Metropolitan Trucking, Inc reviews

Don’t say, “You weren’t forewarned”.

Pros

Equipment (trucks and trailers) would receive an A- overall

Qualcomm with GPS, and not a lot of Macros.

Practical Pay

Directv

Cons

If I worked 5 days and home for 48 hours I never saw more than $850.00. If I worked a 6th day which cuts into your weekend I averaged $950.00. Most of the time I only grossed $850.00. Their ad says $57,000+ avg annually ($1,100. per week). I’ve talked with several Metropolitan drivers at shipper / receivers and the majority say the same thing, “They only make around $850.00”. Now if the average is $57,000+. Explain this: if the majority of drivers are averaging around $850.00 and sometimes $950.00, then that’s $44,200 to $49,400. Doesn’t add up, however; there are drivers that stay out for 3 weeks at a time and maybe their working on recap hours. Who knows; maybe that’s where this number comes from, but I will tell you this. I don’t believe you’re ever going to see $57,000+ being home for 48 hours. Yup 48 hours, let’s discuss that.

They say your home every weekend, but it’s based on a 48 hour rule. Here’s a couple examples:

Example #1: If you get home Friday morning at 8:30 am, then you’ll need to leave 48 hours later which is Sunday at 8:30 am. There are no exceptions to this. If you don’t then you don’t get that minimum $850.00 guarantee, and yes sometimes they will send you home Friday morning.

Example #2: Let’s say you get home Friday night at 8:00 pm, then you’ll need to leave 48 hours later which is Sunday night at 8:00 pm, you will be required to leave Sunday night at 8:00 pm to get to your appointment Monday morning, say at 7:30 am. They could care less if you had to sleep your Sunday away (during the day), when you could have been spending time with your family. If you ask for a load starting out Monday morning instead so you don’t have to drive at night, they’ll take the minimum $850.00 guarantee away from you! If you do leave Sunday night, then plan on doing your 10 hour break the next day, during the day and driving for the rest of the week at night.

Back to the weekend, let the following sink in: “There will be times you’re not home for a full weekend.” I thought I would be home every Saturday and Sunday but I wasn't. Don't fall for their ad that says home every weekend. They consider Friday morning the start of the weekend, yup, Friday morning is considered the start of the weekend. I know makes no sense! Don't think because of where you live or because your special it won’t be like this because I promise you, there will be times you’re not home for the full weekend.

Wondering how many miles you’ll average? It depends on freight. Why’s that important: If you lose the $850.00 minimum guarantee then you’re only paid for the miles you ran for the week, so sometimes you may still do better than the $850.00 but other times you won’t and it hurts? It’s added stress that’s not needed.

You receive pre-plans about 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time you hear the same thing, “Not a lot of freight”. Most of the time my 10 hour break wasn’t 10 hours it was around 13 to 15 hours waiting for my next appointment. 

If you have any hopes of having a rapport with your driver manager, forget it, their all about business and could care less about getting to know you. For that matter when I had my 30 day review, my DM was cold, extremely cold, and I was just another driver and felt like I wasn’t even worth their time.

Most live loads take 2 hours to load. However, one of the places I went I spent over an hour playing yard dog (moving trailers around), before the shipper would even load me, and yes obviously I didn’t receive one cent for doing any of this. They agree with the shipper / receivers to do anything they ask in order to get the loads. They know they don’t have to pay you one red cent for your on-duty time so why would they care if you work for free in someone’s yard. Detention is only paid after 2 hours and that’s when most loads are finally completed. 

You can only fuel at particular Pilots / Flying J’s around the country. Sometimes you may pass several before you get to an approved Pilot / Flying J. You’ll receive a fuel sheet with approved locations. However, sometimes, they’ll say they prefer you to avoid this place or that place due to increased fuel prices. 

Health insurance is high compared to other carriers and its two months before you’re covered.

You are required to go to a Cat Scale anytime your over 35,000 lbs. You pay for it with the fuel card they give you. Even if there are no state weight stations (chicken coops) on your route, they want you to go to a Cat Scale at a Pilot or Flying J regardless. I know a big waste of their money and your time. I would say 2/3 of my loads were light weight and 1/3 were heavy.

