TMC

Anyone actively working for TMC? If so how do you like it? What are some of the pros and cons? I am waiting for my application to get approved.

I was going to ask the same thing. I filled out an app with them yesterday.

Big Holli and Chris, I'm not sure if we have any current TMC drivers right now, but here's a link to a former member's training diary at TMC. It is well done and very informative. I'm certain little has changed, and you'll be able to gather a lot of information from reading through this thread.

Steve's TMC Training Diary

TMC has an excellent program for introducing new drivers into the world of flat-bedding. If you're wanting to run flat-bed freight, TMC is a great place to start.

I suggest a Facebook Page "TMC transportation trainee/new recruits". Has some trainers, drivers, at least one recruiter, people thinking about it, some in training, new drivers, and others that will answer questions. I warn you at times their honestly can come across a little sharp. That said with what I know about this industry if you cannot take that maybe you are looking in wrong field for work. As I was looking at TMC my son, who already had a class b working for a city water department, went through their training and went out with a trainer for 4 weeks. During this some driver trainers even contacted me one even called me. The good driver/trainers take great pride in the company and want to take out the bad ones. Been on it for several months and can tell it's a brotherhood more than a job once in. Sometime I should write about my son's experience. If it was not for the trainer he would still be there. He has nothing bad to say about TMC. I am still thinking about them. It may be time for me to get out of automotive dealership service management. My problem is I need to grow a replacement for myself before I leave after being here 32 years.

Sometime I should write about my son's experience. If it was not for the trainer he would still be there.

I just have to speak up when I see these types of comments. Most of us enter our trucking careers with completely misguided expectations. We think these trucking companies are going to provide us with a trainer who is going to be as patient and kind with us as if our Grandmother were the one sitting over there in the passenger seat. They want us to learn how to be the best and safest driver we can don't they? Of course they do, but we enter this career as non-truckers, not realizing that a trainer is not able to get us to that point in a matter of three or four weeks. What they can do is test us considerably which helps to establish our personal reactions to a stressful environment. That is a much better measurement of our ability to succeed in trucking than learning to parallel park perfectly or do a flawless 90° docking maneuver. Ultimately our safe driving skills and practices will be developed from years of exposure to the various challenges we face as solo drivers, not just a few weeks with a trainer.

They only have truckers to choose from when selecting trainers, and having less than stellar trainers who may be a little rough around the edges can actually help them sort out the new folks who may just not be a good fit for the challenges they will face in this career. Of course this isn't scientific, but it has worked fairly well for most of them. It also helps them establish a way to recognize those who just might be a good fit and have what it takes to eventually develop into professional drivers who can tackle the never ending challenges that cause so many newbies to give it up early on.

This business has many false accusations leveled against it by those who quit early on. So many people quit while still with their trainer because they simply were not prepared to do whatever it takes to get to the next level of the learning process. I had a terrible trainer. His whole idea of motivating you was to demean and belittle you at every chance. He would have been considered cruel by most people who had to endure his tirades. At the two week point I got my first compliment from him, if you can call it that, when he informed me that he was kind of impressed with me for not quitting yet. He then told me, " Most of the men I train break down crying at some point during the first two weeks, and then just get off my truck wherever we are at."

I encourage people to expect their training experience in trucking to be extremely difficult because oftentimes it is just that. Occasionally we hear some glowing report of somebody's excellent training experience, but most of the time it is just time to bear up under the trial and get yourself promoted to solo status. You can figure out much of what you need on your own at that point. I was sure my trainer was going to throw me under the bus when it came time for my evaluation at the home terminal. During my training time he usually just told me how bad I was, and that I didn't have what it takes to be a trucker. When we went to see the guys at the terminal my jaw dropped as my trainer began telling them how hard I had worked and that I had stayed calm under all the pressure he applied. They started grinning as if some secret had just been revealed about me. This was actually what they were looking for. One of them spoke up right away saying something like this, "We know how tough it is to train with this guy. You've demonstrated the type of approach that tells us you are tough enough to handle this job - Congratulations!"

Trucking is not easy, but training can be downright miserable. You simply can't measure up a trucking company or the trucking career by a person's experience with a trainer. Many people think they have a really bad trainer when that trainer was simply trying to push all their buttons to see how they'd respond. Maybe that trainer gets a sadistic kick out of this kind of treatment, I can't say. My trainer ended up declaring me as a good candidate to the people who had the power to promote me to solo. He did this without ever letting me know I was doing well.

