Heartland Express, Inc. - Coralville, Ia. - Page 9 - Truckers' Trucking Forum

kentucky24 · **^ Top** #81 01.26.2009

If I drove for gland I would get out now before 500/1000 try to at the same time get out why u can ...

There are some good companies out their for experienced hands

CommDriver · **^ Top** #82 01.26.2009

Truckload carrier Heartland Express, in the midst of a tractor and trailer upgrade that began in the third quarter last year, said it's prepared to downsize its fleet through attrition if freight demand gets worse.
Low demand was responsible for an 8.1 percent decline in profits for the year. The North Liberty, Iowa-based company, ranked 19 on Traffic World's list of top truckload operators, generated $70 million in net income on revenue of $626 million, which was up 5.7 percent. In the fourth quarter, a $6.1 million gain on disposal of equipment boosted net income 16.4 percent to $19.4 million on revenue that fell 7 percent to $142 million.
Heartland took delivery of 197 new International ProStar tractors and 248 new Wabash trailers in the third quarter of 2008, and 378 new tractors and 152 new trailers in the fourth quarter. It expects to buy approximately 1,025 new ProStar tractors in 2009.
However, "the first quarter (2009) is off to a dismal start," the company said in its earnings statement. "Freight volumes have continued to decline from those experienced in the fourth quarter. With the current economic environment we believe freight volumes are not likely to improve in the near term."

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jttheone · **^ Top** #83 07.18.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justadriver

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

BEFORE HIRING AT HEARTLAND EXPRESS

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS

1. Heartland pays higher than most other companies. When they say up to 50 cpm, they do mean it.
2. You will get a good paycheck, usually around $700.00 deposited, every week (dry van, company driver)

NOW, THE BAD NEWS

1. They do not provide routing.
2. After a few months of driving, they will start to ask you to commit to the load over the phone without an opportunity to look at a map. If you ask them to send the info on the computer, they get angry.
3. If you respond to a dispatch by saying you cannot make the delivery on time, and do this a number of times, they will start to threaten your employment, and will eventually terminate you for “freight refusal.” Naturally, if you agree to the load and deliver it late, they will fire you for that too. A high percentage of the loads they dispatch were loads another carrier failed to cover, for whatever reason, thus this is how they can charge a higher rate, but the delivery time remains the same. So you will be dispatched on a load, for example, at 3:00 PM that should have been picked up at 10:00 AM, and they just expect you to drive it straight through. This is the normal dispatch. Driving straight through every day, is no life, no fun, not humane, but this is how they expect you to earn the $200 per week extra that the other companies are not paying.
4. You should know that Heartland claims it has a 60% turnover rate.
5. Heartland has a bad reputation, so they have to pay drivers $500 for every recruit they bring in, and have “driver recruitment goals“ begging drivers to bring in “at least one.” There are some greedy drivers that do this, even though they are not happy with the company themselves.
6. Fleet managers are low trained and inexperienced in the trucking industry. They do not know what the drivers are going through and they will NOT speak to you or recognize you as a person.
7. Try to find a ‘happy Heartland driver.’ Try to find one driver who has been with them a month or more who is happy with anything at Heartland. I doubt you will find one, or he is a liar.
8. They want you to fuel at their own facilities 80% of the time, but they only have about five terminals you will use in the country. Naturally, the loads they get for you do not take this into account, so you will have to stop and call the fuel department and explain why, and get a PO# for every outside fuel stop. If you pass a terminal, you are required to stop and fuel, but the FM’s trying to meet a $$ goal will send you a message demanding you pass it by to save time.
9. They have no concept of 14 hour day. They will run you 12 hours to delivery, then give you a known “long delay live load, or a long delay live unload from a yard and expect you to drive illegal after load or unload to get off the property and sleep on the street or exit ramp, or wherever you can, and that’s just one more day without a shower, and a good meal.
10. You will go without a shower for two to three days at a time, all the time, because they don‘t route you with any slack. Bring some hand towels and those “handy wipes” things because poor hygiene is also affecting your health.

