Trans Am as a company driver Good at first, turn Bad at end for me.

Ok I been seeing a lot of lease driving but not from the company side of things when it comes to Trans Am. This is only MY EXPERIENCE when I was with the company.

I was with Trans Am for bout 4 years. When I was in truck driving school & told the lady in the office I wanted to go to TA she said you never get home they don't pay that well blah blah blah (you got to start somewhere right.) So call TA recruiter & they say they have a terminal in Rocky Mount, NC. Once I pass my test & told my trainer what the lady in the office say from truck driving school, He say "Shoot where you stay at you be home most the nights & weekends. Come to find out Trans Am had a Smithfield Meat Plant dedicated account (which I was on) that go up & down I95 & a House of Raeford Meat Plant dedicated account that furthers they go is Colorado, but most of the time furthers you go is Ohio.

I was hearing all types of guys that say they didn't like the Smithfield account because just like any other meat plant some time you have the wait. If you stay around the Tar Heel, NC area (which I live 30 mins away) it was sweet because if the load wasn't ready you just give them your # go to the house & they call you when the load is ready. Smithfield was mostly a drop & hook spot & it was going from Smithfield to Smithfield drop & hook then that was lovely. I bless to have 3 good driver managers while working with TA so everything was good starting off. Was making between $500 to $800 & home most night off the weekends wasn't bad starting off (even this Owner Operater at the time told me that aint s&%t, but I was just starting though.)

Trans Am was with the FAC Fleet they had 3 terminals (Kenworths) in NC, VA, FL other than the main ones in Olathe, KS & Texas. You didn't here nothing about no lease on FAC obviously. Once I seen to get more $$$ is training that's what I did. Everything was still good just with more $$$ (700 to 1000) & still getting home even let students get home (which you didn't suppose to do but if we had time where I let the student stay at the house I let him do so. My trainer look out for me while I was with him a few times so why not do the same.) Ok so over time I think TA drivers was dropping a whole lot of Smithfield trailers & the contract was simmering down eventually the FAC combine Smithfield & House of Raeford (which House of Raford was better than Smithfied because there trailer was always pre-loaded on time you might have 4 to 6 stop :smt108 but it was still on time or early, which was 10 minutes away from the house.) . Only thing was, wasn't getting home as much as I was before but I was off every weekend my driver manager went to planner eventually quit (he was do MMA) on to my 2nd driver manager which I can say was the best out of all of them.

He let me go home when I ask & IF he can make it happen to a place when I ask. As far as Layover pay it wont no "Let me check with my supervisor" he just put it on there sometimes more than it suppose be. That's VERY RARE depending on the company especially TA that a driver manager do that stuff for you. The 1st driver manager was cool we both like MMA so it was a good there & if he or TA mess up he say it. Unlike nights or weekends or other driver manager that will not put blame on themselves or the company. The 3rd he went by the book but gave my miles he was a realist as for a TA & I respect him for that ( I know what you saying if you had 3 good driver manager why you left, getting to that.) The planner on FAC was the one that plan the loads he don't know what he was doing sometime ( FAC fired the girl that was helping him out so I can't put it all on him.) I remember someone on this forum who been TA less than a year told me that the planner choose your load not the driver manager. That true but in my opinion the driver manager is very influential. My 2nd driver manager ( who went to planner) trained my 3rd driver manager ........... & what was told to me there is no such thing as we don't have no load or nothing for you, if he/she WANTED to give you the miles they can.

Well what end up happening there was a pattern. The Florida terminal went down, then the Virgina terminal went so who you thought was next. Some folks like myself still have hope. The House of Raeford start messing up like Smithfield but my 2nd DM call & was like "Hey you want to join a dedicated fleet. You get a pre load from the Smithfield, NC to Smithfield, KY drop get a pre load get unloaded in VA or drop right back in NC deadhead to the house home most nights off weekends 2500 to 3000 a week . You know I took that it was good & only 7 of us TA driver on this dedicated route.......well good for bout 3 months. Smithfield NC had the loads pre loaded early & on time but they went back to their old self. The ones in KY was messing up to. After it took bout a month & a half the planner finally got SMART & when we drop in KY, if nothing was pre load grab an empty get loaded in Bowling Green, KY get empty south of Atlanta & DH to the house. While all this is going on my 2nd DM went to planner & there is chaos @ the Rocky Mount terminal once the FL & VA went down I knew it was a matter of time before the one in NC went away. People was getting fired (some was BS to turn the company trucks to lease trucks) & quitting (guys didn't want to do OTR) right & left. Maybe someone can correct me but I think CH Robinson and or CR England outbid Trans Am for the Smithfield account. FAC was no more & the NC fleet was done. On to OTR.

