TMC Transportation, Inc. - Des Moines, Ia.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by TurboTrucker, Apr 23, 2006.

  1. KRAKAJACKJONSON

    KRAKAJACKJONSON Medium Load Member

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    Aug 24, 2011
    Clemmons NC
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    Don't be fooled by long nose pete's and kenworths, i talked to one of their drivers and he said the biggest bs is they make you tarp every load even if it's going across the street because they charge the customer 100.00 and give the driver 10.00 and this of coarse cuts into your driving time. He said lots of drivers are quitting, some even abandoning their trucks. Don't
    blame them just another 65mph in my way holding up America's highways. They seduce drivers by telling them you can go to the top of the payscale in one month if you work hard. Slow ##### trucks mean you will be driving way past 11 hours per day.
     
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  3. sdaniel

    sdaniel Road Train Member

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    Sep 7, 2011
    Pelham N.C.
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    One of TMC's exdrivers who signed on with us noticed a bunch of $40 charges , seemed to him to line up with truck washes , in his mind the drivers were paying to keep the trucks clean !
     
  4. BigJasonRacing

    BigJasonRacing Bobtail Member

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    Sep 18, 2011
    Bellevue
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    :sign5:
    Anybody that knows the business, flatbed in particular, knows that TMC is the US Marine Corps of flatbed trucking. I have a lot of respect for flatbed drivers because in all the years I drove before moving into an office position the hardest I ever worked was for a flatbed company. Tarps, straps, chains, ladders, climbing....my back and knees hurt just thinking about it.
     
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  5. Orange

    Orange Bobtail Member

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    Aug 30, 2011
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    Does TMC look at hiring husband/wife teams..I have heard a few people say they've seen 2 at the most 3 husband/wife teams. Anyway any input would be appreciated.
     
  6. Minutemen

    Minutemen Bobtail Member

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    Oct 9, 2011
    Jacksonville, FL
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    Seriously? :biggrin_2556: First average flatbed, regional run is anywhere from 350 - 500 miles. If you cannot deliver, load and get within at least an hour or two of your next destination with 11 hours of driving and 14 hours of duty, I hear McDonalds is hiring. Trip planning and time management, split log and you will have enough time to be a flatbedder.

    Second, are we seriously whining about tarping? Ummmm last I checked it wasn't a mystery that flatbedders had to tarp loads. Tarp a load that is going across the street...well I haven't hauled to many loads, in fact ZERO, that were going across the street, but my philosophy is this, if the qualcomm says tarp it, customer, consignee says tarp it, well #### I am going to tarp it. Stop your :biggrin_2553:.

    Me thinks that some van drivers think they are going to step into flatbeds after dropping and hooking for years and then once they realize what us flatbedders actually do and that THEY can't sit on their ### in their cab eaten donuts sippin coffee and that they might actually have to exert themselves it becomes whine time. Go back to your fat ### jobs and leave the flatbeds to those of us that can handle it.

    Flatbed is not for everyone. When a van hauler looks at a load and says "I can't haul that" us flatbedders look at it and say, "If you can get it on my trailer I will get it there". I have been doing flatbed for about 15 years now and last year with TMC made $69,000. On average out 2 weeks, home for 3 days. Maintenance, safety....I actually do pre and post trip inspections and when I find something I actually let the company know and guess what....they ACTUALLY route me to a terminal to get it repaired. Most violations and out of service violations come to the driver that either doesn't do his inspections, or does them, finds an issue but keeps it to himself thinking "well I will only have this trailer for a day or two why waste my time taking it in for repair" or "my I will be close to a terminal in 4 or 5 days so I won't worry about it until then".

    Stop ########, most of the problems driver experience are driver caused.
     
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  7. TheEvilTwin69

    TheEvilTwin69 Light Load Member

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    Dec 13, 2009
    new york
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    are you still @ pgt? Would like to ask you a few questions about pgt.
     
  8. STexan

    STexan Road Train Member

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    Oct 3, 2011
    Longview, TX
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    At TMC at least you recoup some of the tarping charge that's built into the rate via the load percentage plus the additional $10. I feel drivers are not properly compensated for the time (and dangers) involved in tarping but it is what it is. Flatbedders enjoy the challenge and don't mind the added fitness gained. No one will argue truckers give a lot of their time, for NO pay that serves to keep the income flowing into the carriers' bank account. But we do it, and we appreciate the opportunity, especially here in Obamaville, when jobs that pay the bills are hard to find.

    For the last time, they DO NOT make drivers pay to wash their trucks! You get a PO, you submit a receipt, you have a clean truck. Any driver who b##tches about having to drive a clean truck (where/when is practical) is just goofy.
     
  9. cpape

    cpape Desk Jockey

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    Jul 15, 2010
    Dubuque, IA
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    What type of RPM do you average with their % pay option?
     
  10. Minutemen

    Minutemen Bobtail Member

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    Oct 9, 2011
    Jacksonville, FL
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    Tarping fee is $15.00 not $10.00 and yes on the percentage option you do recoup more of the tarping fee, let us say it is $100 as someone previously said (although it is not that high to the consignee) I average 29% so I get paid $15.00 for the tarp first, then 29% of $100 for another $29.00 grand total of $44.00 for something that takes me anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half to do....not a bad hourly rate. Actual tarping charge when negotiated these days is between $50 - $75 to consignee so add between $15 - $25 to that $15 still not to bad. :biggrin_25525:
     
  11. Milkmanswife

    Milkmanswife Bobtail Member

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    Oct 12, 2011
    Indiana
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    I do not like to be negative I will simply post facts. My husband worked for TMC in 2001. They had very pretty trucks at the time. For the most part his truck never had mechanical problems. One night he had electrical issues and his headlights went out. He contacted them and they told him you are not that far from the Indy terminal. At the time he was 25 minutes from the terminal and it was 10pm and very dark. They assumed he could make it from the highway street lights I guess? He told them to send someone to fix them he did not want to chance it. They told him No to get there or he would not have a job.

    He made it there. He drove illegally because they threatened to fire him. At the time he did not have much of a choice. Once he got there they put him out of service. I went and picked him up after they gave his load to someone else. He was sitting empty at the time and on his to the place he would pick up coils the next morning. He gave a notice the next week. Worked it out and never looked back.

    For the most part the other drivers were friendly. We got to know several of them. It is nice that they put your name on the truck. That is a great gesture to their drivers. Pay checks were sometimes short but they fixed them within a week.

    I am sure they are a decent company. Sometimes things happen though that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. This was one of those things. I highly suggest a driver never sacrifice their license and their DAC for any company. If you feel your doing things you should not you should;
    1. Tell someone
    2. Find a new job

    At the time no one wanted to listen and we felt it was best not to stir the pot.
     
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