Is PAM A Good Choice For Female

Hello. I am finishing up my CDL training here in NC and test Monday. Some may remember me as the police officer from NC who signed on a year ago when I was preparing to retire. Anyway, I am in school under a contract with P.A.M. Transport. I am a very loyal person and so appreciative that PAM has given me a chance to learn and drive for them. However I am hearing horror stories about pay and how they treat their drivers. I don't take everything I hear as gospel but I am curious as to the opinions of others here at TT. I really don't want to jump ship after my year but rather grow with the company and do a great job and become a mentor. Then again I worry if my efforts will be appreciated. Am I making a good career choice? Oh, and there is a rumor going around here at school that if you miss an exit ramp with PAM during your route you have to pay for each mile you go pass the exit off the route. Please tell me that is not the case.... thanks. DG

MSDonna, I remember you!

I am a very loyal person and so appreciative that PAM has given me a chance to learn and drive for them. However I am hearing horror stories about pay and how they treat their drivers. I don't take everything I hear as gospel but I am curious as to the opinions of others here at TT. I really don't want to jump ship after my year but rather grow with the company and do a great job and become a mentor.

While I do not know anything about PAM personally, I can tell you this. I don't care which training program you are participating at or even which private school you may attend, rumors abound at all of them concerning things that are consistently off base and way out there. When I was going through training at Western Express I can't even begin to tell you all the things I heard running through the grape vine among the new persons there who had no history with the company at all. And since we were at the main terminal we also had considerable input from their current drivers who were hanging around the terminal. (Rule number one: NEVER listen to the drivers who are hanging around the terminal) For the most part, the folks who are just hanging around the terminal are the losers. It took me about five minutes to figure out this phenomenon - there are people employed by these trucking companies who just sort of hang around hoping to get some fantastic load dropped in their lap, after their truck is fixed or after they get some rest, or after they get a sit down meeting with their DM , or... it's always after some demand they are making, and they usually just camp out there until they finally give up on their demand getting met and then they move on. They can not be relied upon for any information that is helpful.

Listen, you don't have to plan out your whole career right now. Take things one step at a time. Right now you just concentrate on being the best driver they have ever seen for this first year - you hang in there and do what ever it takes to succeed. MSDonna, that first year is tough - you are going to make some mistakes, you are going to miss a few exits (I think what you heard about that is total hogwash) you are going to even get lost a few times and get on the wrong road and go into a panic trying to figure out how to get this monster of a vehicle back to where you need to be. How do I know all this stuff? Ha! I've done it all and worse! It's the common lot of the truck driving rookies - we kind of suck at first, and the companies realize it - they are going to cut you some slack at first, but they definitely want you to learn from your mistakes.

The only thing you need to be focused on right now is being the best you can be during that first year. Once you've reached that milestone, then you can concern yourself with whether yo want to stay at PAM or move on. I excelled at Western Express, I stayed there for sixteen months, and would have stayed longer except a friend here on Trucking Truth contacted me about an opportunity that had some definite advantages over what I was doing so I jumped at the opportunity. That's the way you want to handle this - do your best, while focusing on the task at hand - a successful first year. If you see some better opportunities opening up to you at that time then you can look into them.

I think it is great that you want to be loyal, and also that you want to become a mentor. But for now. just put those hopes and dreams on the back burner. Get your focus on that first year - it is a major accomplishment in itself. Then after that goal is accomplished you can start determining if you want to stay with PAM, or if you think you could improve your situation. Remember, stay focused - it will take everything you can muster to make yourself into a professional driver during that first year.

I wish you the best MSDonna, and just ignore all those rumors that are going around. That's been going on for generations in this industry, and I guess it will never stop.

Relax. I drove for PAM for almost 4 years. They are just like ANY other company out there. Just want their freight picked up and delivered. I got to do a lot of different stuff while I was there( trainer, drove the Arkansas truck rodeo, did some contract work for FedEx) I assure you this, if you just do the job you are hired to do, you will be fine. I had a good time working for them , made good money and if I wanted to run the whole 48 again I would probably hire back on.

Thank you so much for your input. I am pretty level headed and about "shock proof" I just don't like surprises. I appreciate the time you took to write the response. I am indebted to you. Donna

Hey Ms.Donna. I work for PAM now and you have nothing to worry about. Me and my girlfriend have been team driving for them since September of 2014. Like any company people have things they like about it and things they don't and for the most part the things we like outweigh the things we don't like and the things we don't like might not necessarily be a problem for you.

As for them charging you out of route miles for missing an exit is horse crap. They will charge you out of route miles for instance if you're excessively over for instance of upwards of 250-300 miles or more but they will call you first to see what's going on. I've seen people get charged for quitting and taking the truck home instead of taking it back to the terminal and then taking the bus.

