Halvor Lines, Superior, WI: No longer worth it

My reference to typing was because some people come on here and what they write makes them look like they've been hitting the bottle hard for about 6 hours.

I am not out to "get my way" at any place I work. It is true that OTR trucking is not for me, there's no doubt about that. But what I expect from any company or job, no matter what type of work, is equal treatment and mutual respect. I am sorry to say I never had or felt that here. And you for know a fact that many other employees, past and present, drivers and office people alike feel the same way.

I know OTR trucking never runs totally smooth on the dispatch or drivers end of things. People make mistakes, accidents happen. But to be done wrong time after time with no reason or explanation by the people who hold the cards and control my life is no good. I know that there must be some sort of disciplinary policies in effect to keep people in check. I simply found the treatment and policies you guys have to be unethical and just plain wrong.

I have used the so-called "open door" policies at your company, with YOU PERSONALLY and your superiors and some of the owners, to question or address things I thought were wrong. What I confronted you about (if you are who you say you are) was that trouble making fueling program that thinks it knows best where I should buy my fuel and tries to micromanage my day. The response I got from you was "well all the big companies are doing it" "it saves us SO much money."

It's pretty much the same response I got all around when I questioned anything. Nobody cares about how these things affect the driver. Just because all the big companies do something doesn't mean "monkey see monkey do." This is supposed to be one of those "you're a name here, not a truck number places," right? This is only one example.

Why not address and try to fix at least some of the problems brought up here? Maybe you could be one of the first outfits to actually LISTEN to its drivers.

 

If you have something good to say about halvor lines, here is the link and you can post what you want here in a new topic:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/discuss-your-favorite-trucking-company-here/

 

And by the way, I didn't name any individuals by name on here.

 

hi, just a few thought, i've been driving for 21 years, this is my 3rd company that I drove 4, I was with Trac Inc. for 15 years, they closed, so I had 2 find another company, called 4 and out of them impressed with Halvor Lines, from the begining, I've been here 3 years, easy 2 work with, safety, shop, dispatch, even management, there 1 on 1 with you. i don't care were I run, were it goes, I'm moving and making money, and there making money. I usually stay out 4 10-12 days then take 3-4 days off, I love that, its like getting a mini vacation. my father, had an emergency, blood clot in leg, I called in, talked 2 Lisa, she changed my load and let me take 2 days off 2 see him, he lives 120 miles from were I do. { 1 way} Thanks halvor, father is getting better, IN SHORT THEY WORK WITH YOU, there is a lot of companys out there, alot of them bad, Halvor is great and there always Inproving things 2 make it better for the drivers. in closing YOU HAVE 2 PUT SOMETHING IN 2 GET SOMETING OUT. so many drivers think that they should be catered 2, if drivers would talk 2 the people that can change things 4 them, instead of talking 2 another driver about the problems they may have. there are alot of changes going on with the government in forcing things on the trucking companys, and Halvors going with the flow of rules, keep trucking, thx 4 letting me speak

 

I'm glad things are working out for you there Mister P, you're a good guy and you deserve the best. If you like it there now you would have been in heaven 5 years ago. I honestly loved it here at first, and thought I would never have to leave.

I'll take your word unlike certain office personnel who posted above you, especially ones who don't even DRIVE for said company anymore.

I left there nearly two years ago. It was a combination of freight being too slow (or non-existent), and me living too far from the terminal to make things work out, and my dispatcher and a certain few dispatchers (Who Shall remain nameless) who were absent-minded and made life for some of us miserable. If they had another actual terminal in the Twin Cities or Rochester I probably never would have left, that would have taken care of my getting home problem. The old Monson terminal across from USG Red Wing? is that for sale?

As to taking 3 or 4 days off, that was my plan too after working 2 weeks straight. It's too bad dispatch never could seem to get that through their heads for years. Many, Many times I would get phone calls, messages, after being home less than a day, with the vibe being "you're not on vacation, call us NOW!"

And I'm all for working hard to earn my keep at a job. I stand by my statement that in the last year I worked here it was all in vain.

After they bought out Timberline the mass confusion was too much for me, along with the lack of work, or hot loads that were quick to run east and leave me sit for nearly two days with no back haul.

