Trans Am Still

Does anyone on here do Facebook or does TA have a Facebook page I don't know about ?

 

What Honeybadger said is spot on. Me, I am a traditional slow learner and late bloomer, if you will. But, if I learn it, I can teach it really good. But, still very much in the developmental stage right now. I am a project, but a work in progress. If you are a quick learner, you should hit the ground running. I am fortunate that Trans Am has been patient with me and I hope to pay off huge for them in the very near future. I think very highly of this company now that I have been with them six short weeks. For me, I am in the best place I could possibly be. Really glad to be here. Dennisroc, I do facebook.

 

Are you making a good paycheck and getting a lot of miles , what about home time.

i think I asked this before but can you take the truck home ?

 

Just watched a video on Vimeo about TA and it says TA has a 4 week training program. Not sure when this was posted ?

 

That was probably from years ago, dennisroc. The King was out for about 4 weeks with 2 different trainers. I think we all agree that the 11 day training period is far too short of a time, especially when TransAm does so much in the northeast. However, it depends on the person .....and I agree with everyone else that you will do fine no matter who you go with.

 

Now, Pete, we have to do what we always do here .....figure out a way to make things work. The parking and swap situation has been a dilemma for a long time. As the wife of a driver, I see the situation from several angles,that the swap driver will be out of time once he reaches you (hence the reason for the swap), that your 10 hour break is not going to be up and that you need to stay put, and that there are other drivers out there with other companies that are in the same boat as you all. The King had several hiding places to park along the way when he worked for TransAm, especially on I 80 through Nebraska. Since TransAm does haul to the same places on a regular basis, we do need to develop a list of possible alternative parking places....like passport's suggestion of the McDonald's. I think it would be a real blessing to everyone.

However, I do have to agree with Pete. You guys know how hard it is when you are out of time and have been looking for a place to shut down, you pull in and someone is taking up 2 spaces for a swap that may be hours down the road. I know you are looking out for your fellow company driver and trying to do a good deed ....but.....all trucking families must have respect and courtesy for one another, no matter what name is on the side of the truck. My opinion for what it is worth is to always get the phone number of the other driver, develop alternate places to park and do the swap rather than busy truck stops, and if it must be done at the truck stop and all the parking is taken but your break isn't up .....it would be far easier for the swap driver to continue than for you to move. I think from a safety and HOS stand point he could understandably continue with a Safe Haven move, but if you broke your 10 to allow him to have your space, that may not be quite as explainable. My understanding is that a Safe Haven move is a violation of HOS with a reasonable explanation ....so for you to break your 10 when you were safely parked at a truck stop would be unreasonable to me if I were an LEO.

 

I thought that might be an old video. Is the northeast really as bad as everyone says ?

 

I did a swap once and the driver I swapped with dropped the trailer in a spot I could not park and I was out of hours. Cranky I know what I do is not right but sometimes you have no choice. If I am out of hours and at a spot that there will be no parking(like near Chi-town) what are you suppose to do? I have backed up some drivers trucks as some spots are tough and there are a lot of newbies, some won't let you anywhere near their truck. I have refused one swap cause the driver could not find a legal spot and I had no more hours to drive. Isn't that screwing the swap driver if he is out of hours and now has no place to park cause he thought he was swapping? If at a TA then there is usually paid parking and Trans Am will pay for it. I usually will find an offbeat truckstop and tell them to swap there. This is the only time I can be selfish in a truckstop. When I am out of hours I should just break the HOS and chance my CDL? Fines get deep and quick if you get caught or god forbid someone hits you while you are out of hours could mean possible jail time. For the record I do not do this with students in the truck as I always have the hours to run, either their log or mine will always have hours, I only do 2 spots if solo and out of hours. The subject is tricky cause do you screw yourself to put food on another drivers table or do you screw another driver to put food on yours?

 

Dennis, as far as lane changes and mirrors. I have no trouble seeing. I always follow a 1, 2, 3, 4 mirror check pattern before changing lanes. Nose, small convex, big flat, nose, move the truck.

In regards to paycheck, it works for me. Keep in mind I am not here for the paycheck, I'm here to survive and pay off the truck and so far I'm doing just that. Some weeks are good and I might clear 700-1100 bucks. Other weeks might only 300-400. I don't have any trouble getting good miles and hometime is never an issue. I go home once a month for a couple days. I like the freedom to turn down loads or just decide I'm not going anywhere for a day or two. I make it work for ME.

And yes, you take the truck home.

 

Thanks HB , nice to get info from a Driver on how things really are.