We get upwards of 4500 miles a week and that's on a bad week. We usually average between 5800 and 6200 miles a week which isn't bad. Yes they do have deductions from your check but if you're working and running like you should you won't even realize it was gone. They take out the company insurance if you choose to get it, the weekly payment to pay back the amount for your schooling and they take out for an escrow account that's pretty much a deposit on the truck they give you incase you return it all messed up. You'll get that back once you turn your truck back in if nothing's badly wrong with it that they have to repair.

Our deductions come to around 127.50 and we still have money to do plenty. Yea they might take money for the first year but they have several bonus opportunities you can take advantage of also like $500 for getting your hazmat endorsement and another $500 for just keeping your hazmat for 90 days, $200 dollars for finishing school, they have a $1000 dollar team bonus if you chose to do so for the first 6 months and $10,000 split bonus if you decide to team for a year after your first initial 6 month team contract is up.

Half of our checks goes to savings and a 1/4 toward any bills we owe and the other 1/4 toward whatever we want to do while we're out on the road. First it can be a little nerve wracking getting on your own for the first time going solo but eventually you will get the hang of it and be on your way to being a seasoned veteran in no time.

Everyone we have went to trucking school with have already quit the company because they weren't patient enough to wait till things got better and they aren't in much better shape than they were while they were here at Pam. I keep in contact with quite a few of them and they might be getting better pay but they aren't getting the miles. They go hand and hand. We work closely with our DM and that is the key to being happy and having success out here in your first year. We run hard back to back runs for about 2 weeks nearly running out of hours and our third week we take it easy by getting loads that have several days to get to its destination and we stop to see and do things along our route like stopping at a mall, flea market or a movie or even a bar from time to time to entertain ourselves. Our DM usually always have our next destination and pickup time planned out so we aren't sitting around wasting time waiting on a load.

If you and your DM don't get along try to work it out but if you can't request to get someone else. The DM'S are getting new drivers on the schedule board every week so it might take a week or two for them to get you into a rotation and see what you're capable of. They aren't going to give a driver the 1000 plus mile time sensitive loads if they have a habit of being late.

So far PAM has treated us well they gave us a brand new 2015 international with an apu and we've already put over 180,000 miles on it .

MS Donna I think you will be a great driver for PAM or any trucking company because you seem to have the right attitude and I think you will enjoy yourself once you get started. We have been from Laredo,TX to California and from California to Miami Florida then from Miami Florida to Laredo then Laredo to Detroit Michigan so we have literally been from coast to coast and border to border within one week. It's an awesome experience. You will make mistakes and see things that will make you want to crap your pants but if you can make it through it the day the next day is always better. I hope things work out with you and your decision and if you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

• Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
• Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

Terminal:

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.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

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.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Hey Ms.Donna. I work for PAM now and you have nothing to worry about. Me and my girlfriend have been team driving for them since September of 2014. Like any company people have things they like about it and things they don't and for the most part the things we like outweigh the things we don't like and the things we don't like might not necessarily be a problem for you.

As for them charging you out of route miles for missing an exit is horse crap. They will charge you out of route miles for instance if you're excessively over for instance of upwards of 250-300 miles or more but they will call you first to see what's going on. I've seen people get charged for quitting and taking the truck home instead of taking it back to the terminal and then taking the bus.

We get upwards of 4500 miles a week and that's on a bad week. We usually average between 5800 and 6200 miles a week which isn't bad. Yes they do have deductions from your check but if you're working and running like you should you won't even realize it was gone. They take out the company insurance if you choose to get it, the weekly payment to pay back the amount for your schooling and they take out for an escrow account that's pretty much a deposit on the truck they give you incase you return it all messed up. You'll get that back once you turn your truck back in if nothing's badly wrong with it that they have to repair.

Our deductions come to around 127.50 and we still have money to do plenty. Yea they might take money for the first year but they have several bonus opportunities you can take advantage of also like $500 for getting your hazmat endorsement and another $500 for just keeping your hazmat for 90 days, $200 dollars for finishing school, they have a $1000 dollar team bonus if you chose to do so for the first 6 months and $10,000 split bonus if you decide to team for a year after your first initial 6 month team contract is up.

Half of our checks goes to savings and a 1/4 toward any bills we owe and the other 1/4 toward whatever we want to do while we're out on the road. First it can be a little nerve wracking getting on your own for the first time going solo but eventually you will get the hang of it and be on your way to being a seasoned veteran in no time.

