Got hired with Werner , ORENT. Friday. Am I making a mistake again?

now my friend i dont drive for werner and i wont ever drive for them i drive my own but i can tell you this that i have found from drivers that do.
they are a company that hires new drivers and they have or did have there own driving school and they charge a rediculess fee for that school like most they have some nice trucks or were nice trucks till they got them you cant get much better then peterbilt till you start messing with it and thats the first thing werner does they ruin the truck buy castrating it by that i mean they turn it down to where it wont run they think they no more the the manufacture they do this because they hire new drivers they and there insurance company think the new driver cant handel it not sure i can agree with that but that is the way it is , the paper less log that is another way they control you like a big brother thing and in reality there is nothing to filling out a log book you do it and you do it at your convienance dont understand the big deal with a log book. i can also tell you that i have had to feed a couple of there drivers because werner would not send them money to eat on i even had to buy one of there drivers a bus ticket home because they left them stranded in el paso texas they lived in fl. i personaly think there one of the worst companys out there id give it some serious thought they look and talk good but thats only on the surface. BE CAEREFUL.
BEST OF LUCK . southerpride

 

Make the best of it. We all pretty much had to take a crappy job in the beginning. Just learn as much as you can while you're there. Think of it as basic training, if you can deal with the drill sergeants screaming at you and the other bs that goes along with it, you'll be fine. For every company out there, there's at least one driver that's been screwed over. Werner may not be the best choice for an employer, but out of all the companies that train and hire new drivers, none of them are all that great to work for. You just have to stick it out and get some experience until something better comes along.

 

I enjoyed my time driving Wiener Wagons, but I spent my entire time in a regional dedicated fleet, so my experience probably won't really help you.

 

kwray is right. While Werner is not a place for experienced drivers IMHO, everyone has to start someone. YOUR attitude is likely the most important part of the learning process. I lasted 11 weeks with them, but I had a little time under my belt, a little over a year at the time. Yeah, I know, some guys have more time than that in reverse. Now, after 3 years, I'm still with a big company, much of it due to the lack of an economy.

Seems the rule of thumb used to be, get a year in at the entry company, and then start looking around. But you may find you're comfortable there, and that's fine. There's no one company for all.

To be fair, my fleet manager and his assistant were great. They really were. The people in Milton Ontario were as well, along with Lee in Ohaha [Omaha]. I just never seemed to hit it off with the people in Springfield. I also did nothing but Canada for these guys, which I like. But us Canadian drivers were basically redheaded step kids. Most, not all of us, had trucks that looked like they went thru Iraq before we got them.

Anyway, it looks like Werner may be cleaning up their act a bit, regarding outward looks of the trucks.

I really wish you good luck. Like has been said, ask questions, and learn everything you can. Each company has strong and weak points, and hopefully the weak points won't wear badly on you. The first year will go by quickly, you'll screw up at times, everyone does, but not many admit it.

One thing in a humourus bent, tune up that BS metre, you'll need it. LOL

 

Be happy and rest assure that you are lucky enough to be hired by any trucking outfit as an newbee.... Especially in this economy .... Most companies are freezing hiring for newbees at this time... So take it learn from it and use them as an stepping stone!

 

I'm not sure if you have been through school or on your way to one. If you've been through school then you've got a job and I would think very seriously about changing. Anyone can go to school but not everyone is going to get a job. I didn't go to school because I learned to drive before they were any schools. But it sounds like to me by reading all the problems people have that the bottom feeder companies are just about all the same. And I hate to say this but it sounds like you didn't do much research on the companies before you made a move.

This is your life and you should plan it out the best you can. You should make a list of good and bad and forget about paperless logs and start looking at your future. Look for the best training and make a 1, 5, and 10 year plan. Get out and talk to drivers and not just on-line. Try to find out what kind of truck driving you really want to do. Go for the best and work you way towards that. Become a specialized hauler where you'll be in demand instead of the other way around. It may never happen but that's not the point. The point is you'll be gaining experience and knowledge so you don't have to drive for these lousy companies.