Are small companies worth it?

Discussion in 'Motor Carrier Questions - The Inside Scoop' started by BULLDOG_88, Jul 6, 2011.

  1. BULLDOG_88

    BULLDOG_88 Bobtail Member

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    May 12, 2010
    Springfield, MO
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    Hey Fellow Gearjammers,
    I'm frustrated! I know, I know... We all are but I just wanted to see if anyone felt the way I do about some things dealing with different sized companies, especially small ones. I work for a company with no tracking devices like qualcomm and paper logs. When I came here I had worked for one large company and one medium company previous to this one which is small and thought the small family touch would be nice and it was at first. Everything was more personalized until little things started to become annoyances like having to call in on the phone 3-4 times a day to give them little tid bits of information. Sure made me miss having a qualcomm. The mounds upon mounds of paperwork that come with a small company like this makes me feel 75% office clerk and 25% truck driver. Not to mention I work 5 times harder than I did with my previous companies. Before I came here I knew how to fudge my logs enough to make up an hour or two if I was running behind or wanting to get home but I didn't know how to run illegal like what they force us to do over here. 14 hour rule....what's that? LoL! 10 hour break...what's that? LOL! 11 hour rule...what's that? LOL! Anyone feeling underpaid, overworked and unappreciated? I used to love trucking and what it stood for and really still do but it's getting worse out here by the day.
    Thanks for reading... Take er easy!
    BULLDOG_88
     
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  3. Allow Me.

    Allow Me. Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    May 28, 2009
    Rancho Mirage, Ca.
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    Yeah I know what you're talking about. On a local level, I worked for a bottom dump outfit with 100 trucks, then jumped over to a small guy with 5 trucks. The small guy, while all friendly and all, had me doing tons of paperwork that the previous large company had office chicks doing. Large company, most of the time would adhere to the log book rules. Small guy, "don't worry about hours, just do it". He was very dollar conscious, as in, just one more load. He loved 18 hour days !
     
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  4. fancypants

    fancypants Medium Load Member

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    Apr 14, 2010
    nw pa
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    ya i dont see why people are in love with small co.,s never worked so hard an long in my life. if i broke down . i was just at their mirsey.if i got ahold of them. they treated me great my family to. No chance of advancement. But me an my family had dinner an holidays at their house.I worked on the truck. Brake jobs.s-cam bushings. springs .Turbo,rad. fanclutch. etc etc.etc. Great people. still friends. They took it personal when i left. That has finally smoothed out.No bennies,vacation. But if i wanted or need time off they would wine but let me do my thing
     
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  5. YankeeTexan

    YankeeTexan Light Load Member

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    Jan 1, 2009
    Houston, Tx
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    Nobody can "force" you to run illegal. You made (and or, are making) the choice to knowingly violate the 10/11/14/70 hr rules. Why drivers continue to run illegal is beyond me. (and don't give me the money excuse, many of us out here run legal and make a decent living.) The first time something happens (accident, lawsuit etc) and they (officials ) start going through your stuff with a fine tooth comb and find you were not where your book says you were......you company will toss you under the bus so fast you wont know what hit you. Then we will see the obligatory "company X hates drivers, is a bad company, they are evil etc etc etc. post on here.
     
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  6. Infosaur

    Infosaur Road Train Member

    I'm having a great time at a small company. Compaired to Mega-corp, my trucks are fixed more often, I get more hometime and I have more/better communication with dispatch.

    Cons, okay the pay isn't as good, neither is the mileage. We only have a few customers and when a shipper pulls something stupid, and you complain to the boss they usually tell you "yeah, but we NEED that account."

    It's not for everyone though, and some small ops shut down overnight. (I don't think that would happen to us though,) or can't maintain equipment.

    your mileage may vary.
     
  7. ronin

    ronin Road Train Member

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    Jul 22, 2008
    San Antonio, Texas
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    Just had an interesting experience with a small company... horrible trucks, horrible trailers... and after being dispatched illegally and calling them on it, getting the boss involved... the dispatcher pretends that her Spanish and my American conflicted and I misunderstood.... could have been the fact that she sends texts more silly, juvenile and hard to read than a 12 year old girl's...

    And.... EVERY load was a broker load... hours to load, hours to unload, brokers bugging you with a gillion calls from load to drop... and the brokers don't talk to each other within their office, so you end up giving the same status report to 4 different people.

    What a joke.
     
  8. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    Sep 3, 2010
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    If I were looking for a job I would probably lean more toward a smaller carrier. I think there are pros and cons. Small carriers are not usually so rigid in their rules whereas a large carrier won't deviate from their in house rules, whether they make sense or not. I have never liked to be a number. With most major carriers you are treated like a number and many don't even know your name, only your truck number.
     
  9. groundpounder

    groundpounder Road Train Member

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    Nov 13, 2009
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    After being an owner/op there is no way I could ever work for a mega fleet the thought of being trapped in the right lane in an under powered, fleet spec, volvo/freightliner, governed at 65 or less makes me itch just thinking about it...

    After my owner/op days ended I drove for pretty small companies right up until I got off the road it just worked out better for me that way..I'm sure I probably could have had a better benefits and all with a bigger outfit but I was happy for the most part and my bills were paid..
     
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  10. LadyHawk0717

    LadyHawk0717 Bobtail Member

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    1
    Nov 17, 2010
    Northern California
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    My hubby applied to a bunch of OTR companies, but because of an at fault accident three years ago that "hasn't fallen off yet", he went with a smaller outfit and lemme tell you, it's been a nightmare since day one. :biggrin_25513:

    They DO NOT take good care of their trucks. When problems arise on the road, he is continually berated and harassed by the dispatcher/owner/mechanic for having to pay THOUSANDS of dollars for work done while out when it only takes a FEW DOLLARS to fix it at the yard. He's spent half his time sitting waiting for repairs.

    It's only temporary, I know, but it sucks so much to know that he's out there busting his ### away from home only to spend it PARKED. I'm hoping that when he moves to Prime in a few months (after the MVA), it will be a little smoother, no??
     
  11. PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    Jul 15, 2006
    El Chuco, Tejas
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    Its worth it for me. I get home weekly and stay regional. The small fleet I work for is more like a family. Its nice being able to call dispatch and talk to the same person. I don't find myself doing any more paperwork with MBR than I did at Stevens Transport except calculating the IFTA miles which is a snap. My truck is a 2004 with 920k but it is very well taken care of by my dispatchers husband. My truck is contracted to Werner so the loads are scheduled pretty much how they would be for a Werner driver so I don't feel pressured at all to drive it like its hot. No idle timers or idle time lectures, they only ask that I don't do it excessively. When I'm out of the truck, its off. I have Idleaire for when I get layed over in Ft. Worth, which is the only truckstop I frequent that has it. Plus my truck isn't governed which is a nice bonus. Of course no benefits but I have insurance through my wife's job so that's covered and I'm going to invest in my own IRA through USAA for my retirement. Overall I'm really happy with the small fleet I work for.
     
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