2 Truck Driving Job Offers From TransAm And May Trucking?

Errol I understand completely where you're coming from. I am sticking by my decision because when I commit to something I'm the type of person to follow through. I have read up on Trans Am also. From what I've read they are a great company to work for but they pay is subpart compared to other companies. I know I have to get a start somewhere and very grateful they have offered me that chance. Because of that I'm going to give them my best and hope it pays off in the end. But if it's not paying off then I do know I have other options available.

In the end, I have to do what's best for my children which is where my decisions are made from.

one slip by Trans Am and I will be making a phone call to May!

oooooh just when we thought we had someone that had a shot at getting how all of this works. "I'm committed, but I'm outta here first chance I get!"

I think you really need to lookup the meaning of commitment.

And one other thing.......I'll let Trans Am and May know that's how you feel and they're going to implement the same policy with you. The first slip up you make you're outta there - on a bus going home and no second chances.

Sound like a deal? Cuz heck, as a rookie driver you have nothing to worry about, right? One slip up and your career is over? Sounds easy enough.

"when I commit to something I'm the type of person to follow through" the guys says 10 minutes after saying "One slip up and I'm outta here"

Brett you make it sound like I'm out to screw over Trans Am! If you took it that way then I'm sorry for you misreading my posts. I committed to go to Trans Am and give them a shot just like they committed to giving me a chance. You make it sound like a bad thing to want to better myself if I don't feel Trans Am is the place for me! If you missed my post concerning my children and child support then I'm also sorry. My previous employer was taking $165 a week out of my check to keep me current. Now that was when I was making $440 a week. Trans Am only pays $350 a week before taxes. Which leaves me with ???? to live off after $165 is sent to child support. In order to survive, pay my bills, and keep my license from being suspended I need to go where the money is.

Does that make sense?

You're talking like you're an NFL superstar playing the free agency game. You're talking about "giving Trans Am a shot". Trans Am is one of the most successful companies in the industry. They have nothing to prove to you. They're going to train you for a new career and put you in a beautiful piece of equipment. They're giving you a shot, not the other way around. Be clear about that.

And if you think a few hundred dollars a week in training and a few cents per mile is going to make any kind of difference then I can assure you it won't. You have no idea how many miles you're going to get at either company. You have no idea how the training will go at either company. It's not like an hourly wage where you know you're working 40 hours a week at most places. The amount of money you make will come down to how hard you work, how safe you are, how reliable you are, all of which is basically saying how committed you are to your company and learning your trade. You have to prove yourself no matter where you go before you're going to turn the big miles and get the best treatment that the proven veterans get.

The idea that you're going to give Trans Am a shot, or any company for that matter, as if they have something to prove to you when you haven't driven a truck professionally a single mile in your life is laughable. That's my point. So if you don't commit to whichever company you choose for a minimum of one year, learn your trade, and eventually prove yourself to be a safe, hard working, reliable professional you won't make good money no matter where you go.

And don't tell me I misread your posts. I quoted you directly:

"one slip by Trans Am and I will be making a phone call to May!"

Tell me how I misread that? See, if you let someone talk long enough eventually they'll give away their true nature. You talked a good game, talked about commitment and all that special stuff but then you accidentally slipped and made that statement I just quoted. That is who you are, not some super-committed guy who understands the opportunities he's being given and the risks others are taking to give him that.

I committed to go to Trans Am and give them a shot

You'll give them your very best for one full year. That is commitment. Anything less is simply a rookie overvaluing himself, underestimating the mountain of challenges that lie ahead, and underappreciating the risks his company is taking to bring you off the street and teaching you to be a professional driver.

If you think a few cents per mile or a little bit extra in training is going to determine which company is the better company then you're not getting how any of this works at all. I'm trying to make you understand the err of your ways before one of these companies do, that's all. When you show up to orientation on the first day have a good look around because by the end of the week 30% of those people will be on a bus back home. 80% of them will never wind up making it out of training. I'm trying to make sure you're not one of em.

