Comments By Sammy Clue

Hello everyone so I received a call from a company that has flatbed positions open and I would be driving one of their trucks that they will have Leased to csrt/Malone. I would attend CRST orientation which is 4 days and then I would be driving for the company that called me but hauling loads for Malone . Sea pay is $0.50 per mile $25 tarp and anywhere from 2500 to 3300 miles per week.

Now still being new to the trucking industry he explains that I would be operating as a owner operator without actually being a owner operator they will cover the cost of fuel all maintenance and tolls I would just be driving the truck and then doing my own taxes.

Any thoughts on this it sounds like a good deal but I'm not sure so I come to you for advice

The driver is still in the truck! HAHA

$8000 is a pretty steep price indeed. Especially if you are paying out of pocket. The School I went to in NC was $6000 company sponsored w/ 1 year contract or a tad under $4000 if out of pocket.

There are tons of options out there, do as AnchorMan recommends and check the listings and even run some google searches. You can definitely find a better deal than that.

Also if you have a bit of trouble, try sliding the tandems all the way up on the trailer, that will help with the turning radius.

Based on the Orientation of the Maps Photo? Come in from the South and Site Side it in would be the easiest. Just be sure it can hold the weight. Looks to be just dirt, also looks sorta like a 1 lane road so you may need to widen the entrance a bit so you have the room to maneuver properly.

As for the OP question, PAM Transport does Urine testing.

Good luck

Im kinda nervous as to why anyone would ask this personally. To me this type of question leaves me to believe drugs were used and your worried about what kind of test there is so you dont get popped with a dirty drop.

Anyway I know when I got my job with Modular it was just a urine test. Good luck.

I get tired of seeing responses like this. You have no right to judge anyone at all. You have no idea what people go through in their life. I ask this question personally on several different forums not just here on TT. It is a very important question indeed and you all should just give straight answers instead of being "******s". I smoked Marijuana since I was 15 years old up until I was 29 (Last year) and quit to become a truck driver, haven't thought about smoking it again since. So am I a bad person? Does that make me a Unsafe driver or a ignorant human being? NO it does not.

This question is ask because whether you realize it or not, it takes Marijuana 30-90 days to leave the system to pass a Urine test and could take over a 1 YEAR to leave the Hair. So if someone who is going through anything like I was and is leaving a career of 18 years and trying to do something new and has VERY LITTLE TIME to make a decision, this is the most important question of all.

Most of the population that uses Marijuana are not bad people, we work hard, we pay our bills, we take care of our families and we function just as anyone else. Stop making assumptions based on maybe one person you know or making accusations based of media reports. Just answer the question, be helpful, this is a FORUM used to get HELP. Not be judged...

Sad to say it but if you are worried about a drug test... You probably should not consider driving as a career. I read what Brett wrote but still... I am pretty sure they are screening for THC, cocaine, meth, and opiates... If you don't have a scrip then diazapam, alprazolam, and clonazepam use should also keep you from driving. Had a tooth removed you should have dental records that would support taking something for that and should be justified.

Driving a rig is all about safety.. I for one don't want to see someone that should be in rehab behind the wheel.

.....

As I grow closer to finishing out my contract with PAM I can not agree with this enough. Out of the 4 classmates that are still with PAM, I am the one that gets to "Pick his own loads" on quite a few loads. But when talking to others they are just assigned a load at random and if they refuse said load then they will be sitting for quite a while waiting on the next. Me and my Dispatcher have a excellent relationship to the point that he will call be almost every morning and ask how I'm doing, then we will end up talking for 10-20 minutes about non sense until I make him get off the phone with me and get to work.

Hello again everyone. Sorry for not keeping an eye on this topic but I have been really busy.

So here is an update for those whom are still thinking about, whom are already undertaking, or whom are not so sure what is going on with PAM Transport in general.

So here it is 03/05/16, and I am just a tad over a month away from completing my Contract with PAM (04/20/16). So here is some information about what I have been through in the last 11 months.