Everyone we have went to trucking school with have already quit the company because they weren't patient enough to wait till things got better and they aren't in much better shape than they were while they were here at Pam. I keep in contact with quite a few of them and they might be getting better pay but they aren't getting the miles. They go hand and hand. We work closely with our DM and that is the key to being happy and having success out here in your first year. We run hard back to back runs for about 2 weeks nearly running out of hours and our third week we take it easy by getting loads that have several days to get to its destination and we stop to see and do things along our route like stopping at a mall, flea market or a movie or even a bar from time to time to entertain ourselves. Our DM usually always have our next destination and pickup time planned out so we aren't sitting around wasting time waiting on a load.

If you and your DM don't get along try to work it out but if you can't request to get someone else. The DM'S are getting new drivers on the schedule board every week so it might take a week or two for them to get you into a rotation and see what you're capable of. They aren't going to give a driver the 1000 plus mile time sensitive loads if they have a habit of being late.

So far PAM has treated us well they gave us a brand new 2015 international with an apu and we've already put over 180,000 miles on it .

MS Donna I think you will be a great driver for PAM or any trucking company because you seem to have the right attitude and I think you will enjoy yourself once you get started. We have been from Laredo,TX to California and from California to Miami Florida then from Miami Florida to Laredo then Laredo to Detroit Michigan so we have literally been from coast to coast and border to border within one week. It's an awesome experience. You will make mistakes and see things that will make you want to crap your pants but if you can make it through it the day the next day is always better. I hope things work out with you and your decision and if you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks Chris, I start orientation at PAM in four days and of course had the usual concerns but your thoughts shared here have made me feel a lot more confident about the next twelve months and beyond. Thanks Man!

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

• Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
• Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

Terminal:

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.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

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.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Donna, you just missed G-Town's post,

What I Heard ....

about most of the internet reviews.

Hello. I am finishing up my CDL training here in NC and test Monday. Some may remember me as the police officer from NC who signed on a year ago when I was preparing to retire. Anyway, I am in school under a contract with P.A.M. Transport. I am a very loyal person and so appreciative that PAM has given me a chance to learn and drive for them. However I am hearing horror stories about pay and how they treat their drivers. I don't take everything I hear as gospel but I am curious as to the opinions of others here at TT. I really don't want to jump ship after my year but rather grow with the company and do a great job and become a mentor. Then again I worry if my efforts will be appreciated. Am I making a good career choice? Oh, and there is a rumor going around here at school that if you miss an exit ramp with PAM during your route you have to pay for each mile you go pass the exit off the route. Please tell me that is not the case.... thanks. DG

I've been with PAM now for almost a year, went through the training school in Asheboro, NC last year. Started officially driving for PAM on 4/20/15 and as I grow closer to ending my contract period I am starting to doubt looking for a different company really. I get good miles each week, I make decent pay each week, I drive a good running truck and my DM is a amazing person who does all he can to make sure I keep running.

I work hard (Well as hard as you can driving a truck.), I don't argue when I get a load I don't really want to do like NY or NJ, I just do it and it really pays off. I am to a point now where my DM will ask me where it is I want to go next and I get to choose my next run and will even call me just to "shoot the s**t". Granted the pay isn't as good as a lot of companies that I have spoken to (And I have spoken to well over 40 companies in the last month searching for better pay) and it seems the average pay for SOLO drivers is about 36-38cpm for driving dry van , 38-42cpm for Reefer , 42-45cpm for non haz tanker, and 44-48cpm for flatbed. Which does put PAM on the low side of pay for sure seeing as I get .29cpm right now and come MAY 15th it goes to .32cpm. But I like my DM, I have grown use to the runs/routes, I know how to handle the shippers, I get good miles and I don't have a hard time getting home when I want.

Never-the-less, if you put forth the effort and show you are a valuable asset to daily operations, you will get miles and keep a pay check coming in. But my DM tells me stories about a lot of the drivers he alone has on his board that are just incredibly lazy, fussy drivers who just complain about things and can't be trusted to get loads to there locations on time. So those are the drivers that don't get loads and don't make money and end up quitting and they owe Driver Solutions/PAM money for breaking the contract.

All in all, I am not disappointed with PAM. They covered schooling/training, paid me while in schooling/training/orientation/while with mentor. Got a guarantee during the first 6 weeks or so of $500 a week if it was slow (Which I only got twice, always gotten over 500 a week since) when I got upgraded to first seat, and I been running steady ever since.

Hope my ramblings help, Good luck to you!

Oh and as far as those "You pay for out of route miles" goes? I personally know a driver that was in FTA in Asheboro with me that is still with PAM. He went 244 miles out of route because he input the wrong route into his GPS and PAM was like "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?", "Please don't do that again..."

Not saying they won't charge him if he does that again, but he made a mistake and they understood and forgave him.