West Tennessee Express

I figured that I might as well jump into this thread and give y'all the good and the bad with West Tenn Express. Depending on what you are looking for, this might or might not be the company for you. One fast word of warning...DO NOT EXPECT TO GET RICH WITH THEM! lol

The bad.....Pay is .30 cpm. Yes, that is THIRTY cents per mile. That is why I warned you not to expect to get rich. Trucks are older KW T-600s with lots of miles. Cat engines with 10 speeds. They say they are governed at 66 MPH, but I can only get 65 mph out of mine. All the trucks are safe and DOT legal..you go through the inspection bay every time you return to the terminal. These are no frills trucks and they show their age as far as heater thermostats, air compressors, worn out seats, etc. Paid weakly..err..weekly by check, no direct deposit. They hold back one weeks pay. I can't say anything about the health insurance yet, I will be eligible for insurance the first of next month (3 month waiting period.) Paper loose leaf logs, an you will need them. Another word of warning..if you get cited for a log book violation by law enforcement, you may as well clean out your truck as soon as you get back in. You are immediately terminated if you are cited for a HOS violation, but they will run your arse off and have you constantly tearing out log sheets and backing up your logs. Fuel stops MUST match the log, which is challenging at times especially since they tell you where and when to fuel. They also take $50 per week out of your first 5 checks and put it into an escrow account (this concerns me)..I still don't understand why a company driver has to maintain a $250 escrow account. The heater on my APU has not worked for a month. After writing it up for three weeks and freezing when I was trying to sleep, they finally set my truck so it would idle so I would have heat when I slept. Like most carriers, they shave a few miles off you pay, but they are not as bad as some. They say they use PC Miler, but it must be a different version than I have because their mileage is always short. You are allowed to get your truck washed once a month. No Pre Pass, no I Pass, etc...pay your expenses in cash and they reimburse you a week later.

The good.....you are home EVERY weekend for at least a 34. If you live close enough to Jackson, TN you can be home every two or three nights plus every weekend. All loads are straight out and straight back and the freight is very consistent..I have only had to wait for a load once and they paid me an extra $50 for waiting for 6 hours (but the loads are almost always 40K plus.) In the 3 months that I have been there, they have not shorted my pay and the checks have been good (meaning they did not bounce.) If you need to take some extra time off, all you have to do is give them a day or two advance notice. They have no problem giving you some time off so you can have a life and they don't hold it against you if you take a couple of days off. The atmosphere is very laid back and relaxed..dispatchers actually have personalities and will joke around with you. Same with the guy in safety..very laid back. It is old school trucking...no electronic logs, no Qual Comm, everything is done via telephone (which they provide.)

In summary....if home time is important to you this might be the place you are looking for. If you want a newer truck, a fast truck or a truck with frills, this is definitely not the place for you. If you are looking for a big paycheck, you better look elsewhere.

 

Final comment on West Tenn Express (I left them two weeks ago.) I managed to get a truck with a properly heating APU for one week during the time that I worked there..then that APU also went out. If you go there in the winter, bring lots of blankets!! Other than that, I don't have anything bad to say about them. They pay is low, but they tell you that up-front. They get you home as promised and treat you with respect. If they could have provided me with a working APU (I can't stand being cold) I probably would have stayed with them. They payed me every cent I earned and returned that $250 "safety escrow" that they had withheld without hesitation. Overall it was a good place to work. Hope this helps someone considering going to work for them.