TMC- Prior or Current Drivers Questions

I've never driven for TMC -- but if you ultimately want a more local trucking job -- 6 to 9 months with TMC will probably not be enough to get you there.

You will need to stay with your first carrier for at least a year, for a decent shot at more local gigs.

Leaving TMC with less than a good year of driving time will likely come back later to bite you in the butt -- given the current CDL job market.

-- L

 

Thank you for your service and welcome to trucking.

For parking, you can check with just about any business out there with a large parking lot and see if you can park there. Also, sometimes tow yards and storage facilities will rent out parking spots. Might need to pay a fee to park, but it is worth paying for the piece of mind of no one messing with your truck when you are away.

I don’t really know anything specific about TMC. I do know that most TMC drivers I see are very professional and competent, so they must be doing something right over there. I would suggest following “Airborne Trucker” on youtube. I don’t normally follow or support all these youtube truckers, but he’s one of the few good ones.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out with any other questions. Lots of good dudes here in the flatbed forum!

 

Did you look at Maverick?

 

Mind you, I'm going on the assumption that not much has changed in the years since I last drove for them. Back then, guys in the northeast had almost zero issue getting home for the weekend, and often made out just a tad bit better than home-every-weekend guys in the midwest and especially the southeast, just due to more freight options in the northeast that at least then paid a little more on average. I tested that theory out by volunteering to do a couple northeast home-every-weekend type turns, and at least for me, it turned out true. Some of that has to do with the amount of distribution centers up there. (Which, just to be sure, no one except the local runners like the DC loads, talking about Lowes and Home Depot, but they are there.) The other advantage to being in Buffalo is being that close to north-central Ohio and northern PA, which at least back then may as well been lumber heaven (especially the mill at Mount Jewett).

This is a really long way of saying that yes, you should be fine. If you volunteer to stay put a weekend or two here or there, they'll love you for it, and you may make some more $ (it ain't a guarantee, but it ups your chances).

One other point of note: many drivers despise the northeast (read: New York City) because of the traffic and the entirety of it because of the winter weather. You're Buffalonian; I know that ain't nothing to you. But learning to pilot a combo in that weather is it's own learning curve.

As far as parking, the only thing I can say now is try to get in good with the guy who owns that Jim's truck stop on the southwest side of Buffalo and see if he'll hold a spot for you. Beyond that, you can try checking into the south side of town where all the truck stuff is and see if someone might let you stash your rig there on sometime. Just bear in mind TMC requires truck and trailer to stay together when parked.

 

here’s the facts about TMC one they’re training company, covered by Lloyd’s insurance, the former owner of the company is dead unfortunately, the company is backed by super wealth, Fortune 500 customers/clients, their ESOP is a false promise just a corny internal promotion to brag about in boredom because half of the people in the office don’t even have a CDL. Their trucks go 65 mph now because so many people complain and the insurance company finally was tired of their complaints and allowed them to bump the speed up 2- 3 miles per truck. It turned out they were causing more accidents, delays and more traffic than anyone actually realized it the past 5-10 years all over the country especially on double highway roads and mountain paths.

so if you go there, only expect to work there for a year because you have to sign a contract, upon acceptance of your employment.

if you have your CDL you only have to do a couple weeks or less, test out, and then they put you in a Driver Trainers truck for 4 or 5 weeks, you make that driver money and he tells you okay your good on your own and then they put you in your truck and then you do your year contract. Where they probably fire you or terminate you because America is an at will society lol.. plus their annual turnover rate is like 80% or worse even. they have the truck speed set to your pay and they also skim the load pricing posted to you with their brokerage side of the company so they’re gonna tell you you’re gonna get paid anywhere from 28% to 32%.. nobody ever makes 32% and they’re gonna make up your paycheck with all this fun math and corny stuff but meanwhile they take like a third of the load before they even show you the price of the load. They hedge the two companies together as well as hedging military workers with newbies because they need something to do. so the broker side of things hedges, the fleet managers, the same way, the transportation side of things hedges, the drivers and then they hedge the two and dictate what gets done with delegation by mathematics.

also the government gives them an annual grant to pass a certain amount of drivers to continue getting the grant so they’re training school and educational stuff is as much as a business as everything else.

 

*citations needed*

 

Go work there you’ll figure it out. also TMC and Maverick are technically the same company.

 

Boy it’s getting deep in here….let me get my ######## waders.