I wasn't sure where to put this at first. And Mods? If I made the wrong choice, sorry.

The reason I put it here was that it may help future drivers to know what to expect when they go to Werner. Depending on the terminal, (I will be at Springfield, OH) this is how it will go down if you go there. You will arrive by prepaid greyhound bus or car if someone takes you there. You get to the hotel, and they check you in. Unless you are comming on as a qualified driver, you will probabaly get a room mate. You can however for an extra 20 bucks a night, get a single room. My first time around with Werner, I did this right away after the horror stories I got from some of the other drivers hating their room mate. Plus, I knew I would be living in a tin can with someone else for 8 weeks, so the privacy was nice.

You have to get up and be in the hotel bar at 7 am. If you are late, they say they will send you home. I never saw this tested, but being the student mill they are, I woudn't put them past it. When you get to the bar, eveyone else will be there too. All will be in various stages with the company. Some will be new drivers starting orientation. Some will be waiting on a trainer, and some will be back from training and waiting for their truck assignment. this will be your meeting place every morning till you get your trainer or truck.

Once you get picked up by the hotel Shuttle, you will go to the terminal. Once you get there, they put you in line. In that line, you get signed in and processed (like the army) you get your pre-employment papers and employee number. You then go sit in a class room. You will be told all about the company like how C.L. Werner started this company with 1 truck and dream and blah, blah, blah... you will do this for 3 days. You will get drug tested, get a new DOT physical and get a rundown of Werner policy. then take a written open book test. Bring cash for the vending machines. They say Breakfast is provided, but it consists of a danish and coffe. If you want more, you are on your own. Lunch is at the terminal and will come out of your pocket. It is vending machine food. the microwave cheese burgers are actually pretty good. (for what they are)

After the 8 hour classes you will go back to the hotel and wait for the next day to come. There isn't much to do around the hotel, there is a pool and some video games. Bring a laptop if you have one. It will help the time pass. You can eat in the Hotel, and the food is actually pretty good. But it can get expensive. There are other places to eat but they are a little ways away. You can walk to any of them. Arby's is closest, next would be Hardees and then Long john Silver's. There is also a laundymat and a Big Lotts in the front of the plaza. My advice, do all your outside stuff during the day. I don't know what to think about Springfield at night.

While you are in the Hotel, you will be assigned what is called a "SDM". (student deveolpment manager) This guy/girl is pretty much worthless. They are supposed to be there to have a mommy to cry to when things don't go your way. Unfortunatly, when you are in the middle of nowhere and things suck; you have 2 options 1. get off the truck and you are on your own 2. deal with it. I suggest option 2. They are not totally worthless though. They will help you get paid when you are stuck on the truck longer than you were told. And they will answer questions as you go along. Otherwise they dont do much. when you get your dispatcher, your SDM goes away.

As far as being in the Hotel goes, you MUST report to the Hotel bar EVERY MORNING. When you are waiting for a trainer, you must still report in. This is the only way you get paid while being in the Hotel. If you fail to report they assume you quit. They will also assume you went home and cut off your Hotel stay. So, even if you arent going to the terminal, still go and sign in. You can go back to your room and go back to bed till your phone rings. It gets old and repetetive, but hey, your getting paid for it.

After a couple days in the hotel your trainer will call you. He will tell you to be ready when he gets there. Usually, when he gets there he will want you to roll. So be prepared to drive. You will be team driving, so he will be sleeping while you roll. Be prepared for that. Complain about it to your SDM. But you are wasting your time. Thats just how it is.

After you get your driving hours in you will be ready to be dropped off at a terminal. When you get to a terminal you will get processed in again. You will get marked off on your tests and what not from your trainer. You will then get booked into a hotel again possibly with a room mate. They say you are a qualified driver, you can complain to your SDM about this. I did and got a room by myself. After living in that can called a truck you WILL apprecite the alone time. When you get your truck, move into it and wait. Call your assigned dispatcher and then wait for a your first load. then you roll. That's pretty much it.

As far as my personal situation. I went out for the 8 week iron man training. I saw every one of the 48 states. I had to come home early due to a family illness. This was last year at this time, looks like now due to my layoff of my day job, I gotta go back out. But since I've been off a truck for a year and I only got 2 months on my DAC, I gotta go back out with a trainer. It's only for a week but I'm still not looking forward to it. not only that, I know it will turn into closer to 2 weeks because when my week is up, I probably wont be close to a terminal.

Anyway, I leave out Sunday the 2nd. so wish me luck. I hope my above post helps a new driver know what to expect.

BOL!!!!!!!
be safe!!!!!

Good luck to ya keep us up to date if you can. I have been reading alot of posts around here. Soon I'll have to make the choice myself as who to drive for. I have read so many bad things about so many company's this is one of the most dreaded decision's of my life lol well anyhow best of luck to ya!!

