Originally Posted by Lonesome

What an experience! What keeps the likes of Werner in business?

Originally Posted by Brickman

Because of all the pie in sky, rose colored glasses that folks have blinding them to what forums like this one have to tell them and bad companies.

If I've heard it once, I've heard it 100 times.................. "Oh I don't believe they could possibly be that bad" only to have one once in a great while come back like this guy and say I wish I would have listened to ya'll.

Originally Posted by Roadmedic

Do you have a link to support the government kickbacks?

Originally Posted by Owner's Operator

It's like someone said:

It's the same concept that keeps casinos in business. Despite seeing all the angry/sad faces leaving, the fool will rush in head-first thinking he'll be the one who'll "hit it big." RIIIIIIGHT

Originally Posted by lockednloaded

I have spent around $16,000.00 on a career change to trucking from retail management. It was something I've always dreamed about doing. I love to travel the open road. I enjoy seeing the different parts of the country. I am in my forties and am fortunate enough to have a loving and supportive wife. We have moved from the extreme northeast to the extreme southeast so I could pursue this career change. After reading a ton of bad experiences about nearly all the companies who hire drivers right out of cdl school, I made probably the biggest mistake of my life. I made the decision based on the recommendation of one of the instructors at the highly rated school I attended in Scarborough, Maine. He stated that they had a great training program to finish up your skills.
I must have misunderstood him. What he must have meant was if you give them long enough you will be finished. Their 275 hour training program consisted of team driving. The first day i drove 553 miles while my trainer dozed in the bunk. I was done with the 275 hours in 5 and a half weeks but was kept on the truck another 3 at the same measly wages plus $100 total for the extra time. I was then issued my truck an 06 freightliner classic. When i failed it for inspection I was told to take it to the dealer 30 miles away. This is where it sat for 7 days to have legal brakes put on it. no wait they had me go get it and move it 8 miles to rush in Tampa because the dealers price was too high. So the first 9 days I could've been running miles and making .26 per mile I couldn't. It only took a few hours to realize that the training I'd received did not begin to prepare me for what I was embarking on. I trained on a regional dollar general account for Werner ent. I had always intended on otr 48 and Canada. I had never had the truck washed, had to pay for a hotel, paid lumpers etc... during the next five weeks I managed to run a little over 2000 miles a week. Someone in dodge City Kansas was kind enough to remove my right mirror while i was sleeping, the d2 gov failed and was down for another air related issue. I had a load shift on a load of Pabst blue ribbon out of Irwindale, Ca. to Portland Or. I received an award from the department of justice in Woodburn County Or. for that $82.00. I was placed out of service at the scales and it took Werner 26 hours to send lumpers to reload the truck the whole time on line 4 per the dot at the scales. Didn't make a dime that day. Did I mention there was no apu on my truck. I got screamed at daily by the individual that was "looking over me" for my idle time. It was over a hundred degrees outside the truck. I would've left the truck at the Portland or terminal but would've been responsible for getting home with no help from Werner. I stuck with it making calls trying to find a different gig. Due to the lack of income while otr my personal vehicle at home was repo'd. After 5 weeks out I finally got routed to the Lakeland terminal. I got to see my wife and take care of a few things. I hadn't been able to secure other employment while I was home but before I went back out with Werner I decided I'd speak to the terminal manager about the problems I was having. I was told three times while I was out to operate the truck illegally. I requested a new driver manager. I was told suck it up. GO get your load and quit complaining. I really didn't have much of a choice so away I went. I hoped it would get better. After complaining to dispatch about the mirror that i had duct-tapped back onto the truck after having it anonymously removed for me I was told to get in touch with road breakdown and get it replaced at a dealer. While there I put in for an alignment (the truck pulled to the right badly since day one) three days later the call comes in its ready. Hotel was paid out of pocket, no layover pay, hotel still not reimbursed 3 wks later. got another load get there pull to stop sign truck won't come out of gear clutch pedal won't come all the way off floor after a few minutes of pumping clutch finally come up. It is now slipping and stinking. the cons won't take me early am told to go to a safe haven and wait. Get there and clutch is now slipping badly and will barely move the truck send road breakdown request for tow. this is 7 pm at 5pm the next day tow truck arrives have split load at the flying j and am towed to the dealer. two days later trucks ready. Hotel paid for out of pocket again through efs check. have run a total of 600 miles for the week. get a load for 325 miles that can't be delivered for 2 days. no layover pay finally got hold of a human being at dispatch split load at a drop yard grab an mt read to go 10 hrs later get a 32 m load but again have to wait 29 hours to deliver. i have run at this point less than 1000 miles had to pay $120 for a hotel room plus efs fees 8.00 and check cashing fees at the truck stop. that means a paycheck of less than $150 after ins and advance to pay hotel comes out. I call dispatch. They say they'll work on it. Rent is due wife considers selling engagement ring. I traveled up to a t/a where i could get a meal and a shower had 7/8 tank of fuel. ran in to use the facilities and when I came back out my qc was out.
I was told I'd have to get routed to a repair facility. I went back in to the t/a took a shower and got a meal. Called dispatch and informed them I was dh to Lakeland terminal. Tried to get fuel the shut card off. I dropped the mt I had and cut my speed back to 55-60mph. Made the 1300 miles on what was in the tanks. i dropped their truck and everything else they had issued me at the terminal. This could be a line of new Fox Worthy jokes
You might drive for Werner if your personal vehicle has been repo'd while your out otr... If your wife has to hock her engagement ring to pay the rent ...you might drive for Werner... If you don't believe what I just wrote here ..you might drive for Werner
Please help me put these s.o.b.'s out of the trucking industry
Don't Drive for werner

