Werner

I had drove for Werner some time back and from what I saw there had been two ways they handled the drivers, the one side the drivers were given good miles and had decent trucks and the end the drivers were given low miles and the equipement was not the best. Am not sure of the reasoning behind this or seen any written policy but I suspect there is a reason behind it.

If you can talk with a few werner drivers and get your own opinion.

 

You are going to get a gamut of opinions on things over the internet on forums. You are gettting free advice or commentary from total strangers, so you have to take it for what it's worth. One of the reasons I or others often recommend to someone on here that they go back and read prior posts isn't because we are too lazy to answer, but going back through gives you a chance to read through what's been written and establish in your mind the credibility of the person sitting on the other end of the keyboard. You have to take it for what it's worth, and if you go back and read my old post and decide that I'm a negative nutbag who gives bad advice, then that's fine with me. Or you can decide the other side of the coin, and it doesn't affect me in the long run.

One thing I recommend is if you are seriously considering a company, go to the truckstop or a freightyard and spend the day there. When a Werner truck pulls in, go up to the guy, introduce yourself, tell him that your are interested in them, and see what he has to say. While one driver isn't a good sample, do this to half a dowzen or more drivers and you will get a consensus of the company. I find that very few drivers are going to lie to you directly in those circumstances. You'll hear the bad and the good, and the odds are that you'll reach both the happy camper type and the unhappy driver. Sort that info out for yourself, and you can make better decisions than you ever will strictly off of the internet.

And questioning drivers one on one can give you specific questions toask here. And the more specific your questions are, the more likely you will get good answers. Asking real general questions "Should I get a CDL", vice asking very specific ones invites a lot of people to answer who really don't have the answers you are looking for.

And I'm not saying that the internet and forums aren't a great source of info, but they have to be taken for what they are worth. There are some people out there who have no connection to trucking that spend their time surfing the internet and answer questions on forums. We just had a run of numbskulls on here, and the moderators seem to have gotten rid of them or at least discouraged them from posting.

Doing PM's can help as well. If you PM someone on here, you can find out pretty quickly how much they really know or if they are just posting to be posting.

Hope this helps a bit with the questions.

 

Without question, you're going to read personal testimony that will be on that level. But here's the thing; You have to recognize the fact that through all that you read, the names of several carriers pop up over and over. As I've offered many times, one complaint is easy to overlook. A dozen? That's a little harder to ignore. A hundred? Well...something's got to be wrong somewhere.

Werner is like Swift. They've gone through untold numbers of people, and the sizes of the companies lend to them probably getting more attention. Yet, at the same time, there are literally dozens of other carriers that rival in size, that are never written about.

You have to sort through the various complaints to arrive at a conclusion as to what may be truth, and what may be contrived. Do you read repeated complaints about the same thing? The answer is yes. I know I have.

The PTDI representative has a vested interest in seeing that there are motor carriers supporting their efforts. Now, I wouldn't go so far as to totally negate his position, but you have to understand what his motivation might be, in order to understand why he might say this, and then decide for yourself how much truth there is to it.

PTDI receives money through legislative efforts in Washington, specifically to further training and education. They work with training facilities, motor carriers, insurance companies, and financing institutions. Collectively, they take a bite out of every dollar for their "expenses". They have gone to great lengths (honestly) to improve the training standards of drivers, and have set up some rather strict guidelines that must be met, in order to lend a training facility it's stamp of approval.

They bring in motor carriers to hire the trainees. Without them on board, who's going to hire the graduates? Now, understanding that they have to convince the motor carriers that graduates of their training program is more advantageous than those of other's, and there are many groups in Washington doing this very same thing, and it leads to alot of immense butt kissing, if you'll pardon the expression. Of course, they kick a few bucks their way to grease the wheels as well. It's all legal and proper, but hardly without bias.

The bottom line to all of this is simple. For each warm body they sign up, there are several thousand dollars of taxpayer funds dispersed to several entities, when that warm body makes it into a truck. It makes no difference to PTDI which company that is, nor do they really care if the company is good to their graduates. They want them in the classrooms and graduated. The more people, the more money that can be milked from the taxpayers.

What has happened, and what is rarely revealed to the public, is that there are several companies out there, that are practically if not literally, making more for hiring drivers for any period of time, than they make from doing any actual hauling of freight. Werner is but one of them.

In the midst of all this, are people that are hoping for a new career, who are considered to be nothing but chattel, and whether or not they are content with their jobs is of no concern to anyone involved in the process. What is also happening, is that these people are being roped into some rather sordid contracts, complete with predatory lending abuses built right in, and hounded like hell if they default on their agreements. The only thing missing from this rodeo, is a firebranded stamp on everyone's hind end that is roped into all of this.

