Thinking about joining Schneider

How quick do they let you take a dedicated position? I got my CDL a few months back and starting with Schneider in November (Fontana).

 

If you have hired in as regional (i assume wetern 11 for you) then its usually 6 months on a board befoer consideration. Talk with your recruiter NOW to see if they would allow the change. Or just run what you have and keep checking the job postings for something appealing to you. then go through the process of making the request of DBL. takes a bit to get it moving. and you may have to wait til a replacement is hired or whatever before you can switch.

It starts though with having a very good relationship with DBL.

 

Thanks mickeyrat. Well what company would you recommend for a rookie? Werner or Schneider? Schneider's trucks look a bit worn compared to Werner but Werner do that team driving training for 5 weeks compared to Schneider's 1 week (other 2 weeks in classroom). Guess Schneider pays better and seems more organized. Any suggestions? I do like the look of Werner trucks but that can't be the reason to go with them lol.

 

I will answer your question the best I can, being as I have been a company driver with Schneider the past three months.

I can not recommend this company if you plan on joining as a company driver. Run. I would not wish this treatment on my worse enemy.

My biggest gripe with Schneider is. ..they are too money hungry of a company, even worse than the Swifts and CR England's of the world.

Talking to other Schneider company drivers confirms it. I have heard after Mr. Schneider passed away (the good times), corporate greed has taken over the company now.

My problem is... they do this at the expense of the driver. Consider this... one time, I had just came off a 34 hour restart, and they tried to give me a 50 mile load that didn't deliver until 26 hours later, saying I was the only available driver in the area, and there was no other freight in the area. After wasting an hour on the phone concerning this short $10 load, a few hours later they removed it and magically have me an 800 mile load. My problem is. ..somebody else probably got stuck with that same load unfortunately

 

That was my plan to start as a company driver. I have to start because I put a lot of work into my CDL and I'm coming up to the 4 month limit. I was intending to stick with whatever company I start with for longer than a year. I don't quite understand the 50 mile load? was it a waste of gas and time then? What was their 3 week training like? Getting some new boots out of going with Schneider at least but I know they don't run 48-state. I also was told by the recruiter I might not be able to park the truck at home even though I am 50 miles away from the terminal (I don't have a car right now).

Werner seem to be more relaxed but not sure what to expect team driving for 5 weeks. Then again, I've read numerous posts on how bad Werner is when it comes to pay.

 

I'm sorry, I can't condone anyone to come work for this company. I am a very experienced driver, and the way this company waste their drivers time is horrendous.

Out of maybe 50 messages I have sent through the Qualcomm, I have received a reply maybe 10% of the time.

During 7am-4:30pm, your DBL is easy to get in touch with, but let it be after 5pm, and any issue you have, will be waiting on the phone 30 minutes to 1 hour at a minimum. God forbid, you don't solve your problem the first time you called.

The problem is Schneider is too cheap to hire the proper amount of personnel to staff after hours operations.

Secondly, this would have to be the worst company I could ever imagine to get your OTR experience at.

Why do I say that you ask? Simple. I'm a Schneider OTR driver, for the entire 3 months here, I HAVE YET TO HAVE EVEN TOUCHED ANY STATES IN MOUNTAIN AND PACIFIC TIME ZONE.

This is a huge NO NO for getting OTR experience.

Of all my years driving, my most important experience came from driving over MOUNTAINS (Rockies, Donners Pass, etc) and also winter driving. Sadly, the every state I have been too since with Schneider negates these 2 most important OTR experiences a new driver must overcome.

That..... and also there is a reason Schneider has the FOURTH (4th) HIGHEST TURNOVER out of thousands of trucking companies.

Basically here is how it works:

1. Schneider gets new driver

2. Schneider uses new driver to the company's advantage, including getting all sorts of government incentives for bringing you aboard.

3. Schneider has it down to a science that many drivers will quit after the 3-6 months it takes them to realize they are being taken advantage of and making less than minimum wage. By then, Schneider has anticipated and readied a new group of drivers to take your place.

4. Since you quit, Schneider doesn't not have pay for unemployment benefits.

5. Wash. Rinse. Repeat

 

They must be paying quite poorly for you to be annoyed at waiting on hold for an hour and not running the Rockies. I was told Schneider don't allow East coast drivers to drive West and vice versa. Since I am based on the West coast I will be doing plenty of that sort of driving I'm sure.

 

Layover pay is $65 a day. Multi stop pay is $15 a stop. This is lower than the lowest in the industry. You do the math.

It isn't so much that I'm getting screwed, as I average about $1000 a week take home (about $1250 gross), it's that I envision the average new guy coming to Schneider and just get used like a disposable paper towel, probably making $300-$500 a week.

Trust me, I could leave schneider right now, and make much more money as a company driver just about anywhere else.

If I were you, I would choose Werner, at least they have nice Kenworth T680s to drive in, and guarantee they pay more than Schneider on just about everything.

Plus, Werner is a true OTR outfit.

You know something is wrong when every Schneider company driver has nothing good to say about the company, and even the older company drivers talk badly of the new Schneider, and reminisce if the days when good old Don Schneider use to be alive and run the company.

Like I said, on paper, and on Schneider's website everything looks great. It's once you actually get here, and experience the GREEDINESS of this company, that you realize you dropped the ball.

Other than that, get your OTR in, and hopefully the Schneider Choice is still doing good and jump over to that once you can.

 

Thanks for the information. Yeah I do like the look of Werner's trucks, terminals and the team driving can't be all that bad (I just wonder how I will sleep with the truck moving). I've got to make my mind up this Monday because this will be my 2nd time cancelling Schneider if I decide to go Werner. Sure they are getting tired of it. (I canceled back 2 months ago because I was unsure). Looks unprofessional.

 

I feel better now know it's just not me lol.
The waiting on the phone forever I've complained so much about on my thread. It ain't any different for me on the IC side.
I don't waste my time with Qualcomm messages anymore cause it might be a day before someone responds if at all lol.. it's such a joke.

If you are grossing $1200 a week though that ain't bad.
That's like .40 a mile at 3000 miles so I mean for a truckload carrier being a van company driver dunno where you could do much more than that.