I will start training through atds on the 28th of January. I have been pre-hired by Lisa and will go to work for them after I graduate in February. Can anyone tell me more info on this company before I start school. I am excited about starting, but a little concerned after reading some of the previous posts on the web.

I believe there is a fellow on here who goes by marinegreen1775 and I think he drives for them and likes them.

Hi, it's been a while since I was a rookie with Lisa Motors. As you know by now, there are problems with a lot of trucking companies. I was pre-hired while I was still in school also. I went down to Fort Worth with my CDL in hand feeling very hopeful. I had to pass a driving test right away, but that went fine, although I was very nervous.

I thought it would be great because it's a small company which is a subsidiary of FFE, a much larger outfit. During orientation, they provided a solid take-out lunch, and then took us out to dinner at Cracker Barrel at night. The dorm rooms are tiny as closets, but ok.

I was a little concerned during the class because we were told that we had to sign this agreement stating that if any produce in a truck we were driving was damaged because of refrigeration problems, we would be 100% financially responsible for the whole load. Now that could be a few thousand dollars at least! They also showed us a film where we were supposed to not only monitor the temperatures on the outside unit of the truck, but also buy our own special thermometer and jab it into the middle of EVERY forklift load, as it was being loaded.

Ever been in a warehouse during loading? This would be virtually impossible.

The teacher of the class said: "Once you sign this, don't come crying back to me if you get in trouble." But, of course, you had to sign it or go home.

Anyway, I was teamed with a clean-cut man in his 30s, an experienced driver with the company. I won't go into the details, because I don't want to be liable.

The main issue I had was this "trainer" insisted that I cook my logs. His own log book was total fiction. He told me I was too inexperienced to drive, so he seldom gave me the wheel. I nicely asked several times for us to take a couple of hours when we had time and go to some deserted parking lot or something where he could run me through the techniques he thought were necessary. It never happened.

School really doesn't teach you much, as you realize when you're out on the road, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, or trying to get through all those gears in a hurry when you want to slow down to get on an off-ramp. And if you're driving late and try to pull into a truckstop when there aren't any more parking spaces and you have to parallel park around the outside of the circle - whew!

I had a good attitude, and I really wanted to learn and do my best.

But something I said or did bothered him, he decided he didn't like me, and he called the dispatcher to say he had to take me back to the terminal. Now remember he had never given me a chance to drive except he let me take the wheel out in the middle of nowhere on the highway, always being sure I pulled off so he could take the wheel for in-town traffic and deliveries. He was upset pretty much all the time in general, nothing to do with me really. He talked a lot about his parents and his love life, and I am not qualified to be a psychological counselor, if you know what I mean. You have to say something, and whatever I said, on whatever, he must have held it against me. It was like walking on eggshells all the time.

I was able to sit in the passenger seat for a lot of miles, from Texas to Maryland, to Colorado, to Georgia, back to Texas.

Back at the Fort Worth terminal, they said I had to do another driving test right away. Frankly, I think they were upset because I kept asking questions about my log book.

Anyway, stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway in Fort Worth, hardly moving at all, I stalled the truck. It's not as if I had had practice driving recently! The man giving me the test had been very antagonistic, and I had really been under a lot of stress. Back at the terminal, he told the manager I had been impatient behind the wheel, because traffic was slow. Huh? Impatient?

Anyway, they fired me on the spot. The whole thing seemed rigged somehow.

I recently reached by phone a great guy late 30's who had also been in orientation with me at Lisa, and he had run his own electrical company before trying his hand at trucking. This fellow was mature, had a son in the Army overseas, was just what I would think would be the perfect level-headed driver and good employee. He was also a recent CDL grad. He told me he didn't last with Lisa more than a couple of months also. He left the truck and trainer he was assigned to, in disgust. Sorry, I forget the details of his story.

This man found a dedicated run near his home in New England, and he's very happy. His son is back State-side.

Lisa Motors talks about "safety" all the time. And they post up photos in the terminal of tractor-trailers who have smashed into overhead phone lines, bridges, etc. And you have to run through those computer video lessons multiple times. But I was a little shocked when their safety manager didn't want to hear about what it was like for me to be driving team with a man who was behind the wheel 18 hours a day illegally.

May I suggest you keep looking around? Let me also add that the trailers Lisa uses are in such bad shape that un-hooking them at a drop means one of the two people in the cab has to bang the latch with a heavy hammer while the driver rocks the lurching truck back and forth. Fun.

