The truth about heartland.

Discussion in 'Heartland' started by josainjr, Aug 24, 2012.

  1. sdaniel

    sdaniel Road Train Member

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    They are not ALL the same. Plenty of us are happy with our jobs, just takes time to find the right fit. But this has to be done before leaving your current job. Job hopping is a bad trend . Hope you can find a job that fits and makes you happy/content !
     
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  3. BubbaTrucker

    BubbaTrucker "Iam Hanging in there"

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    let me put this all in order for alot of people ... chrome dome is right for everything he says ... and i will add this as to my reason ..

    i have been driving for almost 17 yrs and one thing i have learned is you get what you show. period.

    i was with knight twice. both times i had good miles, good pay, good home time and was out of carlisle pa terminal ... other drivers hated knight at most terminals,

    i was with werner and same thing only with werner when i was otr i had NO problems with werner... then i went local and all hell broke loose and i ended up hating werner.. alot of drivers hate werner as well

    same thing with ficher trucking out of ft wayne ind. some drivers hated it.

    same thing recently with NFI. great pay, i was home everyday and grossing 1050 avergae a week ( no thats is not a typo, 1050 a week and ran local ) and had very few problems with nfi ...

    lesson here is just like chromedome said ... we can only state our own experiences and what we have experienced ourselves. ones mans treasure is anothers junk ... we have all heard that saying. I have been a member on this forum like chromedome for many years and we state what we have done ...

    i was treated well by Fischer, Knight, Werner ( until i went local ) and NFI, but some may think i was spoiled by them and some of that is true. I didnt turn down loads, did my job, did it well and listened to my dispatchers and my term mgrs and did what was asked and what was outlined... but when i had a problem with a load i didnt want, i did flat out refuse and always will and will take the chances of getting fired, but when i flat out refuse to take a load, i always offered to pick the load up and take it to a relay drop or drop yard to get it in that direction.... new york city will always be out of the question as well as philadelphia and washington dc .... never ever will i ever drive them cities again ...
     
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  4. Cowpie1

    Cowpie1 Road Train Member

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    Interesting read. What is the O/O side of things like at Heartland?
     
  5. Rocks

    Rocks Road Train Member

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    Why does one have to find the "right" outfit before leaving the current job? Is it easier to find a job when one has a job?
    IMO, it's more difficult to do a company search when one is busy working on the road...
    There's a lot to check and evaluate when doing a company search... And lots and lots of companies out there. The more you know, more helpful that will be to make an informed decision.
    Considering one is not in any financial difficulty and can take their time doing a thorough job search, why not leaving their current job so they can dedicate exclusively to their job search? Visit the company in person, check their equipment, their shop, talk to their folks, dispatchers, drivers and such.
     
  6. sdaniel

    sdaniel Road Train Member

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    If you have the means to do that then fine. The point about finding the right job before quitting , was to prevent job hopping. Came through orientation with a fella named Elvis ( yes his real first name) . He have a bad day and jump ship. See him month or two later, heard you quit , I did . But back now . After three cycles of this the company will never touch him again. Find job that's right for you while you are getting paid. And it's not uncommon to see other companies trucks in our lot. Doing the stopping by and talking and visiting thing. But if taking month off is not a problem go for it. Sort of like a paycheck coming in. Do it right , you never miss a check. But in 22 years I have had 2 job changes. Yes make a informed choice. May well retire here.
     
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  7. Spunasone

    Spunasone Bobtail Member

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    Jun 25, 2011
    H-town, Texas
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    Heartland is a decent company to work for, and I'll say it...better than most, by my experience. If you prove to them you are a driver who drives like a machine and never late for P/U & Del. they will throw the miles your way over someone else in the company sitting across from you in the truckstop! I averaged 2500 a week, get on the fedex runs! I was system though which meant 3 days home every three weeks. Paychecks avg. 1100 to 1300 a week. 44 cents a mile with 1 1/2 yr. exp.! Come on, You just got to prove yourself, like anywhere else.
    OTR is a memory now though, Down in the Eagleford shale in Texas driving a pump truck! 2500 a week after taxes!
     
  8. Clintonstain

    Clintonstain Light Load Member

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    Think I remember talking to you once in Ohio ChromeDome. It was about Genealogy stuff. Couldn't find your dad's info. When I was with Heartland the thing that was the most maddening was dispatchers couldn't do simple math. Dispatching you on 500 mile loads with a fuel stop (and inspection) at a Heartland facility while only having 15-20 minutes of free time on the load.

    Another one is sending you home only to have your hours run out two hours from home (so you have to do a 10 hour break) and they have you lined up for a dispatch coming out already. Your 34 hour break just became 22 hours.

    What has your experience been with the dispatchers ChromeDome? I found them to be symptomatic of the employee pool of North Liberty. With a few exceptions I found their competence to be sorely lacking.
     
  9. ChromeDome

    ChromeDome Road Train Member

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    We have several good ones in Columbus. For some reason all of the really good ones there happen to be former drivers with quite a few years under their belts. Funny how that works.
    Have not had to deal with any from N. Liberty yet. I have to stress the word YET.
    I moved to Tampa this week and thus had to swap terminals. My terminal manager from Columbus insisted that I try this dedicated down here for a massive cut in my CPM. But they think due to the miles the drivers on this fleet average that I should make about the same money.
    So we will see. I am supposed to call tomorrow to give them an update, just cannot find the darn direct number or the guys names that I will be working with out of N. Liberty. So I will have to make a string of calls.

    Also have no clue where the heck I will be able to park weekends. I am in South Tampa, no truckstops close, or any storage places with any room to pay to park. I might have to park a good ways from home. Not happy about that. But my Father bought the house I am renting as an investment. So I did not have any real choice. Told him I wanted one near Brandon or Val Rico. But he did not want to own a rental out that way, when the rent is better here.
    Hopefully someone in dispatch can set me up with some drivers from around this area that can give me ideas of places to park.

    Oh, and yes that was me in Columbus. Actually we have allot of the information now from family. But finding records from my Grandmothers side is hard. They were all from Louisiana. And the records from before the Civil war were all stored in New Orleans where her family lived. That court house was burned down by the North lol. So the records from before that time are all gone.
    They are in a family bible that my father saw when young. But nobody knows where it ended up. I guess some family argument started about it 50 years ago or so.
     
  10. jlind

    jlind Heavy Load Member

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    Nature coast, Fl.
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    Chromedome, A friend of mine works for Heartland too and lives on the Brandon border off 301, not sure where you are in relation to that area but I will ask him where he parks and if there is room for another if you would like. He does SE regional and is home most every weekend and has had no issues parking where he does.
    Let me know if you would like me to check!!
     
  11. ChromeDome

    ChromeDome Road Train Member

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    That is the area I plan to move to some time in the next year or so. For now in South Tampa, and nothing here.
     
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