hey guys. im still around. a bit frustrated. i cant seem to keep my 2004 frieghtliner out of the shop. ive been in the shop 4 times in the last 30 days. for a totaly of 14 days. I just got it back today for the last time. they were supose to fix my a/c. after working on it for 2 days it is now worse than when i put it in the shop. The shop manager tried to put me in a kenworth condo with an apu a 2007 model but the boss in tulsa said no cause then my POS 2004 would be stuck in houston. I called my dm and told him i could no longer drive this truck. i cant stay alert behind the wheel when its so hot in the truck that my hands burn to touch the wheel and i get no sleep because i sweat allnight. I am supose to be going into tulsa after i drop off this load going to PA to recieve a truck of my choice even if i have to recover it. I am not sure how much of that I can believe but at this point cr england is really looking tempting i bet they can atleast give me a truck that has a damn a/c

i can not leave it at that. i would like to go into more detail. Ive been to the T/A shop twice then the shop in tulsa and last the shop in houston. I spent a whole day in prescot while T/A tried to figure out why my truck wouldnt start and why the a/c went out again. After i sat there a whole day missing my delivery time they figure this all out and arrow refuses to let them fix it after having them figure out the problem... ok...all the sence in the world there. After that is when i went to houston and they tried to put me in a 2007 kenworth condo but some one uptop said no. they tried to load me up and send me off and i refused to drive without being fixed. my damn truck wont even start for damn sake. called my DM he talked to jim and jim made them fix it. They fixed my started and made my A/C even worse. I feel like a cat trying to catch my tail but always coming up short. If i dont get out of this truck after this delivery i think I am just going to turn in my truck and walk away. I cant make a living spending half of my month in shops across the US.

I definitely feel your pain Optimu5. Thats how they roll. I figured that out in the first four weeks with Arrow. They are doing everything they can to cheap out. Part of the reason is of course, the price of fuel. They will push you as far as possible to save a buck for the company. No matter what they say, they could care less about their drivers. That is evident in the unsafe equipment that they insist on running.

I left Arrow and have never looked back. I opted to stay home and restart my career in Health Insurance rather than be treated like a child by a company like that. If I do ever decide to return to driving a truck, I guarantee you that Arrow will not be on my list of possibilities.

If you are considering CR England, you may want to consider Crete. There is a good thread on this forum from a Crete driver who is earning a lot of money, but has a great work habit. I had a great work habit (3 same day deliveries in one week) with Arrow, but I was not even given as much as a pat on the back. As a matter of fact, I was rewarded with more cheap freight (I was on percentage).

Arrow is not a place to begin a career as a driver. Do yourself a favor, move on. Make some phone calls from the truck stop and make a plan to turn in that truck, get a bus directly from the Arrow terminal to the new employer. Get paid decent money for decent loads.

You see how cheap they are with your comfort? They are building a new shop in Houston. Did you see the size of that foundation dig there? They can build a new shop, but they cant get a hardworking driver (the guy who pays their salaries) freakin air conditioning.

Nuff said.

yah I know. It just isnt that easy for me. I have a couple blemishes against me and i cant work for alot of companies. I cant walk away and then not have a job. I dont know of any companies other than CSI arrow and cr england that would hire me. Atleast for another 8 months.

I was with Arrow about two months and to think they fired me because I told the boss he would look good in a pink dress. Sitting 5 to 7 days in truck stops is not a trucking company it is a joke. Claiming if I would "train new drivers" I would get more loads. The same line that all training companies use: You can use the trainees log book and he can just strap and tarp loads. Still insist the CEO is a flammingo dancer.

Nah, he's not a flamingo dancer, but he IS a complete moron, thats obvious!!

I currently drive for Arrow and have no problems with this company. You also might want to tell people that your getting paid $50 a day while your truck is in shop and you cannot drive. You people make it seem like your not getting paid at all if your laid over or truck is in shop. Also, Arrow pays for your hotel if your truck is in shop overnight. In my opinion if Arrow does not want to pay $300 an hour for a TA employee to find a problem that they may or may not be able to find, that is a good business decision. Take the truck to an Arrow shop and let them change the a/c or give you another truck. And your hands burning on the steering wheel? Give me a break! Also, from your previous posts if your not getting miles talk to the head of the driver manager department. I forget her name, but it is her job to look at your miles and see if your DM is not doing his/her job. I average 3K miles a week every week. I actually look forward to sitting a couple days waiting for a load but it hardly ever happens. I usually have a load within 2 hours after unloading. The drivers I see a truck stops and at shippers/receivers are getting miles and happy. I dont know, but I would guess, that you have been late make deliveries or pickups. Or, your not doing your job. There is a reason why your having problems. Examine your own actions and I think you will be much happier. Good luck.

Well, there is the big difference right there. I was percentage. Go to Dallas or Houston and see all the drivers sitting around there waiting for loads. I have to admit, my waits were never very long, maybe 8 or 9 hours at the most, but my loads just sucked butt. As a regional at least, it's close to impossible to reach $1k per week, especially with those cheap little loads running around Texas. (thought SouthWest Rgnl was SEVERAL states???). Also, if your regional and NOT on a run to deliver the following Monday somewhere out of Texas, you WILL be sitting in a TA.


And by the way, I've NEVER EVER EVER been late on a delivery or pickup. Not with Arrow, not with Garero Trucking, and not with TMC. EVER.

I've NEVER EVER EVER been late on a delivery or pickup either; it was my refusal to train newbees and they made that perfectly clear in our cell phone conversations. Trainers jump to the top of the board they told me; if you don't train you don't get no miles. Obviously they run the newbees at 23 cents a mile and the experianced drivers sit in truck stops. Just curious; how many kids did Arrow trucking kill in 2007? The DOT stats say over 12 thousand deaths in 2007 with big rigs, over 5 thousand were drivers. USA Truck lost five drivers already by May 2008. Seems Iraq has better stats then the trucking industries training programs; better insurance coverage too.

I start my CDL training Monday and Arrow is one of the companies that have "pre-hired" me once I get my CDL. I noticed their pay for new drivers is better than most. Is Arrow a good company to start with???
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.