Flatbed Companies
Topic 9242 | Page 1
I am looking for advice on which flatbed company would be best. Western Express and TMC look like good companies.
Thanks
I drive for TMC what would you like to know?
Check out System Transport also. That's one of the companies I'm looking at. I spoke to their fleet manager at a job fair two weeks ago and they'll be coming in tomorrow to do another presentation for our class. TMC looks like a solid company, but I have about as much info on it as you (what they have on their website). If you'd like I can post something about ST after school tomorrow. I'm looking at driving their Colorado Regional. One of my big questions of interest is whether they pay differently if you're dead heading. I heard that some companies structure pay differently for that type of load, though it may be a common practice and I'm just not in the loop.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Fleet Manager:
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.
I am looking for advice on which flatbed company would be best. Western Express and TMC look like good companies.
Thanks
I drive for TMC what would you like to know?
Is it difficult to get into TMC's orientation? I have just completed CDL school in California.
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.
Hi David, welcome.
There are many excellent flatbed companies. You will also find that there is no "best" company because everyone has different needs. As Sunshine mentioned she is looking at a company with a regional fleet in the area of the country she lives in. You may want that, or OTR. You may want a company that gets you home regularly or one that expects drivers to be out 3 weeks or more. What makes a company best is how that company meets your needs. Check out this section for more info: How To Choose A Company
What some members here have done is to share personal experiences to help build better pictures of the companies they work for. In fact you can use the search bar and find some very good threads on Western Express and a few on TMC and several other flatbed companies.
I personally just finished training for Melton which has been a great company. I will mention that for Melton, if you live west of I-35, as it sounds like you do, you must be out a minimum of three weeks before going home due to the nature of freight. I believe Systems has more freight out west so depending on your home time needs that can factor in.
Other companies like TMC also have variable hiring areas. I'm not familiar enough with their west coast area but I happen to know they do not hire east of I-95 currently. But it changes. The best way is to call a recruiter and ask.
As far as how difficult it is to get in to orientation for TMC, they do have a reputation for being very selective.
Other companies that hire student drivers are Prime, and Maverick, though I don't know their hiring areas. Keim TS also hired new drivers but they are based out of Kansas and I have no idea how far west they hire.
Good luck to you and keep asking questions.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
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.
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.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
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
I am looking for advice on which flatbed company would be best. Western Express and TMC look like good companies.
Thanks
I drive for TMC what would you like to know?
Is it difficult to get into TMC's orientation? I have just completed CDL school in California.
We don't hire out of California, but you could always contact recruiting depending on if you want home time or not they may work with you but our hiring map as of right now does not cover California
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.
I am looking for advice on which flatbed company would be best. Western Express and TMC look like good companies.
Thanks
I drive for TMC what would you like to know?
Is it difficult to get into TMC's orientation? I have just completed CDL school in California.
We don't hire out of California, but you could always contact recruiting depending on if you want home time or not they may work with you but our hiring map as of right now does not cover California
Well I have done more research on these companies and it seems that Western Express would be a good fit for me.
Thank you
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.
Old school should be someone you want to talk to he worked for them for quite sometime start a thread reaching out to him and he will give you lots of great information.
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I am looking for advice on which flatbed company would be best. Western Express and TMC look like good companies.
Thanks