I realize a lot of regulations and garbage are being shoved down the throats of these trucking outfits. My question is--- Why is there no way to fight it? I think the medium sized companies (less than 1000 trucks) should at least band together and try.

The last company I worked for was truly the best, and truly treated me like family. The work was much harder being LTL reefer but they were always honest, straightforward and fair with me. But 7 years of this line of work and a worn out body had shown me that OTR is not my thing, period.

Once again Mr. P I wish you the best, and I hope things are (or truly get better) there.

 

Amazing, seven pages of this stuff, yet without the redundancy of you and a couple others this would be less than one page. I find it interesting that some people's good impression of a company can be turned 180 degrees by a few posts on an internet sight written by a couple obviously disgruntled past employees. I've always considered myself and other truckers as leaders and very independent thinkers, forming opinions and drawing conclusions based on their own real life experiences, not followers who are quick to jump on the bashing bandwagon without any personal knowledge like the sheeple you have attracted. I'm glad you are happy and better off without Halvor Lines in your life, I wish you the best in locating that employer that will tailor an operation around you and only your needs and wants, completely disregarding risks, liabilities, efficiency, costs and so forth. As far as working for Halvor, I have been at it for four years and find them to be for the most part fair, honest, considerate of drivers, providing us with some of the best equipment in the industry. But then again, I also realize it is a job, that is why it is called work, not pleasure and I am not the only one here. I expect nothing more than my pay for the work I do, pats on the back and other feel good things are nice but my expectations are realistic and consequently I don't suffer from a lot of letdowns. They have been faced with some challenges in the last couple of years and some tough decisions were made that may have had some negative impacts on drivers in the short term. Find a trucking company, or any company for that matter that wasn't faced with those same challenges in these economic times. I think they have emerged stronger and show more stability than many others as a result of those decisions. I would never tell someone to overlook Halvor as a potential employer, those are decisions real truckers make for themselves.

 

Trust me, I hate to break it to you, but there is more than "me and couple others" who have had bad experiences driving for you guys. It is true that I have a lot of posts here but I am not the one who started this thread. If you guys would learn to treat drivers with some respect and common decency, perhaps you wouldn't need to worry about these "sheeple" as you call them.

And well, I posted based on my REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES with Halvor Lines. So after working here you seem to think I have no knowledge of the way things were?

I don't expect any employer to tailor to my every need. But I also expect them to keep promises if they make them. "Home Weekly" is a promise made right on your website that they can't always keep. And I am talking about instances ASIDE from Bad Weather and mechanical breakdowns.

Telling more than one different dispatchers, including my assigned one that I need to be home a certain weekend for something family related, and to have them screw it up over and over again, is simply unacceptable.

The same thing can be said for shop foremen trying to coax drivers into limping unsafe equipment to a repair shop (or worse hundreds of miles back to Superior) when it exposes an immediate threat to driver and public safety? that was brought up by someone on here too. Before I quit even some of your favorite special drivers were complaining about that.

And trucks that turn themselves down to 62 from idling in heavy traffic, or backing into a dock? What about when your Kleanpower gel thaws in the texas heat and you still have to wait on a load? Because I need to idle to stay cool, that is a reason to turn my truck down to 62? I guess you guys trust a computer to tell me I haven't been behaving myself rather than acknowledge real-world situations. What about your new KW rough ride flat-top sleepers? Is this the "some of the best equipment in the industry" you're referring to? I guess now that Monson and Timberline are gone the standard for the best equipment in the industry can be ridiculously lowered.

So I guess the rule of thumb according HL or any outfit at is set your expectations low and forget about the driver, and you won't be disappointed.

My last trucking job got me home when promised, paid better, had decent equipment that could actually do the speed limit (unlike your slow death-traps), and didn't punish me when I needed to sleep comfortably. Halvor lines had better benefits but that's all they had. Oh and the work was indeed harder, much harder at my last job. But the 6 or so people I dealt with on a daily basis had their ducks in a row. And of course with any trucking job nothing runs like clockwork. When I put in 3 or 4 weeks and wanted 3 or 4 days off, they gave me what they promised. No harassing phone calls less than 24 hours after I got home. Or the infamous "hey you, can you do Twin Cities loads all day for cheap" that you guys are famous for.

