Averitt Express Not What it seems

First of all, I am not a driver but a driver's wife. Not just any driver's wife but one that spent 21 years as a dispatcher for two companies. I now work in another field because I refused to lie.
I don't believe you have to lie to drivers to be a good dispatcher or a good employer.
Over a year ago I suggested that my husband talk to Averitt. The benefits are good and still are if you are just wanting benefits. The first six months they were very impressive with postcards and letters telling him what a good job he was doing. I was impressed to say the least.
About 50% of the orientation is a bunch of lies of which you don't find out about until you are assigned your fleet manager and have been there for about three months. NO...I was not in the orientation but most of the lies are posted on their website.

For example: ( direct from the website 08/05/2008)
"Every week, it's my job to get my drivers home for the weekend. I don't go home until I know they're going home. It's a great feeling to know that we're all working together so we can get home to what matters most."

- Averitt Fleet Manager ​

If this is the case then there are a lot of Fleet Managers that need to be fired for not doing their job. ​

The reason you don't get miles is because they leave you sitting for extended periods of time. You might unload at 8 a.m. this morning and then when you get your dispatch it's a load picking up at 3 p.m. the next afternoon about 150 miles away.
Another problem is the fact they have 19 year old college kids for night dispatchers that have never been on the road. It's like talking to a blonde bimbo. Clueless! One other way they give you the shaft ( nothing in orientation about this wonder why) if you unload in Atlanta they may give you a load to go pick up and take 17 miles down the road. The pay is only $25 and it might take you part of the night and part or all the next day to unload all for $25.00. So there goes your miles.
Another Averitt jewel is how long it takes you to get unloaded at some places. In addition to waiting for an extended period to get unloaded they want to send out fleet messages all day while you are trying to nap from driving all night. Beep, Beep,Beep, Beep. Then once you do get empty they want you to drive all night to deliver another load the next morning. If you say anything then they tell you that you should have slept while they were unloading you. Some places won't allow this. Sometimes they expect you to break the law by stretching your hours then other times they want to shut you down when you have hours to drive. They are not consistent at all. They have some fleet manager that talk to their drivers like they are dogs. My husband was told just this week that Averitt is a 7 days a week company and if he was expecting to be off on the weekend maybe he should try another profession.
I could go on and on and I am sure there are those drivers that are some fleet manger's pet that won't agree with my post. Trust me...I know how that works. If all you are looking for is a truck to live in and good benefits then Averitt is your company but if you have a family and want to be off at least a day and a half on the weekend you can forget it. Also if you are a Christian man that likes to go to church on Sunday then don't go to Averitt. One of the fleet managers told my husband that they are only allowed to let five drivers be home on Sunday per fleet manager. So church is not a option working at Averitt. ​

 

I have a close friend that just went through this with Averitt. I have been a driver and a Fleet Manager I don't believe you have to lie to the drivers to get the job done ..but who am I to say. Great post by the way....
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I also drove for them about they are the lying-est company I have ever seen gunney is telling the truth they take sides with there fleet mangers or in other words lying dispatchers if you want to stay working there don't cross them !!!!!!!!!!!

 

averitt is a sorry company and if you have a complaint about your truck don't go to your fleet manger just go to one of the service shops and get it fixed !!!!!

 

I am wondering why TruckingJ would say" I would tread carefully here". Trust me nothing here is a lie and very easily proved. If they don't like what is posted here then they need to change their way of doing business. If you treat your employees bad it usually comes back to bite you.

 

I drove for Averitt Express for 6 months and that was all I could take...couldn't take it anymore. Their over-the-road division is HORRIBLE. They say they get you home every weekend...BS. They get you 100 miles from your house on a Friday afternoon...you get all excited about getting home and they send you AWAY from your house. NEVER failed with Averitt. I had had enough of that crap and, yes, it happened MANY times. That used to piss me off. Then they said they have a load waiting for you to take home AFTER sent away from your house...sure, but then you would have to deliver the other one and would get home on Sunday morning and have to leave Sunday evening.

One thing is, their line-haul drivers were happy...but, good luck getting on that! I remember giving them a two-weeks notice and then about a week later they said I didn't have to give the notice, I could leave. Oh man, you should have seen me burning the tires on the way out! I was so happy to get away from them.

 

I worked for averitt truck load for over a year. The problem I had was all the sitting I did. I would pick up a truck load and drive about 500 miles, sleep, get up and make my delievery at 8 am. then I would sit and wait for a load assignment till about noon. My load assignment would be to pick up an ltl load which usually arnt ready till 11 pm or 12 then i would have to drive all night to get the load there by 7 am 450 to 500 miles await. So sleep all night sit all day and then drive all night. Then sit there and hope to get a load that day.

 

You and every other honest Averitt Driver has done this. I have actually sat up late talking to my husband on the cell phone to keep him from falling asleep at the wheel in a situation identical to the one you described. Then the next day I am half dead from the lack of sleep trying to keep him alive. I am not sure how they manage to get by with this. Maybe someone can explain it. Better...I would like Averitt to explain it.

 

I have a great FM , never have a problem with layovers, break down or any other type of pay. I have treated my FM/boss with great respect from day one. until this recient slow down I was averageing 2800 mile a week, running legal, but with my butt in the seat 11 hrs a day. If things are not working out for you start out by thinking that you are there to serve. Attitude is everything!

 

If you have a great FM then I would suggest that you don't tick him/her off for any reason because when you change to another FM then they will get their heads together and mess you up good. It's called paybacks. Not to mention the fact that a good many of the home office employees at Averitt are kin to each other.
Averitt is a sorry company. All it takes for them to "do" you over is for you to call it to their attention that they are breaking a federal law and you are all but done.
As long as you don't have a family to support and can perform like a circus animal you have it made. NO
There are a handful of drivers that do well with Averitt because they kiss up.
I use to be a FM and I can tell you that you don't have to talk to a driver like he is a dog to get him/her to do what you need them to do. Averitt has a real problem with how their Nite FM's talk to their drivers and some of the Day shift does the same thing.


It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out there is a problem when a company has a huge driver turn over.

Another tip...if you are working for Averitt now and plan to leave. Get all your ducks in a row before you tell them because the minute you tell them...your benefits leave you.
Also get ready to get the run around with your retirement account. They will bounce you around about rolling it over.
They don't accept federally accepted forms only theirs...so prepare to lose money on your account for at least 60-90 days while they jack you around about your forms.