I'm going into all this detail because Dee Squared made this statement...

Sometime I should write about my son's experience. If it was not for the trainer he would still be there.

Unfortunately this happens all the time. He also pointed out that his son was with a trainer for four weeks. That puts him right on the verge of going solo! That is definitely not when you want to call it quits. Trucking has many difficult challenges, one of them is the time spent with a trainer - it's definitely not the time to give up.

Good company. I think they are the largest flatbed only carrier. I never hear their drivers complain and I am running into them (not literally) constantly at shippers and consignees. You'll do fine with them or any other flatbed carrier if you're willing to do the work safely and efficiently. Goodluck

My nephew just finished his training miles. I met him for breakfast on the last segment home, and he was saying his trainer was copping an attitude. I know my nephew, and could tell from that knowledge, and from what he was saying, that the attitude was his, not the trainers.

My application was recently approved. Working on my permit and should start orientation pretty soon. I am thinking of writing my experience from the moment I applied to when I finish school.

I have a friend that has been with them for a year now and he loves it. He really likes the option they give you to stay out over the weekend if he wants to. Or they get him home every weekend.

Old School I agree with what you are saying. I was off a week he did not go back after his third week of training. Was it the body odor of trainer? No. Was it the constant yelling about anything he did while driving? No. Was it the trainer yelling at him when they got held up at a delivery and blamed him for not being home by 2pm Friday? No. Was it telling him on a Wednesday he was talking vacation the next week so stay home. No even though no pay. Was it screaming at him to get back in the truck and back it up "no need to look I am guiding you....get the **** out of the truck I will do it" and trianer damaged trailer and a building and tells him " you missed this damage on your pretrip this morning" No but close.

Two things did it. First and foremost. The trainer kept telling him how bad America is and how much better Europe is. Listened to Progressive talk radio all the time and kept saying how right they are and America is going down wrong path and is wrong in most we do. Well issue with that is my son may not of told him he lost a brother fighting for America. His brother was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. His brother was a Machine Gunner in the Marine Corps. Came in after going out a couple of days to provide cover for some of our Marine Snipers. His squad was to go out he shouldn't have but did. (Hated being in the wire). They found (he) a IED. Since his brother was senior Machine Gunner he signaled to another in a better position they would switch. As the the two of them crossed paths a sniper from other side shot. His brother was hit in his Grim Reaper Tattoo on his left upper arm entered his rib cage and bounced around. The next time Joe saw his brother was in a casket in his dress blues. I do know air support was called in and person responsible no longer walks this Earth either.

Second the weekend before his girlfriend of 8 years said she was pregnant. He did not want to be on the road halfway across the country worried and not there at time of delivery.

All ended well. Before he went to TMC he was working for a company that did city water works. It was an easy 7-3:30 m-f that he did not work hard at and hated that part. Even when he went home he napped after work and didn't have drive like he did his previous job. His previous job he worked for an up and coming sewer company that does clean out and camera work along with hydro- excavating. Was waorking 60-80 hrs per week. He was a trainer for them. They sent the new guys with him. If they made a week with Joe they were good. He would work them 14-18 hours a day with him by their side. Most work they do is Davis-Baccon wage. Not sure who called who but he is back with them and his boss paid $4k to TMC and he is making as much if not more than he would have and the owners wife thinks he is a god so believe all worked out well.

Joe has nothing bad to say about the CDL training or TMC. His only complaint about TMC is not TMC issue was what a**holes some of the shippers (GP Florida) was but he wrote that off he looks 16 when clean shaved.

I personally know 5 drivers and they all been there a while and cannot image driving anywhere else. They know the green grass other places is due to fertilizer.

Oh, I forgot to mention Joe was this trainers 4th or 5th trainee. All others were a week or less. Joe asked for a different trainer a couple of times but was told that it would be a few weeks or so. First time he thought he could stick it out but once he found out he was going to be a dad he in his mind has to be debt free except his house before the kid comes. That said he is not letting his CDL go to waste. He is Hauling grain here in Iowa for a couple of large farmers on his spare time.