Just my .02

Discussion in 'Star Transport IL' started by Midknight, Jan 27, 2010.

  1. Midknight

    Midknight Light Load Member

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    Jul 8, 2009
    Cleveland, OH
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    Well I`ve been with Star out of Morton, Il for 3 months now and figured I would chime in with my experience since I haven`t really seen a current post as of late. I`ll start from the begining----my trainer was absolutely awesome. I went to a trucking school in ohio that required an externship period before I got my graduation certificate and only a few companies (like 4) were part of it so I chose Star. Well My first trip out with my trainer he wanted to get me in my own truck after 3 days. That wasn`t because of my schooling but mostly the 3 yrs exp in the military I had but that was years ago. Anyway I was with him for 4 weeks. We stayed pretty busy too...first 3 weeks I did all the night driving as per the program and did mostly the full 14 hour shift or atleast the 11 hours driving if it was a really long haul. I got a hotel room everytime we were laid over for a night somewhere or one for the weekend....never had to sleep in the truck if we weren`t under load which is what I heard from a lot of people cause there is only a single bunk in the truck. I made it home a fair amount...not always on the weekend cause he had a few Dr. appointments and we were laid over in Arkansas for a weekend. Moving on to my first truck...not too bad cause I was a brand new driver so I knew I wouldnt get top of the line. It was (key word was) a 2007 Peterbilt 370 with about 451,000 miles when I got it. Little beat up, engine and turbo`s weren`t very responsive and transmission liked to grind like crazy, pop in and out of gear, or just not shift period. Could barely pull a full load up a mountain and would run at about 25-30 mph up the steepest of them. Front bumper was cracked and broken in a few places and the passenger side rear corner of the sleeper was cracked off and held in place with heavy duty zip ties. Interior wasn`t bad at all but that was to be expected to. But none of that matters anymore cause it died on me last Monday on the PA turnpike. Spun the main rod bearings and had to be rebuilt. Place that was repairing it said it would be over a week at best so I came home for a day and got a picked up for a ride back to Morton for a new truck.

    Truck 2:
    In the shop for 2 days getting a little work done on it and being inspected to be released. The APU froze up on it (only a few Star trucks have APU`s and someone how I managed to snag one). Got it Thursday night and started home. Ran great, shifted great, floated like a dream in any gear up or down - something my first truck couldn`t do on it`s best days. First load was 30 some thousand pounds of coolant to PA....right back on the turnpike. Had no problems at all, pulled great and handled great. Next load- 45,000 pounds of sheet glass out of PA to MI. Again no problems. Pulled through the mountains at a cool 45-50 mph all over the steep hills...alot better than my last truck. Dropped off and started heading to my next load and it happened....a ticking sound in the engine. Then it got worse and eventually became undriveable and I knew what it was just by the sound...either a rod knocking or a broken valve. Got it towed to a Cat engine plant and I was right....broken valve and a chewed up piston. 2 trucks in 8 days and crap for miles since I was only averaging about 1300 miles a week but I had that chocked up to being the end of the year with all the holidays and budget cut backs for the companies we move for. I was ready to give up and just be done with them. Untill I found out what they`re doing to my truck. Still under warranty so the repair plant is pretty much rebuilding the engine...new head, new pair of turbo`s and charge pipes, whole new set of pistons, rings, and rods, new seals and gaskets...everything...and it`ll be done by friday. So now I`m home on a little mini vacation since I was only about 2 1/2 hours from home and didn`t want to go through the hassle of getting a ride back to the yard and getting a new truck that was probablly crap and my dispatcher was understanding about that. So Monday I go back to MI to get my truck and I`ll give them 4 weeks.....4 weeks to get me more miles and make sure I don`t end up in a 3rd truck.

    So that`s been my experience with Star. Questionable equipment and a dispatcher that likes to leave me sitting then gives me short loads. I say that because I never stopped moving with my trainer and I`ve talked to other drivers with my company that average well over 2000 miles a week. Like any buisness it`s hit or miss but I`m willing to go another 4 months...just to see. Hope this helps with anyone that has questions.
     
    jtrnr1951, Baack and JustSonny Thank this.
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  3. GoneButNotForgotten

    GoneButNotForgotten Heavy Load Member

    870
    1,554
    Dec 30, 2009
    Roxboro, N.C.
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    Obviously you are at the bottom of the pecking order (usually trainers are at the top in companies like yours). Your equipment and miles will get better with time. The only decision you have to make is by the time all the stuff gets good for you, you have to decide whether you want to stay and be a trainer or move on to greener pastures.
     
  4. cherokeechief

    cherokeechief Light Load Member

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    Aug 10, 2009
    Gilson, il
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    well he is some info for you. i worked for them for 15.5 years. had only one accident and they let me go. as you can see, 15.5 years of giving my heart to them and standing by them has meant nothing.
    as for sitting, that was starting to happen in the last 3 years because they lost alot of customers. mainly there were drivers that could not deliver on time.
    i was one that was always on time, but meant nothing to them.
    also they do not care about their training program. they use it to force the trainer and trainee to run as a team. this is required on certain loads from cat.
    and those are kept by the trainers and are considerd dedicated routes.
    and if your health starts to be a problem, then they are always looking to find a way to get rid of you.
    their insurance is good. i should know, it paid my hospital bills when i had a motorcycle accident.
    they are a family company, but the owner found fit not to be around much in '08 and almost had to close the doors in '09. but he did save it.
    yep i stayed there to long, and now i am paying the price because they have blackballed me.
    so to start out, they are ok. but for long term, run away to another company.
    you will get to a point and make good money, then it will go down hill. you will lose your home and everything else. adn will not have a chance for another job with another company.
     
