JB Hunt - Lowell, Ar.

Well spoken!

 

I'm not a truck driver any longer nor am I in any way currently employed in the transportation industry.
I worked for J.B. Hunt for about two years.
I'll give you my personal perspective.
J.B. Hunt transport is nothing but a large bureaucracy.

If you try to put a human face to the machine, you'll be mistaken.
A company that size doesn't operate as a "collection of people".
It's a machine, that's the black and white of it.
Now....
When you're dealing with a machine, everything is a numbers game.
During my two years with the company, I had a relatively easy time of it.
Why?
Because I learned how to manipulate the machine.
(Some in the company call this "working the system.)
If a person can get really good at working the system, like I did, you can and will do 2500-3000 miles per week easy.
------------------------------
Now for the bad part.
------------------------------

Any company this large will eat you for lunch if you let it.
This is not exclusive to J.B.
For example.
Say I was assigned a load that I either couldn't do, or that I flat didn't want to do. How do you fix that?
Do you refuse the load?
#### no. You call Corporate safety with some lame excuse why you can't haul the load at this time, and you get THEM to T-Call the load.
The best ones for me were to either A: Say the truck is acting up in an unsafe manner, or B: Catch a case of the 24 hour flu.
Corporate safety will T-Call a load with no questions asked.
That's called working the system.

Second point: The things that they do regularly in recruiting are despicable.
But there again, no one is responsible because this is not a human entity.
It is a machine.
You must approach everything that you are told as an outright lie, and work backwards from there.
Failure to do this will result in financial disaster for you and your family.

Third point:
All companies (not just J.B.) who offer intermodal services (train loads) exist in an environment where there shorts hauls are the norm.
This must be accepted as a fact of life, and it is up to the driver to decide if "short haul work" is right for him.
Personally I've decided that "short haul" companies are not right for me.
If I ever do go back behind the wheel it will be with a company who offers 0% intermodal.
If your average load is 300-550 miles you WILL be bumping an average of two docks per day. And of course, you will sit on those docks for an average of 2-6 hours per day.

So for me the questions were:
1. Do I want to make an average of $1000.00 per week.
2. Where can i do that?
3. Am I willing to do A LOT OF work that doesn't involve pay?
4. Am I willing to work for a machine instead of for a group of people?

Today, (knowing what I know now) if I were to ask myself those question, the answer would be a resounding NO!

But.......
Back then, I answered "yes", and you can believe this or not, I DID average $1000.00 per week, and I didn't really have very many problems doing it.
And...I've never had to work so hard in my life to earn it.

 

Okay. Let me first preface this by saying I don't the ins and outs of JB Hunt versus ACME Trucking Inc from the south end of a north bound camel train. One thing I DO know however after 4 million plus miles over 26 years as a tractor trailer operator is that ther has to be one helluva good reason to leave a job as "high paying" as the one you quoted.

[I did make good money with them. (just shy of 87000) my last full year there.I left for a local job.]

I'm sure there are private/personal reasons/circumstances why you went back to working local, ie: wife got pregnant, mortgage was paid off, or any number of other issues, but sheesh, you're earning 87 grand a year and you walk from the job? Like I said, it must have been one helluva reason to leave!


Rod

(The dumb trucker from downunder who doesn't understand how you can leave an 87K p.a. job to go to one that will pay you half as much!)

 

Hmmm, after reading this, I think I'll stick to trucking Down Under.

I run 500 miles a day, 6 days a week, take home AU$1400 per week (roughly US$1000 depending on exchange rate). NB, this is AFTER all my deductibles.

The only downtime I have is waiting time each day. Somewhere between 1 - 3 hours depending on the day of the week. (Each Sunday load I cart is pre-loaded on Friday evening)


The great thing about the work I do here is - 100% no touch freight!


Somehow, I think the cost of plane ticket, visa, work permit, yet another licence etc, plus the fact I'll actually have to EARN my money rather than just be a steering wheel attendant, is starting to turn into a bit of a downside.

The upside however is, if I do follow through with my plans, I'll get to see far more the USA than I would on a package deal holiday and also get paid to do it!


A lot of food for thought over this. When I make the decision, I'll let all you good people know first!


Keep 'em on their wheels and safe truckin'!


Rod

 

After finally wading through over three hours of very informative, sometimes humorous and sometimes simply amazing reading, I would like to announce to you people that the long arm of the JB Hunt recruitment propganda show is NOT limited to North America.


I only a few minutes ago saw an advertisement here for JB HUnt, describing them as America's largest trucking company. From what I've read on this site, that part in the main is probably close to the truth.

The part of the ad you people might enjoy, laugh at, scoff at, and please make sure you are sitting down and that those who need it have their prescription medication readily at hand, was the part urging Aussie drivers to apply because they had "800 Freightliner Argosy's sitting idle because American drivers don't want to drive cabover trucks!"


A year ago, 6 months ago, even 2 weeks ago before I joined this forum I'd have taken this advertising spiel to be gospel. However, after having 'paid my dues here', in a manner of speaking, and read what all you people have had to say about JB and their 'interesting' employment methods, I see this ad as being yet another in the string of 'clever manipulations of the facts' this company is reputed at being so good at.


I do know one thing for sure, when/if I deide to make the move across the pond to Nth america in search of a trucking job, JBH is definitely off my list of prospective employers.


Keep safe everyone

Rod

 

OK...either you or JB owe me a new keyboard, monitor and quite possibly a new pair of pants!! :smt081 :smt042

 

Never worked for JB and would not even consider it.BJ or JB sounds pretty much like Swift.Maybe they should merge and call themselves Swift BJ Hunt.

 

Maybe the bonus is the only way they can afford to buy food.

 

Hey! Don't blame me, I'm only the dumb trucker from down under delivering the message, and passing on what I saw in the ad for Aussie truckers in the USA.


Rod

 

Not in the forums....no. He contacted me at home.