The Real Trans Am

Hello! I was just wondering who you drive for???

 

i drove an automatic loaner for about 2 weeks and it drove me nuts. i like my 13spd much better. its boring plus they don't hold back as good as a manual

 

Losttrucker,that is a very good post.Sounds like you realize that truck driving is a job and not a paid vacation as a lot of them on this site seem to feel.As for automatics versus manual shift,I never drove an auto,but I think I would have a lot more control over my rig with a manual,10 speed,13 speed or whatever,I have driven them all.I am retired now and hope I never have to drive another truck,but once a trucker,always a trucker.And with the high power engines out there today I feel a 10 speed is adequate for todays trucks. However there will always be some drivers who want the 13,15,and even 18 speed trannies.

 

For you folks considering Trans Am, you need to know some things about what happens on the other side of the dispatch screen. I worked in the office at Trans Am for awhile and had to leave. Going from driver to office, you see things a bit different than someone that's never driven, which is what Trans Am prefers to have in the office. It's easier to ignore these things when you can't really empathize with what the driver is experiencing.
1. Trans Am does a lot of repowers, or swaps, what ever you want to call it. They are a training company so there's a lot of guys that don't know how to plan a trip or the stamina to do what needs to be done to run it. You think things are good, you picked up your 1500 mile trip out west, then 2 hours into the trip you get a message to swap with one of these drivers. You end up with a 300 mile overnight trip and the other guy gets your good run.
2. You get written up for a late load if you "put a load in jeopardy of being late". Notice the wording, "put in jeopardy". So if you wait all day at a meat plant for a load, it comes out at midnight, you get it and drive 100 miles and shut down for a break because you're tired. You should have been sleeping all day to wait for the load, so if the load requires a repower to deliver on time, you get written up for a late load.
OR, if you take long breaks on a trip, you get a late because you're wasting time with a load instead of getting to the receiver.
So keep track of your lates. The planners don't give good loads to drivers that are racking up late loads. Plus you get fired after you get a certain number which changes constantly. One week you need 12 to get fired, someone gets mad, the next week you need 3 to get fired.
3. The automatic transmissions break down a lot more than the good ol' 10 speeds. They get stuck in gear, won't go into gear, won't shift over 5th gear, won't downshift, all sorts of problems. You get towed to a shop, you go to motel and I knew drivers to sit for a week waiting for parts for the transmission to get installed, just to find out it wasn't the problem, they have to order more parts. They have very few 10 speeds left.
4. Do not lease a truck there. Especially if you are just starting out. Sure, you can turn down loads, and turn down swaps, but if you break down, all the expense is yours. Tow truck, motel, repairs, no layover for downtime, but the truck payments keep racking up. No feeling like having a break down, then pay day comes and you find out you don't get paid anything, plus you find out you owe the company money on top of all the repair bills you just had.
This is definitely a "cover your ##*" company. Use the satellite to report problems, delays, early arrivals - everything. If it's in writing in the satellite no one can say you didn't tell them. If they fail to react or respond to your message, it's not your fault.

Also - drivers - your dispatcher / driver manager is your representative to the company. He has a great impact on your miles, home time, and how well you're taken care of. If you take care of him, communicate, treat him right, you're going to get help when you need it while someone that treats him like dirt sits and waits, wondering why he can't get any help when he needs it.

 

So basically, you should go to sleep as soon as you arrive at a customer. Even if you just woke up 4 hours ago after a nights sleep because the customer MIGHT take all day to load you ?

Good drivers do not pick up the slack for idiots. They get written up and go find a real company to drive for.

 

TransAm isn't a bad company. The problems we had with them are common to a lot of carriers-we just didn't know that at the time being new to trucking. Yes it sucks being stuck at National Beef for a day and a half-I could drive to Liberal KS or Dodge City with my eyes closed and I don't even drive. Night/wknd dispatch is like talking to a sandwich. However, in the big picture, we learned the hard way (by leaving) that we really had it ok. Home time was not so great, however. If you put in for 3 days, you got home at midnight on the 1st day and it counted as a day off. Sucked when we had been in the truck for 6 weeks at a stretch.

 

Had this happen to me the other night, had an 2000-2200 appt got there at 2100 cause of that ice storm in iowa, took over 9 hours to get my 32 pallets on, I knew it was going to be a while cause of the line of trucks ahead of me sat an extra hr to get my 10 , I have found you can usually tell if its going to be an extra long time, every time shippers have told me. Do you guys get detention pay over 2 hrs? We do so it dont bother me, getting paid and not eating up my 70hrs. Made and extra 100 to get my 10hr break that night, and it was during the ice storm didnt need to be driving anyway. Sounds like trans am and Transport america are ran similar, I can echo the same thoughts about us too, although only been with them about 3 months, but same deal with pay home time etc.

And as far as 4 days a month that seems to be the norm with the bigger van companies, 1 day a week hometime. The guys in the midwest get a 34hr at least every week cause thats our freight lanes, I am down south so I am only home every couple weeks.

 

In training i've sat all day supposed to be ready at 4 not ready till 3 in mourning tell dispatch only got 1.5 hrs left on clock they say shut down till you got time again and will move arrival time so you wont be late.Only ever t-called twice,First time was waitn on my load and guy drops trailer rips everything off truck get his trailer haul tail bout 3 hrs round trip.Get back my loads gone (1500) mile load call dispatch and load comes right back to me.Cause helped them out of jam n got load there on time.once due to showed up on thursday delivery date to unload and consignee couldnt unload us next day so we dropped and sent us right back out no waitn.95%of t-calls cause people run out of time,company runs the load as far as that guy can run then get another driver who can finish,sounds like a good system so the customers are happy and you still get some miles even though you don't have much time left to haul a load!!!!!They use loss-leaf logs.Hometime varies if you live close to 95 you can go home while waitn on ya load.I live 2 hrs from the yard and if get back say thurs.or friday and don't pick up till sunday i can drive personal vehical home with no days off as long as you keep phone on if they need you.Days off i can drive tractor home if i want.Thats how you get more than 4 days off a month.
.........As far as automatics put in low hold the gear you want ,stick in manual shift up/down like you want or drive going through mountains it will down shift for you....Less driver fatigue...it's killer in traffic jams

 

TA uses hand written loose leaf, Im doing one now Great thread, i am a new company driver so am only absorbing but will be happy to share any facts as I learn them.
-Gilligan

 

agree with parts of this but parts are anywhere you go
They tell you upftont lease is there prioty drivers and will get the the "good loads"
Any company will give the good loads to the guys that are not late on loads.
Any company will expect you to run when you get the load.
the auto tranny i am happy with i havent had a problem with, i have talked to 2 drivers with same trucks as me that have been in the shop though for varous reasons (not trannys)
I agree with most of the other i have always covered my ### with the on board no matter where i was even when i had my own truck.
For me sofar its not bad 2nd week i am going to end up with 3200 miles also
Me and my gm get along real well she knows me by name when i call .cant get that at some of the other places

Keep the shiny side up and merry merry and happy happy to all the guys/gals here