KLLM and Lease Purchase

Wow really saw all this coming down the pipeline, that's y I gave my final trk payment ($1) and split! U can finish the l/p but u have to keep your head down and don't pick it up for 3 yrsweeks lol! I gave em hell though! Funny that rt was an advocate forkllm and things went to s#&%. Me personally, I never had problems with the shop but maybe I was an exception to the rule cause I always treated those guys with respect and didn't mind tipping them to get my trk in faster. But good luck to all u guys!

 

Let me put my own, IOU for $.02 in as I have been a LP driver for KLLM since 12/2010. I gave up my home. Took my pick up off the road. Have some stuff in storage in VA (which is 6 months behind (nice man who owns the place works with me) and the rest at a friends house in ATL GA. I LIVE ON THE $300. advance EACH WEEK. Installed a fridge, microwave and a tv in my truck to survive. I started on the Guarentee maintenance and rapidly viewed the substandard repairs not only at the Jackson yard but the ATL (Morrow GA) yard. I had a mechanic from the ATL yard never leave the service window when I complained about an exhaust leak in my truck tell me it was from another truck. It must have been following me around the country. I took it to John Fitzgerald in Jackson (complained about the mechanic in Atl who now is no longer with KLLM), made sure it was fixed PROPERLY and then switched out of Guarentee. I switched to escrow. They take $.11 cpm. I have had it built up to a grand total of $1285. and depleted it just as quick. In their defense, when I went to an outside vendor, they did cut a check in my favor for the repair and I paid it back over time. I have heard of them not doing that for others also. I switched to escrow July 2011 and have NEVER allowed a KLLM mechanic to even look at my truck in the parking lot. I will let a HOBO borrow a wrench first and try his luck before allowing one of their shops to touch it again except to remove their stickers and qualcommm. I have a 2007 Columbia. It now has 706,000 miles on it and basically runs strong for me. I have a friend from the same class (with the same type truck) who was in the shop atleast 3 total months in 2011 but like me has given up everything to try and make this work. I am almost thru. I have figured out how to pay this off 100 days early and that is in 1 month and 5 days ( from 4/23/12 ). Once my title is in hand ( and yes I have questioned Doug Leo as to the procedure to receive it and WILL hold him accountable ).. I AM HEADING FOR THS HILLS AND NEVER LOOKING BACK!!!!! I am heading to Landstar. I know from prior experiences as a former finance company manager, that the first year in any business is a bugger. It has been HELL HERE AT KLLM!!!! But I almost made it. BEST WISHES to those still out here, to those in the start of their adventure and to those about to give up!!

P.S. If you need work done and your in the Fontana Ca area, the boys at "ANOTHER MOBILE REPAIR" are REALLY GOOD and HONEST!! They took good care of me and even pointed out a brake issue I didnt see before repairing it. I was there for a cooling repair and he did a free walk around for me.

 

Im Thinking of going lease purchase w kllm and have been accepted into the program. can anyone please give me any insite. thanks

 

See above.

 

Thats the beauty of it! In Jackson you had to know the guys that are good (i.e Redwood, Brandon, Greg) and know the bad ones to not let work on your truck(i.e. the rest of em' haha) couldnt agree more about Atlanta unless it was their trailer that had to be pm'ed I wouldnt even go there other than to p/u a student. That was my fortunate factor too, was that I paid off a whole 7 months ahead of schedule because I trained. Hated every minute off it but sucked it up and trained them sum beaches lol! But also there was the $3500-$6500 paychecks too! I remember when they sent that msg out that we can switch from guarenteed to escrow and I was like F*&K THAT! I figured I paid in something like $6000 after all my maintence was done (new transmission,clutch, 2 turbos, vpod, 2 overheads, egr valve, 2 sets of steers, 8 NEW drives, engine wiring harness, instrument wiring harness, (loved when they couldnt figure out something and just threw new parts @ it) what else? multiple parts for apu, 7 air filters, air condition condenser and air dryer, charge air cooler, air-to-air, radiator, and if I would stuck around I'm sure I wouldve talked them outta some injectors. Only reason I guess I'm not there now was because I wasnt gonna sign the new contract paying .88 cpm and where I'm at now pays $2.05-$2.85 a mile. So I guess to wrapthis non-sense and droning on, good luck it's almost over and congrats once it's paid for.Just do a lil more research on where u go next, cause LS is not all that it's cracked up to be unless you go flatbed. JUST SAYIN

 

Sorry, didn't mean to leave you guys hanging. I went to work for Schneider as a company driver. Started out solo and then my former co-driver from KLLM and I teamed up again to team for Schneider.