I am truly sorry for your misfortune. I dunno why they put people like this in a "trainer" position. From what i have read in this forum alone, this happens a lot of times at many company's. It is hard for people to learn unless they actually do it with some guidance. Some people need to not accept this position if they are not gonna do it right. It is sad that this happens a lot. Good luck to you and hopefully one day you will get someone that will actually help you out!

cabhappy, that sounds awful. I'm sorry you got stuck with such a nasty trainer!! Have you found a good trucking job you're happy with? I hope so. Sounds like you did go with a good attitude and try your best. Some people just can't be pleased no matter what you do. Mike ran into a trainer like that - seemed rigged from the get go but he did finally find a good company and is much happier now.

Lisa has a full time add or two every day here in DFW just like CR England, Stevens, Werner, Swift, Job Hunt,CRST, others. If they are running off that many people, they either treat drivers like crap or it takes one very special person to meet their standards. I vote for the first. And anyone who would accept liability for a frozen load for any reason they can come up with is a fool. If you screw up ok. But other stuff happens as well. I'd keep looking. Plus their parent FFE is a cheese eating bunch of rats from way back.

I work at LISA as a otr driver. I just started and went through orientation. I got 3 hot meals a day for free plus stayed in a nice hotel. Transportation was provided to and from the hotel. I realy like the company as they treat me very well and have respect for drivers.

THere trailers are not in bad shap, they are in great shape. THere equipment is awesome. It is clean and very well maintained. They only have you drive what you can log. THey dispatch at 50 mph. Your truck does 65mph.

The reason they need more people is they have a lot of freight. I have had no shortage of miles. I am not sure I would go by the word of someone who is fired but he is definatly entiled to his opinion. THat is why I love the States. He may have had a bad experience and that is understandable. Especially if the trainer was not helpful. THe trainers here have to drive for LISA for at least one year then go through an interview process. THey have to be reccomended and such. These guys know there stuff. I am sorry to hear that someone did not have a good experience with Lisa.

I will not say it is a perfect company but I will say it has to be a top ten company. Good pay, bonus if you are prior military, respect, and most importantly I can get home whenever I want to. I have never been 100% financially responsiable for my loads. THough i treat it like my own. THat is what the insurance is for. I know that if you take all the precautions you are not finacially responsiable for the loads. THey wil tell you all of this. You can ask them all the questions you want.

I really do like it here. I am going to O/O for them and get me one of the 2008 trucks with the new logos.

THey are a small company and and have a family atmosphere. How many CEO's/ presidents of trucking companies do you know that will walk into the drivers lounge just to see how the drivers are doing. I really appreciate that.

Yes I work for them but I know I can say whatever I want on this site without fear of them finding out who I am. So I say this with all of the honesty I can bring as a Marine - I like this company and I like what they have done for me and my family and I like what they stand for and how they treat VETS!

Good luck and I think you made the right choice. You will be happy there. I am going back on the road tommorow so I hope that you get to read this and that you will ask any questions you may have. I will try to answer them when I get back.

__________________
Marinegreen

"The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done." - George Carlin

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank GOD for the United States Marine Corps." - Eleanor Roosevelt, 1945

Well, I wonder where the Lisa terminal was... Three hot meals a day and hotel???? During orientation??? It may be the man who warned our class about signing the liability for the frozen loads has retired, if you were at Fort Worth. But if your instructor didn't explain the small print, I wonder what their real policy is. They put me up at a hotel for one night only, because they didn't have a room available right away at the bunkhouse.

I am not revealing my identity because companies have been known to 'doctor' your records after the fact.

You don't say HOW LONG you have been with them. Why not? Did you start last week?

Believe me, driver, I wish you the best. But it seems strange to me that a newbie driver would have such a suspicious attitude. I am only trying to help, by telling my story.

By the way, my trainer was ex-military. He was scheduled for a repeat drug test before going out on the road with me, and he was afraid he wouldn't pass it because of all the tranquillizers he was taking, for emotional problems and for an injured back. I could say more, but again, too much info and they would know who I am.

Before agreeing to go out with this trainer, I had turned down an older guy, a widower, whom the company suggested as my first possibility. The man was clearly lonely, and I didn't want to be in a cab alone with him. Secondly, he made it clear he didn't think much of women driving OTR, and he told me I could make a lot of money driving and delivering pizzas in Dallas/Fort Worth. That's what his late wife did.

Now what kind of training experience would I have had with him?

Can you blame me for feeling more secure with a clean-cut, polite, 'professional' soldier-type?

One thing I did learn in trucking. WATCH OUT FOR THE PEOPLE! You are in their power, and it does not bring out the best in them.

If you search the forum for marine green's posts, you'll see he's posted a lot about Lisa. That should give you more info.

sounds like a recruiters view to me but what do I know