Covenant Transport reviews

Q: I spoke with a recruiter from covenant today and it all sounds good, was hoping to get some input from you more experienced guys and gals about this company?

A: I worked for em for a year, my first driving job. Once you figure out how things work there it's not bad. Didnt like the team driving much. Had good equipment and if anything needed fixing they fixed it. My old partner still works there and is happy.

First, I am by no means employed by covenant. I actually work as a driver for a decent company. However, my girlfriend works in the office in chattanooga. During her time there she has discovered that truck drivers are treated like slime in most cases. Now she works in the operations department. 

So today I went to go and have lunch with her at work (covenant's main office off i24) I met some of her coworkers and discovered that covenant values their office staff more so than their drivers (which i figured). I found out office staff have their own gym, they are building them their own game room with tv's, xboxs and ps4's along with arcade games and a coffee bar and giving everyone a .15 an hour raise. The management think that the operations staff are working too hard and not taking enough breaks and need more relaxation. Also, every 90 days, they will earn 1 paid personal off day. 

Now I was reading this on their little bulletin board in the office, and on the same board a memo from this week was on there complaining that truck drivers are getting loads to customers fast enough and are requesting too much home time, and the staff needs to reduce that by 10%. Now before you ask, no i have no pictures, because at security you have to surrender your phone and any other object that can take pictures (for the security of company secrets)

While there I also talked to my girlfriends supervisor and asked if the drivers had a tv room or anything for layovers (they dont know Im a driver myself) His response was, no we really dont like them hanging out that much, we try to get them back on the road asap.

So there ya go, another example of another cruel company treating us like crap

In regards to the white house in Chattanooga :

We had a free shuttle during the day

We had 2 TV rooms

We had clean showers

We could use the Gym, you just had to get the card from Night dispatch

If you were laid over for truck problems or whatever you could catch the shuttle and stay at the Covenant motel for free(nasty motel but that's besides the point)

If you were there during the day they had a pretty decent Cafeteria on the second floor.

I NEVER EVER had any security take my cell phone or camera and I used to have a big DSLR around my neck at all times.. I got pics of my dispatcher(Fred Klaus) and myself/team mate

I was a Hazmat team driver, we both made over 53K the first full year.. My trainer was getting paid 75 cpm for all miles plus a bonus after the student passes .. We ran over 4000 miles every week(during training) with mostly drop and hook fedex ups loads, you do the math on how much trainers can potentially make

Was it a perfect company ? Hell no, but I don't regret getting my start there

Beware of Covenant. It is a religiously run and motivated company. If you are a right-wing, ultra-conservative, VERY religious Christian who believes that as a driver you should do everything you can to recruit people to your faith and preach your morals to people... well, then this is a perfect company for you.

However, if you believe that a company should mind their own business and do nothing more than help you earn a good living, then this company is not for you.

On a more objective scale, I've been told by former drivers that their pay is not good (filter won't let me say the S-word) and even if you're a good christian they can get on your nerves about it by being overzealous and almost seeming like a cult. YMMV

I think they are a pretty good company. and I think you will be able to advance quickly.
A good place to start and get some good experience under your belt.
They have a good reputation with shippers as being dependable.
I see there trucks a lot on my weekly run from Montgomery, AL to Fresno, CA and back.
Talking with there veteran drivers on the CB they are friendly and courteous Gentlemen and Ladies.
That get plenty of miles and good pay based on there experience.
Really the trick is getting a good dispatcher,
that has respect for you and give them respect up front and become good friends.
cause if they like you .
You will get the good runs that you like. That make you the money you want.
Don,t complain unless it is absolutely necessary, and if you have to complain do it politely.
and be a problem solver and not a problem creator.
make your pick up and delivery,s on time..and keep your driving record and your nose clean.
Do this for a bit of time without job hopping.
and pretty soon you will be able to get most any driving job you want with top pay.
Good luck and happy trails.
P.S I live about 40 miles south of there headquarters in Alabama.
And i think they are one of the top five starter companies out there.

Chattanooga is a whole different experience from what I went through in california.

Chattanooga orientation- corporate headquarters, more strict, southern accents, different weather, from what I heard covenant motel is okay... There are a lot of smiling faces though. People seem generally happy. A lot going on in the white house. Open door policy, talk to some of the fleet manager in person.

California orientation- more laid back, very tiny terminal, california weather, awesome hotel for orientation. More fun stuff to do in California! Go to the beach, Hollywood, amusement parks...etc. If you are ever in California get a rental car and visit some of these aattractions to get your mind off trucking. Ca terminal not too many amenities like fitness rooms, or multiple showers, restrooms, will be my complaint though.

