TMC Transportation, Inc. - Des Moines, Ia.

No it is not moot. Another way to lock you into low pay for 1-2 years. You will have to stay that long to get reimbursed. I would rather go somewhere and start out making more with no strings attached. I am married to my wife not a job. To me death till we part is my wife. If I am in a job I don't like I won't be there long. If I put most of my breathing time in a truck you better believe they better pay me decent and I be happy with them.

 

I have experience with only one company, TMC. How you pay for your tuition does not affect your pay. I will make just shy of $60,000.00 my first year, including my orrientation and training periods. TMC is reembursing my tuition, which I paid out of pocket. I am free to quit anytime I want. Since they are taking care of me and paying me well I don't intend to leave anytime soon.

 

What strings are attached to TMC? NONE. If you want tuition reimbursement, it is there for you. Not sure how much you guys paid for your tuition, but mine was only $1400 or so. I never got my reimbursement because I didnt stay long enough (had to come home, family issues).

TMC doesnt lock ANYone into indentured servitude like other companies that drive orange trucks do, for example. Not saying that the orange company is bad, but if you do your CDL training there, your obligated to stay to work it off, but the little secret is that not even THEY will chase you down and send your account to collections to get their money back. And I'd seriously like to know what other company is going to pay a newbie that much money their first year. Those are real numbers quoted folks, not just heresay. My TMC trainer was on schedule for $72k WITHOUT the money he got for training.

Once I get to the east coast, I'm going to go back to TMC.

 

I guess I don't understand the debate, it's not about how many years
or how much of a master of the truck you are, (everybody is differen)
P.S. I am TMC driver so when I say that TMC treats you fair I know what i'm talking about. Most MAV drivers I talk to are happy , but some are as
unhappy whith MAV as I have seen some of you are with TMC

 

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.

I quit after 6 months (Family issues) they kept paying my bill for school. I also made them take an additional 50 dollars per week out to stack on top of what they were paying, and my school was already paid off in my first year because of it.

Just be smart, that's all. It doesn't matter if it's TMC or anybody else. TMC does not pay low, for a new driver like terry to make 60k is incredibly rare. I did it in my first two years as well... But you have to want to do the job and understand what you're getting into, it's not a free ride. refer to my post in the "newbies" forum about what to expect.

 

No i am not a trainer. They've asked me but i'd rather get a few more years under my belt..

 

I was in a similar area as you guys are discussing. I had been driving on and off since i was 16. My father, uncles, and grandfather all had their own rigs that i would drive, but i honestly never wanted it as a career.

I too was forced to go to CDL school, I just aced it and got it out of the way. Yeah i had a bill, but it was taken care of within my first year.. Oh well. =/

Back in the day, all you needed was a letter for the secretary of state from people that you have driven from, and to take a quick test in some states.. Things have changed. The insurance companies are to blame.

As far as Maverick Vrs. TMC.. i'd say both are about the same in most aspects. I have an appreciation for the happy maverick drivers that i talk to, but i'd rather drive a peterbilt and keep the neck pain at bay. *Grin*

 

As far as tying the load down, that's one thing i can say about TMC.. We haven't had very many loads fall off the truck. The driver careing about his tarp job is pretty much his or her own prefrence, i've had some crappy ones because i was in a hurry, but i could tarp like the item was shrink wrapped if i wanted to, either way i've never heard the company complain.

I pulled up next to a Maverick driver one day that had a single chain on 40 thousand pounds worth of plate steel, and a few straps with no edge protectors, no forward securement, etc.

I had to explain to him how to do it, and what the weight ratings on his chains and straps meant when comparing to the weight of the load.

THAT, my friend is where classroom training IS helpful. But, i'm not going to say that i haven't seen this same behavior from drivers in pretty much every flatbed operation, especially the owner ops that know it all already. So it's pretty much the driver, and not the company.

 

Thanks Eckz. Your insight and experience will be very helpful to me in choosing between Maverick and TMC.

 

We are debating the unfair requirement of trucking companies (their insurance carriers) mandating that drivers either have recent over the road experience or having attended a CDL School, also recently. It has very little to do with the how good the driver is, actually that is the complaint, no matter how safe and experience the driver may be, he has to have recent experience. This is not a debate about whether TMC or Maverick is the best. I think we agree that both are good companies.