I didn't mind doing OTR long was the money was better which it was. Still training more experience was getting between $900 to $1200. I here lease driver talk about company drivers & I see why some not all say what they say about company driver & that's if he was NEW. As far as leasing a trucking now on the old leasing contract I knew that was in the negative & wont making no money & also know guys that was eating & even paid off & have their own truck going through TA. Now on this new one with the T700 I haven't or at the time ran into a guy that say I lease this truck pay it off & its mine now. Once a few Owner Ops & my trainer show me how they do as far as how they maintain their truck & make money. I did the mathematics with TA lease & could never see myself leasing a trucking from them & owning it. All of my OTR student (bout 25) most lease, 1 company. The company driver is still with TA & 2 lease driver too so take that for what its worth.

Well I should of left last year. There was someone TA brought over to their main terminal & for some reason ever time I turn around this guy keep messing with me (I made a smart comment to him a while back & I think his panties is still wet over it.) it was always something. Well TA or this certain individual starting bringing in students & have them drop off at the terminal for no reason (I wasn't the only person this happen to this was the start of when I should of left.) So I ask them when can I train again, I got 3 different excuses on why couldn't train no more. One of them was a student say something. Well from my understanding when this happen they suppose to bring the both individual in to talk about it (none of that) Finally on the 3rd excuse/lie I seen what was going on I made the comment of "well I guess you got to be a lease driver to train a student" & I don't think he wanted to here that. If you ask most people that stuck with TA like me for a while they tell you that if they wasn't training they be gone along time ago. Well if I'm not training obviously less money, less motivation. Then the E-Log came, now every since I been with TA not all but most of them been unorganized. Including the E-log with that was a disaster. I did good with the E-log I knew how to work my way around (my $$$ was low sometimes but still mad it happen), I was hearing people do 10 to 15 swaps a week (I can only go by people word) I never had that problem I might had did probably 4 swaps in one week but I was already at the shipper & I started my time as usually. Well the same individual was wonder why my E-log was so perfect somebody else knew what was going on but he didn't say nothing. This guy had to go around the world to wonder how I'm getting to these places so fast using the E-log well he found out & told me not to do it know more. I can't blame him or TA for that & why they got strict rule because their CSA is so high. My 3rd DM start having health problems & I got to say his back was the worst he every had. I mean he had some bad one but this was the worst & he was being out for a signafagent amount of time. I even had Johnny son as a replacement for a few week & for what people say about him, he wasn't that bad, not the greatest DM but he kept it real with you. This lady was giving me a weeks off while my DM wasn't there. This lady or planners couldn't even get me to the terminal when I was leaving the company I was planning on leaving the summer but I decided to go earlier than that.

I end up finding a 2 local jobs 1full 1 part making close to the money I was making when I was training on FAC. Only thing I can about Trans Am I not going to tell you not to go to this company or not you make up your own discison. If I new I wouldn't go but if you do go to Trans Am as a company driver get your experiance & get something else if you want to. If you go lease just make sure that truck is yours if you can get through all that other stuff. Trans Am got their good & bad gave me a chance. I talk to Johnny a few times seems like a nice guy but man he sure have some messed up people working for him, I guess everybody run their company diffently. A that my EXPERIANCE Tran Am take it for what its worth.

 

Johnnyblaze,

I applied and was excepted by TransAM, even with my limited experience.

Their only openings were for lease operators. I declined because I wanted more experience before even considering as lease option. So, I declined.

Your post is very hard to read and understand. I take it that your dissatisfied with TA. But for the life of me, I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY FROM YOUR POST! TA has decent equipment and from conversations with some of their lease drivers perform fairly well. It seems that all of the companies out there will have good and bad points to their operations. Hope you find one that works for you.

I hope you find what your looking for with your next company.

Drive Safe!

 

I just want to know. How were you getting to the places so fast on E Logs?

 

I'm curious, are you an immigrant that English is not your first language? Your post has atrocious grammar.

 

I'm sure it was a good post...but your english is so terrible I just gave up on tryin to read it.

 

The English not so bad,probably alot better than my spanish,or french..
My hillbilly is impecable! You should hear me on the CB I can hee-haw
it up with the best of em.You would think I had been at it 50 plus yrs.
and I have a beautiful scratchy sling blade voice for effect.

Johnny,you posta not so bad.I give it 8 out of 10.It have uh good beat,
and real easy to dance to

 

@ Dinomite it call be an unknown driver while going around big cities........depending on the company some let you get away with it & @ Leftlane101 & snowman01 I a from the south & haven't been good at regular English so sorry to hurt your feelings lol

 

Ummmm I'm still a little slow. Being an unknown driver while going around big cities. What in the world does that mean. Are you cutting your E-Log off or Logging out of your name during that time.

 

That's right logged off only work for a while but like I say it depends what company you work with that will let you get away with that. If my company CSA was high I be strict on that too

 

I have the TTR decoder ring and still can not follow whats being said.