Yes, covenant has a pretty bad history with their reputation. Bottom line is they are public company so money is always going to be a factor. By that I mean they are in this business to make money. Worry about yourself because that's why you're there as well, to make money too.

Yes I am happy there. Why? 
-They keep us running. 
-I'm on a reefer division which brings me to California at least once a week
-my car is parked at the terminal in California which allows me to visit family when time allows between loads
-co driver and I get along pretty good
-pay scale is fair
-Dispatcher is pretty cool

I don't plan on staying here too long though because the job itself. Too much inactivity doing otr, I try to get a workout when I have the chance....but the freight needs to move to make money. I'm in good shape right now...in 5 years not too sure about that.

If they offered more fexible home time in the near future I might reconsider. Something like 3 weeks out 5 days home....or maybe 2weeks out 3 days home.

As a trainer for them, we sadly can not take every driver that goes into training. The reason, some people are not cut out for trucking. Various reasons, I will say this, pay close attention to everything said in Orientation. Take the log class, Smith System and Quall-com class or Navigo if you prefer. The trainer that you are assigned, is not your boss,but they have certain things that they have to teach you. But, there is a lot more about Commercial truck driving, than what is on the curriculum. If you ask, they will show you all of the things, so that you are ahead of the learning curve, before you get co-driver. One last thing, you will meet a lot of people, when it comes time for your upgrade. Most will be potential co-drivers for your 90 days, before OTR. Talk about and set ground rules, before accepting a co-driver. Ask your trainer about important topics, in ref. to this. Be safe out there.

After training they start you off at 41 cents per mile. After 3months if you have no aaccidents, doing good with loads, no service failures, they will bump you up to 44 cents a mile. You might get paid more As well. All of this depends on your fleet managers as well. If he has a favorable view on you then you definitively should get a pay raise after 3 months. My co driver makes 45 cents a mile but I only make 44 cents. I'm guessing it's because my codriver is older and has work experience.

When you start out covenant will run you right away. They really expect you to know what you're doing soon as you get that truck. I remember my first day on the truck was overwhelming because reality hit all at once that I'm fully responsible for this truck and load. I'll admit that I was probably late for the first 3 loads only because I was taking my time to do everything correct. Never was I yelled at for this, I believe they understand it takes some time for a student to get a hang of things.

My favorite part about the reefer side of of this company is that reefer washouts are paid by the breakdown department, no need for comdata check....just call breakdown and they set you up with a truck washout\trailer washout. Load locks are also paid directly through covenant, no need for comdata check and reimbursements. You purchase oil through fuel purchases. Paid ez pass\pike pass\Florida sun pass.

The only items that must be purchased by the driver are anti freeze, windshield washer fluid, scale tickets,...etc. ....KEEP YOUR RECEIPT and you will be reimbursed...There are a few more just can't remember then all at the moment.

I'm typing on my phone so excuse me if there are typos.

Home time is really good. My fleet manager always does his best to get us home. Whether that be a repower, or home a day or two early. It helps to live close to a terminal. I'm about 250 miles away from the pomona terminal, home time is very easy considering the amount of freight in california.

I'll be honest about some things though h.
- The terminal In pomona California could use more men's \women's restrooms and showers. Only one stall\shower for all the drivers in california! It doesn't take that long for the men's restroom to become unbreathable because of stench. Also the shower is right next to the bathroom stall. 
-We don't have a shop in pomona. Need something fixed? Expect to wait 2-6 hours for repairs at the ta\petro in ontario.
-Chattanooga, orlando, Hutchins, Texas....are all decent terminals. Don't understand why pomona is nnot like the rest.

Covenant is still growing so maybe in the near future pomona will get a nice addition\makeover. Staff is really friendly, and so are the guards. A nice atmosphere in ppomona

The website as well as the info given out by recruiters clearly states that a student hazmat driver will be paid 52 cpm in approximately 4.5 months after hire.... ~280 hours of training with a trainer at 525.00 per week, then ~90 days as a team driver at 42 cpm, then ~52 cpm after that. each driver receives 52 cpm , the total miles are evenly split between team members. so for example if the truck does 5000 a week each driver will be paid 52 cpm X 2500 miles = $1300.00 gross.

So you can reach 52 cpm in about 4.5 months not 2-3 years.

here is a link to there website that has that info... they also give out PDF documents which clearly states the pay options and time frames..