ADVICE

If you decide, even after reading this, to drive for Heartland:

1. Get a laptop and routing software, such as MS Streets & Trips. A must have because you will have to route yourself.
2. Keep a backup plan for the day you have to bail out, or find yourself terminated unexpectedly.
3. Prepare yourself to be talked to like a dog, and make yourself like it as long as you can.
4. Use personality and try to cajole them into giving you better loads, but this isn’t going to work in the long term.
I challenge you to show this to 10 Heartland drivers and ask them if anything above is not true. Then decide for yourself. As a former HL driver, I want to warn other drivers what they may be in for if they hire with this company. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

BooDawg · **^ Top** #84 07.21.2009

2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justadriver

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

BEFORE HIRING AT HEARTLAND EXPRESS

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS

1. Heartland pays higher than most other companies. When they say up to 50 cpm, they do mean it.
2. You will get a good paycheck, usually around $700.00 deposited, every week (dry van, company driver)

NOW, THE BAD NEWS

1. They do not provide routing.
2. After a few months of driving, they will start to ask you to commit to the load over the phone without an opportunity to look at a map. If you ask them to send the info on the computer, they get angry.
3. If you respond to a dispatch by saying you cannot make the delivery on time, and do this a number of times, they will start to threaten your employment, and will eventually terminate you for “freight refusal.” Naturally, if you agree to the load and deliver it late, they will fire you for that too. A high percentage of the loads they dispatch were loads another carrier failed to cover, for whatever reason, thus this is how they can charge a higher rate, but the delivery time remains the same. So you will be dispatched on a load, for example, at 3:00 PM that should have been picked up at 10:00 AM, and they just expect you to drive it straight through. This is the normal dispatch. Driving straight through every day, is no life, no fun, not humane, but this is how they expect you to earn the $200 per week extra that the other companies are not paying.
4. You should know that Heartland claims it has a 60% turnover rate.
5. Heartland has a bad reputation, so they have to pay drivers $500 for every recruit they bring in, and have “driver recruitment goals“ begging drivers to bring in “at least one.” There are some greedy drivers that do this, even though they are not happy with the company themselves.
6. Fleet managers are low trained and inexperienced in the trucking industry. They do not know what the drivers are going through and they will NOT speak to you or recognize you as a person.
7. Try to find a ‘happy Heartland driver.’ Try to find one driver who has been with them a month or more who is happy with anything at Heartland. I doubt you will find one, or he is a liar.
8. They want you to fuel at their own facilities 80% of the time, but they only have about five terminals you will use in the country. Naturally, the loads they get for you do not take this into account, so you will have to stop and call the fuel department and explain why, and get a PO# for every outside fuel stop. If you pass a terminal, you are required to stop and fuel, but the FM’s trying to meet a $$ goal will send you a message demanding you pass it by to save time.
9. They have no concept of 14 hour day. They will run you 12 hours to delivery, then give you a known “long delay live load, or a long delay live unload from a yard and expect you to drive illegal after load or unload to get off the property and sleep on the street or exit ramp, or wherever you can, and that’s just one more day without a shower, and a good meal.
10. You will go without a shower for two to three days at a time, all the time, because they don‘t route you with any slack. Bring some hand towels and those “handy wipes” things because poor hygiene is also affecting your health.

ADVICE

If you decide, even after reading this, to drive for Heartland:

1. Get a laptop and routing software, such as MS Streets & Trips. A must have because you will have to route yourself.
2. Keep a backup plan for the day you have to bail out, or find yourself terminated unexpectedly.
3. Prepare yourself to be talked to like a dog, and make yourself like it as long as you can.
4. Use personality and try to cajole them into giving you better loads, but this isn’t going to work in the long term.
I challenge you to show this to 10 Heartland drivers and ask them if anything above is not true. Then decide for yourself. As a former HL driver, I want to warn other drivers what they may be in for if they hire with this company. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

bigblue19 · **^ Top** #85 07.21.2009

Quote:

Dispatchers are paid to try and make you run like a dog. Thats how they make a name for themselves with the company. Tell your next company you run legal and it ain't negotiable. We learn from out mistakes--don't we?

You tell most of these outfits that you only want to run freight that has no chance of being tactically loged and you can pretty much resign yourself to being on the back burner.

Irregular route carriers focus is on servicing the customer. Not the driver these days. The driver is a tool to get the job done.

I would of loved to of been able to log legal all of the time I spent on the road, but the economics consequences of doing so would of put me on these boards complaining about not getting miles.

You want to make a grand a week or more at most OTR carriers under the current log scheme, you ain't going to be able to do it running legal all of the time. There might be some carriers that have their act together enough to do it. But for the most part, at most OTR carriers you will have to decide if you want to be on the A team at the company and do what it takes to get the job done. Or be on the B team and relegated to running the left overs.