Thats funny. I know I'm a rookie and not a "NFL SUPERSTAR" as you put it. So you're saying I'm supposed to commit to a company for a year making less than I could be making if i committed to a different company? Honestly I don't understand that logic. If I'm able to obtain my training and experience at a higher rate of pay why should I have to do it and make less money doing it? May Trucking has a guaranteed pay scale that would be sufficient for me to pay my bills and my child support every month with some extra for myself. Trans Am is a very successful company, yes I know that, and they will continue to be that with or without me there. My family has all drive trucks for many years and to go with the higher pay is what kept my uncle on the road for 45 yrs before he happily retired. My grandfather owned 16 trucks and each one made him plenty of money by following the same rule. Personally I'm following the advice of my family who were all very successful drivers. If I can't provide for my children like a man should then what does that say about me? Maybe you don't see my point of view as valid but as a man and a father I must do what I have to do to give my children the future they deserve. I don't want anyone thinking less of me because of the choices I am making because in the end there's only one that can judge me and that's all the matters. "Do not judge lest you be judged" So I'm sorry if you don't agree with my way of thinking, that's your choice, but to judge me and belittle me also shows me a lot.

I get the feeling that you really want to work for May, and I feel like there is a 99.9% chance that you are going to jump ship to them anyway, so why not just start off there?

I'm not belittling you. I'm explaining to you where you stand in the grand scheme of things. You're talking about giving highly successful companies a shot to win you over as if a company with decades of success and a gigantic fleet of brand new trucks has to prove themselves to a guy who hasn't driven a truck professionally one single mile in his life. How can I belittle you? You haven't accomplished anything yet. You're at ground zero. You just don't seem to realize that. There's a huge difference between being in a position of strength or being given an opportunity to prove yourself.

And I understand wanting to make all the money you can make. But it's only a few cents per mile difference between the two companies. That's not enough to worry about, especially as a rookie coming off the street. Making all of the money possible is not the way to approach your first year in this business. Learning your trade and proving yourself over time to be a top tier driver will earn you the big miles and the nice paychecks you're hoping for.

If you go in there waiting for Trans Am to prove themselves to you I'd say don't bother making the trip because they're not interested. No companies will be. They're interested in seeing who has what it takes to be successful in this industry the way they have been.

If you want to make all the money you can then approach this like you would boot camp. You're the one trying to make the team. Go in there and show them what you're made of. If you can live up to the expectations of the job they'll pour all of the miles on you that you can stand. Paul, a driver who has been with Swift for a while, just said earlier today that he used to lobby for miles and now he feels he has to lobby for a break. They run him so hard he can barely keep up. But it doesn't start out that way most of the time. You have to earn it. That's why I'm telling you if you go in there waiting for them to prove themselves to you then you're going to be sorely disappointed in the results.

You show them you can handle it and they'll keep putting more and more miles on you. They're not going to hand it to you. That's why it makes no sense to take the approach "I'll give them a shot" because it's quite literally the other way around - they're giving you a shot. It's going to end badly if you confuse the two.

Trust me, a few cents per mile makes no difference. And training is too short to worry about the difference in pay. Think long term. Think about surviving your first year in this industry. Heck, think about surviving training in the first place. Like I said, most of the people you begin class with won't be with the company for long, mostly because they're also going in with the misguided notion that Trans Am is the one with something to prove.

I get the feeling that you really want to work for May, and I feel like there is a 99.9% chance that you are going to jump ship to them anyway, so why not just start off there?

I was thinking the same thing. He's obsessed with a few cents per mile like that's gonna make all the difference. Maybe he should just cancel the flight and go with May. If he isn't going to give Trans Am his all he's probably going to fail one way or another anyhow.

We went through this same exact thing with another driver less than 6 months ago. They wanted to leave Trans Am literally on the first day and we talked this driver out of it like every day for three months. Eventually the light came on and this driver turned things around and now is doing fantastic with the company, averaging over 2,800 miles per week and being given special favors and everything. But if your heart isn't in it and you're not committed then it's not going to work out.

I don't know. It's hard to help people make wise decisions when they're focused on the wrong things and don't get how this industry really works.

a20fan4ever2, if you're not going to give Trans Am 100% for a year then do them the favor and go with May. Trust me, that plane ticket will be a much smaller loss for them than bringing in a guy who isn't committed. If you ask them their opinion they'd tell you the same thing - go elsewhere if you think you're better off. Obviously you're making that decision based solely on a few cents per mile which is totally misguided but obviously I'm not going to convince you otherwise.

a20fan4ever2, if you're not going to give Trans Am 100% for a year then do them the favor and go with May. Trust me, that plane ticket will be a much smaller loss for them than bringing in a guy who isn't committed.

I agree! That was my line of thinking as well.