  5. Midknight

    Midknight Light Load Member

    62
    14
    Jul 8, 2009
    Cleveland, OH
    0
    Cherokeechief I would have to disagree with you on their training program....but only as far as my trainer and his dispatcher were concerned. We barely stopped moving while I was in training and I knew that before going in. I knew the trainer made pay on every mile either one of us drove and I was getting paid crap. I knew all that before starting. But my trainer made sure I was taken care of when the time count. Like when we were stuck somewhere in a city and no place would take a comcheck....he paid with his own money and waited to get reimbursed....he could have just told me to sleep in the passenger seat, even convinced his dispatcher to pay a higher hotel bill then they usually do. I knew we would run team...he told me that first thing when I got in the truck, didn`t try to hide anything. Told me what he made per mile and that he would get paid every mile the truck ran and my pay wouldn`t change. And yes we ran alot of CAT...but I felt that was a proving ground for me...I was in training after all. We ran alot of loads to York, PA and I spent alot of time on the PA turnpike mountains. I considered that a learning experience for the different weights we carried.

    My trainer never lied to me about anything and took great lengths to make sure I was well informed about everything we were doing. And as far as getting let go after 15 1/2 years....well I was only obligated to them for 5 weeks through my school...been with them for 3 months as a brand new driver so far. Why would they keep someone with only 3 months experience but let someone with almost 16 years go? Their pay grade stops after like 5 years just like veryone else....and even still you would have been making maybe more than .07 more than me. No offense but sounds like there might have been more to your situation than you`re saying and you just got a raw deal from them. Doesn`t make much sense to keep someone brand new but let a 15 year veteran go.

    As far as training goes....I could barely sleep while I was with my trainer and the truck was moving so no training or team driving for me lol.
     
  6. cherokeechief

    cherokeechief Light Load Member

    142
    30
    Aug 10, 2009
    Gilson, il
    0
    well the program they are suppose to have is, the first 2 weels, the trainer sits in teh front seat when trainee drives. and get a motel.
    weeks 3 to 4 they want team running. well it is suppose to be on teh last 2 weeks the trainee does all the driving.
    but no one does that.
    as for the runs you mentioned, sounds like you only wen ton certain runs. doesn't teach much. i haev seen many trainees get in their own trucks and are lost. they have no idea where to run and have no idea what to do. and can not back up.

    here are reasons they let me go, first, i had an accident in '01, i could only drive the 387 trucks. the 386 trucks i had to modify to drive them. i have 1/2 rt foot.
    second, i had to see my doctor every 3 months. they did not like that.
    third, i had a little problem in june, the first major screw up of putting the truck on its side, but passed a level 3 inspection, and was not ticketed. but there are drivers there that have rolled trucks up to 4 times, and are still there.
    then i get told i could reapply in 45 days as a rehire, but when i did they said no.
    so you tell me, i put 15.5 years of my life standing up for that company, and i did many favors for them and this is how i get paid back.
    and furthermore, they have black balled me so i can not get another job.
    my miles were getting cut bad for 2 years. the rookies always got more miles. the rookies caused the loss of loads, like from home depot. we lost it because of drivers not delivering on time or pissing off the customer.

    am i mad at them, in a way yes. not giving me a second chance to prove it was a fluke.

    and for them to let the veterans go, well it is cheaper for them pay wise because the government pays a large percentage of the rookies wages, so star makes alot of money on the first 2 years of a rookie .

    i remember having to leave out of morton in the morning and be in york by next morning. also leaving out of cat and being in dallas by the next night. all this by myself. yes i did runs that were normally impossible for 1 driver to do, but i did it, because they knew i would get the job done.

    i stayed with them for that period of time because i had a dedicated for 3 years before my motorcycle wreck. they paid for my hospital bills, well their insurance did., and they kept me at my seniority level and pay while i was off for 18 months.

    but good luck to you midknight.
    also i did train for 2 years, but when they gave me a russian driver, that was it.
     
  7. Midknight

    Midknight Light Load Member

    62
    14
    Jul 8, 2009
    Cleveland, OH
    0
    Well I guess I`ll just chaulk it up to a good trainer with all that in mind. When I was with him I did all the backing, all the paperwork, and all the qualcomm messages as long as I was awake. Since I got in my own truck I haven`t had any real problems and whenever I`ve had a question he has always answered the phone.
     
  8. cherokeechief

    cherokeechief Light Load Member

    142
    30
    Aug 10, 2009
    Gilson, il
    0
    that is good. you got one of the good trainers. you were very lucky.
    i bet he has been with star for quite awhile.
    reason i say that is star will give a rookie with only 6 months a chance to train. i feel that a driver needs to have at least 2 years before becoming a trainer.
    you were lucky to have a trainer that made you back up all the time and fill out the paperwork.
    you were trained well.
    good luck
     
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