In August of last year I joined the Orlando Benton Express Team.
In my 20 years of driving I have never worked for such a rag tag,C.Y.A.,inefficient,doomed to fold company.
I was lied to about my hourly rate (Said $14.00Ph Got 12.50)Line haul.
Now this is wait time. If you get it.
More often I was made to feel they were doing me a favor. It seems every terminal manager dictates who will be paid and who will not.
You will give them the first hour of any stop as you go from terminal to terminal . If the freight is not ready. You will waite. 59 minutes later you're off and running.
If there are no weigh stations between stops .Count on being over loaded
to a point of dangerous.
I have been ask to transport drivers in a folding chair (Only one seat in my tract.) Move New tractors without any paper work across state lines.
Forced to move hazmat with out proper placards.(No placards available 3AM)
Pull unsafe vehicals.
The list goes on.
They will ask you to do something knowing full well you cannot afford to say no. :
When ever I complained my miles were shortened for bit,Just to show who was in charge.
My record is impecable.No unsedualed days off,late days,Accidents,
or refusales to haul properely papered loads
I located employment elseware and turned in my weeks notice...
Two Days later I was dismissed..No fright to move.(Okay ! Right!)
Most of there terminals in Florida are something resembling Dungeons.
Dark,Cluttered,pour lighting,A few 3X3 wheel chocks, and in very seedy/Dangerous ares .
The Orlando terminal is becoming a Storage/junk yard for personal vehicals.
Chip, President and I believe the owner.Is on first impression, a very nice.shoot from the hip man. I believe he is doing his best to bring the company up .
I wish him the best of luck.
He better get a couple of inside people to see what is happening to his company and money.
I have seen $100.00 go down the toilet just from stupidity and negligence
Beware Drivers......Steer Clear if you are looking for something long term.........
This is my opinion. Any body else got one ?

__________________
Life is not a jurney to the grave with the intention of ariving safely in a well preserved body but rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly
used up,totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.
WOW!!....... WHAT A RIDE!!

what you say has been said so many times from so many truckers, about so many companies, it could fill a line of 53 foot vans reaching all the way to the planet saturn.................

nothing new, just another trucker singing a band tune over and over again...........

end result.........?? noboby listens or cares..........

the company will just hire another trucker who will do the job, as you were nothing at all to the company, just another "chumpanzie" driving down the road to misery..................

He's entitled to his opinion.

Sir, with all due respect, we do not like to discourage people from posting their opinions and assessments. This site is dedicated to that very issue.

I CARE, and so do others. When people are free to offer their thoughts on a motor carrier, it allows people to form their own opinions of them, and if they are a bad carrier, then it may just begin an elimination of the cycle of abuse that exists out there.

My motto is simple...I can't save them all, but I can improve this industry...one driver at a time.

Please....tone down your brutal honesty. Their are constructive ways to offer your opinion, without it sounding like an insult.

I want people to feel free to offer their thoughts without fear of enduring the type of responses that are normal elsewhere. We try to keep it civil in here...okay?

I've observed Benton Express trucks operating in VERY unsafe manners in northern Florida and in southern Georgia for years, and I have a VERY low opinion of them for that reason.

They have a very HIGH out-of-service rate for hazardous material violations, and an Iss-2 of 94, which indicates to me that they have problems.

In short, I tend to think that what this man writes is very believable and that this company is not all they claim to be. I've never been inclined to look in their direction.

I would agree in considering employment with them, but would give them a lot of space when on the road.

TurboTrucker says:

"Please....tone down your brutal honesty."


i can't.

its the way i am. better to be "brutally honest" with someone, than to lie to them. as for the "sounding like an insult", i'll let you or anyone else know when i'm insulting them.

i said what i said in that posting because all too many times i will open up one of my subscription trucking magazines and lo-and-behold, someone is ranting and raving about this or that in the trucking industry. its been a "song" that's been sang way too many times by just about every truck driver out there.

low pay, no benefits, loading/unloading, bad companies, long hours, DOT people, on and on.......

and, we really can't form a good judgemental opinion on another company soley on the rantings and ravings of any trucker, as "sour grapes" from one driver have to be discounted as facts.

in the board "report a bad trucking company", refering to the thread:"New England Motor Freight of Harrisburgh, Pa", you will see that i was responding to the original poster, "HONKINONBOBO77". I WAS a NEMF employee, and therefore i could honestly back-up just about everything he claimed (said) about NEMF. i went on to prove (at least to him) by giving terminal location numbers (02 for Pawtucket,RI) (01 for Elizabeth, NJ) as examples. since he is/was an employee of NEMF, he could quickly see that i was on the level with my responses.

and therefore, the problem you mention about "forming an opinion".

if no one else here can say that they worked for "such and such" trucking company, how can anyone form an honset opinion based on what could be just a case of "sour grapes", and not actual proof..........?????

at least in the NEMF situation, now you people DO have proof of what a terrible company NEMF actual is, and can really form a valid opinion of that company.

in closing, frankly, you will (i would hope) learn to appreciate "brutal honesty" over "covering up" the facts/truth, as its the way i am, and i simply cannot appologize for being honest, brutal or otherwise.

This brings to mind what I have been saying for years in that I would rather be happy and satisfied at 40 cents a mile then miserable at a dollar.

The bigest problem is that there are a lot of companies out there that have lost touch with the drivers and the other employees and focusing on the bottom line instead of the most valuable comodity any company has, the employee and the driver is on the front lines and can make or break the company.

Take companies such as this one or Swift and if you sniff around there is no question that you may find that the board room is alienated from some if not most of the company.

From what I have seen when a company cuts back on maintenence or never has had a program the company has serious problems...

portlanddriver says:

"This brings to mind what I have been saying for years in that I would rather be happy and satisfied at 40 cents a mile then miserable at a dollar".


yep........when i first started out, i worked for an owner operator. he paid 20% of the load to the driver, when loaded.

20% of deadhead miles, is well 20% of ZERO....

but, i was driving a brand spanking new Pete 379.....!!!!

beautiful truck, no benefits, only pay was for loaded miles, i was responsible for my own taxes, and i deadheaded twice from florida, back to RI.......

i think (if i remember) got paid a whopping $200 for the entire trip.....

but heck, i was driving a brand spanking new Pete 379.......


yep, give me the money, benefits, and an older truck instead.....eh.....??


lessons learned when we are young, and have no "guidance" from a more knowledgable person.

Just to let any one know
No insult was taken from reruns' coments about the same ole song being sung.(Entitled to his opinion too.)
Been in this business over 20 years now and have become a little thicker skined then that.
My only point was to warn any potentual drivers planning to work for Benton Express.
That company will get you incarcerated.
I know we all tend to slip on our pretrips a little.
It could cost you your life with them or get you put in the slammer.
Sure they say they will pay the ticket but who went to jail?
See if it happens and who takes the hit on there CDL?
Not going to happen to me if I can help it.
When it cost me to work for some one I have to ask myself.
"What's wrong with this pitcher?"
My opinion.and I'm sticken to it