Originally Posted by lockednloaded

I got into trucking because it is something I've always wanted to do.
I relocated because my wife didn't want to be alone in northern New Hampshire while I was on the road.

It didn't take the dealer 7 days to replace the shoes. I had to take the truck to a Rush repair facility 8 miles away after Werner decided that it was too expensive at the dealer.

I was placed out of service by Or DOT at Woodburn scales and cited $82.00 for being overweight on the drives. I had previously scaled legal after picking up a sealed trailer. Had the scale tickets to prove it. I was legal when I entered Or. at the first scales. The DOT officer demanded I break the seal to examine the load. We took pictures. The plywood and 2x4 barricade that Miller brewing co. put in front of the load failed, allowing 4 pallets of beer to crush against the header. The remaining 16 pallets of beer had slid 1/2 off the plastic pallets. This prevented them from being moved by pallet jack. The DOT stated on oos order that beers must be re-stacked, wrapped, secured and weighed out legal before I could be placed back in service.

Apparently you had to hit the brakes very hard. Had that happen but I knew it, heard the cargo slide. Yet I had a load of steel coils. But still you could heard the cases of beer move.

Werner requires that you take an advance to pay for expenses ( you can pay out of pocket if you have it) and they are supposed to reimburse you before your pay is calculated. It doesn't happen that way. I am still waiting to get reimbursed for headlights I replaced when they failed, and the hotel bills for 5 days of breakdown from weeks ago.

I have yet to be compensated for layovers caused by breakdowns or time spent waiting to deliver or pick up loads.

If you are dispatched 32 miles dh to get a load but it doesn't load for 48 hours after you get there, you can't make any money. You are able to finally load and you have 320 ld miles before you have to wait another 24 hours to unload. Total of 340 miles at .26/mile for 3 1/2 days = $100 minus 3 showers at $10 and 9 meals. You get the point? Negative cash flow.

Must learn to eat less truck stops and fix your own. Fuel you get free shower if you get 50 gal in most cases.

My opinion is this: Werner does not care if you are able to support your household let alone if you are able to eat. They don't care if you can (like a human) use a toilet when you need to or shower so you are not embarrassed about your odor. Werner's planners couldn't find their rectums with a flashlight and a detailed map! It is a terrible company and I would not recommend it to even someone I didn't like.

More of my opinion:
You have the right to expect a reasonable living if you are driving otr for any company. You give up your home life to be out on the road and you are not compensated for it. You must eat at fast food establishments or restaurants which will cost you significantly more than if you were eating at home or brown bagging a lunch to work. You are not compensated for it. If you don't run miles and purchase fuel daily you will have to pay for your showers at $10 bucks a pop. You will not be compensated for it.

Invest in good cooler, and 12 volt travel pots or travel ovens and cook your own food. Sandwich meats and bread.

As for the Showers you get a free shower when you purchase 50 gal of fuel, use that and not shower every day but when you fuel. It not a 9-5 office Job, but you should be able to put 50 gals of fuel every other day.


In other work environments it is required by Labor laws that the company you work for pay for these expenses as well as a comfortable sleep environment as well as any applicable taxes involved. Not so in the trucking industry.
Why?

There are a number of reasons they can use and would be correct in so. Did you get the OK for a motel? Called unauthorized purchase. If your truck sitting out side the shop and the engine will run they provided you with a place to stay. You do have a sleeper on your truck right?

What makes a trucker any less of a human being than a factory worker or a retail worker?
This is the status quo because truckers let it happen.

I believe that I have value.
I believe that I should be treated as well as any other employee.
I believe that I have the right to expect my employer to not even ask let alone demand that I break cfr's or any other laws of the land.

Agree

I believe that my employer should have to provide a comfortable sleep environment. ( one in which the heat, cold, noise around you is condusive to sleep and or rest).

