My Experiences as a driver for Millis

Discussion in 'Millis' started by stevenneill, Mar 1, 2014.

  1. stevenneill

    stevenneill Medium Load Member

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    Nov 11, 2013
    Weatherford, Texas 76086
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    Today is Saturday, March 1st, 2014. Training is behind me, and I've been a company driver for Millis for about two weeks now (3 days of that on hometime). I had a thread about the training experience titled Burleson Terminal, as that is where I went to school, but I've about exhausted that one. I'll still answer questions there or respond if anyone comments, but it was time to move on. Someone suggested I do a thread on my experiences as a driver, so I thought I would do that.

    I'm sure everyone starts out optimistic once they have thier own truck. Millis is constantly called a starter company and maybe it is, but I've never been one to hop jobs. I WANT to stay here, but the trucking industry is constantly changing and after a year, I may not see things as I do now, so here is a beggining accounting of my time here. Hope it is found to be helpful to someone.

    In the other thread I have described everything concerning training and getting your truck, so I won't bother with that here. Here I'll just discuss the job and things associated with it.

    I make bottom dollar...I mean BOTTOM dollar, I know that, and I'm okay with it for now. If I stay with Millis, my pay will increase. I'm working on keeping idle time low for the idle bonus, I need to keep from any accidents for the safety bonus, and I'm hoping to clear 3k for the mileage bonus. Hopefully that will all bring my pay up enough to make it worth it. I stay out about 26 days and I'm home for 4. So every day, all day pretty much, I am in my truck. For down time, I dot this, facebook, and watch Netflix on my tablet. Hope to have a tv soon. I came off hometime on Thursday and got a load immediately (I live west of Ft. Worth) I didn't have a trailer so I bobtailed to Miller and picked up my trailer...took me 45 minutes to find it...then spent another half hour or so on my trip plan, making sure I knew where I was going. My first delivery is in Philadelphia, PA, and my second drop only a couple hours later, is at Lawrenceville, NJ, total 1541 miles dispatched...Actual miles 1590...I live about 40 miles from Miller, so actually only about 9 miles out of route.

    I was pretty happy about the load at first. I mean I come off hometime to a 1541 mile run...heck I have a chance of breaking 2k at least, right?

    Wrong.

    Thursday I make good time, busting out about 600 miles. I called the reciever because Millis has no directions there, to ask if there are any truck restrictions I need to know about,k and If I could drop over the weekend. No truck restrictions, and No...closed on the weekend.

    Sooo....Now I have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and to 11 on Monday to get 1541 miles...see the problem? On top of that Ice Storm Titan is rolling in any day now, so here I am in Virginia, taking my sweet time getting there because there is absolutely no rush. I'm hoping that I'll get a short run Monday I can pick up and close out before midnight after I drop my 3 PM appointment in NJ, but I think EVERYONE knows that aint gonna happen.

    Anyway, next week is another shot and it'll be a full week, and hopefully I won't get snowed in...so thats my beginning.
     
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  3. sapamil

    sapamil Medium Load Member

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    Feb 7, 2012
    Middletown Ohio
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    don,t forget if you got a scanner in ur truck you got till 3pm tuesday
     
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  4. stevenneill

    stevenneill Medium Load Member

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    Nov 11, 2013
    Weatherford, Texas 76086
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    I didn't know that...and I do. Does that affect performance bonuses getting in on Tuesday instead?
     
  5. Puppage

    Puppage Road Train Member

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    Aug 2, 2012
    Connecticut
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    Hang in there, man.
     
  6. Mev

    Mev Road Train Member

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    I got my start there years ago , hung out almost three years .
    Never really made much money , but all I have is me , do I didn't sweat it .
    I think I topped out at around 36 K one year.
    Not a lot of miles and the majority of the loads were east coast.
    I went to California 3 times in all the time I was there.
    Beer , Paper loads , or Menards , that was it .
     
