Anderson Trucking Service, Inc. - St. Cloud, Mn.

Brenda and Brett Anderson (sister and brother) have now turned ATS into another J.B. Hunt. Enough said.

 

I agree. Lease (or fleece, as we say) programs are seldom worth while. Only the company makes money. ATS is hosing their L/O's at an astounding rate.

 

A straight truck can be a van, but more than likely, he means a regular semi-trailer with 3 walls, a floor, and roof, and either 2 doors at the rear that open outward, or a single door that rolls up.

Every job and company will have positives and negatives. Hopefully we can find the ones with more of the former and less of the latter. I believe that I have.

I drove my 1st year with Roehl Transport. Awesome company to start with. I feel like I was incredibly fortunate to begin my truck driving career there. Fresh out of CDL school, their 1 wk orientation and 2 wks w/ an OTR trainer really helped me nail down the fundamentals.

When I decided that I wanted to earn some more, and be able to actually talk to someone within a few minutes of calling, any time of the week, I began my research of other flatbed co's.

I wanted a slightly smaller company (simpler logistics),
that was already using elogs,
that didn't make me swap trailers every other day,
that could (hopefully) get me home more, if and when I wanted to,
that (hopefully) had lots of OD loads cuz I enjoy the challenge,
and that (hopefully) didn't hire trainees, cuz those co's could usually pay more.

I had narrowed it to 2:
ATS - wasn't hiring for flats from NV.
Lonestar - would hire from NV, but require me to be out 4 wks at a time, MINIMUM, preferably 5-6. (They also have an incremental step-up program like ATS.)

Then I came across a pretty mint green KW @ CMC Steel in Mesa, hauling the same load to the same customer. I parked next to Scott to secure the load and rattled off my barrage of questions while working. He answered them all. I loved all the answers. I called Central Oregon Truck that day and spoke with Renee, the nicest, sweetest, most forthright recruiter ever!

If you want to know more, read this: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...22076-central-oregon-truck-co-fun-begins.html

I thank Weeble, Scott, and Renee for opening my eyes. Long may you all shall live!

 

ATS is finding new ways to screw drivers of their pay. This used to be a good place. Now, it's a starter job to leave after 6 months of being lied to and screwed.

 

This is a long thread lol. Im at ATS. Started in the Midwest division, then over to Padwrap and finally I'm in Flatbed. I originally came here to do Flatbed but started in vans to prove I could run. It's a Flatbed company, it's their bread and butter and it seems to me they don't take chances with it. You can be successful at ATS but it's takes some doing. Some things you can control, others you cannot, but I'll list what I can.


1. You have to know this business. ATS will not hold your hand. It's best to have been in this business for a while to lease here. Or go company. Whether you choose to do flats or vans you have to know what regions, states and cities regularly ship certain commodities. Ending up in high deadhead areas is very bad for business. It's not enough to know how to drive, or be an expert on securements. You have to know what's where, and most important the RATES! Going to California, Florida or the northeast for $1.50 a mile is very bad for business. Know your trucks MPG, at different weights. I know guys here who go to fuel and the first thing they do is pop both Capps. Seriously!? If all you need is 39.2 gallons, then you shouldn't have to be told that.

2. Communication with your dispatcher is a must. I'm going to say this now. Your dispatcher can and will govern what loads you see. So do the load planners also. NEVER except the very first load offers you see. They're almost always the crap that couldn't be covered from the previous days or weeks. You will be told multiple times that's all their is. But by some miracle, usually after or around noon better loads appear out of nowhere (magic!). But what I mean by communication is this, not constantly updating your status, but talking to him/her to see where their head is. If they have their favorites, you're doomed. You can even 'fire' them and get another. But from what I've seen, this usually doesn't go very well. They all do work together after all.

3. ATS's 52 week lease isn't designed for you to have a lot of home time. No way to sugar coat it, it just doesn't. You have the truck note and fixed expenses due every week. So let's say you run 3 weeks and go home for three days, or a week. That's one week of revenue lost, but the payment is still due. So that next week will be two payments plus fixed expenses. So now you've lost a total of two weeks. Which if you're running home every three weeks you're only looking at one week of profit that next month out. No one can afford that, so your best bet is to stay out. OR get a load going through the house, stay for three days deliver it and get right back at it. Either way, not a lot of home time.

4. Percentage is a must. ATS's mileage package is by no means the best in the business. You can clear $1,100 to $1,300 week with hard running, but I don't know anyone who takes on this extra responsibility to make the same money as a company driver. That little bit of cash is gong toward the bills at home also, which means comes tax time........... And no matter what you're told, anyone can get on percentage. I met a guy two weeks ago who's been here a year and a half and is still on mileage, because he's being told it's a freeze on percentage pay. Ran into another guy outside Baltimore who's on percentage and he's been here six months. I don't know either of these guys personal details, but I bet one runs, and the other doesn't. Mileage is idiot proof. So if they're trying to leave you on that pay package, it's for a reason........


5. Finally, ATS sits on Opportunity Drive is St. Cloud, MN. I say this because that's what it is. An opportunity. ATS is for you, if you're looking for a place where you can work hard to get things together. Bad credit? Lease a truck, run hard get it together. I raised my score by 100 points since I been here. No down payment? Lease a truck, save for the entire 52 weeks, don't touch your reserve SAVE IT! You could potentially walk way with nearly $9000 on top of what you've saved, you'll have enough money to go get whatever you want provided you have the experience and the credit. My second lease will be up in sept, after 14 years of driving I'm going to give it a shot.

I've been successful here, but don't be fooled, it's still a trucking company, with company ways. Y'all know how that is. It's enough old timers still left here who'll tell you it ain't what it used to be, but what is in the industry. Not everyone's experience will mirror mine, some have made more, some have made less. I've been blessed to have two really good fleet managers though, who for the most part, let me run my business.

 

I do well with Anderson, my young friend came here and just switched to flats his take last week was 5400.00 but some drivers can not figure out being an OO and should just stay as a company driver and get what they have always got LOW PAY cause thats what they get, proof is Swift had to put stickers on the fuel tanks reminding drivers to not put DEF in the diesel fuel tank many dont have the brains to poor water out of a boot

 

I am also with ATS. Also a lease driver. I have no complaints. I run as hard as I want, my truck payment and fixed costs are low enough for me to take time at home and not sweat going into the hole. I have a great fleet manager.

I think ink the problem with lease is simply the availability of it. Some people have no business running their own company. They like to go home, they can't manage fuel or time. Then they fail and come on here and whine about it. I have done very well for myself as a lease guy, at ATS and elsewhere. My close friends have done well with lease. It's not for everyone, but I would never go back to being company.

 

They are constantly spamming Craigslist in my area with a dedicated run from Arcadia, WI to Cold Spring, MN. I am almost sure it is a Gold N plump load (Poultry). Must be a pretty crappy company if they can't even keep a position like that filled.

 

I respectfully disagree. As a lease driver I make good money. I'm sure the company makes money as well, but if they didn't it would be a poor business plan and they would no longer be a company. Hope things get better for you.

 

*FACEPALM* You Flease operators don't seem to understand you are company drivers.

Company's run these lease/purchase programs because they make more money off them than they do company drivers as they are set up to fail. Most of you Flease operators aren't even smart enough to know when your losing money due to little to no accounting skills because you have no experience in trucking business which is why Flease operators become Flease operators and not owner operators.

Read...
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...-those-need-want-fleece-purchase-carrier.html