BB King may be awhile in getting back to you, but I'll try and answer what I can for you...Also, he didn't make it very long with Stevens, because the conditions were horrible.

I want it understood that it is adviseable that you AVOID Stevens at all costs, because of their known abuses. However, I realize that many people go against that advice, and try them anyway.

BB King took my advice and went to Schneider after his brief experience with Stevens Transport. What he related to me was pretty bad. He graduated Schneider's program, and is now hauling a tanker for them full time.

I have no first hand knowledge of Stevens courses, nor the conditions you will experience while you are in training, but once you make it into a truck with a trainer, the quality of your experience will greatly depend on the demeanor of that person, and Stevens does not screen their people very well, if you read some of the forums across the web, is any indication of that fact.

You will sleep in the truck with your trainer, and I assume that there will be two bunks in the truck, and the newbie will get the top one for sure.

Stevens lied to me straight from the get go. They promised me that I would be home every two weeks and it took 3 months and then I had to beg them to get me home eventually after 1 year and a half with them they decide to tell me that they do not service Savannah, Ga. Thats when I sarted looking for another job. I called "Mitch" regarding my termination and being the professional that he claims to be he hung the phone up in my face. Now I am in the process of fighting them regarding my DAC report. I went to them straight out of trucking school and wish to God I could turn back time.

LMAO Unless the Newbie is 400 pounds,Turbo.Would you want a 400 pound guy sleeping above you?Can't decriminate.ADA Laws Ya know!

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SKULL, THE INTERNET GOD!

Even JB Hunt looks better compared to Stevens!

My son drives for Stevens. He is happy with them for now. He did his training in Houston with a 3 1/2 day class in Dallas. He had a problem with his first trainer and got off the truck next time thru Dallas. 2nd trainer was great he said. He doesn't feel cheated at all. Like any LARGE company there are those that feel frustrated with the process. Good luck to them whererever they go.

Does anyone know if Stevens Transport, carrier, is the same company as
Stevens Transport, the broker?

I know they're both based in Texas, so I would assume so.

And that would make a lot of sense, too, since we were royally screwed by the brokerage end.

There is a good chance they are. It is not unusual for a company to have both an operating authorety and a brokers. Often they will put out loads to other companies for various reasons including low paying or being over booked in an area.

Any idea what I can expect from Steven's if I do not go through their training program and obtain my CDL via another school? Jesus they look good on paper at first glance and I know everyone has their horror stories about some company somewhere sometime .. I wanna make sure.

If a trucking company uses its own brokers, would this mean they could lie (underreport) to their O/O's about freight charges?

They sure could, and in fact, many do it very cleverly. They will set up fax machines in separate rooms, and fax the "brokered loads" to the trucking company, of course, with "brokerage fees" deducted from the gross amount, making the transaction perfectly legal.

There has been a push for the FMCSA to enact rules that any freight that is brokered, and ultimately hauled by a lease operator, to be able to request an accounting of the total billed charges for moving the load, and who took a bite out of it on the way down the way. As it stands now, only the FMCSA can demand to see the accounting figures that a broker keeps, and that doesn't do anyone in the food chain any good at all.