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  7. Hegemeister

    Hegemeister Road Train Member

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    Jun 16, 2012
    Mechanicsburg, PA
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    With Millis 2 years now. 1st year I cleared 50k and went home Evey other weekend.
     
  8. stevenneill

    stevenneill Medium Load Member

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    Nov 11, 2013
    Weatherford, Texas 76086
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    I am a new driver, so maybe I'm a little out of line commenting here, I mean I don't even have a single full week as a company driver yet, but I've been reading an increasing number of negative comments about Millis in the Miles for the week thread and a couple of others. These comments mostly come from x drivers so you have to consider the source...but the way I see it is that there are three contributing factors to haw many miles you get. Factor number one is freight. The more freight, the more miles to go around. Factor number 2 is dispatcher, a good dispatcher will keep his trucks rolling no matter what, a bad/lazy/inattentive dispatcher will fall short on the loads and his drivers suffer, factor 3 is you...the driver. run slow, get no miles. Run late, get passed over for critical timed loads. Run fast, get more loads, be on time and get the better runs. a 4th factor could be attitude. Give flack, get missed.

    I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I scan the miles for the week and mostly everyone is 2500 plus with most of those being over 3k. Yes, new drivers cost less thus we get more...to a point, but I know seasoned drivers that consistently bring in 3k. Assuming that they kiss ##### because they get miles you don't seems a little misrepresented. Just saying. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
     
  9. Boomer 1

    Boomer 1 Medium Load Member

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    Oct 26, 2011
    Central, NC
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    Bad comments mostly come from "X" drivers? Only good comments are coming from brand spanking new drivers, and at best 2 veterans (veterans meaning 2-4 years at best). Talk your talk after a year, better choices now... sorry to bust your bubble.
     
  10. stevenneill

    stevenneill Medium Load Member

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    Nov 11, 2013
    Weatherford, Texas 76086
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    You are not busting my bubble. I am neither naive, nor an idiot. I have no illusions as my life has been a rough one. I have left a career with 25 years invested to start over. Negativity is a choice. You choose to be negative...not me. You seem insistant upon pushing your negative view onto me without providing any substance for it. If you left Millis and found a greener pasture then that is great. I applaud you. MY experience has been positive and until that changes I honestly give no weight to negative views without the story behind it. I will experience Millis for myself, and if, after a year or two my experience becomes negative, I will move to another company, but UNTIL that happens my views will remain based on MY experiences and not you opinion. thank you, sir
     
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  11. Lumpylar

    Lumpylar Bobtail Member

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    Mar 1, 2014
    Mahtomedi Mn.
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    I took my training through Millis In Richland Wi. about 10 years and I have nothing but good things to say about that. I thought my instructor was awesome and really pounded a lot of info into my head which I still use. The problem came after that. When I first went out with my trainer after the schooling I wasn't driving more than 1 hour and he went to sleep. Every time it was my time to drive he went to sleep and it was my understanding that I was there to learn. I don't know if he was just that comfortable with my driving or what the deal was but I thought he was to continue the training process. Being new in the truck I was not comfortable with him sleeping because I didn't know anything other than what I learned in class so there was my problem. I could have asked for a new trainer but I didn't want to get him in trouble so I quit and moved on which probably was not the right thing to do but that's in the past. Being that was the situation I really can't say anything bad about the company it's self. All jobs are what you make them. You may not make a lot of money starting out and most likely won't with many companies until you get some experience so stick with it, get at least a year or 2 in and decide where to go from there. No offense to anyone but look at the bright side, It's not Swift or Schneider and the only reason I am knocking them is because from my experience with Millis, they actually make sure you know what you are doing before you get your own truck. The reason I know that is I kept in contact with a couple of my classmates. I may be the exception :) No matter where a person goes they will find something they don't like and somebody with something bad to say. When you get your own truck you have to make it your own little world and not listen to all the b.s. because there is plenty of it if you want to hear it.
     
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