Davis Express in Starke, FL Information Thread

Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by Frank Speak, Sep 13, 2016.

  1. Frank Speak

    Frank Speak Road Train Member

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    I'm not going to do a "Wow, This is the Best Company Ever" review type of thread. We all know everyone's circumstances, likes, dislikes, b.s. level threshold, pay desires, etc... are all different. Thus, I'm just going to try to keep it to facts and general info.

    That said, I will get it out there right off the bat that I do like driving for Davis Express.

    Ok, so here we go. If I don't cover something you're interested in knowing, just ask. I admit, I don't come here too often, but I will eventually get an answer to you. Also, please don't pm me. I really hate those things, lol. Just post here. One, you'll get an answer faster. Two, it might help out others. Thanks!

    NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE! *MOST* of our driving is at NIGHT. If you're not a night person, you can save yourself some reading. lol

    General: Davis Express is a small (roughly 200 drivers) Southeast Regional company. We *mostly* drive in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and South Carolina. We occasionally dip into southern North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana, but it must be pretty rare because I've never been in any of them. Their primary customers are Publix (largest customer), Tyson, Pilgrim's Pride, Del Monte, Tropicana and other Port customers.

    Pay: I'm not going to go into their specific pay scale because it's based on 2 factors: your driving experience and your seniority with Davis. You can go to their website and see the pay matrix. I will tell you what they advertise in general what you'll make at Davis. The average driver makes $1050 a week with a 2200 mile a week average. This is pretty accurate. *I* actually average $1070 a week with about 2000 miles a week. Your mileage will vary quite a bit from week to week.

    For example, if you do a lot of store runs (5-7 stops on a load), you're not to get a lot of miles on that load, but the stop pay makes up for it. We get $15 per stop for stores and $25 for warehouses. I LOVE the stores because that's fast money. Most of the time you're not at one for more that 15 mins.

    Frankly, that's why I don't pay much attention to the miles. I just pay attention to my pay and the $1070 is my average.

    Equipment: Davis has pretty much every brand, but the majority of the fleet is KW and Freightliner. I have a 2012 KW T660 with an automatic. But, they have standards too. I think all new hires get a T660 with automatic, however. But, generally, you're only going to have that truck for 3 to 5 months. You will have an assigned truck and they are detailed before you get them. Mine was very clean when I got it, complete with new mattress. And it's a nice mattress, not those thin, cheap ones. The trailers are all nice too.

    The trucks do have cameras, for those of you that that bothers. The trucks are governed at 65 mph. They have TriPac APUs and have an 1800 watt inverter.

    Shop: Davis has two shops, one in Starke and the other in Dacula, GA (Atlanta). Both are good and they do a good job maintaining the equipment and get things fixed fast when they do break.

    Office Personnel: Davis has a super laid back atmosphere in terms of how everyone is treated from Jimmy Davis down to the house cleaning lady. I REALLY enjoy the friendly atmosphere. Really not much to say here other than you will be treated with respect. I used to own my on business and I would tell my employees during orientation "I hired you in this voice, I'll coach you in this voice, I'll give you direction in this voice, I'll reprimand you in this voice, and I'll fire you with this voice", meaning you'll always be treated with respect no matter the circumstances. The Davis' are somewhat reserved, but they're very nice. I interact with Josh (over maintenance), and Kayla (Safety, HR and Recruiting) the most. But all are good, nice folks.

    Benefits: They have the standard benefits that most companies have: Health, Vision, Dental, 401K, Cancer, Short and Long Term, etc... I have everything (Health related) and it cost me (non smoker) about $45 a week. They are self insured, but it's Cigna administered. I think the co-pay for me is $25. Also, they have different plans to meet your needs. And, we do get paid vacation after a year, and 15 personal days a year (more on that below).

    Home Time: There are two schedules: 7/2 and 12/2. Most of the drivers are on the 7/2, and it's a true 48 hrs off, not the 34 reset nonsense. In fact, *most* of the time, I'm home for at least 3-4 and sometimes 10-12 hrs longer. In addition, after your 90 day probation period, you get 15 personal days a year. These are non-paid. You also get a week of paid vacation after 1 year. Just a quick note about the 12/2 schedule. You won't get any more pay on this schedule because you'll more than likely be doing a 34 reset during that time. The only difference is with the 12/2, you're home every other weekend. The 7/2 rotates so your off time varies from week to week. The 12/2 tends to work well for folks that are divorced and get their kids every other weekend.

    That's all I can think of at the moment. Like I said, I like working here. It's a easy gig, and the pay is pretty decent. I'll make around $55k this year and I'm home every week so it works for me. Again, it's not perfect, but nothing is, but they're a good outfit, IMO, to work for.

