Colonial Freight Sysems...

Here is some info in Colonial out of Knoxville, TN. I went to work for this company in January of this year. The only openings they offered were for an O/O or lease operator. They pay 67% of the load gross and pull freight for about $1.30 per mile. California freight pays about $1.10 out and $1.05 for the return load. Even with 100% fuel surcharge, you cannot make it on this. They charge you for everything! You are charged $22 per week for a satellite that is for their use. Truck lease payments are around $500 per week. Insurance is around $80 per week and then you pay for tags and permits, about another $25 per week. You are charged $0.015 cents for every mile for fuel tax, $0.02 every mile if load delivers to or originates in CA. They take out another $50 per week for escrow until you reach $5000. There is a tremendous amount of sitting between loads and as after you make enough money every week to settle up with Colonial, YOU WILL SIT. They may get you a load that delivers on the next pay period so they can already have their money. I hope this helps any of you looking for a job over here. I will be turning in my truck this weekend. Since I started, I have brought home less than $1500 for the entire time. Some of the people are nice but most are not and act like they are doing you a favor letting you work for free. They fired 2 guys last week for not running their cheap freight. Save yourself the trouble and find another carrier to hire on with.

 

my dad drove for these guys. he started with "general freight" but switched to banana's in containers, because it paid more. they ran him hard for about a month from gulfport to indy with nana's then normaly went to OH for chicken to mobile then deadhead back over to MS to do it again. anyway the first month or so of this and he had too many miles(logs) then althe suden he wasn't going anywhere"we don't have anything today, call back tomorow" when his paychecks reached negative amounts (you owe us more than we say you made) he left. i think his last check was -$75

 

wow i just did a application with them

 

I thought as much with CFS I too was supose to go over there, but leases just never work in your favor. I think I'll just put my truck back on the road atleast it's me telling me what to do. Thanks for the report.

 

DONT go to this company. I worked for them for about 2 weeks for nothing and when I quit, they said I owed them $1,600. They dont tell you that you have to buy reefer fuel till you go to orieneation which is 4 1/2 full days. If you want to go home, you have to deadhead at your expense. You have to draw off of your check to pay lumpers $200 to $300 per load. They will hold it out of your check this week and put it back on next week. Your ALWAYS in the hole. After awhile, they will tell you to bring the truck back and they will not pay you for your last load. After 25 years of driving....this is THE BIGGEST RIPOFF Ive ever been through. RED FLAG....RED FLAG.

 

No these people are not the same as Colonial freight warehouse out of St. Louis. I worked for Colonial Freight out of St. Louis for 5 years and they have the absolute best lease program in the business. I made $175,000 my last year with them but I got mad and quit over some ########.

 

Well my buddy that works there is still there and loves it. He has been making $2000 a week average before taxes. Thats after he takes everything out. I have to pay lumpers and then get reimbursed. i think that is pretty common. As far as deadheading home at your cost that is the same with most all owner ops. Why would they pay you to go home? I don't get paid to go home either as a company driver. You are the first that I have heard say anything bad about them.

 

When they issued me a truck they said it had just been serviced. I drove it for 2 weeks and when I quit they said it needed serviced and charged me $300. They put a brand new mattress in it when I got it. When I quit, they charged me $200 it. All together they say I owe them $1,600. They charged me $800 for "maintinance turn in" whatever the heck that is.

 

Well some of that I can understand and being that you were only there 2 weeks it would have been nice if they waved some of that and told you about it all up front. When working over there you are essentially an owner op. So of course you are going to have to pay all the truck costs. I already know all that but I can see how if they didn't explain it well to you then I know how you feel. I plan on trying to get on with them again but I am going to try and buy my own truck if I do and have if paid for or close to it. That way I will have that chunk of overhead out of the way. I think $200 is a little steep for a mattress. And they need to specify what the $300 and $800 are for. If its stuff they are replacing would tell them you want all the stuff they are taking off. Then you could sell it and recoup some cash.

 

ne one have any information on these guys out of k town tn thinking about applying