Landes or Caledonia

I can't recommend Landes. Management is clueless and they care very little for their drivers. They quote up to $65,000 per year, but you do the math and you can't get there without working 6 days a week, all year long. Basically the pay is on the low side, averaging $210 per day, on about 550 miles per day. The runs are drop and hook averaging about 11 hours per day, if you don't have to wait for a clean tank.
They tell you .4097 cents per mile and you do get that for nonscheduled runs. However, they flat rate regular runs so they pay about .37 or .38 per mile. We just had a run change and guess what, .374 per mile. After 2 years on the Nestle account, we finally got a raise, as a seniority bonus. A penny per mile after your first and second year. The third year, as a reward, you get a half cent increase! We finally got 5 days of holiday pay at $75 per day. We also receive a safety bonus of $100 per month, paid quarterly, which is matched again in December. So, that equals $2400 per year in safety bonuses. They told us we'd have a rider policy, but they don't follow through on their promises.
Insurance is decent with a lot of optional coverage available , disability and additional life insurance. I'm very satisfied with that part of the package. They also have a 401k, which they contribute very little.
We drive Mack trucks and they perform well pulling the smooth bore tanks. My truck has around 300,000 miles and I've had it since practically new with very few problems. That's really good because-the maintenance department is difficult to work with as they know everything and treat you like you are ignorant. They seem to be in love with one tire dealer and one Mack dealer so you have to wait to get in there, seems like they're getting kickbacks or something. They fight with vendors all the time, so maybe these are the only ones that will do business with the petty and argumentative maintenance department.
The tanks are owned by Nestle on the account I'm assigned. They just got some new tanks, but most are old, and not properly maintained. If you are inspected at this company, on average, you receive points a whopping 61% of the time!! And the safety director just got a promotion to a higher position-see what I mean about clueless and little regard for their drivers?
When you report something wrong with a tank to the maintenance department they treat you like you are stealing the money from out underneath their personal mattress. How can corporate allow their safety rating to be pummeled by their inept maintenance department and the poor condition of the tanks, when Nestle owns and pays for the maintenance?
I am satisfied with the people I speak with in operations, my dispatcher and the rest of the people at or near that level. All are respectful and there is some give and take.
That being said, I rarely speak with anyone above that level. The former terminal manager was a rather incompetent and never got back to you if you asked for help. He was overly familiar, calling you his pet nicknames and making a joke about everything. He was not liked by the drivers and we all quit calling him with concerns. He was ALSO promoted to a higher level. Anybody see a pattern of management being clueless and very little regard for their drivers? The new guy has very little influence and basically just fills a position.
The work itself isn't bad and they leave you alone for the most part. Regular runs from the town I live in to the same plants, home nearly every night! We were hired with the understanding that we would work 6 days during the "busy" season, basically, November through mid February, fair enough.
Now comes the twist. You can never get off work. You are expected to work 6 days a week continually, throughout the year. If you ask for a weekend off, the overworked and harried dispatch team starts crying. Every time is a hassle and they drop runs on you without notice and you are expected to perform. They. have a core group of drivers that were selected by previous management that have been in place for over two years in several locations. While they continue to not pay us the advertised rate and basically tell us that it's good enough, they can't attract and/or retain drivers outside the core group of existing drivers. The new guys realize rapidly that they pay isn't as advertised and they company doesn't care about the drivers and they quit. Due to expansion within the existing account you are required and cajoled into working all the time or face coercion and potential revenge from the dispatch team who is trying to carry 10 pounds of pig crap in a 5 pound bag.
We have a huge referral bonus to get new drivers. I've had people ask, but, for the life of me, I can't recommend Landes to a fellow driver with a clear conscious.
Ok, why do I stay? I'm home every night. I'm already here. The work is steady and easy, full out and empty back, I make $200+ per day. I like the dispatch team, for the most part. I have family concerns in this town. I anticipate moving within the year and might as well stay until then, this is a good holding pattern for now. There are 2 jobs paying better in this town, but, after working here, I know that they may be lying as well.
Why such a long post? To save drivers the time and frustration. Also, and this part is funny, I hope the management team will see and recognize their shortcomings. I should quit and go on a comedy tour.

 

Thanks a million, Sleepyfoot... You may just have saved my tail, too!

 

Personally, I would CAN recommend Landes with a clear conscience. That being said, I haven't been there as long as Sleepyfoot, and I am definitely not here to argue with him or carry the company's water. I get some of the pay issues he brought up, and I usually work 6 days a week. I've been doing that ever since I started, which was back in October 2015.

