I worked for Shaffer for almost a year. The pay is good but the rest leaves things to be desired. Let's start from the beginning. I went to the Wilmer terminal for the initial hiring process. The company got me a rental car to get there and put me up in a nice hotel (no roomates, everyone gets their own room). Did the hiring thing and got my truck assigned. Then I get a message from dispatch that I need to go out with a trainer. Company could not verify two months of experience, no big deal to me.

The trainer was good and had no problems there. While waiting for the trainer the company got me additional cash to cover expenses and started my pay as well as covering my extended hotel stay. After training I was dropped off at the Indianapolis terminal and got another rental to get to orientation in New Kingstown. Got a nice hotel room to myself, again.

Now the trouble starts. Got my truck assigned and spent two days with it in the shop. Lots of problems with the truck. Brakes, leaks, body repairs. I had problems with the truck for about 3 months. The vast majority of my loads were late on pick up or delivery because of mechanical trouble. The engine finally blew in the truck. It was discovered that a tooth on the flywheel had broken off. Not once did anyone actually diagnose the engine only the components.

I argued with breakdown about the truck and getting a hotel. I was then sent to a Georgia Freightliner shop to get a recovery truck that had been banged up. The company did get me a rental car for the trip and paid for a hotel. The truck, as expected, was in terrible shape. The prior driver lived like a pig.

I was instructed to take the "new" truck to Marietta to have decals and final adjustments made. It took 3 hours for the decals to be put on. After sitting for 2 weeks I had to make some money and pulled the truck from maintenance.

Then the consolidation came. Shaffer now no longer has dedicated dispatch. They changed over to regional dispatch much like what Crete has. They failed to notify drivers that we no longer got 1.5 days off per week out. I found this out when I put in for home time.

With the change of dispatch I no longer got good miles and went from waiting about 15 minutes for a load assignment to waiting for several hours or even days. Only to get a fluff load between 300 to 500 miles. Down from 900 to 1500. Also getting stuck in the North East for weeks on end.


Had little issues from the truck but major issues with miles, home time, and maintenance. I normally stayed out for 3 or 4 months and only requested home time when needed. I would request time off a month in advance and send in reminders via QComm. The company failed to get me in. The web site cites 70% getting people home on time. I got home 0% on time. Most requests were for medical appointments through the Veterans Administration and I ended up threatening a law suite against the company. Amazingly enough I got a load home. However, it should have never had to come to that.

On maintenance. All services are done at terminals. Every terminal I went to in order to have an A service done (brakes, lights, etc.) I would be told it could not be done until the following day. The B service (A service plus oil and fluids) could be started in 3 days. Forget any diagnostics or other repairs, you could be there for a long time.

Repairs on the road, hahaha. I had to fight and argue to get brakes replaced in Barstow. The company authorized inspection and only if the mechanic says the brakes need replacing will they breakdown and authorize the replacement. They don't trust the driver to actually know anything about maintenance (well, what company does).
I lost my heat exchanger to a rock that was kicked up. Punched a hole in it. Sent this into breakdown and got a reply back "Are you sure it's leaking? Can you still drive?" I was thinking to myself "No, I'm imagining all the green fluid flowing out from under my truck."
Had a sensor problem on my final run. Truck would just not pull and would blow out thick black smoke on occasion. Sent this into break down and got the message "Hows the truck running?" Again I thought to myself "Like crap, otherwise I would not be contacting you. Would I?"

As for miles. Since the consolidation Shaffer can't seem to get things straight. Dispatch will not T-call a load unless it's a proven no win situation. You accept a load you are married to it, divorce is not an option. If you go from one region to another the receiving region does not know you exist until you send in an empty call. Hence, no preplanned load offers. Hence, you sit and wait or get fluff loads.

It was a decent company. It may once again become a decent company, someday. In order for that to happen they need to get their maintenance and dispatch into decent shape. They also need to get their drivers home on time on the day they request. I understand it can't always happen, but every time is not acceptable.

Welcome to the new Shaffer. My last episode trying to get home seems very similar to yours. I have been out for over a month and ½ and I put in for home time 3 weeks prior. When it got close to my home time, I started getting load offers that went in the opposite direction. I contacted my fleet manager and they said that dispatch is well aware of your home time because it is posted on the dispatchers monitors however, they choose to ignore it, but at the same time the dispatchers want you to respect them.

During my time out which again was over a month and ½, I averaged less than 2,000 miles per week. A year ago I contacted Ray Dunn because I wasn’t getting anywhere by complaining about more miles to my dispatchers or fleet manage. We had a meeting via phone conference… my dispatcher, fleet manager and myself. According to our straightforward shooting president, “we don’t run our drivers with any less than 2,500 to 2,600 miles a week - any less is just unheard of!” He then informed my fleet manager, who apparently has a very short attention span, to make sure I get the miles that I should be getting. For the next several months my miles were looking half way descent and then comes the slow months during the Christmas Holidays right into April.

I have a brand new truck so breaking down that often doesn’t seem to be an issue (fingers crossed). As far as the Aklie maintenance goes, I try to plan some time off right around the same time my “A” and “B” services are scheduled, that way they have time to do whatever it is they do which in most cases, it is to make things worse than before. I was very surprised when I took my truck in this last time for a “B” service as I needed some other things done as well. They actually had it ready to go by the time my whopping 4 day vacation was over from being out on the road for almost 2 months. Most of the time, that is when ever it is remotely possible, I will try to get my truck into a TA if a problem arises so I don’t have to deal with any of the terminals.

One driver told me that being a truck driver really isn’t all that hard, it’s just aggravating! Between dealing with the numbskulls on the roads (which includes other truck drivers who act like the road belongs to only them) - warehouses who are too cheap to post a sign that reads “SHIPPING/RECEIVING” or knows how to unload a trailer within a reasonable time frame - and of course the inevitable… road construction, weather, and of course breakdowns. On top of all that we have to deal with dispatchers who look at us like the Amish looks at a mule. Dispatchers will play a driver as if he/she is nothing more than a nameless tool, and when that tool gets to the point that it doesn’t want to play by their unmanageable - inexcusable system, than we are nothing more than a throwaway item.

About a year or so back yeah, Shaffer was an OK company… but now they rank right up there with the rest of them.

so thats all you are getting i am a shaffer driver to and i run about 2600 to 3400 ever week i run the northeast and i dont like going up there but i put up with it its my job to del the loads where ever they go so you should just get over it and just do it then maybe your mile will go up but i take home $950 to 1200 a week with shaffer

Yeah, Shaffer has really turned to crap. They micromanage you to death and operationally they are incompetent. They waste so much time on petty #### when they should looking for freight. Shaffer/Crete is now just like Swift or Werner, except they pay more per mile.

sounds like there they same to me. I was there for 6 mos. on 06. in that time I had 3 trucks. all of the cheap ####. In that time they never got me home on time. 4-7 days late every time and then it would take the 3-4 day to get me out after I told them I was ready.