owner operator driver

account executive

truck driver

maintenance technician

electrician

Mercer Transportation

I literally felt like I was in prison. I had to ask to go to the bathroom or at least let someone know, or I got "scolded". I could not talk to co-workers making it impossible to feel comfortable around anyone. When you have a full-time job, your co-workers become your second family, whether you like it or not. Being harassed daily about talking to one another is ridiculous. If people are talking because they have nothing to do, what does it matter? If people are talking, ask yourself why? If people are talking too much there is a reason. Figure out the reason, find a solution. I.e. I talk a lot during the day because I am bored, not challenged, can't focus, anxious, etc. How should this be resolved? Finding a project for that person to do in order to give them something to focus on. Asking questions to identify problems outside the workplace and finding a way to help that person feel relaxed at work so the problems outside do not affect performance inside the work place. Relax, it is okay if people have casual conversation, they see each other 40 hours a week right? 

Part of being a manager means, to make an executive decision based off the information or situation at hand. You should not enforce "policy" on someone who never breaks said policy, when and if the situation is appropriate. I.e. I feel very sick and do not think being at work is a good idea. I am not being productive in anyway and I do not want to spread the germs. Now, if said person is out of PTO, do you tell them they are not allowed to leave? Is that really what's important in this situation? Mind you, this person has never asked to leave work for any reason and has never been late/missed a day. This is a situation in which POLICY is irrelevant. 

These are examples of reasons why I hated working here. It was not all bad, however, I would never suggest working in operations at this company to anyone.

In 8 weeks from day 1
1.) No freight over 1.65 miles down to .70cents mile
2.) Minimum 200 - 300 miles dead head u pay the fuel/wear n tear no load.
3.)  So when I found the driver bringing hes box back told me good luck we only did 20,000 n3 months he was right !
4.) 150.00 dollars a week to lease there trailer.
5.) Tons of freight that has canceled every dam time good luck with there load board its all trucking company’s pu cheap freight nobody that smart would take. 
6.) Flatbed 500 miles 1,200 to the truck .

*Example on not helping a driver or there customer.
The driver asked for $150.00 more on his advance because he’s been deadheading a hole lot that he was probably going to be a little short on fuel. The first person told him oh they don’t give people money if they been here less than 6 mths. . So the driver half way through the day called back to ask and guess what they said No.
Okay Really said no to fuel 150 bucks to a driver the backbone to your company and your paycheck. 

So here is what happens Driver didn’t get fuel to get to the customer for pu didn’t happen  -1$
Driver drops empty trailer -2$
Driver  goes home to never return-3$

And yes the driver still waiting for someone other than the Van Management to call and check to see what happened. It’s been a week the only thing I got was on day 2 a email with sign this paperwork canceling my lease. It’s been days later my card still working I still see load board but also day 2 turns off my Logs’s whatever. U have been 

***SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THE DRIVER THE FUEL.

As an independent contractor with Mercer Transportation, I hauled freight nationwide while operating under what turned out to be a severely one-sided agreement. I was recruited and contracted in Texas but later forced to litigate disputes in Kentucky due to a buried venue clause that Mercer enforces aggressively. They refused final payments on multiple loads, repossessed my leased trailer after rejecting further payments, and later filed a fraudulent lien in Texas before even domesticating their out-of-state judgment — effectively blocking me from buying property.

A typical day involved long hauls with little dispatch support and vague settlement deductions. I learned that you must get everything in writing and never trust verbal promises. Management was nonresponsive and adversarial, particularly when disputes arose. The culture? You're on your own, and they’ll weaponize legal process to intimidate if you push back.

The hardest part of the job was navigating their legal traps. The most enjoyable part was being on the road — but Mercer had nothing to do with that.

The numbers:
In 7.5 yrs, Gross rev:$1,006,140($134K/yr); gross exp:$662464; 615114 total miles(82015mi/yr) (273mi/day out) (1913mi/wk), 34.2% clear b4 Fed income taxes; avg 300 days out/yr; $446 gross/day out; $3126 gross/wk; 23.7% DH(using all miles), $1.63 all miles avg, $0.469/mi fuel cost avg, $1.165/mi avg revenue net of fuel, total tolls $9690.
Bottom line, your personal income b4 income taxes = $45880/yr w/60 days home per year, or, $1070/wk, or, $153 per day minus $40/day eating out is $113/day, minus 20% income taxes (for me anyway) = $90.40 per day take home pay. All while tying up $200,000 of my saved capital in my operating equipment, which could have been in stocks making 10% ($20K/yr). I was debt free from day one, and somehow stayed debt free. Amazing I stuck it out so long. This is the secret Mercer nor any other owner operator company will tell you! Please copy and spread this valuable info! They depend on you not keeping a spreadsheet, get you stuck in your equipment (married to it), until you can work the equity back out enough to sell and escape this trap!

