Knight Transportation

I worked for Knight for almost the entire year of 2016. I can add some basic facts as to my time working there.

*always a lack available empty trailers. once you get to know areas around the terminals, you can go to a local shipper and locate one. But it takes time, time you don't get paid for.

*the rivalry between terminals is pretty bad. they say there isn't, but be from Denver and break down in Ontario. they'll let you sit for days for something as simple as a water temp sensor. 15min job. ask me how I know.

*the equipment layout is basic. BASIC.

*pay issues every week, but eager to fix any discrepancy.

*the fuel mileage bonus is an easy game to win when you learn how to play the game. only get enough fuel on a load to get you to your destination. if you don't need fuel, don't get it. fuel mileage is calculated by fuel purchased per load, not what the truck actually gets. if you fill up on a 200 mile load, your fuel bonus goes to hell. but if you top off between loads (needs dispatch approval but they never say no) it doesn't ding you as bad. they also have end of week fill up opportunities based on fuel price shifts or billing cycles. take advantage of them.

*dispatchers and terminal managers (in aurora anyway) were laidback and did everything in their power to keep you moving. mechanics were decent, and services only took an hour or less. my dispatcher kept me deep in loads. sometimes two or more lined up back to back.

*the are safety driven, and don't want you to work outside of your comfort zone. if you can only handle a couple hundred miles a day, that's all they will give you. but if you can consistently put down over 500-550 a day, you will be in the top spots on the driver board. thereby getting the better loads.

*DO NOT BE LATE to a pick up or delivery. even if it just a drop and hook at a lowes depot. it will decrease your ability to get the better mileage loads.

there are some other things, but not worth mentioning. overall it wasn't terrible there. I was getting nearly 12000 or more miles a month toward the end. I had to leave for personal reasons, but if I was a newbie I wouldn't take them off the list. do your two years then move on.

 

I was there for a year as an o/o. It was ok and they treated me good. I was at the Indy terminal back when Eric ran it, if you’re in their food side they’d take good care of you. A lot of the employees didn’t like me because I didn’t put up with their bs, but Eric always had my back because I was a great runner.

I just couldn’t deal with having to have my truck governed at 70 which is total bs. I had a Detroit D link so as soon as I left the shop I turned it back up. Anyways just got tired of all the piddly crap so I bounced.

 

I mean what the hell does this company do in negative Temps when you can't idle and the fuel gels up and you cant get the truck started? ....Im NOT freezing my ### off for a stupid company that doesn't care about me

 

I'l tell you the same thing I tell everyone else.

Do your 1 year with a mega, get your experience and get out. There's no money in running for any of them, unless you're a trainer running team style training and you get paid for your students miles plus yours and then you can clear $100K a year and who wants to risk their life with an inexperienced student? Aside from that, no, don't do it. There's no future at a mega. Period. Ever. Unless you're content with being an underachieiving, bottom feeding scrub the rest of your life.

After you get out, look into LTL/Linehaul.

Old Dominion
FedEx Freight
UPS Parcel
Estes
ABF Freight
Yellow

You can make $90K - $140K a year running Linehaul. Home every day or night, weekends off (once you get a bid run), full benefits, 2-3 weeks PTO (Vacation and sick time), all kinds of insurance, LTD/STD, Life, Death/Accidental Dismemberment. You work 9.5 - 10.5 hrs typically, and then go home. Weather can change that obviously, but that's not every single day. Be ready to run nights/days/weekends and holidays as an extraboard driver, but enjoy the money, because it's good. Once you get a bid, it's not as hectic as the extraboard.

(Saia, XPO, FedEx Ground....only if you have no other options. They all run driver facing camera's and treat you like sub-human garbage).

 

As I've said before......LTL ain't for everybody.

 

I started with LTL in Orange county working for ROADWAY EXPRESS 10 years.....great company before being bought by Yellow and now YRC....Teamsters Union and everything you said.

best times of my life before my bitter divorce and I wanted change

 

I beg to differ about FedEx Ground. The treatment and quality of the drivers is heavily dependent on the contractor itself. Most are absolute garbage. There is no doubt about that. The one I work for is a diamond encrusted golden unicorn compared to other companies I have worked for in the past. I have a life outside of work, make better than decent money, only work 52hrs a week at the most in a 5 night week, sometimes work less than 40hrs and get paid for 40hrs regardless, plus the OT after 8hrs in a shift, and most of all it feels like my sanity has been restored along with my physical health since I am allowed to have a life outside of work. If I need a day or two off for whatever reason, it's okayed without question. I still get paid for my minimum of 40hrs. I'm sure the other LTL/linehaul companies you mentioned are fine but I don't want to give up the free time I have. It feels nice being able to get more than my fair share of rest between work shifts. I don't feel as if I'm some kind of indentured servant. The truck I drive isn't shared with anybody else except my boss whose initials are on the side of the truck. Even though it cuts out at 75mph, I tend to drive between 63 and 68mph. I'll use the rest of the pedal when I need to make a quick pass on multiple drivers.

As for Knight Transportation, I did my time with them over a decade ago. It was an exercise in madness. It seems they haven't changed one bit. Especially about the part with terminals competing against one another. It's so counterproductive and anybody who thinks that's a great way to handle business needs to get their head checked. The office dwellers also need to have their head checked if they think it makes great sense to drop the truck's speed the more a driver idles. Winter and summer are the worst times for that kind of thing. I wonder if they're still removing one battery to "save money" and wonder why they have to spend a ton of money on jump starts.

 

Fed Ex are the fastest trucks in the industry as a company....These guys Fly by me and I go 75mph, LMAO....UPS is slower...they are Teamsters so they take their time HAHAHAHA

 

It’s sad to see hard working drivers have to put up with companies like this. Then they wonder why they have such a driver shortage nation wide Or drivers walk out on them And trucks abandoned everywhere...Just unbelievable that this bs still goes on on a day to day basis..Still one of the sure reasons why a lot of cdl holders got out of the business and looked for new careers