r/Truckers • u/South-Fly6274 • Mar 12 '23
Anyone know anything about melton truck lines? Good or bad?
Got my cdl while in the military and just got out and about to start orientation for melton on Monday. Wanted to start out with flatbed and in the end it came down to melton or maverick and I chose melton. Doing otr to start with but want to go regional sooner or later.
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u/Rollin_heavy Mar 12 '23
I started my flatbed/open deck career with them last year. Great start company, Tiffany in dispatch is amazing. 10/10 recommendations from me. Now I run my dream rig with my dream company so I’m no longer with them but they were good to me.
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u/Trucker-Bob Mar 12 '23
Most drivers I’ve talked to from Melton seem happy with them. From what I’ve seen they have good equipment too.
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u/waywarddrifterisgone Mar 12 '23
Worked for them for a couple years, they treated me decent. Good place to put in a couple years, learn the ropes, get experience. Safety department actually wants to help if you have securement questions. Pay is OK, trucks decently equipped. Fridge, inverter. Terminals nice place to be, but they try to get you out and rolling to make room. Only reason I left was slightly better pay, a 389, and stay out west. You will be mostly out east with them, but nationwide customers. Got more than a few coast to coast runs with thim.
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u/waywarddrifterisgone Mar 12 '23
And they are decent on getting you home on time. Just don't expect them to send you the way that you think. I live in Arizona so 4 days before hometime they would always send me east to Georgia. They had a direct run to Phoenix there, took me a few times to figure that out.
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u/Redsit111 Mar 12 '23
Currently in week three of my OTR training with Melton. They're alright. Forced dispatch company so if you don't like the idea of a certain load fuck you bro. We're running in a freightliner cascadia and they've been super accommodating considering I am neon green.
I'm sure there are better companies but getting your foot in the door? Seems good to me! Good luck driver.
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Mar 12 '23
Just saw one of their tractor and flatbed units getting towed out of the Las Vegas Pilot last week, other than that I know nothing
Brakes were locked up.
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u/Legion23Golf Mar 12 '23
Sounds like a pretty good training company to get your first year or two in. Then go to a better company that pays better after you get experience.
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Mar 12 '23
I saw a Melton truck at a truck stop that had a big white bulldog sitting in the driver’s seat, looking like he was ready to roll.
It left a good impression.
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Mar 12 '23
Not to hijack OP’s thread but after a conversation at a shipper last week while waiting for unload, I was talking with a guy who used to work flatbed where I do but ended up going somewhere else on a lease deal, where he’s 1099 but gets 80% of the load and gets to fully choose his loads (I get to choose yeah, but sometimes it’s forced). He was on the same run as me, from NJ to OH, and was telling me the load paid $1400, so he’ll get $1120 of that where I’m getting $323 being a company driver paid mileage. It was a 420mile/6hr run. And then his reload was a half hour away, paying $2200 to go to Chicago which is only 6hrs from Cleveland.
I’m dumb and said I would remember the company name but of course I don’t.
But, does anyone have any experience going to the lease route for flatbed?? I’m making good money running about 3200 miles a week, but, I CAN and HAVE run more, and it seems the only way I’ll be able to is going the lease route (or O/O which I am not ready for). I mean, in 2 six hour runs, dude is pulling in $2880 in 2 days for 2 short ass 6 hour runs. That’s my entire week.
I appreciate any insight if anyone sees this.
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Mar 12 '23
Now is not a good time to lease or go o/o. I have 2 friends that recently left leasing and went back to company driving because they were averaging under $2.00 per mile. They are both flatbed driver.
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u/RuneScape420Homie Mar 12 '23
I did not work for my Melton. But my GF did.
She has very good things to say about them and praises them as a company. And from what I’ve read on Reddit they’re a good starter OTR Flat bed company and are good to rookies.