Was there 5 Years
This post is a little old, but I'll add my .02 I worked there for 5 yrs, left in '98. I don't know how they are now, but this was how they were then. If your only interest is making money you'll do good, but you'll earn it. You could make a triangle on a map from Ft Smith Ark, to Chicago, to Atlanta, then back to FS. This was where I spent 90% of my time running. They basically run you from terminal area to terminal area, with each terminal working its area customers for freight, based on the number of trucks headed there way. Thats where the Qualcom is nice. 99% of the time when you punched in empty you were already preplanned on a load based on your ETA. At the time, they had an $800.00 wk garrentee, weither you turned a wheel or not, or freight was slow. I know they weren't afraid to bounce trucks around if freight WAS slow, as I've loaded out of Ft Smith going to Michigan, and went back to Ft Smith empty. This happened in other area's also ( got'a love milage pay, and fuel bonus's here ). I came here from SMX so had flatbed experience hauling the same freight. Didn't matter, they teach you the " Maverick " way. Example- DOT says 1 tiedown per 10,000lbs, Mav says 8,000. At first you wonder why, after awhile it just becomes natural. You WILL learn to tarp, and there tarps are well designed for what they haul. Thats why they look good going down the road, even in a tornado. Get used to double tarping steel, canvas one first, then vinyl, saves the vinyl tarps from sharp edges. I could go on, but you get the idea. I liked SMX better in reguards to operating area, freedom to do your own thing, but Maverick in reguards to equip, money and home time ( in 5 yrs only missed 3 wkends ). HTH, Al