BooDawg · **^ Top** #86 07.21.2009

I started driving 1988 and thought it was always normal to run till you drop and stay out weeks a time.large companies don't care anything about you.All they want is the truck to get from point A to B and keep you mouth shut.You have to dedicate your life to the driving job if you want to succeed and cover your #$$.You bet they will protect themselves and leave you hangin.Incompentent personel at a trucking co.located in MILAN TN didn't pay attention to my trip sheet with cash reciept for $300 and was tossed in the garbage.Didn't have copy made and never received full amount .Six months later I got a check in the mail for $189 with taxes taken out.Treated like a liar when trying to get my money back,Dispatched by same company to pick up load of garbage with flatbed.Stayed over night next to a dump in E.Boston.It was raw bailed garbage and stank with boken glass and wood sticking out and nasty diapers and no telling what else was in it.Had to tarp it,ruined my clothes,shoes and the smell was in the truck.Delivered it at a Ohio land fill and the ruts broke the side panel off the truck.Looked all over for a trailer wash 60 miles away and finally found one and over priced.Then she(dispatcher) wrote me up for being late for next load.I have sent off for a copy of my DAC,bet they put poor performance on there.I admit there have been times when I was late and made mistakes,but it will be held againts you and can't be changed.Better make sure you want to be truck driver.I'm done with large companies and will work for a small local one or another type of work

BooDawg · **^ Top** #87 07.21.2009

Better have another job before you quit and check your DAC for negative and inaccurate info

RipTide58 · **^ Top** #88 07.28.2009

I work for HAEI now (6 months)....I am look hard to go else ware.

[quote=Justadriver;114200]FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

BEFORE HIRING AT HEARTLAND EXPRESS

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS

1. Heartland pays higher than most other companies. When they say up to 50 cpm, they do mean it.
2. You will get a good paycheck, usually around $700.00 deposited, every week (dry van, company driver)

NOW, THE BAD NEWS

1. They do not provide routing.
2. After a few months of driving, they will start to ask you to commit to the load over the phone without an opportunity to look at a map. If you ask them to send the info on the computer, they get angry.
3. If you respond to a dispatch by saying you cannot make the delivery on time, and do this a number of times, they will start to threaten your employment, and will eventually terminate you for “freight refusal.” Naturally, if you agree to the load and deliver it late, they will fire you for that too. A high percentage of the loads they dispatch were loads another carrier failed to cover, for whatever reason, thus this is how they can charge a higher rate, but the delivery time remains the same. So you will be dispatched on a load, for example, at 3:00 PM that should have been picked up at 10:00 AM, and they just expect you to drive it straight through. This is the normal dispatch. Driving straight through every day, is no life, no fun, not humane, but this is how they expect you to earn the $200 per week extra that the other companies are not paying.
4. You should know that Heartland claims it has a 60% turnover rate.
5. Heartland has a bad reputation, so they have to pay drivers $500 for every recruit they bring in, and have “driver recruitment goals“ begging drivers to bring in “at least one.” There are some greedy drivers that do this, even though they are not happy with the company themselves.
6. Fleet managers are low trained and inexperienced in the trucking industry. They do not know what the drivers are going through and they will NOT speak to you or recognize you as a person.
7. Try to find a ‘happy Heartland driver.’ Try to find one driver who has been with them a month or more who is happy with anything at Heartland. I doubt you will find one, or he is a liar.
8. They want you to fuel at their own facilities 80% of the time, but they only have about five terminals you will use in the country. Naturally, the loads they get for you do not take this into account, so you will have to stop and call the fuel department and explain why, and get a PO# for every outside fuel stop. If you pass a terminal, you are required to stop and fuel, but the FM’s trying to meet a $$ goal will send you a message demanding you pass it by to save time.
9. They have no concept of 14 hour day. They will run you 12 hours to delivery, then give you a known “long delay live load, or a long delay live unload from a yard and expect you to drive illegal after load or unload to get off the property and sleep on the street or exit ramp, or wherever you can, and that’s just one more day without a shower, and a good meal.
10. You will go without a shower for two to three days at a time, all the time, because they don‘t route you with any slack. Bring some hand towels and those “handy wipes” things because poor hygiene is also affecting your health.

