I can, and read up on the succesful drivers here, i'm just not set up as one yet.

Sorry for the rant.
Kimmyskunk

 

Kimono I think leaving TM's is the best decision you made for you and your family. May I suggest looking into a co. called Calex Express out of Pittston, Pa. There's a couple guys that work there that keep an updated blog on here and I have been impressed with them alot. I am a former piggy-back driver myself but that was when it was all done by union drivers. Nowwa days anybody with a beating heart and a tow bar moves new trucks and it's just not what it used to be. Good luck to you and if there is anything I can do to help please feel free to ask.

 

I hear similar stories all of the time. I'll never forget the filthy, shaggy haired guy who pulled onto the Garland, TX yard (Navistar) with an older VW van full of trash and a greasy haired collie dog. Garland management made him pull everything out into the street before hooking up and driving away.

One of our current drivers tried the towbar/ driveaway routine for a couple of years back in the early 90s - said he broke even at best and wouldn't recommend it to anybody these days due to high fuel costs, disreputable management, etc.

Truck Movers/ Iron Tiger Group=

 

it seems that there is no way to make money doing drive away. i was very interested in this but now i do not know. tm pays for fuel on new trucks out of laredo and garland. they have lots of trucks going to canada.average run is 1100 miles. at .55 cents a mile it seems pretty good. the only expense would be getting back to get another load. two canada runs a week can average $1800 to $2400 gross a week. and they help pay for plane ticket. i am confused it seems like it could be good money. please reply someone. besides tm runs all of navistar.

 

I remember years ago working for a company called Transfer Drivers. We basically moved Ryder and Penske trucks around the country. 4 or 5 of us would pile into a car, drive to Arkansas, for instance, and then drive Ryder trucks back to Central Illinois.
The only people who made money were the tow car owners, and they only made it, by draining fuel from the trucks we were driving, and filling up their cars with it. Other than that, it was pretty much a break even situation.

 

Unimark/Truck Movers are sister companies. I've spoken with Unimark drivers who drove the Navistar singles. The last one I spoke with stated he was paid .50 per mile and was responsible for everything! He was on his third trip and still was in the hole (owed Unimark money). Stated he was quitting at the end of his current trip.

I've run into Unimark/Truck Mover drivers on the road who wouldn't speak to me for some reason. Perhaps they were so disgusted with their situation they were speechless.

 

You know, this REALLY pisses me off. TM pays for the fuel on the NEW trucks out of Laredo and Garland, so why can't they pay for the fuel on the used ones they move?

TM Helped you pay for a plane ticket? They didn't even lift a finger when I was trying to get Greyhound to NY, and I missed the bus so I rented a car at the last minute to make the last truck I had from NY. I did this at a loss to show TM I wanted to work for them.

All they said was 'Joe, thank you for going out on the limb and getting these last two trucks from NY for us, these were the last 2 late ones on the 'HOT LIST' we had to have moved. We feel bad that you had to rent a car to get there, but you missed the Greyhound.'

My Mistake was agreeing to the loads before thinking it was so easy or cheap to get Greyhound everywhere at anytime TM needs. However, not every driver lives within a few blocks of a Greyhound, or train station.
And not all public Transport runs 24 hours, might be different in other parts of the USA but not here in my part of PA.

Are the new trucks that much more important than the used? The drivers LUCKY enough to get the trucks from TX has it made I think. And does that mean TM holds the New truck drivers in TX MUCH higher than us, the shlubs that got suckered into driving the used and repo'd trucks and paying our own Fuel? I LOST almost $400 in Fuel ALONE on the first 2 trucks I moved. Hell of a F#*%## first Impression, yes?

I wished I could drive a brand new truck, but I got stuck with a repo'd Prostar that had the passenger window smashed out of it. Now try that for 389 miles, in 40* in driving rain, soaking the interior, and only getting 4 mpg. Not very comfy is it?

I wish I could have made that back. If so, I would've been HAPPY to stay at TM and drive no matter WHERE they wanted me.
The point is TM has trucks they have to move, why can't they even the playing field for everyone 'LUCKY' enough to work for TM?
Maybe the driver turnout wouldn't be as HIGH as it is now at TM.

Now this is NOT a rant against the drivers at TX... it's against TM and their screwed up policies.

If I am wrong, please correct me on this.
Kimmyskunk