Western Express .... WTF!

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by ACDenton, Mar 31, 2020.

  1. ACDenton

    ACDenton Bobtail Member

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    Mar 31, 2020
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    The only reason I tried this outfit was due to a recent accident on black ice. They basically will hire anyone, including many felons. I figured it would be a disaster, but i'd give it 6 months for my safe driving time after the accident.

    First the hotel. Put with strangers every night. Switch rooms, take your bags with you. Get on a shuttle to the Plainfield, CT terminal. Training was the first indicator. Watch a 40 minute video, miss one trick question and have to restart the video with no indication of the right answer. By day two everyone was beyond frustrated and they handed out a cheat sheet. Food was provided and we were asked to sign in daily so we could be paid. They dont actually pay for orientation.

    Standing outside in a 30 minute window I watched two accidents in the lot. Everyone here was either a recent felon or a driver with an accident. All the trucks were mashed up, missing parts, smashed from various accidents.

    Guys who came with experience but had an accident are required to do 240 hours with a trainer. This is purely a money grab by the company. 95% of the trainers are there to run your clock out and make money off you. I spoke with a trainee who just completed training and he was never shown how to back or set tandems. Total horror show.

    While I was on the road with a trainer i got a bad stomach bug and needed to check into a hospital. By day two the DM told my trainer to ditch me and leave my belongings at the hospital. By day 3 i was discharged and stayed in a hotel for a few days. I was told a return to work form needed to be faxed so I could get back on the road. 3 weeks later, after speaking to safety, terminal managers, recruiters and anyone who I could reach, they still couldnt figure it out.

    After I wasted my money on hotels and food waiting for them, they refused to reimburse any of my expenses and I cut my losses and found another job.

    Their OTR program is a joke. Its basically 26 cents per mile and you sit around a lot or chase empty trailers for hours. The regional pays better, but only if you can get the required number of loads, which is near impossible because you are always trying to find an empty trailer. Most of the time they dont pay you for this, and they cant ping the trailers so you end up driving around for half a day looking for an empty when the sales pitch was "mostly easy drop n hook". This makes it difficult to hit your required loads for the week due to wasted time.

    Dispatch is pretty much useless most of the time, and they use a different service during the weekend that are rude and hardly ever answer the phone or return your qualcomm requests. The equipment is sub par. The qualcomm will die while you are driving at least a few times a week. Maintenance will not fix anything unless its DOT citable, and expect to sit up to a week with no pay while they "fix it".

    They are sending untrained idiots into NJ, PA, NY, RI, CT regularly that dont know wtf they are doing. The place is a horror show. You get in an accident and they just give you another truck and another 'trainer'. Lies on top of lies.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2020
    Reason for edit: skirting the profanity filter
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  3. Mid-May Trucker

    Mid-May Trucker Road Train Member

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    Stomach bug goes to hospital?
     
    rachi Thanks this.
  4. ACDenton

    ACDenton Bobtail Member

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    Mar 31, 2020
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    Yea the pain was bad enough that I had to go in. I assume thats what it was, they said it was viral.
     
  5. Valuable Asset

    Valuable Asset Light Load Member

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    When driving on black ice the thought of Western Express make me slow down.
     
  6. Lonesome

    Lonesome Mr. Sarcasm

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    Northern Indiana
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    Sounds like many of the other WE stories you read here. Hope you're in a better situation these days.
     
    jon69, mjd4277 and ACDenton Thank this.
  7. Opus

    Opus Road Train Member

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    South GA
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    Gee.....who would have thought.......
     
    Valuable Asset Thanks this.
  8. Voodoo Pyg

    Voodoo Pyg Oink! Oink!

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    I'm sorry I have to laugh. They won't hire just anyone. I tried them my first year and they sent me away. I was so bad off, Carolina Cargo wouldn't take me and that's as low as you can get.
     
    nearnada Thanks this.
  9. mjd4277

    mjd4277 Road Train Member

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    Fitchburg,MA
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    Things have REALLY gone downhill at that place since I left(at the time I worked there the closest terminals in the northeast were in Nazareth,PA(which later moved to Bethlehem). They’re going to be rebuilding for some time after the Nashville headquarters was struck by a tornado a few weeks ago. Even though they’re buying new equipment they’re still running around old SMX trailers.
     
    polo king 92 Thanks this.
  10. exACT driver

    exACT driver Light Load Member

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    I never think about Western Express
     
    Elg1968 and TB John Thank this.
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