If you could improve 1 thing at Knight, what would that be?

One glaring example is their statement: "NO forced dispatch."

I rarely turned down loads over the 5 yrs I was there, but only did when trying to get home and Knight broke their promise to get me home or put me in a bad situation (such as unloading in Bakersfield, getting a 60 mile Ikea Lebec DC-to-Burbank store load while not being able to get an MT there which were saved for the dedicated Knight Ikea drivers, and wouldnt have been able to get out of the L.A. area)---they will snub the driver that refuses a load, letting him/her sit in a truck stop for 1-2 days, and end up giving a crappy load as punishment!

 

NOT Swift! Better be dying (not just sick cause they'll send you to a clinic) or broke down to avoid a load.

Only way to be sure of 'No forced dispatch' is to get your experience driving, buy (NOT lease from Knight!) your own truck, and then if you dont drive only you lose $$$, not the co. for having their truck sit idle.

 

The 'game' is this:

Better hope for a good, experienced DM who is a ppl person! That kind of DM can wheel & deal other dispatch areas across the country to move you around and help get you home. A 'you scratch my back' system where they repay the favors.

I took many crappy local loads out of my home area with the deal of getting a 'good' load out of that area afterwards. Usually paid off, but not always.

If you get one of those recent college graduates w/no experience in the trucking industry and is young & easily intimidated, GOOD LUCK!!

And since a driver cant 'pick' their DM of choice...its a crap shoot..which can change at any time pending the next DM you are assigned to.

 

I got into trucking after 26 yrs in engineering (GI bill) and was part of the cold war ending layoffs in aerospace with several military programs being canceled.

Trucking let me stay in Tucson and make decent $ until my pensions/SS kicked in.

Knight, with their Express Driver program (was out 7-10 days w/3 days off) let me make decent $ as an older worker while treading H2O until then.

Had many good times when dispatched by a good DM and when freight was abundant.

Left Knight with a clean record and under good terms---I credit that with my work ethic (the Mil can take some credit for that), being more mature and not the hot head I once was in my youth, which allowed me to turn my head often and do some hard swallowing to complete my 5 yrs w/Knight!

 

Going to an all automatic fleet as well. The Bendix radar system is horrible and you can't shut it off in the snow. Anyone want to guess how large that lawsuit is going to be come winter?

 

....Well there goes my scheme of jumping ship (from you guessed it) to Knight. ....though should signs of the Apocalypse start to emerge I do have to ask; anyone out of the Tulare, CA terminal? .....what problems/complaints exist? .... thanks in advance.