I'm Almost To My Final Decision On Which Company I Am Going To Go With!

TMC though C.T. is probably still highest on my list. But now maybe wavering since I see some huge pro's to working at Maverick and Melton. Let me know what you think. Like Old School says, it is based on my performance but I really do like the work out gym at Melton. Pay at Melton is awesome too. The only downside is that it isn't employee owned, is Maverick?

Hey Victor, you seem like a guy who really wants to learn about this stuff so let me speak to a few things that you mention here. Remember how we talked about percentage pay a while back? I tried to show you how it was sort of a gimmick, and that you would probably be making about the same money either way, and then a former TMC driver, "Steve," told how he would evaluate his percentage pay each week and compare that to what it would have been if he were paid mileage pay, and sure enough he said it was always very close. Well, the same thing applies to this concept of a company being "employee owned." Really the main person who benefits from an ESOP business is the former owner who gets to cash out his business and still maintain control of all the day to day operations. That is what the owner of TMC did when he turned it into an employee owned business. He found a legal way to cash out the business and still maintain his majority share of the ownership. The only way a employee is going to really benefit from that whole concept is to be there for twenty or thirty years, and you can accomplish the very same thing by contributing to the 401K program at Melton or Maverick. I don't think that concept of being employee owned is worth two cents in your decision making process. You don't have to take my word for it, but it really is just a gimmick, or a play on semantics. It is definitely not something that should sway your decision. None of this is in any way to try to steer you away from TMC, I think it is a great place to be, but not for the reasons you keep coming up with.

If I remember correctly you really want to be home every week. If that is critical to you then I don't think Melton fits that bill very well, but otherwise it is a great operation, and one that I personally recommend often times in these discussions. It is a well run operation, and has a fairly new ownership that seems to want to carry on the strong family like traditions there while increasing the market share and growth of the company.

I think TMC, Maverick, or McElroy are your best bets if you want to be home every week. Once you get the hang of things, and that will take you a good solid year, you can do equally well at any one of those three places.

Everyone on here will try to tell you to go with what fits you the best. Good advice, except, you don't know that till you get there. Yes, your getting advice from people that, hopefully worked at one of these companies. This website will never tell you the bad. Don't worry, that's not a bad thing. This is a true introduction to your new career, it's left for you to figure out. At the same time, you can also see, from the post, that no one post a bad review on a company. Maybe they are happy and everything went as planned, or maybe , like myself, went thru something, with a company, and it didn't work for me. I did nothing but speak the truth of my experience. I was never degrading the company, but what did happen, happened. You just need to realize, the absolute crappy worked envoled in the life of a flatbedder. I've actually "worked" my whole life, physically, I thought flatbed was the answer. I didn't want to just sit and drive, I needed to be physical. After doing it for just a short period, I figured out, flatbedders are indeed a special breed, and not only did I not want to be one, I definitely didn't want to be one OTR. It's a lot of work, a dry tarp weighs 120lbs, put rain and snow on it, put 30 mph winds on it, it dangerous, it sucks, but it's rewarding. Just think about that.

Best wishes

I agree with OS. You like the gym? And do you know how often you will get to use it? I get into our terminals once every six weeks or so. I know people who get to them three times a year. We have a great gym, and many other facilities but they are more like "extras" not the meat and potatoes for which to choose a company.

Choose for home time, division, locale, cpm , pet policies, rider policies etc if that is what is important to you...because if what they offer is not want you are looking for but they have a great gym you never get to use....then what?

Once again, no true answers. Hometime, TMC, pay Melton, and they may get you home every weekend. In the long run, 1year, there's a company I know of, that pays very well, and likes guys from TMC, "because of their securement " . Will be way more money, but the year is important. I want day any names, but they are in Garner, IS, initials might be I, then maybe an M, maybe T

Chicon I'm trying to understand your post but I'm not quite translating. Are you saying these are bad companies or are you just not happy with how flatbed worked out?

Chicon I'm trying to understand your post but I'm not quite translating. Are you saying these are bad companies or are you just not happy with how flatbed worked out?

No not saying anything bad about any companies, I'm just saying there's more to being a flatbedder than you think. The best thing to do, if your worried about hometime, is go to who guarantees it. Melton told me every two weeks, but a driver in my area told me every weekend. But the morale of my story is not about hometime, I got lucky and am home every night, still driving with my CDL-A, my morale is, I thought, that since I like to physically work, then flatbedding was the way, but I soon saw the dangers and a long with that and a close friend dying, I choose different.

I know a thing or 2 about flatbed lol

Those gyms are a recruiting tool. The office people probably love it though. Some drivers may not even see the terminal but a couple of times a year. Gyms look good on recruiting brochures though. Have you looked at Paul Transportation out of Tulsa?