Alrighty, where to start I don't know but I will start by saying it has been one crazy time here at Covenant with alot of good and bad but I tend to look at the good stuff to outweigh the bad stuff. Once I completed my trainign I had to take an upgrade test before I could be let out with a partner, the test consists of a straight line backing, 45 degree alley dock and a road test. There is also assignments you are required to do online during training just to get you up to speed with safety, DOT and etc. They aren't very difficult if you pay attention to them. They are very informative classes. I will say be sure your on the hunt for a partner because you can't get assigned a truck until you and your partner both are ready to roll, you can't get a truck then find a partner. Every company thats out here has the good stuff as well as bad stuff, especially when you have a company the size of Covenant. I have been working for Covenant now three months. I was very very grateful to get one heck of a trainer, if you read my last thread you heard alot about my trainer. I have to say that if we had a bunch of him this industry would be way different, in a good way. He taught us way more than an average student on most trucks. Like I have said before, I've been with only one trainer so I can only talk about my experience and on what I've asked others about their training. I want to use this thread to get info out there about the company, if you have something bad to say about them lets be civil and post the issue if you'd like but I ask that you follow that up with what the company did to fix the problem because there is always a solution, just giving the bad info out isn't the right thing to do because it isn't portraying the truth. I partnered up with another driver who has been with Covenant since February of this year, it's been a huge learning experience not only for myself but also my partner. There is so much out here you have to constantly monitor it's crazy, very draining. I started out a few weeks ago on my own to start my 90 days of required teaming before getting my OTR status. I got what I would say is a very good fleet advocate as well as good fleet engineer. They are very attenative to us as drivers and always put themselves in our shoes when I present an issue so they see how they would feel before they present their opinion, that makes a world of difference. My pay as an ST2 is .34 cpm plus my .06 cpm per diem pay as well as my .02 cpm safety bonus that is paid out quarterly. That is HazMat team pay, meaning you and your co driver must both have your HazMat endorsement to receive that pay. Covenant will pay for/reimburse you as the driver for your fingerprints, testing and so on so forth. It's a very good idea to have it because there are things like, nail polish, batteries, certain cooking items and mainly general household goods that are considered hazardous materials. It makes you as a driver much more marketable. I have hauled a few HazMat loads, they aren't much different just some states have stricter rules but it's not the hassle some make it out to be. We have been treated very fairly I'd say for new drivers, the first truck we were assigned had been involved in an accident, redone and given to us but unfortunately it was not in good reliable operating condition as we found out after having the truck a week. I called in about the issues, they expedited us back to Chatt to get the truck in the shop and assign us a new truck. Overall we spent about 6 days down over a period of a couple weeks but once we got it back to Chattanooga we were down for a 34 hr reset and thats it, once our reset was done we were rolling out with a load so they didn't make us sit knowing that it had been a rough week due to breakdown issues. Covenant has a minimum pay guarantee that is $700.00 for HazMat drivers that have less than 90 days experience, the only requirement is you must be available all seven days of that week, if it's out of your control due to truck issues you personally are still available so the pay stays in affect. If you have more than 90 days experience but less than one year your guaranteed minimum is $850.00 a week, same stipulation, be available all seven days. After you have one year of verifiable OTR time your minimum pay goes up to $1,000.00 a week with the same stipulation. Be available all seven days that week. There is no fine print, or catches. It's really that simple. This is all for HazMat teams, I will post the other info once I get more solid details about it. Once you complete your 90 day teaming period your pay changes to .40 cpm plus per diem as well as safety bonus. Also keep in mind, during that 90 day period you are on a probationary period, any sort of DOT violations, log violations, citations and etc. can cause that 90 days to become 180 days so it is very important to keep your head on a swivel to make sure your doing the right thing. Our weeks have been pretty full with miles as long as our truck was running good, our last load was about 3,000 miles from Oregon over to PA, then from PA to Chattanooga. That's when we went in to get a new truck. We just got assigned this new truck on the 16th of June but yesterday the 17th we were headed to Salt Lake and the truck just shut down on us on I 40 headed that way. We unfortunately had to sit and wait quite some time before we could be towed away so that was frustrating but that is as far as I will go with that due to me still being in discussion with operations about the issues. I will post more info when I get it, I don't want to post anything on here that could put my job at risk or any incorrect information. Freightliner said they believe it is a computer issue but aren't sure until they dig into it so in the meantime we are in a hotel in Oklahoma City waiting to be updated as the truck was just dropped off early this afternoon but thankfully this Freightliner is open 24/7 so I am hoping it doesn't take forever to fix. There is so much more that I can write about but for now I just want to get the thread started to get others to join and we can go from there. As always I am open to all questions, if I don't have the answer I will get it then relay it back to the person who asked on the thread. I appreciate everyone's support on here! Have safe travels and look forward to hearing back from me very soon as I will be keeping it more updated. Thanks again everyone!