PAM as a whole is not a bad company to work for, and I seriously mean that. I have had very little problems in the grand scheme of things with PAM. But I will tell the good and the bad as best I can.

The GOOD: -If you just do your job and drive, you will get the miles.

-They have never messed up on my pay.

-You will get a lot of long haul runs (1200-2000 miles one way)

-You as a new driver are expected to make mistakes and they understand that and help you the best they can.

-The Equipment is in very good condition (I have drove 2 2015 International ProStar 10 Speeds with no issues at all)

-The DMs that I have dealt with (3 in total as MAIN DMs) are good people who want to see you make money. They do their job as long as you do yours.

- (My personal experience and talking to friends whom I met in school) You will do very little North East runs. But you will go to Michigan a lot. Deal with it.

** And I'm sure there is more but I can not think of it as i sit here typing this.

The BAD -*Almost all load assignments that I have ran over this last 11 months (164 loads to date) are incorrect in some way, whether it be incorrect Pick-Up numbers, Incorrect addresses, Incorrect Pick-Up & Delivery times or getting assigned a load that was also assigned to another driver by a different DM/Department.

** This is a BIG one!! Do your research on every load you receive!! Get on Google Maps and find the place, Use the 'Request Directions" Macro and compare what it says to where your Load assignment says. DO NOT JUST INPUT THE ADDRESS AND DRIVE, YOU WILL GO TO THE WRONG PLACE/STREET/CITY/STATE!! (I had a load that said to deliver in TN and it was actually in KY) Do not take this lightly, triple check everything.

- (From a friend) The Log department will put you on "Probation" for not operating your Qualcomm correctly. Even when you are team driving and your team driver does not fill out his Macros/Load tab correctly you will also be punished for the mistake. PAM insist that you babysit one another and be sure everything is done correctly. Failure to do so will result in you being punished as one. Don't slip!

- You will be dealing with Laredo, TX A LOT!! Ending up in Laredo, TX give a good 60-75% chance that you will spend the weekend there if you show up late Friday night or Saturday/Sunday. The Border closes @ about 5pm friday, is only open a few hours Saturday (2-3 hours) and a few hours Sunday (2-3 hours). Loads get hard to come buy unless you build a good rep with your DM, CSR and Planner. You work hard, you get loads to get you out when others sit. (From personal experience I have been chosen to run loads over others because I run hard and get all loads there on time or Early without questions or complaints)

**I'm sure there is more, just not coming to mind at this moment**

All in all? PAM is a decent company to start driving for. Work hard and show you are worth the investment and you will be rewarded for your service.

Some things you may want yo know: Pay scale - -First 6 months 0.175 (17.5 cents per mile) Team driving (Required for a total of 6 months within the first year) -Second 6 months 0.19 (19 cents per mile) Team driving -Second 6 months 0.25 (25 cents per mile) Solo driving -1 year of driving 0.29 (29 cents per mile) Solo driving -1 year 1 month of driving 0.32 (32 cents per mile) Solo driving

As of the day of this reply, this is the current scale. It may change, it may not.

Where all do you go driver? -CA, AZ, TX, AR, LA, MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY, OH, MI, VA, WVA, MD, ME, PA, NJ, NY. Not much more than that.

I have personally seen many come and go. I personally try and stick to my commitments and finish what I start no matter how hard it is sometimes. But I am what seems to be a rare breed now a days. So if you really want to get into driving a truck and think you have what it takes, jump on in and get it done. Keep your record clean, ask questions when ever you have them and don't listen to cry baby steering wheel holders who think they live on cloud nine. Make your own assumptions and think for yourself. Out of my class in school there are only 4 of us still with PAM, out of the class after ours there are only 2 left.

No one said it would be easy.

Please if you have questions or anything please feel free to send me a email @ dschristenbury@gmail.com as I can check that a lot more often then the forums.

Just want to say thanks again to this site for all the information it provided before I even went into school to start training, it put me so far ahead of the other students that knew nothing when we all showed up and it made a world of difference. Do not overlook the study material here. USE IT! It's FREE!!

Thanks, will move mine down to the bottom.