TMC Newbie Pay

I wouldn't expect to get rich, not in this economy. As for a TMC new driver pay, I was on percentage as I was told its the best way to go as a new driver. I am no longer working there and left due to the low pay and other personal reasons. My average check was around $400 (take home) or so a week. I heard some made more and some even less. I heard it also depends on your FM and other factors. Was I the best driver? No, but I wasn't the worst either but sat around a lot waiting for loads.

As with any job YMMV (your mileage may vary) and maybe literally. TMC is not the best but they are not the worst either. I would say and no matter where you go most companies will take advantage of the cheap new drivers for at least the first year, they get cheap drivers you get the needed experience. If TMC made some changes and brought back some things, I'd look into giving it another shot, but until then........

 

Historically with Percentage Pay, new drivers were able to earn more per mile by getting a % of the load. This means if you have a short load, your rate per mile is much higher or if you have a long load, your rate per mile is set by your percentage. With shippers controlling their costs, a lot of the loads that are available are shorter haul than in years past. In the past year with rates down - the benefit to percentage hasn't been as obvious as in years past. What sets TMC apart for new drivers is the chance to make more (higher %) sooner than say a mileage program that is set on experience or time in with the company. My advice would be to start on %, go through the TQM class they offer, keep a revenue book and ask your fleet manager what the best option would be. Fact is many veteran drivers MAY be better off on mileage right now and new drivers are still probably better with %. As rates improve, % pay will improve - but usually Mileage stays the same. Its a myth that TMC is trying to control how much money you can make based on what type of hire you are, their system rewards performance but in my opinion the drivers have had a harder time setting themselves apart with their performance alone since loads are harder to find and the rates is takes to get those loads are lower. Also remember TMC has a fairly large percentage of dedicated jobs, that doesn't get a lot of talk on these forums but I can only guess the dedicated drivers haven't been hurt as much by the downturn and some of the changes the company has made so they don't post as much. In good times, they are always looking to add drivers to their dedicated fleets. Good luck.

 

I am told by friends that mileage is the way to go until you figure out how to get secured, tarped and rolling.

Percentage in the beginning is in TMC's best interest.

The girl that cut my hait last has a BF that drives for TMC. Said he wished he had stayed on mileage. They can take advantage of the fact you roll empty for free.

 

they don't pay bounces under 150 miles, and I got a lot of 148 mile bounces on percentage.

mileage is more consistent, easier to calculate your pay, and you are paid for all miles. I got sick of playing the percentage game.

 

"All" is pretty subjective, they use air miles when calculating your paycheck and OOR. They say they use Rand McNalley, and they say they go post office to post office, but their mileage will 99 out of 100 times screw you out of 5%-10% of your miles. I started on mileage and I'm saying % is the way to start. I am of course saying this as someone who started on mileage and not percentage so I can't honestly speak for percentage.

 

oh I agree, you get scammed either way. they pay you on all the miles you are dispatched on, put it that way.

they lied about rates sometimes when I was on percentage, some Gerdau Ameristeel loads would have the rate printed right on the bills and in conflicted with the rate on the qualcomm... quite badly.

 

Of course you brought this to there attention and the corrected it immediatley!

 

it was something like $1400 on the bills and $800 on the load screen.

might not have been Ameristeel the more I think about it, pretty sure it was a steel mill though.

 

they didn't make it right did they?

 

That is what I wonder about, is how do you really know what they are charging is what they say on the qualcomm. How do you really know?