Sygma: My year and 15 days in review.

Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by TruckDriver23, Mar 18, 2009.

  1. TruckDriver23

    TruckDriver23 Light Load Member

    75
    38
    Nov 22, 2008
    Illinois
    0
    I meant to make this thread 15 days ago. lol. :biggrin_2555:

    Lets get started. I was hired right out of CDL school. Sygma even had the patience to wait for me when I was unable to take my state test the day I told them I would. Long story short, the trucks at the school I was attending broke down. All 3 of them. So, they waited an extra 15 days for me. They even called me the day of my test to wish me luck and told me that if I did not pass that they would let me use their truck to test again.

    I passed.

    From day 0 (I say ZERO because before I was even hired they were treating me with respect!) to day 1 to NOW it has been nothing but love.

    The orientation was cut and dry. Out of the 4 drivers in there (there were also 6 ware house workers as well) only 1 was let go because of some discrepancies in his application. Plus dude was ALL tatted up. Even on his face. No reason to judge a person, though. I have a few tattoos I wish I never did get as well.

    My training lasted for about 2 months. I opted to stay with the trainer (and he allowed it, hell it made his day easier) so I could be released from training at bidding time for new routes. Lets just say I was able to obtain an excellent route with excellent pay without ever touching the extra board, where most new drivers go.

    The staff inside and out (out meaning yard jockeys) are great. They always went out of their way to ensure I knew and understood what I was doing. Hell, the VP even knows EVERY SINGLE employee's name. Being a drive, a warehouse worker or someone in the office. I think that's cool. Not only that, he knows stuff about you. He knows I'm a fan of Al Pacino and I told him I had never seen 88 Minutes. Know what he did? Bought the movie for me and had it in the mail box. Holy Crap! Way to suck up to the employees! It was even the Blu Ray one, not the DVD version.

    When I first started I sucked. Even out of training. Trying to deliever 40klbs of goods to numerous stops can be very difficult. Especially in the cold/heat/snow/rain. That is the only real complaint I have about the job. But I knew that before I took it so all that is on me. Plus, I've had jobs where I had to work in the rain and snow before. It is nothing new to me. They provide you with raincoats and all the ness. equipment anyway.

    Okay, I lied. I guess I have a few more complaints. Nothing on SYGMA directly, but I guess the blame could be pointed at whomever.

    1. Getting to my home base (in illinois) ready to depart and not having a freaking truck! Not even rentals! (they have a few rentals from Ryder out on the lot just for this occasion but sometimes they are so busy they can't help it.) Sometimes you have to wait 20 mins or so to get a truck. Once I had to wait 2 hours for another route to come back in before I could leave because I needed HIS TRUCK! I was paid $20 an hour down time.

    2. Being a glorified lumper, we have to run up and down a freaking ramp all day/night. Guess what? Being a big distribution center for top sellers like Texas Road House/Bakers Square/Panera Bread/Panda Express/Jenny Craig to name a few, you think there would be a ramp already in the trailer you are assigned? NOPE! Just like the truck issue. Sometimes you have to steal one (BORROW) from another trailer.

    Oh, some of their trucks are banged up. But, that's cool. They understand that the job we do sometimes permits us TRYING to get into some ODD freaking parking lots and alleys. Unlike most companies, here, you don't get pointed for hitting something. lol. But what you do get is your picture next to the thing that you hit.

    I am home 4 days a week and out 3. I gave up a route so I'm bringing home a lil over $1700-1900, depending on weight, every 2 weeks. I am going to pick up an extra route hopefully this winter which should boost my pay back up the the 2k area every 2 weeks.

    You get paid for all that you do. They stress over saftey. Though their trucks may look like ####, mechanically, they are top notch. Have a problem? You don't even have to ask permission. Just take it on down to Ryder and they'll hook you up.

    They give you $400 a year for uniforms. You spend it as you wish on their website or take it down to Red Wing shoes and get you a very nice pair of boots.

    If you have a route that requires a lay over, they put you up in a hotel. They WANT you to find one that is under $75 but in this day and age that is hard to do. When I was on a route with a layover I was staying in Gurnee, Illinois, at a hotel that ran close to $200. They understood. Never b!tched about it one time!

    I'm not done! You get a $100 gift card to Texas Road House every 3 months. lol. Some people don't care for that, but I do. I love to eat and I love me some steaks!

    I have never been refused vaction time. I once only put in a request 3 days ahead and STILL got the time off.

    I know Sygma isn't your typical run of the mill truck company. We aren't much for over the road, but, we do that, too!

    Line Haul drivers are paid 38 cents a mile. (idk if it is like that at every SYGMA, but ours is) plus they have the option of sleeping in their truck for an extra $35 or they can be put up in a hotel.

    Oh, the perks of staying at a hotel and being so young and in shape (this job will keep you in shape) is that girls love you. I'm about to be married but sometimes it is hard to refuse some of the girls that come onto me. I get #'s without asking. It's a pain in the butt.

    I am sorry this is long. I hope I have covered everything. Have any questions please feel free to ask.

    I think any Sygma would be great to work for as long as the person doesn't mind a little hard work.

    This is also my 4th day of my 2 week vaction. So I am a little bubbed right now.
     
    LRod Thanks this.
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  3. groovemachine

    groovemachine Light Load Member

    162
    33
    Mar 8, 2007
    Shawnee, Kansas
    0
    We all feel so sorry for you...:biggrin_25512:

    Actually, not a bad problem to have imho.

    :biggrin_25525:

    Congrats on your success, and much continued success in the future!
     
  4. The Challenger

    The Challenger Kinghunter

    7,127
    3,367
    Dec 22, 2007
    East Central FL
    0
    Excellent post. Another member on here drives for sygma out of the ne somewhere I believe. I like the fact that you get treated by name and not a number. From what I have seen, most of their trucks look good and run top notch; but thats the orlando terminali can speak of.

    KH
     
  5. Midwking

    Midwking Bobtail Member

    1
    0
    Nov 15, 2011
    ILLINOIS
    0
    You must own the company and are trying to make it look good because iv been at sygma for 8 months and its not that great. you get 365 in clothing have to buy boots yourself and get reinbursted no texes rosd house gift cards ever they took our bonuses away they have more trucks now so never have to wait in my experiance transpertation supervisers are disrespectful and have no idea whats its like staying away for 30+ hours with no sleep delivering 40k pounds up and down a ramp, cant prop doors so makes everything much harder warehouse puts things where you can not get to them to deliver so when your 5 stores down the road you have to drive two hours out of your way to take it back you get 12.50 for down time not 20. 31 for back hauls that you sit there for 6 hours waiting for. ( btw this is not a rant just a corection) plus sides are you eat free at some panera breads maybe a panda or jamba juice if your lucky. and it pays pretty good but while on extra board dont expect to ever see your house other than to sleep get on a team or bid asap!
     
  6. DOTrevenuepatrol

    DOTrevenuepatrol Medium Load Member

    340
    183
    Feb 21, 2011
    The Buckeye
    0
    Sysco owns Sygma and from being at Sysco I know Sygma isnt that great. The OP is doing quite a bit of sugarcoating.
     
  7. Dna Mach

    Dna Mach Road Train Member

    3,203
    2,820
    Aug 8, 2008
    Texas
    0
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