It’s Been A Long Time And I Wanted To Comeback

Hi guys

It’s been a long time since I have posted and I have been thinking of the forum lately and I wanted to post a brief today. I hope everyone has been doing well and having a good holiday season so far. This is my first holiday season driving truck and I am having fun while doing it. I noticed that old school got back in the saddle after a medical hiatus and wanted to congratulate you sir, your determination is an example to others such as myself.

I wanted to also share that after six months with May Trucking I found a better opportunity with Marten Transport and I am loving it so far, Marten from my experience takes care of us drivers and it is reflected in the pay and benefits. I had to weigh my options at first wether to move on with May to Marten and also reflect upon the advice of the forum, staying on with your carrier for a year, two prefereably. After all things considered the offer with Marten was too good to pass up and I jumped at it.

I have to be honest, one of the reasons I didn’t post my change right away here was how I would be perceived. That being a job hopper or terminal rat etc. maybe I am wrong in that assumption (and after time to pause and reflect I believe I am). My change of carriers was not without given great consideration. But so far it’s paid off my weekly checks are double to 2.5 times take home from what I was getting at may and I really need the money as I am preparing to move back home with mom who lives in PA, her health is continuing to fluctuate and she really needs me closer at home as she ages and deals with the medical side of things. The good thing is we have a terminal in Carlisle PA about 3 hours from where she lives and marten has freight running out of there all the time , so I’ve been told by other drivers and dispatch.

Moe, I am sure that it is perfectly fine to leave one job and take a better one. The notion of "terminal rat" comes from people who in most cases are too lazy to accept better opportunities. Companies may differ in how they pretend to care about drivers, but the truth of the matter is that they care only about their profit. Why would their employees be different?

Hi guys

It’s been a long time since I have posted and I have been thinking of the forum lately and I wanted to post a brief today. I hope everyone has been doing well and having a good holiday season so far. This is my first holiday season driving truck and I am having fun while doing it. I noticed that old school got back in the saddle after a medical hiatus and wanted to congratulate you sir, your determination is an example to others such as myself.

I wanted to also share that after six months with May Trucking I found a better opportunity with Marten Transport and I am loving it so far, Marten from my experience takes care of us drivers and it is reflected in the pay and benefits. I had to weigh my options at first wether to move on with May to Marten and also reflect upon the advice of the forum, staying on with your carrier for a year, two prefereably. After all things considered the offer with Marten was too good to pass up and I jumped at it.

I have to be honest, one of the reasons I didn’t post my change right away here was how I would be perceived. That being a job hopper or terminal rat etc. maybe I am wrong in that assumption (and after time to pause and reflect I believe I am). My change of carriers was not without given great consideration. But so far it’s paid off my weekly checks are double to 2.5 times take home from what I was getting at may and I really need the money as I am preparing to move back home with mom who lives in PA, her health is continuing to fluctuate and she really needs me closer at home as she ages and deals with the medical side of things. The good thing is we have a terminal in Carlisle PA about 3 hours from where she lives and marten has freight running out of there all the time , so I’ve been told by other drivers and dispatch.

It's super good to see you back, Moe!!

Nothing wrong with bettering yourself, moving up & on!

Harvey C.'s son is currently driving for Marten, and is quite happy, as well. (Read his posts!)

Good for you!

~ Anne ~

Welcome back Moe, good deal on your switch from May to Marten sounds like you made out in the deal..... In todays trucking scene, I don't think a lot of companies are worried about jumping to another company, especially after spending enough time at the previous employer. It's all 'bout money to US as well as to THEM. LOL Ya got's to do, what ya got's to do, that works for you !!!

As a mechanic over the years, been few times at a job, jokingly, I'd tell my boss "My tool boxes, have wheels for a reason!" "They can roll outta here, as easy as they rolled in"

Loved that last comment My took boxes have wheels for a reason, they can roll outta here as easily as they rolled in! Lol

Funny AF!

Thanks guys for the love!

Welcome back Moe, good deal on your switch from May to Marten sounds like you made out in the deal..... In todays trucking scene, I don't think a lot of companies are worried about jumping to another company, especially after spending enough time at the previous employer. It's all 'bout money to US as well as to THEM. LOL Ya got's to do, what ya got's to do, that works for you !!!

As a mechanic over the years, been few times at a job, jokingly, I'd tell my boss "My tool boxes, have wheels for a reason!" "They can roll outta here, as easy as they rolled in"

Hey Moe! Really glad to hear from you again!

I have to be honest, one of the reasons I didn’t post my change right away here was how I would be perceived. That being a job hopper or terminal rat etc. maybe I am wrong in that assumption (and after time to pause and reflect I believe I am). My change of carriers was not without given great consideration.

Sounds like you did good, Moe. The big thing we worry about with new drivers is that they often change jobs for the wrong reasons, or blame their company for everything. Often it's the driver who is at fault, simply because they're new to the game and don't understand how things work. They're also not very good at their job yet.

