My 2 & 1/2 Years with McElroy Truck Lines, Inc.

To anyone who has ever considered or is now (currently) considering going to work for McElroy Truck Lines, Inc., then here is my review for you.

First let me explain that the primary reason I decided to resign and turn in my truck (Wed. June 9, 2010) was due to the fact that my 3 year old little girl kept asking me - "Daddy, will you come visit me again?" - every Sunday morning when I was leaving out for the week. It was becoming too heartbreaking for me, and too hard on my Wife being alone week in and week out. Therefore, I accepted a local driving position in order to be home every night for my Wife and kids.

Moving right along, McElroy hired me right out of driving school late September 2007. From day one, everyone at the Pleasant Hill, NC terminal treated me with respect and courtesy. I don't want to mention names, but the fellow who runs the orientation class was a driver for 20 plus years and he is super cool, funny, and knowledgeable. My over the road driver trainer was tough, but he was fair and patient considering how "green" I was back then. My final "training week" in Cuba, AL was also tough but fair, but, once again everyone I delt with in Cuba was very nice. During the whole training process, I got the impression that they really wanted you to succeed and that they genuinely cared.

The first truck I was issued was a three year old International 9200i with about 300K miles on it. It was clean and operable. They made sure that you filled out a checklist about the truck itself AND all of the equipment they supplied so that when you left out for your first load, you were "good to go". In other words, with all of the things a new driver has to worry about, a broken down dirty truck and missing equipment was NOT going to be an issue for anyone of us new guys and it wasn't.

My first year I made almost 40K. My second year was a bit less than that due to the recession and time I took off due to a death in the family. I have not added up this year so far, but things had been "OK" - not GREAT, but not horrible either. Started career with them at 38cpm. Ended up at 42cpm. when I left.

Over my 2 and 1/2 years with them, they never left me "stranded" anywhere. If I got a flat or blowout, they immediately dispatched someone out to replace it. If the truck broke down, they immediately sent someone out to tow me to the shop a.s.a.p. The two times I broke down and could not be repaired "same day", they put me up at the nearest hotel and paid for it directly. They pay all tolls. They have EZ-PASS and PRE-PASS. Anytime I needed major work done at the terminal that was going to take too long, they would offer me a newer/later model tractor to move in to. Anytime I bought oil, anti-freeze, etc.. for the truck, they re-imbursed me next check. Anytime I needed personal time off, they granted it. Anytime I requested vacation it was granted. In my whole time with them, they only kept me out "all weekend" ONCE, and that was my first weekend in the truck leaving Cuba to get back home to Va. Beach, and they paid me the extra "weekend pay" for the trouble too.

Now all decent sized companies have their "drawbacks". So, in the interest of fairness, here are some that I observed:

1)You will be WAY busier in the spring/summer than in the fall/winter. This is true for ALL flatbed companies, but it can be brutally slow for McElroy in the winter.

2)You WILL get home "every weekend". But there are quite a few "weekends" that mean home at 11pm Friday and leave 9am Sunday. Occasionally there were some home Saturday Morning/leave Sunday mornings, but those are more rare.

3)Despite what you may have heard, "MTL" does NOT stand for McElroy Truck Lines, it stands for "Must Tarp Load". Virtually EVERYTHING must be tarped with McElroy. My last load, in fact, was roofing shingles and the B.O.L. said "Load must be fully tarped".

4)God forbid if you need to see a Doctor or a Dentist Monday through Friday. If so, you are likely to sit at home the rest of the week instead of just the one day you asked for (at least in my personal experience). Your best bet is to go to a Doc-In-The-Box on a Saturday if possible.

and finally -

5)Weigh your loads out and CALL YOUR FLEET MANAGER IF YOU ARE OVER WEIGHT. If they give you permission to run with it, they will pay the tickets. If you don't weigh and/or don't call - be prepared to have $25 a week deducted from your settlements until the tickets are paid off. The reason I say this is a "drawback" is because you will occasionally pick up a pre-loaded trailer at a facility with no scales and the ticket says it's legal and when you get to the weigh station you learn otherwise the hard way.

Other than that, I have to give a thumbs up to McElroy from start to finish. My fleet Manager was a sweet lady. The lady in "Safety" down in Cuba was also very sweet. Even turning the truck in at the Cuba Terminal was a no-hassle deal. They will furnish you with either a bus ticket or a cab ride to the airport or hotel to get you home. So, despite what has been posted about McElroy in the other forums - if you are looking to go flatbed, you could do a whole lot worse than McElroy Trucklines and that's my 2 cents worth.

 

jtrnr1951 - Yup, Happy and TRUE my brother, THAT is why I posted it here.

kebo072: I ran mostly NORTH of VA Beach. But, you will run wherever Mr. McElroy wants you to. I would usually run (from the house) to Skippers or Emporia, VA to pick up and take it to MD. From there, you go shingles, a steel coil, or sheetrock out of MD up farther north. Then it would be shingles or sheetrock back down south. Rinse and repeat.

Mattaponi Guard: Thank You!

Ike: I start with Bluelinx on Monday. Flatbed work in a DAYCAB. Home every night and ALL weekend. Wife, kids, and "me" VERY happy about it

 

No problem brother! One thing you can count on with McElroy is that they will not blow smoke up your "______" about ANYTHING. They don't make you any promises that they can't keep. Just remember (if you don't already know) that flatbed work = hard work, but if you are willing to work hard, then they will take care of you.

Also, they will "watch" you pretty close via the qualcomm your first month or two, so don't try to leave out before your 10hr break is up (for example) or they will call you and tell you to shut down. Also, (and I was never told this but I and many other drivers experienced it first hand), they will run you VERY HARD the first couple of months. We all came to the conclusion that they were kind of testing us to see if we could "take it". Just remember to work and drive legal as they will not ask you or expect you to do otherwise.

And finally, and this should be good advice to any new driver, don't cop an attitude with anyone EVER - be it shipper or receiver or fleet manager. If you get pissed off about something, sit in your truck with the windows rolled up and cuss to yourself. I personally know that a driver was fired for calling a scalehouse worker at one of the shippers an "A-Hole". Mr. McElroy is very religious and although nobody will preach to you (or at you), he expects his drivers to be courteous at all times. Don't forget to keep your shirt tucked in while at the Cuba Terminal