Then you do not want to be a trucker. least an OTR Trucker. A company can not afford to pay for a motel room every day your out, and that the only way you will not be around noise of engines running, other trucks going in and out reefers running. Learn to suck it up or find another career. But the company has provided you a place to rest and to get sleep. It called a sleeper. There are steps you must take, which apparently you did not. And it cost you money.

These very basic rights are guaranteed by the Labor laws of this great country we live in for other occupations.

We should demand no less from these employers in this occupation.

I can not believe that anyone would put up with this kind of abuse.

Is it abuse or lack of knowledge of how to work the system? I vote lack of knowledge. You apparently went into Trucking with zero amount of knowledge of the trucking industry, and failed to pay attention or thinking in a spoiled mind kind of way. You have to be flexible and learn to adapt, with out that ability you will not make it in the trucking industry.

That was my rant for the day.

I certainly hope that no one was offended and would welcome your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks for being here and allowing me to vent!

Originally Posted by lockednloaded

I got into trucking because it is something I've always wanted to do.
I relocated because my wife didn't want to be alone in northern New Hampshire while I was on the road.

It didn't take the dealer 7 days to replace the shoes. I had to take the truck to a Rush repair facility 8 miles away after Werner decided that it was too expensive at the dealer.

I was placed out of service by Or DOT at Woodburn scales and cited $82.00 for being overweight on the drives. I had previously scaled legal after picking up a sealed trailer. Had the scale tickets to prove it. I was legal when I entered Or. at the first scales. The DOT officer demanded I break the seal to examine the load. We took pictures. The plywood and 2x4 barricade that Miller brewing co. put in front of the load failed, allowing 4 pallets of beer to crush against the header. The remaining 16 pallets of beer had slid 1/2 off the plastic pallets. This prevented them from being moved by pallet jack. The DOT stated on oos order that beers must be re-stacked, wrapped, secured and weighed out legal before I could be placed back in service.

Werner requires that you take an advance to pay for expenses ( you can pay out of pocket if you have it) and they are supposed to reimburse you before your pay is calculated. It doesn't happen that way. I am still waiting to get reimbursed for headlights I replaced when they failed, and the hotel bills for 5 days of breakdown from weeks ago.

I have yet to be compensated for layovers caused by breakdowns or time spent waiting to deliver or pick up loads.

If you are dispatched 32 miles dh to get a load but it doesn't load for 48 hours after you get there, you can't make any money. You are able to finally load and you have 320 ld miles before you have to wait another 24 hours to unload. Total of 340 miles at .26/mile for 3 1/2 days = $100 minus 3 showers at $10 and 9 meals. You get the point? Negative cash flow.

My opinion is this: Werner does not care if you are able to support your household let alone if you are able to eat. They don't care if you can (like a human) use a toilet when you need to or shower so you are not embarrassed about your odor. Werner's planners couldn't find their rectums with a flashlight and a detailed map! It is a terrible company and I would not recommend it to even someone I didn't like.

More of my opinion:
You have the right to expect a reasonable living if you are driving otr for any company. You give up your home life to be out on the road and you are not compensated for it. You must eat at fast food establishments or restaurants which will cost you significantly more than if you were eating at home or brown bagging a lunch to work. You are not compensated for it. If you don't run miles and purchase fuel daily you will have to pay for your showers at $10 bucks a pop. You will not be compensated for it.

In other work environments it is required by Labor laws that the company you work for pay for these expenses as well as a comfortable sleep environment as well as any applicable taxes involved. Not so in the trucking industry.
Why?
What makes a trucker any less of a human being than a factory worker or a retail worker?
This is the status quo because truckers let it happen.

I believe that I have value.
I believe that I should be treated as well as any other employee.
I believe that I have the right to expect my employer to not even ask let alone demand that I break cfr's or any other laws of the land.
I believe that my employer should have to provide a comfortable sleep environment. ( one in which the heat, cold, noise around you is condusive to sleep and or rest).

These very basic rights are guaranteed by the Labor laws of this great country we live in for other occupations.

We should demand no less from these employers in this occupation.

I can not believe that anyone would put up with this kind of abuse.

That was my rant for the day.

I certainly hope that no one was offended and would welcome your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks for being here and allowing me to vent!

Originally Posted by mannmk7

The only way this could be more mind-boggling is if it happen to me personally. There are enough of these stories to demonstrate that trucking companies do these things on purpose and take advantage of drivers, as a matter of course. They still make their money and the driver gets the shaft. Why won't the law do something about this fraud in trucking? Because the law is paid off by the corporations that's why.

I like the comparison of truck driving jobs to casino's. Casino's pretend to be a place were you go to gamble when they are really a place to steal your money. Very little gambling in casino's. Truck driving companies seem to pretend to be a job were you can make good money but they seem to be a place that gives you money with one hand and take it back with the other, fines, etc.

Originally Posted by coastie