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It's a dog eat dog world and I must be wearing milkbone underwear

Redbeard: I see you are from Detroit. I am up in Waterford. not far from you. If you decide werner is where you are gnna start, my post will pertain to you directly.

I haven't really decided who I'm going to go with to be honest. I wish this was a easier decision to make. We had a recruiter into the school this morning. He was with Stevens. Boy was he a good salesmen.. All the money he claimed we could make had me wondering why everyone in the country didn't drive a truck.....lol

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It's a dog eat dog world and I must be wearing milkbone underwear

What school did you go with?

Redbeard, I got news for you. It don't matter what those jerks tell you. It's gonna be pretty much the same no matter where you go. Werner, Swift, Any of them.

Being in Michigan you have the same problem I have. No one seems to have enough freight to get you home except the big companies. I wanted to go with Rohel when I got out. They couldn't hire me for that same reason. TMC woudn't hire me because I lived North of M-59 (one block, you believe that?) I didn't look at Stevens. They got nice trucks though.

I just tossed in my lot with Werner the first time around. I'm only gonna hop one more time. Once I get 2 more months of DAC listed experience with Werner I am out. And if I don't like it with the company, I have an offer with, I'm still gonna stick it out with them till I get something local.
I know it's bad to job hop, but when you are hopping away from the big dogs, it's gotta be better.

Well I went with NuWay Truck Driver Training in Livonia. So far so good. All the instructors seem very knowledgeable. As far a freight to get me home thats really no biggie to me. I'm a single guy no real need for home time right at this point. I'm going to be looking to get into a company for OTR. If I'm gone 4 weeks or 6 or 8 even I don't think that'll bother me to much at this point.......My biggest thing is looking for a company that can keep me moving, pay me a decent wage and not stick it to me when I'm not looking........But like I said in the post above this seems very challenging. It seems you can find bad posts about EVERY company out there. I have read a TON of bad things about Stevens......But I was at a walmart today and there was a Stevens truck in the lot.....couldnt see the driver in the truck so a waited a few minutes and he came outta the store. Long story short I talked to him for a little while and he seemed very happy with his job and the company said he'd been with them for 2 yrs...He did say that he's had his slow weeks but all in all he said he made decent money...I really don't want to have to leave my first trucking job till I have at least one year under my belt. This makes my decision even more difficult LOL...........

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It's a dog eat dog world and I must be wearing milkbone underwear

you seem to have the right mindset. If you can get that first year, everyone says thats the hardest one. I'm still working on my 1st year. Had to come home, coudnt help it. but I am back at it again. I cant wait to see the trainer I get At Werner. thankfully I only gotta go out for 70 hrs. I know it will turn into more than 70 hrs due to the fact you dont know where you will be at the end of 70. that happened to me the first time out with Werner, I got my 275 hours done in Santa Fe, NM. Unfortunatly, the nearest Werner Terminal is 800 miles in either direction. So, I reluctently had to stay on the truck for another 30 hours. Hopefully they get me close when I am ready to bail.

We'll see.

welp, here I am. I am at the Springfield Terminal. Actually, I'm sitting in the Holiday Inn down the road. I asked for a single room from the recruiter before I came down, she said she would see what she could do. Sure enough, I got here and I got a single. 1+ for them. I go to orientation in the morning.

Stay tuned to this thread for Werner Updates.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Slatherd, I would stay wherever you're going for at least 6 consecutive months if you really want a local job with a local company.

The lay down you gave of the training was technically correct but with a few errors: As a new driver, once you complete your training and are taken to a terminal to test out (or test out and pass with your trainer) and get your truck, you are not classified as qualified until you pass your tests and finish your first load.

Most of the time if, as a student driver, you are required to stay significantly past your 275 hours it is because your trainer and sdm conclude you need more training, possibly with a different trainer.

Werner is a business and as such they will not endanger a load just to drop off a student at a terminal they happen to be passing. When I was a trainer I frequently had to keep a student for 2-5 extra days til I could drop her off at a terminal while either not under a load, or under a load that had enough time under it to make the transfer.

Yes, orientation is extremely boring, but had my students paid attention while going through it I would not have had to explain the same stuff over and over again.

And, financially speaking, it would be smart for anyone considering going through Werner's training program to take pto half way through the training, rather than do all 275 hours without a break. The bonus after delivering your first load is only $4.00 more than the week paid vacation half way through. The only advantage to staying on through all 275 is you don't have to wait twice for a trainer.

I'm sure I am coming off as rather persnickety but oh well. I can lay it out about Werner because I have been there and still am. I know the good, the bad, and the ugly. I don't understand why you would go back to a company you so obviously despise.