JokerPop, Yes sir, Mercer keeps me going. I've been running mainly western states and doing well. I'm hoping that I can keep rolling through the winter months. I keep hearing alot of drivers talking about how everything slows down during the winter. I hope not because I want to keep running and keep my new business going well. I was a company driver for Melton last year and I didn't sit too much except when I went into Laredo.
You gonna wait until spring to jump or ??? Sorry I haven't responded lately, just been busy working and chasing my kids around! Take care and have fun!

 

I’m still waiting until spring.Right now I’m still running the Vineland NJ to New Haven Ct 5 days a week as a company driver
I was talking to a Mercer op and he said what Mercer has trailers for 450 month and no money down.I don’t have a truck payment and that looks like a good way to go.Keep the $8.500 in the bank for truck repair. He also said that he runs no trap loads? And that you don’t need all the (Must have following:
Tarps to cover full 6' high load.
Ten 4-inch straps (2T long) with winches.
12 steel chains and binders.
Nine coil belting strips & 8 coil racks.) Any truth to this?
Have fun / run safe

 

Don't get involved with those trailers.Like any other outfit that does a lease purchase deal it is for the companies benefit not yours.Say Mercer is not your cup of tea after a short time and you decide to move on,(you must turn the trailer back into them)they are going to charge you back for a set of tires and brakes no matter how long you have pulled it.Also they deduct on of those maint. acct's. from your settlements, more often then not if you keep up with OOIDA's law suits these things end up being against the law.If you look around just a little you can find some pretty good deals on used flatbeds that will cost you a boat load less in the long run and won't put you under the companies thumb.
Equipment you need,here again stay away from their company store for a couple things,the biggest is their tarps you will be real sorry if go with them.There is not a heavier tarp out there and they have the worst seams,these things also rip real easy.These things are awfull all the way around.There are a number of guys here that don't even own any tarps.I wouldn't worry about coil racks either,I have a bunch of them out in the woods behind my house as far as I could throw them.In five years I got offered one coil and that was all I needed to do,all day to load,all day to unload and half a day to drive from point A to point B.Leave them things to the bottom feeders like TMC.You can get 4" straps at Utility Trailer in Seabrook,NH for about $10 apiece and Mercer gets about $20 for theirs.Now their chains and binders as I remember were not priced too bad and these new style "T" handle binders have been real handy in tight spots.
In short the more of your own equipment you show up with the better shape you will be in and the less likely you will be tempted to haul cheap freight so you can pay Mercer when they should be paying you.

 

Buying tarps, chains, binders, straps, etc., will cost you about $2,200 or so. You may find some for less if you check around. You will be much better off if you can find your own trailer and pay cash rather than renting or leasing one from Mercer or any other carrier. Some carriers will rent a flat for about $165/week. I would get a 3 tarp set with 8' drops. That way you can haul most anything. There are light weight tarps available, but they cost a little more than the regular tarps. The important thing to remember when you pull flats is that you need to have the equipment to handle most anything that comes along. If you don't have enough tarps or securement equipment then you could miss some good paying loads. I probably carry much more equipment than I usually need, but when I do need it I don't have to wonder if I can handle a particular load. I don't miss any loads because I am not prepared. I would not go over board starting out. I would buy what the carrier suggests and then expand out from there. The carrier should know what is needed to haul their freight. Regardless of whom you decide to lease, chains, binders, straps and tarps are pretty much standard issue. In other words, you will usually need those items no matter whom you lease.

 

jokerpop, a 96" wide trailer will KILL you in the Mercer system. 102" is the industry standard. Even when the freight will fit inside of 60"s the shipper requests a 102', particularly the military.



If this thead continues,I'll post more. Mercer O/O 16yrs.

 

Thanks you right..(lease purchase deal it is for the companies benefit)..I was looking at keeping money in the bank for the truck. I'll just keep looking at trailers and picking up stuff as I go.

 

Yes you right Gman. An't no short cuts. If your going to do it do it right.

 

Thats what I'm looking at 48X102 air ride. Looks to me that prices are coming down on used ones and a few have traps,straps,ect,equipment that come with them. Man sure are alot sad stories. So I'm not looking to steal one,but I have to be tight with my money.
Hope you do post more,I'm all ears. They must be a good comany, You have been with them for 16yrs.

 

jokerpop,I've been with Mercer for 16yrs. mainly because I don't like changes and it's a good fit for me. We've had some longtimers quit over the past year and came back. THAT tells me something. I'm not going to expound the virtues of Mercer, you may sign on and hate it. I'll say what I say to everyone: If you don't care what you haul,where you go or how long you stay out, there's money to be made here. Just don't come here with deep financial problems and expect to solve them overnite. My learning curve took over 6mos. to figure out what worked for me. The first year I took just about every load they offered, just to learn the system. Fortunately I had a good coordinator to help steer me.
I will suggest, if you can, to hold off 'til at least Feb. to actually sign on, things here (at least for me) are slow until about Mar. simply because 1/3 of the country is covered with snow. Plus my truck and I are allergic to the crap At least get your screening done and that will be behind you. I'm not sure about now, but when I signed on, if you have any skeletons in the closet they WILL find them.

 

jokerpop, I was going to pm you but not enough posts yet.
GMAN is dead on about your tie down equipment.
48 x102 airride spread is about all you need, I started with an all steel Transcrapt, then a Transcrapt combo, I'm now pulling a '99 Reitnourer that I've had since new. An aluminum trailer at Mercer is almost pointless unless you run the rustbelt and weight is an issue. I pull one because I got tired of rusty frames, plus I think they look pretty cool.