Schneider National Carriers - Green Bay, Wi.

Another thing to keep in mind that many people think the last day of Orientation is their date of hire and it is....but you don't really officially OFFICIALLY start until after you pass your SQT and get your CDL. After your training, you still have to do the OTR training as well as pass an SQT AND get a CDL. When all that is finished, then you are with the company.

It was not the company, but the recruiter. I know this as a FACT because I was told plain as day a few times with my recruiter that they would glance over my stuff, and then when it was a few days before their internal deadline, they would start heavily going over everything: references, license, background...etc. During their initial check, they found just a few things with my background, nothing big. Speeding tik and a moving violation. However when they dug deeper later on before their deadline for me, they found the moving violation didn't appear to be taken care of. They told me that while I said I took care of it, they couldnt hire me if it was still on my record as being unpaid because it would look to them from the gov's perspective that they are hiring people with big issues on their driving records. It took me the better part of a day, but I managed to get it cleared off my record and they continued and hired me.

Just because you got screwed over, doesnt mean that it is a bad company, nor should people NOT work for them because of "hey I dont want to wear safety devices" crap on your driving record. To think, if only that the person in charge of that driving record did follow procedure and wear their seat belt, it wouldn't be an issue....but lets Beach and whine because our shadey record screws us up. Hey I broke the law, multiple times....hire me!!!

 

###### Gazoo, that was Freakin' great! Thanks for the laugh, I needed it!

 

I got a conditional job offer for Schneider. They want me to drive 350 miles uncompensated to go through their orientation which I might not pass or get paid for.

I want to know the truth about their idling in cold or hot weather. To me that's a deal breaker. I just don't think I should have to sweat or freeze my butt off all night while the guy who made that rule sleeps nicely in his climate controlled home. I also don't think it's safe because I would probably have a lot of trouble sleeping.

So how bad is it? And can you idle while you're being loaded or unloaded? Are they really any worse about it than the other big carriers?

 

Strange...see if they can get you a bus ticket at the very least. That is what they usually do. I know when I trained in CA, they had a company van that was up in French Camp or some danged place up in WA or OR and they had a student drive a bunch of other people from that area down to Fontana. Most of the rest of us were bussed in.

I hear lots of varying answers. I think their idle percentage of time goes up in the winter (ie...15%). HOWEVER, the trucks all have a Wabasto in cab heater which runs off of battery juice and diesel. They want you to use that in the winter and the couple of times I have used it so far, its stayed very toasty for me in there. Might need some time getting used to the heater, but its better than a reefer.
As far as the summer time, the wabasto doesnt do AC....so the idle time kicks in big time then because lots of people turn the AC up. They are testing various methods, but nothing is in the trucks yet.
Also, check into what their definition of idle time is...someone else mentioned how their idle time covers lots of things one normally wouldnt associate with idling.

Different companies have different policies regarding idleing at shippers. This applies to both the shipper and the transporter. IE, Wal Mart has a flat out no idle rule for their trucks and as far as I know, other companies like Swift and Werner that deliver there. Schneider does work with WM, but I dont know in what form.
California is going to be implementing a no idle rule as well.

 

Well, they said if I drove half way to Gary they'd take me by bus the rest of the way. I figure if I'm going to drive halfway I might as well drive the whole way, then at least I can go out if I want to.

 

Not all the trucks have those heaters unfortunately. Mine didn't and neither did two other people's that I know. Zig's probably did for sure since he works in the Artic Circle...I mean Wyoming.

In the summer you just have to cook...Schneider has way too many trucks to even think about give you a power source other than idleing to keep cool. If you are in CA you're screwed anyway...can't idle there.

 

Well crap, I thought they all (outside of the daycabs) had the Wabastards in them. Of course, In theory I should have a day cab as well but in the off chance I get stuck in crappy weather once or twice a year, I get a sleeper all the time, lol. Although I should take a picture and send it to my drive instructor in Fontana. He was POSITIVE I was going to have a day cab with a pup trailer. HA! Sleeper cab with a 48 footer. just...slightly...longer.

 

Well let me say this, there was never a initial check, I had to send to the recruiter all my information with the application, and once I took my dot physical with them and showed that I had my permit which I had to email that as well to her, I had to wait then untill they processed it, and that friday when she called me she congradulated me and told me my paperwork was done, and everything was good to go. She stated it like it was a done deal and even gave me the time I meet the bus that takes me up there as well as certain numbers and this and that, there was never talk about about what you went through

about my seat belt tickets, well I will say this again, they told me in march that if I get them paid off and waited 6 months because of the suspension that was on them that everything would be good, they even told me that in September when I called them back after my 6 months waiting period to get everything on the ball and rolling agian. But I will say this, a Seat Belt ticket is not wreak less driving. I find it insulting that they turned me down because of my seatbelt ticket, but will gladly except someone with a speeding ticket there is no since in that...

I will still not consider them to be a good company to work for, that recruiter represents their company. The company has to take the blame for their employees. They shouldn't of lead me on and lied to me every single step of the way

"if one falls, (representing the employee) we all fall (company as a whole)" So its not one falls oh we should feel sorry for the rest, its why weren't you there to catch that one

 

I'm sorry but 1 ticket for not wearing a seatbelt might not be bad, but 3 tickets for the same thing tells the Safety Dept that you have a pattern of unsafe operation of a motor vehicle.

Their the ones who have to tell your family and the insurance company you are dead after you landed on your head 100ft from your truck because you did not think wearing a seatbelt mattered.

You need to stop looking at this in degrees of severity and realize that a clean driving record is as important to a commercial driver as a pen is to a writer. The insurance companies and the safety dept, not a recruiter, dictate if a driver with abstract bumps will be hired. If the recruiter had their way they would hire anyone they could get their hands on.

If you want to drive a truck for a living then you need to be compliant with all driving laws, not just the ones you feel are significant enough to follow.

I'm sorry you got strung out by the recruiter but I don't even know how you would think a suspended license and 3 seatbelt tickets in less then 3 years would get you in at this company in the first place, if you looked at their minimum requirements?


At least 21 years old with a good driving record for the past three years

• Evaluation of any felony and misdemeanor convictions, particularly ones of moral turpitude (i.e. sexual assault, fraud, battery, etc.), as they relate to the job
• Ability to pass a Department of Transportation physical and drug screen
• Solid work history
• No convictions for careless (of a higher degree) or reckless driving, alcohol or drugs