To be fair, PTDI is the only non-profit where they are a bit more careful in
holding their institutions to tighter line in areas of pricing structures, and training criteria, but they are hardly without need of due criticism for their motivations, and integrity. They truly turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation for the sake of cash.

To illustrate the problem, let's use General Motors as a counter to all of this. They have twenty times the employees that Werner has, with almost ZERO turnover. Someone dies, retires, or screws up in order to have a need to replace an employee. The applications are as high as the Empire State Building, from people willing to work there.

When you have a company, despite the national average figures that are constantly offered to defend turnover rates, that exceeds 100% of it's workforce in a year's time, something has to explain the reason that people leave their jobs and seek another. Translated: When you read all the bad things out there on Werner, there HAS to be some truth to them. If there wasn't, then why the constant need to hire drivers?

It would be easy to just say that Werner sucks, and leave it at that, but I like to be honest. Trucking can truly suck and for some people, it wouldn't make any difference where they worked. They'd never be happy in a million years.

That being said, the only true way you will find out if Werner is worth a shot, is for you to give them that chance. People do it every day, I suppose. Why? I dunno.

Would I ever submit an application to them? No. My reasons are as long as my arm. I do not care for their attention to safety. Their safety numbers are horrible. I don't care for their obvious turnover rates, and this alone is enough to tell me that they have a problem keeping people. They are consistently in need of drivers and advertise for them all the time. I don't care for their dispatching system and their hometime policies. And quite simply, I don't care for their reputation. It's not my kind of place.

You have to set your own priorities, and make your own decision. In agreement with the PTDI rep, DON'T believe everything you read. Don't believe everything you hear. I know I don't. But, I do trust the wisdom, insight, and integrity of people that sufficiently lay out a case of complaint, and when their complaint is supported by that of other people repeatedly, then I can certainly begin to understand that there might be a little fire hidden somewhere underneath all that smoke.

 

I'm sure if there was an investigation, irregularities could be found. What PTDI is doing is completely legal, and they are meeting the guidelines set forth for disbursement of funds that are appropriated for the retraining of displaced workers.

In my opinion, in order for a motor carrier to receive those funds, they should be ready to demonstrate to the Government that they are retaining the people that are run through their operations, at what could be determined to be acceptable rates. The fact is, they are not. Water doesn't flow through a tap as fast as people are flowing through some of these motor carriers, and that is where the obscenity in all of this exists.

Fro so many of these companies, trucking is their sideline business. They reap profits by focusing on hiring the less experienced, paying them peanuts, and taking funds from several sources to cover their "training expenses".

The one aspect of all of this that I have been questioning from day one, is if the Government is paying companies to train drivers, then why are these people being made to sign loan agreements for thousands of dollars, at rates of interest that banks can only dream of getting, and upon default, are subjected to predatory collection tactics?

The reason why this has not come to the attention of the authorities is for a couple of reasons.

1.) Trucking is exempt from so many of the laws and regulations that are afforded people of other occupations. The Senate and the Congress will practically RUN from proposed legislation that would place restrictions on trucking companies. Why? Because trucking is at the heart of the economy, and they do not want to step in and regulate it in any fashion. They won't even codify the safety regulations for pete's sake. They let the states do the dirty work of codifying them and enacting enforcement, in exchange for allowing them to keep the fines collected.

2.) The motor carriers that are involved in these schemes are preying upon the ignorant and the uneducated in this nation. From the way they present the documents for signing, all the way to collecting the obligated debts, they are violating the FCRA, but most people are not aware of that fact, and it is a rare circumstance that someone complains. When they do, it is almost a certain fact, that the motor carrier will back off.

I totally agree. That isn't going to happen though. The best I can hope for, is to inform others of what they are stepping into. I know that options are limited for those seeking to enter the industry, but how many have tried to go through these companies, and lost so much for doing so? How many had to start the process over, because the conditions were so horrible and they had to quit? Too many, I'm sure.

 

my expereince with werner was learning and earnings were good. my miles were above expectations and my one complaint was dispatching. i lasted 3 plus years before moving on. but did not regret my time with werner. they have a very nice bonus program and if you are acertive person you can work out any problems. after tow or three years you will be able to go any where you want and work. they help lay the ground work for starting your life in the trucking industry. their equipment is one of the top 5 in the industry. no company is perfect and if they promise it in words but refuse to put it in writing beware.

 

WERNER DOES SUCK!!!
END OF STORY
JUST DONT DO IT!!!

 

Have you worked for Werner?

 

yes!!! and would not recommennd them to ANYONE!!!