This is where it gets crazy...a bit stupid actually when one thinks about it...

It was only a few short days after my co-driver completed orientation, we got our team truck and headed out. We ran out to California and were headed back. We got to New Mexico and I took over driving. Well, it had rained earlier in the day and then temps dropped and things froze. Going through Albuquerque I could feel the truck sliding around quite a bit and it was snowing fairly heavy....so I pulled it over in Moriarty, set the alarm and decided to take a nap while waiting out the weather. Well, the alarm goes off at 4am and, forgetting I am in the top bunk, I go to hop out of bed to turn it off.....and plummet 6 feet to the floor, breaking my right wrist in spectacular fashion. I ended up at the hospital having surgery to put a plate in my wrist and my poor co-driver is sent on to deliver our load...in NY state.

HOWEVER....my ENTIRE experience at Schneider has been fantastic! They definitely care about their drivers and that was evident even before I broke my wrist. Our team truck has a new system that they are testing for providing heat and AC to the sleeper without idling the truck. NOT an APU...but a whole new kind of system...and it works like a dream in my opinion....just have to make sure it's going to be reasonable from the maintenance standpoint.

Before I was ever seen in the ER, I had been called twice. Once by night dispatch..whose first words were "Are they taking care of you? Have they seen you yet? Is there anything we can do for you or get you? We've called our insurance company and we will be taking care of all medical bills...so don't you worry about anything." Second call was from the insurance company who let me know they would be handling everything and would send out one of their RN's the next day to check on me and talk to me. When I was told I would need surgery, I was given the option by the doctor to have it done there, or at a hospital at home. I called insurance back to consult with them and was told it was entirely my decision...I was in the driver's seat and they'd back me up either way.
I had the surgery in NM, was in the hospital a few more days and then Schneider flew me home. They arranged the transportation to the airport, the RN picked up my prescriptions and brought them to the hospital for me, and they would have arranged transportation from the airport to my house had I needed it.
I got home, faxed the documentation to AFLAC under my Accidental Injury coverage, and the following week was sent a $4200 check.

Everything has been literally no hassle.

I work for a company that has on-site physical therapists for their drivers....free of charge. They will even come out to your truck and help you adjust your drivers seat for optimum driver comfort and ergonomics. The dispatchers have all been unfailingly courteous and professional. Maintenance is quick, thorough and professionally handled. We have an Express Lane for the faster, easier repairs...leaving the main shop more time and space for the more involved repairs. The one time that it was going to take a day or so to get to my truck for repairs...I was put in a loaner so that I could keep rolling.
Our major OC's (operating centers) have their own cafeterias with hot plate and deli selections...a company store where you can pick up those frequently needed necessities (hygiene items, pens, notebooks, movies, books, duct tape, electrical tape, and many other items). We have ample showers, modeled after truck stop showers (think Flying J) that are cleaned after every use. Laundry facilities (Dallas has 4 industrial sized washers and 6 dryers...for example), a fitness room with gym equipment, a driver services desk, wifi that you can use not only inside but that also reaches out to most of the yard so that you can surf the net in the comfort of your own bunk.
Medical/dental/vision insurances are great and very reasonably priced, company still matches a percentage of your 410k contributions. As I mentioned previously, we have AFLAC coverage for Accidental Injury, Long/Short term disability and Critical Illness. Pre-paid legal plan.

AND...we still have driver bonus/reward programs - safety, mileage, idle, recruiting....a LOT of ways to enhance your income. The freight has not been lacking in the least...about 90% d/h as a solo, 99%+ as a team....and a lot of open appointment times (deliver any time ON x day, deliver BY or BEFORE x day).

The move, for me, was like stepping out of the trucking ghetto and onto Fifth Avenue. I never realized exactly how bad I had it...until I saw just how good it could be. I finally feel like a VALUED member of the team, rather than like someone's whipping boy.

RT

 

Hmm, Imagine that. Let that revolving door spin!

 

Glad to see yu are doin better at Schneider...sorry to hear about the wrist...enjoy reading your post...

 

Theres my dog hey man i left kllm went on to crst flat bed... Contact me.. But hey yall kllm has a good lease program.. You need to learn how to run a bussness and you will not fail... They dont want the truck back but there not going to let you stay in the hole with it... Kllm is also known to work with you.. The know things happen.. So lease drive smart and be safe.. Remember the smith system. John

 

they are good stories and bad stories to all companies i guess....i have had good luck with KLLM....the only time i have been sitting is take my 10's....