I guess TMC should sell their equipment, close the terminals and say goodbye to all their employees? You weren't cut out to be an OTR trucker. Everyone needs to know their limitations and weaknesses. You found yours and went home. Good luck.
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
This company pays 400 training pay and will use you for cheap labor.Its up to the trainer to say if you get your own truck.They double revenue of the truck by pushing you hard while the trainer sleeps.
The whole story doesn't wash for lots of reasons those who've been around a little while know, in addition to the fact that TMC rightfully enjoys an excellent reputation in this business. I likely would have gone with them if I wanted to do flatbed as they one of the top flatbed companies my school referred to.
I'm posting to add something about training/trainers for the benefit of those looking to go into road training with a company.
Yes, trainers will get paid for the miles that you drive, yes you will do much/most/maybe all of the chores, yes you will work hard during training. But it is no free lunch for the trainers....the training time is much harder on the lazy trainer than it is on you, the hard-working student. You won't get paid much, but you'll be paid something, and you're being paid while you are being taught to do something you could not learn entirely on your own.
The trainer has to hope and pray that you do not kill them. I recently started training. I've had three students so far...one just for a day of yard work, another for two weeks of evaluation/tuning (she had some prior experience), and then a rookie. The rookie nearly killed us on multiple occasions, and it was always very stressful. Every day I have a report to write and my own things to do, and this is my life week in week out, month in month out while you'll get to be solo and care free soon (if you make it). I can't have the cooking equipment and extra storage I'd like to have, because I need to reserve the top bunk for students. So, excuse me if I expect you to do the chores. How will you survive on your own if you don't do a lot of things during training, while I'm there to help if needed?
Contrary to what the OP implied, trainers don't sleep while the student drives for five weeks right off the bat...first the training is full time for some period of time (in our case a minimum of 100 hours student driving) and THEN the trainer will TRY to sleep while the student is driving, but of course the trainer will have to get up during their sleep time in order to help with backing, etc. Anyone who thinks trainers have it easy and just rake in the $$$ is badly mistaken.
I'm a trainer because I enjoy helping people improve their skills and reach their goals. I've been a trainer of one kind or another for nearly 40 years. I enjoy it. I don't do it for the $$$, although I certainly do want the pay also and am willing to work for it. I have a hope that at least some trainees will appreciate it.
I hope this rant helps bring some perspective to the situation.
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Hey Jeremy...come to Prime. Ill train you!!! hahaha
This is exactly the atttitude trainers want. people who will.learn. ;)
Thank you, Rain! Loved your article I just read earlier. Hope many, many people see the message in there!
Scheduled to head over to CRST on May 7th. But if they won't have me for some reason beyond my control, I'll surely apply to Prime!
Giving it all I got, but seems the stringent paper-trail requirements of some companies is more than I can satisfy at this point in time. Guess I should have planned for this career a few years ago amidst the middle of a different one, lol. Started a thread on here about that, hoping someone can give some advice on that angle because history seems to be the one thing I have no current control over.
Jeremy C.:
From what I am seein on your posts here, I know for a fact that when you graduate from NADTA and need a Lead Driver so you could do your 28 days, I would be HONORED to train ya. Just let me know when you graduate and If its right around the time I need another student then, I will certainly request ya to come on board my truck.
I think it'd be awesome if MM could train you. He'll be forced to treat you well or you can always get the big dogs on here after him . I'm just kidding, MM definitely knows what he's doing and from everything I've seen on here he is a professional. The things that MM overcame to be to where he is is phenomenal, one of the greatest success stories we've seen here for not giving up.
Amen, Dave. Luckily I currently have a 2 week trainee (has some prior experience). Oh those 30 day students with no experience can be quite exciting lol. But I too continue to train to give new drivers a chance just like I was given.
Amen, Dave. Luckily I currently have a 2 week trainee (has some prior experience). Oh those 30 day students with no experience can be quite exciting lol. But I too continue to train to give new drivers a chance just like I was given.
I have a pretty high amount of respect for most of you that train because there's no amount of supplemental income that can cover what you give up every 30 days or so, nothing that can hedge what you risk, and no amount that can compesate for what you give away.
Huh, my two replies on one page didn't work this time...
The things that MM overcame to be to where he is is phenomenal, one of the greatest success stories we've seen here for not giving up.
True story. Some things I can relate to and some things I think are awesome. Be very cool if it works out!
I am sooo proud of my trainee today. He had come from another company.. had a backing accident while employed there while having to blindside into a dock and hit 2 cars at that customer location. Anywho I'm so proud of him today. I've been showing him techniques for setting up alley docks both sight side and blind side. We took a few hours for some serious practice and he successfully blindsided into 5.. yes 5 different spaces and sight sided into 3.
He's gonna be okay for upgrade. West Side Transport does test on blindsided backing during test out/upgrade. Of course we're going to practice more but he's gaining some confidence in himself.
Operating While Intoxicated
My hat’s off too all of you that train here. I was lucky I had 2 trainers that were awesome and we are still in touch to this day. When I worked at the big companies I was approached about training and I declined. I taught coos for 20 yrs and had students that were prescreened by some very high standards. I have seen so many new drivers in this business both awesome all the way too hiw in the world did you get hired that I would in no way trust my safety to them. I was used as an evaluater a few times and afterward the company disregarded my recommendations and later paid the price for it with wrecked trucks. At this stage of my life I won’t subject myself to that. This student reminds me of so many folks I have seen. For those of you that train, they can’t ever compensate you enough for what you do and the chances you take. I’ll take an active shooter situation over that any day. At least then I know what I’m dealing with going in. We all here share a common trait. We believe in helping folks be the best they can be if they choose too. Each of us have a strong work and life ethic and strive to impart that in others. It’s really old school thinking these days, however is proven to be alive and well. I guess some things really never go out of style, lol. Congrats to each and every one of you amazing folks.
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Brandon has proved he can't handle this career. When I was a kid we learned "Sticks and stones....", he needs to learn that. CFI does not have enough trainers to just switch you out. You would have to wait for a new one. Maybe that's the case with TMC. What would he do when someone at a shipper called him driver? I would be surprised if that truck was that nasty, and he reported it, if TMC didn't investigate. Sounds like Brandon didn't give TMC a fair shot.
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
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Awesome suggestion for the notarized statements! As for the tax returns, those aren't that simple (I explained it in another thread I started on here) because it was a single-owner LLC, even though I had an EIN, the IRS still had me file returns on my personal filing for the year (which was joint filing with my wife.) Also... Bah! I started a whole different thread in the hopes of not hijacking this one and somehow I managed to do just that anyway, lol. Bad forum etiquette, I apologize. :-)
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.