Website Info, Can someone clarify?

What it consists of?
My money is on, Paperwork, Videos, Drug Test they are usually all the same.

 

Celadon consist in 3 days in celadon headquarters Indianapolis,they fly you or bus,you will get pay $75 for each day,you will be getting 3 meals each day they have a cafeteria,good food,and orientation consists in drug test road test physical,videos,safety rules and filling paperwork,equipment is good but if they dont like you they will send you to the northeast all the time problem is paying for tolls,miles sucks,pay sucks,management is poor and have no respect for drivers,they are very cheap they dont fix nothing on the trucks,and i wont recommend celadon they really sucks.

 

Only half of that opinion was honest.

Sure they may send you to the northeast but hey, your EZ-Pass pays those tolls. They do fix things on the truck. Mine just got a new accelerator pedal and when I asked for some 5th wheel grease, they didn't tell me to take a hike, they said to back up to one of the open doors and a mechanic would squirt some on for me. It's a pretty purple color, too.

Yes you can take a passenger but you'll be payroll deducted insurance for that passenger while they're in the truck with you. The previous comment about what orientation consists of is right on. It's on the 2nd floor of the new building so be prepared for stair climbing! Paperwork, videos, paperwork, videos, paperwork, people from various departments (safety, logs, payroll, etc.), drug test, physical, road test. more paperwork. more videos. open book tests, closed book tests. waiting. videos. waiting.

Just remember this lovely tid bit: the more drivers in orientation who insist on asking stupid questions and sharing stories about "well when I was with (company)...", the longer orientation lasts for everyone. Tell the people around you to shut their trap and save the stories for lunch and smoke breaks.

 

Sequoia's description of things is really good. Amanzanedo may have leased a truck? Northeast tolls, problems getting repairs, and similar problems have been issues for some in the past. I don't know of many company drivers having issues with repairs or tolls though. Orientation is paid, but I'm not certain of the amount. $75 per day doesn't sound quite right, but I could be wrong. As far as the original question, unless you go to the training school, you're out on the road right after orientation. No trainer.

The other comment about bad management and disrespect is a very subjective thing. I won't question the experience amanzanedo had, but I can tell you that's not typical of Celadon. I'm a dispatcher (don't hate me) and have a lot of genuine respect for every driver on my board. It's not a perfect company, but when I ask my drivers how things are going they're generally satisfied with the way things are being handled. The trouble is that your dispatcher is going to be the only person in the office really looking out for your best interest - so if you get one that doesn't care, or doesn't mesh well with your personality, you could have issues. But you can always ask for a different one...

For a relatively big van carrier, you could do worse. Just my $.02. I'll do what I can to answer any other questions, if you have them.

 

To be clear, this is all just my opinion/observations - nothing official, so take my input for what it's worth. What kind of info are you looking for regarding benefits? The "company drivers" tab on driveceladon.com gives a rundown of what you can expect - the main things missing are the premiums you'll have to pay for coverage, and I don't know those numbers offhand. I can tell you Celadon is self-insured, and right now they're really pushing the use of Castlight. I'm not an expert on it, but it's supposed to let you compare the cost of healthcare services so you can shop around and save some money, both for you and the company. If you elect company insurance you get a certain amount to spend before you hit that deductible and have to start paying out of pocket. So, stretching those dollars saves money... that said, it may help to contact recruiting if you have serious interest.

I'm not very familiar with the details of the rider policy - there is some paperwork and additional cost involved, as Sequoia mentioned. I don't know how riders fit into orientation - again, talking to someone in recruiting may be your best bet. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but it's not something I've dealt with much.