I agree with OS. You like the gym? And do you know how often you will get to use it? I get into our terminals once every six weeks or so. I know people who get to them three times a year. We have a great gym, and many other facilities but they are more like "extras" not the meat and potatoes for which to choose a company.

Choose for home time, division, locale, cpm , pet policies, rider policies etc if that is what is important to you...because if what they offer is not want you are looking for but they have a great gym you never get to use....then what?

Old School I see you work for Knight, I am sorta interested. Why did you choose to work for them? What were you top 5 reasons?

Ok Chicon, you've been asking for it and now you're gonna get it.

First of all, please stop trying to offer advice to people. You don't have nearly the experience or success in this industry that one should have in order to be telling people how they should handle their careers.

Secondly, you're full of baloney. You're not being honest with people at all about what's happened thus far in your career. For example:

At the same time, you can also see, from the post, that no one post a bad review on a company. Maybe they are happy and everything went as planned, or maybe , like myself, went thru something, with a company, and it didn't work for me. I did nothing but speak the truth of my experience.

Baloney. What "happened to you" had nothing to do with your company whatsoever. That was totally on you. You tried flatbed cuz you thought you could hack it but you couldn't. You had a friend pass away and decided you didn't want to be OTR anymore so you quit. Stop insinuating that the company you were working for was the problem - they weren't. Flatbed kicked your *ass, being away from home kicked your *ss, so you quit. Simple as that. Now you get home everyday and your "I need to be physical" butt is sitting comfortably in a seat all day. So you haven't had a problem with a company yet. Your problems have been totally your own.

And the biggest thing to me - stop insinuating that we didn't give you the information we should have because we most certainly did. You want to lie to people and tell them you're some sort of victim of bad treatment then lie your *ss off to your friends, I don't care. But don't come here doing it to our visitors. Things like this:

Everyone on here will try to tell you to go with what fits you the best. Good advice, except, you don't know that till you get there.

No, apparently you didn't know you couldn't hack flatbed or handle being away from home but most people would indeed know that. So if you decide you want to pull flatbed OTR and then find out you don't like flatbed nor do you like OTR then that's on you, not us. I mean, how bad does one have to be when it comes to blaming others for their difficulties when they even blame others for not knowing themselves? Good grief.

You also said:

This website will never tell you the bad. Don't worry, that's not a bad thing. This is a true introduction to your new career, it's left for you to figure out.

Is that so? No, in fact it is not so. Here is a copy/paste from one of my articles entitled Choosing A Truck Driving Job Part VII: Tankers and Flatbeds:

Some of the differences are obvious - you have to use chains or straps to hold down your load, and often times you have to tarp the load to protect it from the elements. These jobs are often tedious at best, difficult most of the time, and there are a number of rules and regulations that govern the methods used to secure your load. The DOT rules loosely specify the types of equipment you must use, along with some of the techniques you must use to secure the load. And believe me, the DOT is watching closely!

I used to be relieved anytime I pulled into a weigh station and there was a flatbed ahead of me. Chances are, if the DOT is interested in checking somebody out, the flatbeds often times go first. I pulled dry van the vast majority of my years on the road, and we were far less interesting to the DOT than the flatbeds, for obvious reasons.

The work of securing and releasing your load is quite physical, and often times quite difficult. The tarps, chains, and straps are quite heavy and often times you are out in the weather getting the load secured or released by yourself. The tarps, straps, and chains get wet, icy, and very hard to handle in poor weather, not to mention you're out there crawling around on the load trying to get everything situated. It can be quite dangerous. I've heard many, many stories of serious injuries from guys falling off of trailers.

Now there are some advantages to pulling a flatbed also. Often times the tractor and the load you have are far shorter in height than your standard trucks, so it's much easier to fit under low bridges in the cities. Also, the lower profile helps the crosswinds go around you a bit better on slick roads in the wintertime. And lastly, it's an interesting way to make a living. There's always a new challenge, a variety of different types of loads to secure, and there's a bit of a camaraderie amongst the flatbed drivers. It's an interesting and challenging form of truck driving, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't the hardy type.

So what part of your experience in flatbed did I leave out? It's tedious at times, it's difficult, it's dangerous, there are a ton of regulations to follow, and quite a few people get hurt doing it. The only thing I could have done to help you understand it even better is to throw you head first off the top of a load, and right now I'd like to.

So from now on play the blame game at home in your own time with your own family and friends who won't know the difference. But stop trying to convince our visitors that we failed you or your company failed you because I've just demonstrated that isn't the case.