Transport Corp. Of America - Eagan, Mn.?

I just joined this site, and the reason I did is because of all the great information I received from reading this thread. Thanks very much to im6under and everyone else who contributed here.

I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, and will definitely check into Transport America.

Several of you have talked about the orientation and training, but I'm still not quite sure of one thing. Do they require that you have a CDL before applying with them, or is this part of their training?

Does Transport America train prospective drivers for getting the CDL, or is their training/orientation only for people who are already licensed drivers?

 

You have to have your CDL already.

TCAM news: they're reducing governed speed from 68 to 65, and giving driver's the option to reduce it to 62 in exchange for a one cent per mile raise. I don't think that option would make financial sense for the driver though. They're having trouble because of the economic recession, and project freight for 2008 to be slow.

Now experienced driver's, tell me if I'm crazy. I'm in week three with my driver trainer. He continues to demand that I break the hours of service rules by working or driving before the 10 hour break. Yesterday we got back from our weekend. We were supposed to leave the terminal at 4pm in order to get to our pick-up site at 9pm and take our 10 hour break and get loaded at 7am. My trainer showed up late so we got there at 10pm instead of 9pm, but still had to take the load at 7am. He expected me to drive at 7am but log it as 8am. We went through a weigh station at 8am, and if an officer had looked at my log it would have been obvious I cheated it. There's also always the risk of the accident.

I understand that almost every driver doesn't follow the rules 100% of the time, but this guy wants me to make 1-2 hour cheats, obvious cheats. I don't want to put my butt on the line and risk getting a $500 log violation or serious legal troubles if I get into an accident just so this jerk can show up and hour late and make a few extra dollars off me. After I refused to get up and drive this morning he got angry with me and said he didn't think I really wanted to be a driver and said, "I need to get the hell out of bed" and he's "going to drop my ### off at the terminal" and other curse words at me. I told him I did want to be a driver, just not with him around. I have no respect for bullies and don't want to be around him anymore, but I only have 2 weeks left with him. Now all day he wouldn't let me drive or do anything. I still do really want to be a driver and dream about being on my own all the time. I don't respect my "trainer" though and don't want to talk to him anymore. I would feel more comfortable asking a stranger for tips or help than him. Am I making a big deal about this hours of service cheating or not? Should I just cheat and drive tired like he wants me too and take the small risk of getting caught?

This is TA's "wonderful driver training program" everyone's always talking about. They don't drive team and I'm glad for that, but I'd rather drive legal and alert as a team than tired and illegal with this prick.

 

I've been training with Roehl for a bit over seven years and what he's asking for is BS. Do not drive on an illegal log, just don't do it it ain't worth it. If he is so hell bent to be moving at the time let him drive then take over once you can do so. If this lugnut shows up late again call dispatch and ask (Very innocently of course) what you should do. If nothing else it provides a time stamp for safety to look into.

 

I wish Roehl would hire me....

I guess the bottom line is a safe, smart company wouldn't allow this, and one run by monkies would. I'll hold my ground, and if the managers side with cheating then I'll tell them I was lied to and consider leaving.

 

good luck!

 

You're not cazy and the guy is a bully and probably been getting away with it for a while.

A couple of things:

for now, "DON'T CHEAT" but also don't fight with the guy, tell him you'll do your 11/14 and then he can drive if it needs to go further or earlier and politely remind the guy he gets a bonus for you staying with the company.

Everyone is different and I'm the polite, stand my ground, while keeping notes, wussie...

After they give you a tractor, send two copies of the notes to safety and corporate.

I wouldn't admit cheating myself, just say the guy habitually tried to coerce you into cheating, threatened you, then he cheated his logs, and was late leaving the house. Love the company glad to be here but this guy isn't good for business and shouldn't be a trainer, who "IS" a person of authority in the eyes of the trainee.

If nobody ever complains, they may never know what is going on...

 

Dont cheat on your logs--no matter what the moron trainer is telling you to do. If you get caught or have an accident its your ##*! Your trainer is not gonna cover you up. As the log lady says CYA (cover your butt) Dont do it if you dont have the hours!

Good luck to ya and Be safe!

 

all i can say if you dont cheet a little you wont drive at the end of the week. dont lie a lot that will put you in jail. but nobody is writing times down and taking pictures of you backing into a spot that took you 30 min. to do. and you only put on your log the 15 min that you have too. 2 hrs to unload. your in the truck waiting... NOT ON DUTY... your in your sleeper RIGHT?........ if you stay on duty for them 2 hrs or what ever it took your not going to have hrs at the end of the week. if i am tired and the cust. wants me to wait with my cb on for them to holler at me. hey now i am not driving no where even if i got hrs. once i am done i am going to sleep even if i sat on that lot 10 hrs waiting for them to call me on the cb. nor would i put that on the log as 10 hrs on duty. i hope this helps you a little. i have been with TA for 10 years and trained 9 i never holler or curse a student thats not right there people too. i dont like it. do unto others as you would have them do to you. i teach you all kinds of good stuff how to eat cheep, how to lock tandums that wont lock. all that i can wile your with me. dont stay with that trainer ask for another trainer they will give you one. they will beleave you over the trainer for the most part. they will not send you home just because you asked for another trainer. you will fill out a paper on your trainer when you finish tell the truth on it they will never see the paper! they will add up complants and correct his training tec. or fire him as a trainer then it wont belong and he will get fired or walk on his own. let me know if i can help you in any way i am on the mentors list sprint phone-cook

 

Good for you! The company's out there need more trainers like this that care and that will help the new drivers out. Glad to see this. I dont know if i would have the patience/skills to be a trainer but I am glad there are some like you that do. Good luck to you!

 

(Not to happy about this)-->

Who Is your Trainer?

I have been with Transport America for about 6 months now and when I went through training I also had the same problem with my trainer. Everyday he would rewrite our logs and lie. He was rude and disrespectful and all he had to do was sit In that seat and watch me for over a month. He was making over $1500 a week while I did all the work and he sat In that seat and played games and sleep and rewrote logs so he could make as much off of me as possible. I am better now that I am on my own but I am finding out all of these little things about this company that I don't like. Also for the record, If you want to make It out there I have learned that you do have to lie a little but nothing like the trainers have you do..