ADVICE

If you decide, even after reading this, to drive for Heartland:

1. Get a laptop and routing software, such as MS Streets & Trips. A must have because you will have to route yourself.
2. Keep a backup plan for the day you have to bail out, or find yourself terminated unexpectedly.
3. Prepare yourself to be talked to like a dog, and make yourself like it as long as you can.
4. Use personality and try to cajole them into giving you better loads, but this isn’t going to work in the long term.
I challenge you to show this to 10 Heartland drivers and ask them if anything above is not true. Then decide for yourself. As a former HL driver, I want to warn other drivers what they may be in for if they hire with this company. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

doctorbob · **^ Top** #89 08.01.2009

I've been at Heartless about four years now, and with the recession, getting miles is tough here. I got lucky last week and got 2600. The prior three were 1800, 1850, and 1500. Last month I had one 1300 week. There is no more regional work here they just send you where they need you. When it's time for you to go home, they will suddenly find alot of xtra locals or a relay for you to do. You will stay stressed out and pissed off most of the time. If you don't like dealing with multiple dispatchers who are rude arrogant and don't bother to identify themselves on the qual-com, stay away. I'm on my tenth dispatcher, and none of them knew beans about trucking let alone otr driving. And, they could not care less. They stay in a constant state of fear and are terrified of the load planners who actually run the drivers and look over these whipping boys shoulders constanly. I had one disp. quit and it was 10 days before the new one even identified himself.
Now, as for quitting with notice, never do that at Heartland. If you're going to quit, do it on a Monday when you are at home terminal. Heartless takes perverse pleasure in dumping drivers out at remote terminals when they give notice. You see, these Bozos think Heartless is so perfect that only an ingrate would want to quit and so they are offended. Of course they fire people alot around here too, and with their anti-driver attitude, alot are still quitting. I can't tell you how many enraged drivers I have seen on their way out sitting on piles of their stuff at our terminals. I have given a couple rides to points distant in my unit even though I would get fired if Heartless knew about it. You will need a special type of mental toughness and a thick skin to hang on at Heartless because God knows you're going to be insulted, talked to like a mangy dog, forgotten, parked for long hours, and given some of the crappiest loads in the industry. And when you get to the terminals ahh the fun really starts. But I'm too tired to go into it now. Don't worry though, I kept a diary of every load I ever hauled for Heartless (one could also add brainless) and will post more stuff soon. I've had fun reading these accounts, but for anybody considering Heartless, you can't even believe the mind-bending s#$t they're capable of.

Gitty · **^ Top** #90 08.01.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorbob

I've been at Heartless about four years now, and with the recession, getting miles is tough here. I got lucky last week and got 2600. The prior three were 1800, 1850, and 1500. Last month I had one 1300 week. There is no more regional work here they just send you where they need you. When it's time for you to go home, they will suddenly find alot of xtra locals or a relay for you to do. You will stay stressed out and pissed off most of the time. If you don't like dealing with multiple dispatchers who are rude arrogant and don't bother to identify themselves on the qual-com, stay away. I'm on my tenth dispatcher, and none of them knew beans about trucking let alone otr driving. And, they could not care less. They stay in a constant state of fear and are terrified of the load planners who actually run the drivers and look over these whipping boys shoulders constanly. I had one disp. quit and it was 10 days before the new one even identified himself.
Now, as for quitting with notice, never do that at Heartland. If you're going to quit, do it on a Monday when you are at home terminal. Heartless takes perverse pleasure in dumping drivers out at remote terminals when they give notice. You see, these Bozos think Heartless is so perfect that only an ingrate would want to quit and so they are offended. Of course they fire people alot around here too, and with their anti-driver attitude, alot are still quitting. I can't tell you how many enraged drivers I have seen on their way out sitting on piles of their stuff at our terminals. I have given a couple rides to points distant in my unit even though I would get fired if Heartless knew about it. You will need a special type of mental toughness and a thick skin to hang on at Heartless because God knows you're going to be insulted, talked to like a mangy dog, forgotten, parked for long hours, and given some of the crappiest loads in the industry. And when you get to the terminals ahh the fun really starts. But I'm too tired to go into it now. Don't worry though, I kept a diary of every load I ever hauled for Heartless (one could also add brainless) and will post more stuff soon. I've had fun reading these accounts, but for anybody considering Heartless, you can't even believe the mind-bending s#$t they're capable of.

100% the truth. Been there and done that! And make sure you can always get a ride, with all your stuff you take with you when your out. Otherwise you may be dumping alot of your belongings in a faraway land, just to be able to get home. And expect lies on your DAC. Thank God I knew cya and kept copies of everything, to clear up the DAC. And they lied to IA employment office. Yes I had my copies and pictures for proof and got my unemployment comp. They don't like having to pay out.

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