I, too, have noticed serious problems with Nestle trailers, and I got fed up with the lower people in maintenance blowing it off. So, do you know what I did? I took it upon myself to call the lady promoted to the head of safety, the one he mentioned, rather than just letting it go. I explained in great detail what the problems were, how things were getting blown off, and my concerns. I even sent her pictures and video to back up what I was saying. Between the safety head and my dispatchers, steps were immediately taken. Several trailers were soon pulled out of service because I spoke up. I have probably caused somewhere around 6-12 trailers to be pulled out of service for major repairs or sent to the scrap yard since I started. But I didn't take no for an answer. It's easy to get mad, it's harder to stick your neck out and go the extra mile. You can't just bite your tongue and walk off if it's a major safety concern. So I prayed for guidance, favor, and wisdom from the Almighty, and I made a phone call. That is what you have to do sometimes.

Sleepyfoot is right on the money with the pay. It's nothing great, but it's nothing awful. I work 6 days a week, and my run doesn't even pay as much as his. But I made over 50k last year doing pathetically easy work, all drop and hook, no loading or unloading, 9-10hrs/day, and home every day. I get along with the terminal manager just fine, and he has helped me out. Two weeks ago, my truck was down for repairs. I missed several loads because of it. I called him, and they made it right. I got paid over $600 for the loads I lost. Not every company would do that. Either way, I make pretty good money, and I am happy with that. To each their own, right?

The shop can be a sore spot. I have had the same conversations with the same people, who always seem to think drivers don't know what they are talking about. Is it annoying? Yes. Is it the end of the world? No. My philosophy is that if you are looking for reasons to get mad at the world, you will find them. I rarely have to talk with those people; if I have to grit my teeth sometimes and drop something that's not worth getting bent out of shape over, oh well. And if it gets bad enough, I will stick my neck out again and go to somebody higher up. I pick my battles carefully, I pray before I go in, and I even if I lose a battle, I am in it for the whole war. So far, it has worked pretty well for me. Despite the hassle it has been to deal with certain people on occasion, when it comes down to it, if I need something fixed on my truck, it gets fixed. Generally, it is the same thing with trailers. Sometimes you have to push a little harder, but they are usually pretty good about getting trailers taken care of.

Is the company perfect? Far from it. But I get along great with my dispatcher, and if I want a day off, I can get it without too much hassle. On the flip side of the coin, if she wants me to help her out, I do it. I don't do anything to make her life any harder than it has to be. I don't look for reasons to whine and complain. You would be surprised how much that is appreciated and how much people will return the favor. My dispatcher has bent over backwards for me when I needed something from her.

Overall, I feel very blessed to have this job. Maybe I am crazy. But I know several other Landes drivers that like their jobs, too. So I am not alone in this. You can't take just one person's opinion of a company. And the grass is always greener elsewhere. So, a person has to decide for themselves where they are going to settle for the long haul and make the best. Otherwise, you will never be happy. Unless something catastrophic happens, I am staying here. I have a good job working for a good company. And that is good enough for me.

 

I would also like to add that, depending on the run, the flat rate is not always less than the mileage pay, and is often higher. For example, my run actually figures out at a touch over .43/mile. I believe one of the other main runs I sometimes take figures out to .50/mile. So it varies quite a bit, depending on which lane you are running. The pay could always be better. But it is pathetically easy, so you have to figure that in, as well.

 

I will add that I was never promised anything close to $65,000/yr when I started, and I was told from the get go that I would be working 6 days a week with possible Mondays off. I don't see how it is a big deal if the company quotes a number that is possible to make in a year, as long as they don't put it to you like that is typical or easy. They need to make it clear that is the ceiling, not the average. I was told I would make $1000/wk on average, and that was right on the dot. I made just under 55k last year, so when you factor in the bonuses that is very close to what it should have been based on their promises.

Could I go somewhere else and make more? Definitely. I could go do food delivery or try to get into fuel hauling and make much better money and still be home every night. But I would also have to work much harder doing a job I probably wouldn't like as much. So I will stay put.

I also know some of the originals that started when it was supposed to be a 5 day a week operation with occasional Saturdays, and they definitely grumble about the way it is now. However, at my particular plant, it isn't very hard for them to get Saturdays off. It seems like they can get every other one off if they want without too much hassle.

Sleepyfoot likes the insurance, and this is where you can see how different peoples' opinions are. He doesn't care for the company much, but loves the ins. I love the company, but hate the ins. I have had way better coverage at previous employers. In my opinion, the insurance is overpriced and has poor coverage. Things have changed this year since Kenan Advantage took over. It dropped down some in price and seems to have better coverage, so there is some improvements there.

 

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ds/my-first-year-with-landes-trucking.328502/