New drivers often come in with false expectations, and when their experience doesn't match those expectations, they blame their company. We all think our logic is solid, so if something doesn't go as expected, it must be someone else screwing up.

You've been around here a long time. You soaked it all in, and you have a much better understanding than the average new driver about how things work. You knew many of the pitfalls and you thought this situation through carefully. Now you're making more than double what you were before, and you're happy with your new company. No one will argue with those results!

I'm glad you're back and that things are going great for ya! To be honest, I'm glad you were concerned about what we would say. I'm glad you took our advice seriously and gave serious consideration to the move you were making. We're not trying to create a "cookie-cutter" career plan that works for everyone in all situations. We're just trying to share what we consider the best practices and the biggest pitfalls to avoid.

The "ideal" situation is to stick with your first company for one full year, but if you gave it 6 months, made a thoughtful move and now you're making double what you were before, then you did great! Congrats!

Congrats Moe on your new position. Which terminal are you working from? I am considering applying for Marten at the Jurupa terminal. I have been doing some research, and Marten seems like a good company. It seems just big enough to have good resources, but not too big, as to be difficult to get anything done, which is what I am encountering currently at Swift. Their equipment seems to be well maintained, and I believe that all of their trucks have apu's. Do their trucks come with refrigerators? One driver told me that they don't. No big deal, I have a portable. Their pay seems pretty good. I see their trucks often, so they must be moving much freight. Best of luck with your move back to PA, and to the health of your Mom.

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.

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.

APU's:

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.

Good luck... So glad things are working out for you

Marten seems like a good company. It seems just big enough to have good resources, but not too big, as to be difficult to get anything done, which is what I am encountering currently at Swift.

TCB, forgive me for picking out part of your thoughts to make a comment on, but I really hate for other people to see something like this and then take it to mean the larger companies are not good places to work or to get good miles. I have no problem with you switching companies if things aren't working out for you, but I think it is paramount that you understand the problem before jumping ship. There is no way the problem is that Swift is too big to "get anything done." How else could they have gotten to that size and dominance in the truck load market? They are even expanding into other trucking markets.

You may be having trouble getting things done the way you want, but we all have to figure that out where we are. We take our own measures to make adjustments and learn ways to communicate our needs so that they are met. Trucking is a mysterious career for many. They end up switching companies all the time seeking for something they never seem to be able to articulate, and they never seem to find it either. They end up in this purgatory like place where the company is always the reason they are having to move on. Swift has a ton of million miler drivers, just as many of the mega carriers do. They certainly know how to get things done, and so do their successful drivers.

Don't sell yourself short. There is a way to success at a large company, They have a ton of opportunity.

Old School. It seems that the too big to get things done at Swift are mainly at my home terminal in Jurupa Valley. The most recent occurrence was when I was in route to the Jurupa area to make a delivery, then take home time. On the day before delivery, I received a macro stating that my truck was due for a Ca. Bit inspection in 5 days, and that if not done, my truck could go on a service hold. I sent a macro to my DL asking him to make an appointment to hopefully have it done on my home time. I received a macro stating that my DL was on vacation until Dec. 27. I sent another macro asking whoever was covering for my DL to make an inspection appointment. I received no response. I phoned the Jurupa shop over the course of the next two days, and left a message with four different people in that dept. No one returned my call. The service dept. at Jurupa never answers their phone, or returns calls. So, while in Jurupa, I walked into the service dept. and asked if they would be able to schedule my truck for an inspection. I was told that it couldn't be done until after Jan. 6. I also inquired about the Fontana terminal, which is about 15 miles away. Same thing, nothing available until after Jan. 6. I understand this is the holidays, but these two locations are notorious for having a backlog in the service dept. I am scheduled to go back out on Dec. 28, but my Ca. Bit inspection is due Dec. 27, which means that I might have to use a loner. The last time I got a loner, I was stuck in it for 30 days, and it reeked of cigarette smoke. I can understand using a loner if my truck needed a major repair, or if I had to wait on a part. But, to go through all of the hassle of moving my belongings into a loner just for an inspection is a little much. If I knew that my truck wouldn't be placed on a service hold, and that I could get my inspection at another terminal with no backlog, I wouldn't be as concerned. At other Swift terminals, I could have my inspection done without an appointment. Another thing about the Jurupa terminal is, the way that empties are given. Basically, if you don't drive into the Jurupa terminal with an empty, they won't give you one. They will send you on a 2-4 hour goose chase for non existing empties. I won't even go into the parking situation at Jurupa. I guess that I should have been more specific that these problems were at the Jurupa terminal. I don't have these problems at most of the other Swift terminals. It seems that the freight has really grown in the So. Cal region, and that Jurupa just hasn't been able to keep up. But, this is my home terminal, and I would really like it if drivers got more support from this terminal. I should also mention that, this terminal will service outside, non Swift trucks without an appointment.