Be my guest, everyone. Work here and figure it out for yourself. Don't take my word for it if you don't want to. I wish my experiences here were were much better. They started out great for me, and slowly slid downhill. As you said, any professional real truck driver will figure it out for himself. The same can be said for Swift, JB, Werner, Covenant, etc.

And once again, here is the direct link for any member of this site to post why HL is your best job ever:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/discuss-your-favorite-trucking-company-here/

Now for the 2nd time you have the means to post why HL is a good company.

I attack the company policies, you attack the me the poster. This argument is obviously going nowhere, so why don't we all at least try to be gentlemen (or ladies if applicable), agree to disagree and move on here.

 

I think the OP is pretty much correct. I worked out of South Bend. From the start there was trouble and could never get miles. Most of their backhauls went back to Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth and then I would get stuck at the main terminal and all they had was short runs to MN, WI, IL, IA. Services on truck took at least half a day and day and a half if anything needed more than simple repair. I was lucky to get 2000 miles a week, I was slowly going broke, just about lost a house, a car, a marriage. Even at Swift I did better for miles on the average. I know times are tough but these guys are not what they claim to be. I'm lucky I had 5 years in at my previous job before these guys. 31, 32, 33 cents per mile to start? for drivers with years of trucking under their belts are you kidding?
Forget about there bonus, theres no miles only the good buddies drivers will get it. Seemed like nice enough people at first but if you aint got the work why even hire me? I used to see a Halvor Truck every ten minutes on the Toll Road now I'm lucky if I see two or three a day. Most of these midwest companies are all the same Halvor Lines, JR Schugel, Marten, Decker, Transport America, Millis, Trans Am, Schneider. They all went downhill or belly up and don't want to admit it. It I don't fall for "It's the economy times are tough jive" that others do. When you talk to people right in the truck and they tell you don't work here that says a lot.I had about enough of big trucks. Back at a local job (not driving) and I can at least pay the bills and me and the wife are doing better. I think its time to drop the cigarettes lose a few pounds and go back to the military. 8 more years and i get a pension.

 

Lately I've read alot of negitive posts regarding Halvor Lines Inc. I'm wondering if this is the same company I work for and have worked for 6 yrs. I guess my experiences here are alot different than most that post on here. I have found driving at Halvor Lines Inc. to be a great experience. I have worked for several companies in my driving career and Halvor Lines by far exceeds them all. I find that this company is a pleasure to drive for. Their equipment is some of the best on the road, both mechanically and in appearance. I have driven for companies that do not take pride in their equipment which in my eyes reflect on the company and it's drivers. I believe Halvor Lines employs some of the most professional drivers in the industry and I am proud to be part of their team. I have not seen (as other posts indicate) the lack of home time. I usually spend 2 weeks on the road then come home and spend 2-3 days. Their freight lanes cover the US and Canada. I don't always get to 'run' in my perferred area but that is what being part of the 'team' is all about. Most drivers that I know here including me, ask for a run in our 'perferred' area but if the frieght is not available there, we take what is available. One of the main reasons that I (and most drivers) work for a company is to make money not to drive in a certain area. Sometimes we have to take the less desireable runs but in the end, its for a paycheck. On the back of every Halvor Lines trailer they have a statement that says, 'Our family cares about your family'. I find that to be a true statement. I know in my own experience I have had to go be with my dad who lives 900 miles away. When these times come, they have been able to get me down there to spend time with him in the hospital. In fact one of these times it was required that I spend a few days there while he had surgery. I recieved a phone call from Halvor Lines everyday, not to see when I was returning to work or is the truck still safe, they wanted to know how my dad was doing! THIS SPOKE VOLUMES to me regarding the kind of company Halvor Lines really is! I've been in the trucking industry for (on and off) for over 30 yrs and I KNOW that the trucking industry is the most unpedicable industry around. Things happen, especially when you need to get home......I think it's part of 'Murphy's Law' and I understand that. I don't put the blame on my dispatcher because a shipper didn't get me loaded in a timely manner or traffic conditions slow me down. THATS TRUCKING! NO! I'm not happy when things like that happen but it happens and will again........... But most of the negative posts that I have read on here about Halvor Lines are not founded... atleast in my experience...... I like driving for Halvor Lines Inc and have recruited several of my friends and other drivers to be part of OUR TEAM.