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2016
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  3. carramrod32

    carramrod32 Heavy Load Member

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    Has there been any issues with the camera as far as getting called in the office for anything?
     
  4. Frank Speak

    Frank Speak Road Train Member

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    No and I've set it off a few times backing under trailers with the automatic. They've never said a word. It's really not a big deal. I had my own camera in my truck at the last company i worked.
     
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  5. Haystak88

    Haystak88 Light Load Member

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    Thank you for this post. I came on here looking for an exact post on Davis like you offered. It sounds good to me. I'm going to call a recruiter now. Thank you again!
     
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  6. antoinefinch

    antoinefinch Light Load Member

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    Hello Haystack
    did you go with Davis? If so how is it so far?
    THANKS AND STAY SAFE
     
  7. antoinefinch

    antoinefinch Light Load Member

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    ARE THERE ANY video's of the t 660 interior and exterior or pictures of their trucks anywhere?
    do they have fridges? Yours is the first positive review i have seen about Davis!
     
  8. ilikepizza247

    ilikepizza247 Light Load Member

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    Are the cameras driver facing cameras or do they face the road?
     
  9. Frank Speak

    Frank Speak Road Train Member

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    Their cameras face both the driver and the road (Drivecam system).

    FTR - I no longer drive for them and cannot recommend them.

    All of the information I provided in the original post is true, but it didn't take them long to reveal their negative attributes.

    1. Once you empty out, you don't dare move that truck unless they say.

    2. They expect you to log 15 mins for loading/unloading as soon as you arrive at your pick up or delivery and then go off duty.
    It doesn't matter what time your actual appointment is, they want you to log as described.

    A good example of why this is not a good practice is delivering at the Walmart DC in Monroe, GA. You'll have a early morning appointment on a load you pull out of their Starke terminal. You'll get to the DC at Midnight - 0100. They want you to log 15 mins on duty as soon as you get there, go on break, deliver at your appointment time while you're on break and then finish your break so they can give you something else.

    You'll hear this on a daily basis:

    "Go ahead and get on up there and get on break".

    Nevermind that these companies time stamp when you arrive, unload and leave (Especially Walmart).

    They couldn't care less that this is illegal, unsafe, etc...

    They also expect you to do your break wherever you end your day at, whether it be a Publix store, DC, chicken plant (yes, they expect you to do your 10 hour break at a stinking, nasty chicken plant and "you're not a real truck driver if you can't handle it"). And, again, they'll tell you "go ahead and get on over to Tyson and get on break".

    I refused to do these things. I just told them each time "send that to me over the Qualcomm, please". Then, they start backtracking saying they didn't mean for you to deliver off duty. BS! That's exactly what they mean. Lol

    Of course, they'll deny all of this.

    Also, yes, you get a full 48 hrs off when you go home after 7 days, but you really only get one full day off. Your home time starts as soon as you go off duty when you park your truck. And, you have to park at one their terminals or drop yards.

    If you go off duty at 1000 am on Tuesday, for example, then drive an hour or two to get home, now it's Noon. Half that day is gone. You get the whole day Wednesday, but then you're expected to be ready to roll at Noon Thursday. In other words, 24 hours of your 48 is actually split across 2 days. It's not a very good set up, at least not for me.

    Finally, they micro manage EVERYTHING you do. You start your clock at the time they tell you. You leave when they tell you. Park when they want you too. You really have to stand up to them at every turn. And, again, they won't bat an eye about calling you to ask you to do something illegal.

    They called me one morning before my break was up wanting me to go ahead and deliver to a Publix store because the manager saw my truck there and wanted to get his products off so he called Davis. Of course, they didn't have spine enough to explain HOS to him. Again, I have to tell them "send that to me over the Qualcomm". Of course, I never got that message.

    I did and he understood with no issue.

    Anyway, I had all of that nonsense I could take so I left.

    If you can deal with it, you'll make decent money over there.
     
  10. ilikepizza247

    ilikepizza247 Light Load Member

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    Thanks for the info. Yeah, I don't do that micromanagement garbage. Micromanagement is for ignorant rookies who don't have a backbone yet. I think I'll stay where I am. At least where I am now I am free to do my job however I please as long as I'm safe, obey the law, and get to where I need to be on time. Basically as long as I do my job and do it correctly I don't hear anything from anyone at the company. Oh, and no cameras. I don't see home much, but more time at home is not worth all the BS you described. I have read about most of that in the past but I guess things don't change much over there.
     
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  11. carramrod32

    carramrod32 Heavy Load Member

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    Very well written @Frank Speak, not just they suck blah.
     
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