Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by bb king, Jun 10, 2005.

  1. Dryver

    Dryver Road Train Member

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    JerryC makes a good point about repowers at Stevens. It seems that the new drivers get repowered off the good loads a lot. You make the multiple pickups in CA or NY/NJ, pull the load a few hundred miles and they give it to someone else to finish. This would happen even if you had the hours to finish the trip. After it happened a few times I had a conversation with my DM and it stopped. Dispatch have their buddy drivers that live off repowers and never bump a dock.
     
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  3. Wallace

    Wallace Bobtail Member

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    I know this is an old post but I see the same comment over and over again regarding this. Google establishing residency in Texas. You will find it takes very little. One is simply accepting employment in Texas.
     
  4. TLeaHeart

    TLeaHeart Road Train Member

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    Alliance is not easy, and so many go into with rose colored glasses. Now for the time off account, I never let it get above $1,000. I set money aside into my own savings account, why should I let stevens handle my money? I never worry about paying my expenses when I take time off, as I run the miles, and let that catch me up, as I have money in my personal accounts to keep me happy.

    My last trip on the yard went smooth, and I always expect the night shift to want my truck, and I plan for it. I cleared the yard in 5 hours, all in one day, at 8pm the shop took my truck, I got it back at 1am, and lost it again at 7am, and at 10 am I was ready for dispatch. As for the night supervisor enjoying taking your truck, it all depends on your attitude towards him. I get alot of work done by the night shift, and they let me hang around and watch and learn.

    Knowing how stevens operates is a good starting point, communication with your driver manager and dispatch makes all the difference in the world. California is a black hole for a solo driver, especially with produce. It also depends on your driver manager, on how you will be repowered on a produce load, and if you will go back into California. I usually get repowered to another load still heading east, just one with more time on it, so that I can make it.

    As far as having to take 34 hour resets before and after a load, I have never had that happen. I only sit when I don't have any hours on my 70, and most of the time I can work it out to keep moving legally.

    I here all these horror stories from other drivers, talk with other alliance drivers that are not making any money, and I just can not understand why. My experience has been so different, that I think it is them, and not Stevens.

    My biggest grip is never going through my home state of Wyoming, so I can at least say hi to my friends and family. I spend most of my time running from the meat patch to the east coast, and back to Denver, Dallas, Laredo. Rinse, repeat.

    I will not tell anybody this is easy. It takes planning, staying on schedule, planning for those problems that you can do nothing about, but can control your reaction to. There is no way I would spend 9 days on the Dallas yard. that is 2 weeks of payments with no income.
     
  5. TLeaHeart

    TLeaHeart Road Train Member

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    That is part of knowing how stevens operates. It also depends on your communication level with Stevens. I also know of 2 driver managers that were terminated doing exactly what you say happens. I have turned down repowers that made no sense for me to do. I ask lots of questions when ever dispatch call me and ask for my help. I had one of those DM's that had his special few who got all the repowers, at the expense of the rest of his drivers. He is no longer employed by Stevens.

    Stevens has many drivers that never ask questions, that make good shag trucks, and take the abuse and the sitting, and never figure out why.
    Then they quit, and say Stevens is a bad company.

    It is all about knowing onesself, and what you want out of this job that gets into your blood to the point one loves to hate it. :)
     
  6. Barracuda905

    Barracuda905 Light Load Member

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    TLeaHeart, I agree with you that it is important to know how a company operates. What questions do you ask the DM and how do you know if a repower is to your advantage or not?
     
  7. TLeaHeart

    TLeaHeart Road Train Member

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    1. Why does this load need repowered? where is it going? when does it need to be there? where is the other truck right now?

    2. Does it move me out of a bad freight area?

    or into a bad freight area?

    3. Is there a pre plan to back this load up with to keep me moving?

    4. If it is my driver manager calling, I do not turn it down, as he works to keep his entire fleet moving, and delivering on schedule.

    5. If it is night dispatch calling, I ask more questions, What time will the other truck make it to the repower point? What is the other drivers phone #? Is this a Grad fleet driver limited to 500 miles per day?

    It also depends on if I have enough energy to make the delivery in the time needed, as it is always tight when night dispatch calls me.
     
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  8. JerryC

    JerryC Light Load Member

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    Those are great questions. You always want to be sure you know what you are agreeing to whenever someone calls you for a repower. If someone other then your DM calls you. It's a sure bet they are just trying to get the freight moved. Never assume that person has done their "due deligence" such as checking when you started your 14 hour clock, How many hours your have and if in fact you have enough time to deliver the load. The last thing you want to do is accept a repower and then end up not being able to make safe and on-time delivery. That will get you a bad reputation with the repower team and some other folks as well.

    The 9 day stint I mentioned was when I went through the Stevens Trainer class and changed trucks and picked up my first student. That took all of 9 days. I had a less then great experience dealing with the supervisors over in the mechanics garage. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. So much so I'm just not enthusiastic about going back on the Dallas yard.

    I don't know if anyone else has noticed but it seems like alot of people over in Dallas are constantly on edge. Ask a simple question and your in for a boxing match. These people are "Professionals In Name Only". As an Alliance Contractor I am a business partner with Stevens Transport. Don't assume I'm some knuckel head truck driver that you can abuse and push around. Apart from the policical side of having to deal with Joe Sixpack. The Clearing process is pretty simple. If you stay focused you can usually get through it in one day.

    I think the Alliance group should have a follow up business class for the contractors. They through so much information at you in the initial first class, its hard to remember alot of it. If you don't scan your trips on the right days you can end up running your but off and just covering your weekly expences.

    As a general rule . . . My work week start on Thursday. My goal is to have 3000 miles that I Transflow every Wedensday before noon. That seems to work well for me.
     
  9. JerryC

    JerryC Light Load Member

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    I think its a tuff call who to blame when you get caught in one of these situations. Sometimes I think we don't always see the big picture. The DM's can only offer us so much help. The dispatchers and planners have a finger in this pie as well. I have talked to a few DM's and they told me they don't like any of their solo drivers going into California for the reasons we have been talking about. DM's are held responsible for everything we as drivers do wrong. They get threatened with termination if a driver says he can make a delivery appointment on time and winds up showing up late. Competition is getting fierce out there. Companies risk loosing accounts because of late deliveries or any small infractions.

    Stevens is the Job you love to hate. . . A strange and fatal attraction.
     
  10. SVTStingRay

    SVTStingRay Light Load Member

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    not only that, but its the dispatchers job to get you more miles. if you constantly get fewer and fewer miles, the dispatchers are held accountable, especially if you are in alliance. if your not happy, you wont stay in the program. another thing, dispatchers get bonuses for having their fleet average over a certain ammount of miles. so its in their best interests that you get miles.

    why all the negative discussions about dispatchers and working the system? stevens is just like anywhere else. yeah you might get a repower going somewhere you dont want to go, or have not enough miles, but by getting on the good side of the repower teams, you can get a reputation for being a good driver and they will remember your truck.
     
  11. Dryver

    Dryver Road Train Member

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    I agree that if the 'call' comes from night dispatch its time to be suspicious and ask the right questions. The Alliance DM's do seem to avoid taking a load off your truck unless the preplans for the next trips are in place. I am not a hater towards night dipsatch, but the less I talk with them the better.
     
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