Marten Transportation SUCKS!!!!!

They were at one time, then about 3-4 years ago things started going down hill.
The current pres of Marten Tim Kohl formally of Knight and jb hunt, doesn't care about the drivers, even if they have been here 30 years.
Going byby are the otr runs every thing going regional or by rail, so otr drivers are doing that crap in region, thousands of miles from home, then have a hard time gettinghome cause there are not many otr load to be had.

I admit, i used to brag about how good they were, the miles were great getting home on the day i requested to be home. But no more.
They would rather pay a 6 month out of school driver low wages, than pay bettter wages to keep thier senior drivers.

Go back and read every topic about Marten, you'll see the differance with your own eyes.

 

no ill just have to take your word on that one

 

I'm having a really hard time finding a good local job even though I apply apply apply!! I'm seriously considering breaking things off with my sweetheart, putting all my crap in storage, and going OTR nonstop for a couple years with no overhead. Right now with Child support, I'm lucky if my check is over 400 with Marten, but if I went with a good company like New Century, and just lived in the truck, I could probably save $80,000 in 2 years. Then buy my own rig cash money, and live the same way for a couple more years, and buy a house cash money, then sell the OTR rig and get a day cab, and get on with PTI hauling propane. Then at that point I would be back to where I was before my divorce liquidated everything I own. I'm sick of spinning my wheels, and not getting ahead. I rather suffer a little now and enjoy life later.

 

Which New Century? I looked them up, just out of curiosity, and found 38 carriers of that name.

 

Great post, MightyMike. I am reminded of an article I read perhaps 4 years ago that reported the trend of big carriers toward shorter hauls for higher rates per mile, and toward LTL. I recall seeing a memo posted in one of the Marten terminals that explained that Marten would pursue only short to medium hauls because there no money in long hauls anymore. But short hauls are SO hard on drivers, what with erratic sleep from bumping docks at all hours every day, and it's so hard to get a shower because when you finally leave a dock the time left for the run is tight. As the old saying goes, "If I wanted short hauls and lots of stops I would have become a mailman" (laughter through tears, lol)

 

just remember, as i tell all the other "lease purchase" drivers......

IF THEY COULD PUT IT ON THIER TRUCK AND MOVE IT CHEAPER, THEY WOULD....YOU'RE NOTHING BUT CHEAP LABOR

 

Marten Transport does not take care of their trucks, trailers, or drivers. Their pay is low, and not only that they well mess your pay checks up. You have to stay on top of them. I have had to call them about my husband paychecks and they would tell me that it well be fixed and on the next check but it would not be. I had some that it took me 3 months of calling before they paid him for the load. You have to stay on top of them about paying you back for the weight scales tickets that you paid out of your own pocket. You well have reefer and dry van. When you deliever your loads some are a drop and hook and some you well be waiting for ever to get unloaded or loaded. You well not hear a Marten driver complaing about the company because they can lose their job if they are caught. When they want to let you go they well tell to come to the yard and fire you. 99% of the time they well not fire you at your home yard. My father used to work for Marten Transport as well as my husband. We all live on the West Coast, when they let my father go they fired him in GA, he had to pack everything up. Pay for all his boxes to be shipped and then pay for his bus ticket home. The more pay that you get the shorter and tighter they get with your loads. You well hear lower pay drivers talking about how busy they have been with loads and hear them talking about all the miles that they are getting. The dispatchers dont care if you have the hours or not they well push the loads on to you and then give you problems. When ask for time off they have tell midnight of the first day off to have you home. So you a working on your first day off you want. You want to work for a good company send me a message and I well tell you who to go to work for.

 

You get only two good runs the whole time you are out tell your time off. You get one going out and one coming home the rest are really short. They dont care if you are having a family emergancy. I was 9 months pregant and bleeding my husband dropped his load in the drop yard with plenty of time for them to find someone to take it and then meet me at the hospital and they gave us nothing but problems and let him go. When they let you go they put a bad saying on your doc report. My father also worked for Marten and was having medical problems and they let him go and did the samething on his doc report. They have all of his medical paper work showing that he has medical problems and they well not remove their remark off his doc report.

 

if u have medical documentation,that is grounds for legal action!!!

 

Marten is based in a Right to work State. There fore they can say anything to fire you.