ABF Freight System, Inc. - Fort Smith, Ar.?

I got a choice , my 144 hour of schooling and being i recived my CDL in the state of missouri "The hardest state in the U.S to get a CDL " has a equavalent to 1 year OTR experiance according to ABF i have a friend who has been with them for 20+ years and has pulled a few strings , there pay is awsome but however there benifits aren't so hot .
Now stevens transport in dallas texas has offerd me a benifit package i almost gasped at but i know how there home time goes, next to none at all,but there moto is the 4 m's "More Miles More Money" but at .26 cents a mile i would half to drive almost 5,350 miles a week to make near what i would at ABF in a weeks time.The money isn't what i need the most it's the medical coverage for my wife and 5 kids and stevens seems to acomadate that very well. So basicly a few good opinions would help out either pull a reffer for good medical coverage or pull 2-3 pups for good money . Two months ago i always wonderd what it would be and feel like to have a Class A CDL,the feeling i have is like no other now, knowing that the countless doors of opurtunity are open and knowing i earned that piece of plastic with endorsements has secured my future. I just want to say yet again to the people who guided me with awnsers i had months ago a very special thank you !!

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if you want to be home more with the wife and kids and make more money then ABF is your best bet. There are other options for pulling reefer. I believe you would start out making more with TransAm than you would with Stevens. Hometime would still suck. You can look at their website to compare insurance benefits.

 

go ABF, you won't be sorry, and you'll get a great retirement package, something no one ever really considers at a young age...........

 

No question about. I would surely go mwith abf,but you better be careful on everything you do there. That's biting off a big chunk to pull pups without alot of trailer experience. Good luck,go for it. Get your friend to help you with the things he has learned. Let us know how you are doing.

 

My opinion, one of experience at Stevens. Avoid them like they are the black plague.Regardless of what they tell you, do not believe it. You could run over 5000 miles a week, but you won't. You will spend all of your timewaiting at IBP or at the coolers in So Cal for loads, up to 48 hrs. Then just as you get your 6th p/u on the trlr, You will be repowered by a team. Not to worry, you get to load the empty they just dropped. Sound like fun? At Stevens you are a commodity to be used and disposed of at the companies whim. Don't like it? wanbt to complain? well now you are a troublemaker, and you will sit longer, be scollded like you are five years old, and if you don't show appreciation for their blaming you for everything you have no control over, they will dump you out of your truck in the middle of nowhere, empty your bank account( direct deposit is a power of attourny) and told you are on your own. To top it off you will be charged for and abandonment and recovery. Sound like the kind of stability your family needs and deserves? I would head for ABF In a heart beat.
Do I sound bitter, I am on that subject, but now I am an owner/operator, and couldn't be happier. Thanks to my leasing company, Sammons. Everyone should be this happy, really. I wish you luck

 

benefits better than ABF's??? i seriously doubt it.....

 

Hell, go with ABF. LTL would be much better for you and your kids.

I always thought companies like ABF and Roadway wouldn't touch you until you had a million miles under your belt or something like that. Friends in high places are always good. I have friends in high places but they're in places I don't want to work, lol.

 

Welp....That choice was short lived for now , it seems that i need to give ABF's VP a copy of my graduation certificate from MTC and well guess what ? MTC won't release it unless i report to stevens and still won't send it unless it's 30 days later, see MTC has placement and stevens being one of them , I already knew that i had signed the contract and would be charged 12K if i didnt comply with MTC, i was willing to take that debt for a job at ABF and ABF would hire me with the people i know verifing for me but that still isn't enough. So the VP at ABF tells my friend have him complete 6 months down at stevens get his certificate from MTC and then have him come back to us we will definetly take him on .

So it seems iam definetly getting on that greydog down to dallas this weekend,i guess i will just have to keep my mouth shut not piss and moan about nothing and just maybe i can get in and out of that orentation within a week making only $350 weekley sucks while training,but as long as i can pull around $550-650 weekley after the training and the dumb&dumber when i get assigned a truck i could deal with it for awhile i guess.I wanna thank all you guys for your inputs keep ya heads up and stay safe .

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P.s PackRat LOL where ya been rascal ? good to see your still around !!!:smt033Guess i'll be driving the ardvarrk and called a buzzard for awhile LOL. Also why is redneck banned ? What did he do ?