Comments By Paul W.

Thanks Brett for posting that. I have a student in my class that is perjured with TMC and after looking at their website I had begun to think that maybe it might be a good choice with the percentage pay as well as the nice trucks. What you wrote really helps.

They all have said that you do make more money that way compared to cpm

That's not true at all. It doesn't make sense. Why would a company pay you more for taking a percentage than for taking mileage? Have you ever heard of a corporation in your life that goes out of their way to find ways to pay people more than they have to? Of course not.

In fact, I personally don't like the idea of being paid a percentage because there's no way of knowing what the company is actually making on any particular load. They'll tell you what they're making, but you have to take their word for it. I don't like being in a position where someone owes me money for doing a job but I have no idea how much they should be paying me. It's a huge conflict of interest.

Now of course you can take you percentage pay and divide it by the miles you ran to see what your mileage pay would have been for that load. That way you can compare it to what you'd be making at other companies who pay mileage pay.

Now if you do the math and it turns out you're making more running percentage than you would have made running mileage from the same company then the company rigged the game to turn out that way. They're simply offering an extra low mileage rate. And why would they do that? Two reasons:

1. Because drivers will think they're making more money getting percentage and it's to their advantage. They'll even tell other drivers, "You'll make more if they pay you percentage."

2. Because then the company has everyone on percentage pay and they only have to pay you a percentage of what they say the load makes. And the company knows there is no way you can really know that. So if they grab the occasional big money load they can keep the "extra meat on the bone" and give you what would be an average rate for the load. You'll never know the difference.

Can I ask how long have you been working at TMC? Is it hard to get loads on a steady basis year round? I've heard some say that during the winter season flat bed trucks tend to get less loads than they would during the spring and summer time. If that true?

Does the driver have to tarp the load or is it half and half, sometimes the driver and sometimes the customer does it? What would you say is the hardest part of your job? What would you say is the best part of your job?

Any other information you can give about TMC would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.

Been looking at tmc for a while now and I'm just curious to know pros and cons from a tmc drivers. They sound like a great company, just don't know if they truly are.

What do you want to know I work there

Is Roehl really beginning to get automatics? I'm trying to stay away from those. I learned to drive the Eaton 10 speeds and want to stay with the manuals. Is that possible or will all companies go to automatics? I have head that U. S Express has them and I think their recruiting page lists that info as well.

Hi,

I am new to this industry and am just beginning my training. I really appreciate all the information you guys and ladies post here especially for those of us just starting out. I'm still trying to do my prehire. So far I have one with Roehl.

From reading some of the posts, I do have a few questions and any and all information or advice would be greatly appreciated. One of the first I have is in relation to the lack of adequate parking. I've stopped at a few truck stops and rest areas and they always seem full at night. My question is this, not counting the specific appointment times in which the driver is expected to deliver/pickup the load, what would be the pros and cons of driving otr mostly at night vs. during the day? I ask that because I notice how the lots are mostly empty during the day.

When you get your load, do companies give you a detailed route they want you to follow or they allow you to decide all that?

When it comes to unforseen circumstances such as getting stuck on the interstate due to an major accident or something, how do you deal with if you reach your daily driving limit?

What do you like most about driving? Is you had to do it all again what would you choose differently? And any other great advice and words of wisdom for a driver just starting out in this industry.

Thank you

I'm driving for Roehl, been a little more than a month. I wasn't quite driven to tears as was said before, but it was more along the lines panicking over the thought "this thing is big and heavy and could flatten a sedan if I mess up".

The company had me out on my own after little more than a week, so the first few days were incredibly nerve-wracking. It's not so bad now, though there have been slips here and there, and I think I made the right choice with Roehl. The trucks are newer models, each with a TruckPC, and dependant on what you chose, the time off is great. Only once did I meet someone who wasnt happy with Roehl, and his only problem was the governed trucks not being able to meet his expected mileage.

How long have you been with Roehl so far? Have you had any issues with getting miles or had long wait times for load/unload at the shippers or receivers? How much do they pay for empty?

Hope I'm not bombarding you. I've been looking into Roehl and there was another guy who posted his time on here when he first started about year and half ago. How are you enjoying it so far?

Hey congratulations Mallory. I am new to this form myself and yesterday I just received my prehire notice. I have my CDL from 2010 but due to not having driven much other than occasionally for the Air Force, I am now taking a refresher/recertification course through the Troops to Transport program. I have been reading some of the posts here about the various companies and mainly about Roehl. Like Kevin mentioned in his post, I was also wondering about the phase 2 training with a company driver being only up to 15 days or so. Any feedback, pointers and other information about Roehl would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to starting with them very soon..

I am new to the trucking world myself and after reading your post, I cannot help but wonder. All those faults you listed would definitely as far as I know get you tickets from the DOT. By the mere fact that he was trying to get you to drive it anyways with all those things, would it be safe or wise to report them to the DOT in order for him to change his standards and keep other drivers from getting into a hassle with DOT? Any experienced drivers please chime in. I am not by any means trying to give advice here but with this post am wondering what would be the best course of action to do?