Werner, learner... almost all bad.

That's why it is recommended to stay away from the mega-carriers!

 

Jesse- The going can get pretty tough when you first start out-especially with the likes of werner. Check with other carriers-there are still oppertunities for a new driver. Even though you're changing companies early on werner has a reputation. Try and keep your reasons for leaving werner short and to the point. They're the reason, not you.

 

so Werner aint the way to go eh? i heard the same about swift and shneider over the years as i drove class B all over northeast. I am about to sign on to NTTS in Liverpool, NY and i was actually considering tryin to get into werner upon graduation. now i dunno. ha. quite a few companies hire outta NTTS but now I am not so sure about whom to choose to apply to.

I hear the frustration in your comments and yeah i been unemployed over a year too and havent drove otr in 5 yrs and miss it like h3ll. recruiting is a business and co workers wit bad attitudes will be wherever you ever work. Gotta just learn to take deep breaths when its personal/directed right at ya and ignore the inane ramblins of other commentary thats just ranted in general. its a whole different world of its own on the road and isnt for everyone. sounds like you are gettn scr3wed pretty good.. and well ya really really hafta watch your ### these days with all the fine print and vague answers to direct questions. in fact am goin in on monday to speak with the recruiting director in an attempt to get a few more direct answers before i sign on.

when asking something you wanna hear a yes to but you hear everything but yes.. such as.. probably or i think we can maybe do that or just a whole lotta everything BuT yes... well thats where i get suspicious. ha.
cuz as long as you sign on the dotted line i dont care how many times they assured you that they thought so or yeah that it could probly happen. probly and think so aint as binding as that signature u put on any contract.

you know all this already i am sure... i am just thinking out loud is all and letting you know that your experience with werner may help me make the right choice. or at least not the same wrong choice you made.

thank you.

 

well i'm glad that someone as new to this business was able to see that kind of bad treatment right way and expose it like it is! You and any driver experienced or not should not be treated in that manner period. Keep your chin up, there are much better companies even with your experience level that you can go to and not be treated that way!!

 

I don't think Schneider is any different. I got my license through them back in 03',and let me tell you.....what they promise and what they actually deliver are two different things.
The training was good,very complete--at least i thought,but when they turn you loose to run on your own thats when things became different. They promise 3000 miles a week,making 50k to 60k--yeah sure,that is IF you are running that much.
I gave in after 3 months after all of the false promises of making big-money never came true. They kept telling me"Well,it is a learning curve"....WTF is that supposed to mean,you are not the one out here in the middle of nowhere not making any money.
I have been driving for an LTL carrier for the past 6 years and have made more money than ever,and am home every night.Just my 2 cents

 

At the risk of being jumped on like Emton is...

I don't think you read his responses the same as I did. I don't see that he was putting you down, or pushing his "perfect life". In his first post, I see it as, "it's too bad that you didn't find this forum and see the negative posts BEFORE you signed on the line with them", and I would agree. Although I subscribe to the philosophy of "check 'em out good", I also believe in "don't believe all that you hear". This goes for all the good and all the bad (ie: what I call "Road Rash Rumors"). There is no company that is perfect. There is also no perfect landing as you two are discussing. An 8.7, that's pretty good and probably reasonable. So far, I think my research regarding my choice of school/company is up there in the 8's somewhere. I would have liked to have gotten more out of the schooling, but the OJT made up for it. I've seen some "not so good" with the company, but I've also seen them go beyond what was advertised.

Your response to him CONFIRMS your theory that "Truckers are ANTISOCIAL and NEGATIVE!"... As for the rest of the "Professional Drivers" (on this board & on the road), I'd say you're 90% WRONG!!! In the last run out (about 5 weeks) I ran into 1 out of at least 50 drivers, that was anything but friendly, and that person was mostly just having a bad day.

 

I got my CDL in 2008 and almos went with Werner. I didn't because I got sick before leaving and my husband went on unemployment. The sad part is that after my graduation, Werner was the only company that replied.

At this point, I'm glad I didn't go then as when I came to this forum I was seeing posts of people being let go after their 6 week training from Werner. Plus this was the height of the recession and it was really difficult all over.

Now to the present. My husband is still unemployed and I'm considering to retire early from my present job and go driving. Why you may ask? I'm a state worker and haven't had a pay raise in 4 years, there is no advancement in my current position, and I don't see any changes coming up even if I stay for my full 30 yrs (that will be in 7 years).

So, I'm going to see if I can take my chances in trucking. I have two degrees -- biology and safety. I did get an interview with Werner recently for a safety assistant position in Atlanta. However, I didn't get a second interview as the position clearly was for one that has been a trainer or on the road for a while. I need the road time if I really want to pursue a safety field.

Now, I'm going back to CDL school so as to have current drive time. Any company in which I get a "pre-hire" from, I will see what information they have on the internet. Some have a lot, other not so much. Then the carrier that looks the most promising I will give that recruiter a call and see what information they give. My husband once drove and when he got on his own he started at .265 a mile, so I know the high mileage pay is not for newbies but I do think I can go for something decent.

Right now I'm leaning toward Roehl as I eventually want to relocate to Wisconsin and they have a terminal there. I have some family there and I'm not presently close to any family.

As for negatives for any trucking company, I had my share of negatives working in other fields. I was working at the local blood bank (I have lab experience) as a second job and I have never been treated so bad as I was there. I think since I do have a degree in biology may have presented a threat to them. As it was, I ended up working 3rd shift (full-time) for a while and doing full-time during the day. I frequently only got 4 hr of sleep. I know trucking can be hard but you are legally required to take your 10 hr off.

It will interesting on what will occur when CSA 2010 comes into effect as it is supposed to make things safer out there. Maybe it will weed out the drivers that really need to call it quits.

From what I have seen here, the first year is most likely the hardest. After that, you can start looking at other companies that you may feel like you fit better. I think if my husband got his 1st yr in, he would not be unemployed now.

 

JJ
sorry to hear about your bad start off with driving- unfortunately- and as you can see I am NOT a driver but have learned ALOT about this industry- Mega carriers or 'bottom feeders'' are just that. Recruiters jobs are to recruit and yes they I do believe, get a bonus (the company from the government??) if you stay or go. You will basically find that the average newbie driver is making 28-32 CPM and is getting IF LUCKY 2000 miles a week. Not what they promise by any means! The average new driver will make 25-30K year and that is about right, for the first few years. And remember this all depends on how much freight is actually moving. You will find nay sayers at ALL companies no matter what and yes, drivers, IMHO -shoot themselves in the foot more than not. IF YOU CAN stick it out and get your 6 months or year in and then move to another company- this will give you time to do more research, especially here on TTR. One of the previous posters did say be honest if you do look at other companies but don't come across as a ''complainer'' hard to do I would say in your situation!!

Try to keep you 'chin' up and hang in there and know that there are people that look at what you are going thru from an 'outside' point of view vs the person doing the job (much harder to be non judgmental maybe since they are immersed 'in it!')
GOOD LUCK!!

 

This is not unique to Werner, it is "trucking" so to speak. And I have worked a variety of jobs. I can say that I have not heard so much complaining, anger, bitterness, etc, in any other profession. It took some getting used to.

The way I solved it is to avoid most all conversation and interaction with other drivers. It can't be avoided of course. I talk with other drivers, shippers, receivers, on a daily basis just through the general course of doing things. But that is it. It does not go beyond that. I get a hotel room about once a week and try to stay as far away from truck stops and truck drivers as possible.

Nothing personal, but nobody likes to take their work home with them.