The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of JB Hunt

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by KingpinR, Apr 11, 2014.

  1. KingpinR

    KingpinR Light Load Member

    56
    16
    Jun 28, 2013
    0
    What can anyone tell me about JB Hunt?

    What is the pay like.

    What is training like

    What is home time like... do you have to ask or is it scheduled.

    Detention Pay

    Drop pay.

    JB Hunt integrity.


    Thanks all. Its get decision time on who to go with.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. pattyj

    pattyj Road Train Member

    22,474
    20,134
    Jul 19, 2008
    Sioux City,ia
    0
    I didn't know JB has training.Might as well though,you only need what 3 months exp?
     
  4. trucker3205

    trucker3205 Light Load Member

    86
    48
    Feb 2, 2013
    harrisonburg, va
    0
    I'd say run the other way if you have a choice. They're famous for the "bait and switch " like a lot of megas. Was signed up for their target account Everything was a go till I got there and the position mysteriously disappeared ?! Got put on the 14/2 not to mention the weekends left sitting.
     
  5. Big Ugly

    Big Ugly Light Load Member

    158
    124
    Feb 9, 2014
    North Carolina
    0
    While I can't let my experience be a recommendation for you since you have to decide what's important to you, I'll say I had a great few years at JB Hunt. I made very good money. I can say my 3 yrs were not anything like the above respondents.

    My last year on dedicated Wal Mart I grossed $62,000+ & I averaged around 2700 miles per week. I was on a 14/3 schedule & primarily ran the Carolina's to the Midwest taking assignments from whatever DC Wal Mart needed us to fill in at for that particular time. Now do bear in mind I drove OTR & dedicated PPG before that opportunity was offered to me. It wasn't just given out. It had to be earned as Wal Mart has high expectations of those assigned to their Agility Carrier Fleets.

    Other info;

    - Very competitive insurance
    - Detention after 2 hrs
    - Fuel Bonus program
    Open door to ALL, & I mean ALL management (I had the opportunity to meet Craig Harper when at HQ in Lowell for a safety meeting)
    - Trucks are typical fleet wagons, fairly generic but well maintained & trailers are all standardized across the fleet
    - Good, clean terminals with plenty of services available for drivers
    - I never touched a load as they always paid lumpers
    - I never had any issues with DOT stops or safety checks
    - Most customers I dealt with large & small had a pretty high regard for working with JB Hunt & that was reflected in how I was treated by them

    if you go & they accept you you'll get a daily dose of the Smith System & safety safety safety safety & did I mention safety? The company emphasizes safety in everything & will punish you for violating safety rules. If you aren't comfortable with that then look elsewhere. Any issues with equipment it gets fixed immediately. Keep that CB off & cruise in the right lane @ 62 mph not worrying about any tickets or DOT violations or harassment & just earn your pay. The miles will come as you learn their operations in a couple weeks to a month.

    Let me me also stress they aren't perfect. It's like any job in trucking it has it's detractors but far more very happy people who work there. It's all in what you bring to the table & how you want to work. There is plenty of opportunity at JB Hunt. Just ask a recruiter for how many 1,2,3 million milers or more they have in their fleet. I'll give you hint... More than any other carrier. That should tell you something. But go to a truck stop & actually talk to JB Hunt drivers & see what they tell you. You'll get a better idea if it's the company for you.
     
    Ebola Guy, gpsman and ewill71 Thank this.
  6. Ebola Guy

    Ebola Guy Heavy Load Member

    977
    789
    Oct 11, 2009
    Manitowoc, WI
    0
    The answers you're looking for all really depends on what you're looking to do with JB. OTR, regional, intermodal, local, DCS/FMS and where in the country you're at. There is no one set answer to cover it all.

    For me, I'm intermodal out of Chicago.

    Pay: I make about $50k for 5 days work a week.
    Hometime: I have 2 days off, that's not 48 hrs, but two days a week and it is the same days every week.
    Detention: kicks in after 90 minutes.
    Drop pay: no. Because of the nature of intermodal, we rarely see both sides of a load, so if we do a pick AND deliver that same load, I think its an extra 20 or 30 bucks
    Integrity: yeah, they mean what they say. They are consistent in their message. But don't trust recruiter promises, that's a whole other ball of wax.

    Now your experience and pay may or may not match mine. And other intermodal drivers in other regions have different pay packages.

    If you have the hours to run, they do expect you to run but they put safety on top of it all. Whenever there's a bad weather event, they always say it is ok for you to shut down if you don't feel safe.

    The bad and ugly. It's a huge company and it is run like a small government and they do things by the book. It is easy to fall into the cracks and get lost (to some that may be a good thing). You are a number, truck # and id #, but my dispatcher knows me by name. The night and wknd dispatchers are usually overworked and understaffed, so response times on the Qualcomm might suffer. Being a new hire, you might get a truck a little high in the miles, and depending if the previous driver wrote up the truck, it might be a crap shoot on what you get.
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2014
    Big Ugly Thanks this.
  7. ewill71

    ewill71 Heavy Load Member

    759
    234
    Oct 3, 2011
    mcgregor tx
    0
    all depends on the accounts...
    their integrity is just like ebola said. They preach safety safety safety. Get in good with your driver manager most of them will treat you as a name, not a number. Those who are treated as a number don't really care about the relationship with their DM. They are a run by the book company big time....by far they are not perfect and they aren't the worst. the people that have bad things to say most of them have never worked for JB....
     
    Big Ugly Thanks this.
  8. dog-c

    dog-c Road Train Member

    1,852
    1,546
    May 30, 2011
    New York, NY
    0
    I work for a dcs account. Pros:Easy money, in and out from the terminal is easy, good driver morale, good benefits

    cons: my manager is 25 years old and has never driven a truck, yet he talks to you like he's a million miler
    my other manager is even worse she never returns my inquiries.
    trucks are constantly in fix status , always something wrong with a truck.
    peoplenet elog system is inconsistent, always on And working or stuck/frozen...made in China!
    Dispatchers don't give a flying F about you...
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.