Certain parts of Ohio you’re not allowed to use the Turnpike because of tolls. You’re required to use back roads. 

You’ll also have to pay a Pennsylvania local tax each week along with an unemployment tax. Doesn’t matter if you live in that state or not. You still have to pay it. It’s only a small amount each week, but adds up to around $75.00 dollars annually.

Last, if you’re on the northeast regional account (home every weekend, “partial weekend that is”) plan on driving back and forth across the George Washington Bridge spending time sitting in traffic, along with spending much of your time around the New Jersey area. Some places are the most awful in regards to backing into. Majority of time they send you to good places, but NJ is a pain at times.

Advice to Management

Why bother they wouldn’t listen anyways and could care less about anything you had to say. Their opinion is the only thing that matters and this is why they will continually see driver retention not at suitable levels. Life is hard enough without a company you work for playing word games within their ads. (Home Every Weekends / Regional $57,000+ avg. annually). My advice to other drivers if you like ads with twisted words then apply, but don’t say, “You weren’t forewarned”.

hate to say it but 2 bad weeks and the start of a third didnt get 2000 miles last 2 checks and doesnt look like i will hit that this week... i here my old job as a yard jockey calling me back....... you make your own call but i am saying now just like every other company out there 

Hi, just wanted to let all of you know I have been with metro for 8 years. Started as a Chicago regional and am now Chicago local. There have been good times and bad as there is with any trucking co.I have been driving for 36 years and started with a company in Chicago.There is never going to be a company that is right for everyone. In the trucking business there are times that are you can make a lot of money and then times that are slow and you make less. Ther was a period at metro a few years ago that almost every driver was down by about 250.00 per week.that went on for several months then things picked up.A lot of drivers quit and some came back later.

Working out of the Bolingbrook,IL yard every body there is great. My wife was very ill for 2 1/2 years.and they worked with me so I could take time off when i needed it.Right now the economy is bad in areas for trucking others are good. You have to remember that trucking is not for everybody.If you are married your spouse has to be able to be alone and take care of things on their own because you might be hundreds of miles away. I firmly believe that trucking has to be in your blood. It can get very lonely on the road,especially if you have to lay over. As far as metro is concerned overall its a good company to work for.I have met and talked to Joe jr. and he is a great person. He will listen to you. 

There have been a lot of changes since I started there,Some of them at first seemed a little odd and hard to get used to. Some of them were not good and management changed them..

The trucking industry is undergoing a lot of changes right now and it will take some time to get everything in place.

I hoped I have helped those that are in or thinking about being a truck driver.

well i couldnt afford to work for metro my full 90 days .. quite 2 weeks ago and went back to my old job with a local company... guarenteed $750 gross a week min. normally i gross $900 a week and am home in bed every day... to reply to gearjammer wasnt looking fpr 3000 a week and being home on weekends but couldnt get 2000 a week i am sure yo now what the pay for 1700 to 1900 miles a week equals couldnt afford to do that almost lost my house from not making any money was only taking home 4 to 450 a week... i was talking to one of there local drivers in jersey and he was getting more miles then me but he was hourly figure that one out... they are really nice people there maybe just my manager was the bad egg dont know but am happier being home every day

Just quit there after 3 months. The same story as another person on the blog. Not getting enough miles. 1500-2000 mi. a week. insurance for 2 is $80 a week. People sitting all throughout the east and they are still running ads for needing people, and hiring more people than there are trucks. It is a shame, really. They act like they care and got me home every week, but they do the same things that a PTL company does. Keep filling empty trucks when they are not able to give the drivers that are already there enough miles. I am about to believe that all these common carriers are the same. They don't really care if you have enough to live on or not. If they did, then they would not hire any more drivers as people quit just to fill empty seats, but would rather be able to give the current drivers more of the miles available. That would keep them happy and not have to lie to the new hires about what kind of money they could make.