Mercer is a company that all owner operators should stay away from regardless if your in van or Flatbed.This company is nothing like they appear they lie about everything there is no money to be made what money is made is not seen as it goes to paying deductions.Rates are low on all sides it’s all broker freight & spot market they have no contract freight of there own.There 1st in 1st out policy won’t allow you to run consistently instead you have to set 4-5 days between loads.There never consistent with there deductions constantly changing how much they deduct & killing your profits.The ones who you’ll find that love Mercer & will swear to you they are the only company to work for are lying to themselves Mercer takes advantage of the uneducated.Mercer has some really good sales people working in there recruiting department be aware don’t be fooled by that angel voice on the other side with all them empty promises.I personally was at Mercer for 2 months & my biggest regret was that I didn’t quit sooner like the 1st day of orientation sooner.Only thing I did at Mercer was stay on top of my expenses never lost but never gained.

A typical day began with a tractor pre-trip inspection, then checking my phone for a load, hooking up in the yard and dropping off/and or picking up mostly at Tacoma/Seattle ports.

I learned about coupling/uncoupling, driving in traffic tips, sliding intermodal chassis's, where to place short containers on a long chassis and procedures at the ports.

Management was a bit overbearing and there was struggle between management and HR.

Workplace culture was kind of "US" against the company.

The hardest part of the job was trying to learn all the procedures at the ports when I was mostly given verbal instructions & trying to take notes in a moving truck doesn't work. Also the yard was totally full and the exit blocked, so only 1 way in and out, making maneuvering slow and difficult. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was just finally getting to work in the field after CDL training.

Let me start by saying I barely made it a few weeks in before being cut -- which in hindsight was a good thing. After I left, my paycheck went up 2.16x for a less stressful and fearful atmosphere. 

I will say some good about the job. It would be a good first job out of college to learn basic insurance claims adjusting skills, which then you could take to multiple places across town for a significant increase in pay.

I dwell on the pay because it truly is horrible for what you have to endure.

The workplace culture is one of the 1980s good ol' boy system. If you aren't one of them, you'll quickly be ostracized from the group. Trust me. Key to survival is get in with the crowd -- quickly.

Management style is one that leads by fear. Constant scare tactics. Think Henry VIII or Nero type.

The hardest part of the job would be dealing with truck drivers, which at times aren't the most refined folks with whom to deal. 

The most enjoyable part in the job was the balance of your day, per se. You were done at five, every day. No unpaid overtime.

I'll add the training is absolutely terrible. Two weeks of watching others work while being talked to like a schoolboy.

This is a company only for owner operators. That being said, most people who work here have a strong knowledge of the trucking industry and can be a vast well of knowledge for any newcomer needing help. There are some bad parts though. They work off of a load board, and it's first come first serve...to an extent. Say you emptied out in a city and are now looking for a load. But say 10 other drivers are also in that same city as you are, but they got there before you. Well, they now have the ability to chose a load before you do. This can really bite you in the rear if you don't pay attention to it. Some coordinators don't play this game, and it's obvious. You'll see some drivers getting heaps of miles to the point that they don't have to work an entire season. You know they aren't playing fair, but there's no one you can talk to about it. You just gotta learn how to play the game too.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Mercer is a well structured company.  Great people.  I liked the work as Owner-Operator Trucker which is a very difficult job in itself.  But they did well to help prepare the contractor.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Appointments and deadlines.  Plus the hard work of managing your own truck and then theres loading/unloading.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Positive.  They were informative with a useful Driver Orientation.  Multiple departments to help the organization stay well structured and aid the driver/contractor.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy! Drive your truck to delivery. Unload is usually driver assist.  drive to reload, usually driver asist.  drive a while (youre a trucker).  Sleep 10 just about anywhere. do it all over again.  See some of the USA.

I was a truck pay settlement clerk then went to the billing department and I was fired over a system message about a harassing driver because he did not label his paperwork. It is a decent place to work until you find something better but that's about it. It is plenty of room for advancement if you're part time but that's it. After becoming a full time employee 90% of the opportunities there are lateral. Which means no immediate pay raise to go to another department. The chances of you becoming a supervisor is slim to none so it's not like you're moving up the career ladder. Being disrespected by drivers is normal there. It is about who you know there. If you know the right people you will make it far but other than that it's a hipocracy.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Owner operator driver 598 salaries reported	$225,000 per year
Account executive 1 salary reported	$45,000 per year
Truck driver 1 salary reported	$1,387 per week
Maintenance technician 4 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour
Electrician 4 salaries reported	$63,000 per year

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