TMC

I definitely agree you have to let some stuff not bother you, I think it was just an accumulation of things in a short period of time that required some venting. The problem I was having was accepting a load and moving before looking over the load pickup and delivery times and locations. I can't do that anymore which sucks but it's clear I can't count on the office staff to dispatch me a reasonable load. I'm just going to take the time necessary to review everything myself which I really should have been doing in the first place but I really thought this wouldn't be an issue. Most of my loads used to have large delivery windows.

 

Good for you. Sounds like you did just needed to vent. Then one thing that I have learned over the last month specifically is that too many drivers are stressing right now. The economy is the lowest in decades. Everyone is feeling it for sure. The biggest mistake that I see is that drivers are trying to hop over to greener pastures when the company they are driving for starts doing things differently than normal and specifically drivers are being laid over longer and loads are becoming increasingly difficult to pick up and deliver. All I can say is that every company both on the trucking side as well as the freight side are in survival mode. They are doing anything to make a profit. It is my opinion that drivers right now need to look at the companies that they are currently with. Remember how they treated you before the downturn, and hedge that against what is happening now. I say we should all look at the "problems" that we are having and decide if they are truly stiffing us or if they are just in survival mode. I truly think that a lot of things that are happening right now are just a sign of the times and just like companies are struggling to stay afloat, we too as drivers have to weather the storm. In our own ways we are small companies and are in survival mode as well. When the economy turns (hopefully we have reached the bottom) things are going to start looking up and when the carriers get some breathing room we are all going to feel the relief. You just need to hang in there driver.

Best of luck

 

I'm not going anywhere, I've been down the "grass is greener" path before although not in trucking. You have to put in your time somewhere and I've already put in to much time here to just up and leave. I'll be sticking it out with TMC for better or worse which is why I occasionally need to vent. Probably the biggest reason TMC hired me is because I drove for my last employer for eight years, I know how to stay put, only reason I left there to is the lack of work. Technically I am still employed there, I talk to my safety manager over where I came from weekly to check on how or whether things are picking up. I've been given their blessing to pursue this while things are slow with no loss in my seniority, my biggest dilemma is going to be deciding whether or not to go back when things pick up as that work tends to be seasonal even with a good economy and my seniority. At any rate, it's very unlikely I won't at least put in my mandatory 1 year to be able to look at better options. And like I said before, if nothing else I'm getting pretty good miles here.

 

Bravo! Well put driver. I think companies would be in a lot better shape if more drivers would just stay put. For me it's kind of like marriage. "Through thick and thin,"

 

Hey cplmac2, if you were in Des Moines this past weekend maybe I saw you. I just got back from orientation today after my 16 hour drive. Man did that suck, I really underestimated how much that drive was going to take out of me. Somehow I won that honor roll award so I'm the guy with the red hat on the website. We were the May 1st class, I don't think its up yet. For anyone that cares, they are increasing the class size from 36 to 56. George said they are knocking down the wall between the 2 class rooms and making 1 huge classroom. I liked the orientation but man was it grueling. Don doesn't run load securement class anymore so I don't know if that was good or bad. Anyway, out with the trainer tomorrow so I guess I will see what trucking is all about.

 

Why isn't Don doing load securement anymore?


Piss too many people off?

 

y They have treated me great I am to start work for TMC very soon looking forward to it .
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Don was alright. I didn't have him as an instructor in a group, but when you get him one on one his is nice and goes beyond what is required to help you.

 

I liked him personally, but I know alot of people that he rubbed the wrong way. Right before i came off the road he saw an inverter wire coming from one of the specialized truck battery box, going into the door for an inverter.. Instead of saying hey you gotta unhook that, you can't have it, he went up to the office and the driver was fired.. Rumor has it he punched Don in the face on his way out.. =/

Can't say if that's true or not, I was told by a reliable source who is a good personal friend of Don and i don't think he'd lie about his buddy like that... But you never know.

 

When I was taking my final road test after the 5 weeks, Don was one of the testers, I was hoping like crazy I wouldn't get him. I overheard him complain that he had to test out some drivers. Well the lucky guy that had to test with him failed but he argued that Don screamed at him the whole time and that made him nervous and distracted. They retested him with another guy and he passed no problem, Don didn't test anyone else that day. So yes he can be a hot head with a bad temper and no patience, although I personally didn't have a problem with him cause most times I tried to avoid him,,lol.