Western express

Rock'in Roll ,,Brudd'ah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWjA6XJ_9P8

 

You shouldnt have to go real far for a truck. I had to catch a ride in the van to nashville for mine, they also have a terminal in decatur alabama which is even close to where you are and they have another terminal somewhere there in Alabama. Most of the trucks that need to be recovered are picked up by the recovery guys. They had a couple of guys when i was there and that was pretty much their full time job. They would just go whever the trucks that had been abandoned and go get them and bring them back. Worst case scenario is you might have to wait around for a few days for them to bring one back or for someone that is quitting to get back and turn one in. Is that jerk off Frank Crews still down in Birmingham? That guy was the only real jerk i ran into. He thinks he is the flatbed god of Western Express...at least he did, i have been gone for a while now.

 

Most trainers when done with you will take you to the terminal to get you your truck. Good luck in your ability to drive for them. I really wish you the best of luck. I was in vans, alot of their delivery instructions were several years old, and deliveries had destinations changed. My only complaint was not getting paid. If you dont have bills to pay, you should be fine.

If you have internet (wifi) on the truck. Use google earth and see how well the directions match up before attempting the load. New Jersey is notorious for changing traffic flow. A real pain to get near the destination and find out the Western Express Directions tell you to make a left at light, and find out you need to make that left from the right hand lane in Edison to deliver to BJ's. By the way? Any load you get to BJ's must be done between 5-7am. Otherwise your going to be parked and unloaded at BJ's leisure.

 

Hey LovesTheDrive...I dont have 50 posts yet so i cant answer or send PM's but my hire date was september 11th of 2008. I cant say I knew that driver you mentioned....Sorry to jack the thread,just the only way i could respond......To add to the thread i will say i was lucky, i was already an experienced driver so I didnt have to go with a trainer........even though I had zero flatbed experience. Had 3 years in as a van driver and had never touched a flat and the on the yard "training" did not teach me anything other than how to fold the tarp. I didnt get to starp anything down or snap a chain binder or anything and they turned me loose in a truck with a load 2 days later. Was a huge learning experience but I caught on quick and got very good at everything involved. I just payed close attention to the securement on every flatbed load i saw and watched how the guys in front of me at customers would do things and was never afraid to ask for advice. That was the one thing they did I could not believe. It really really really surprised me they would set somebody loose on flatbed with zero flat experience and basicly nothing for training. I had no choice but to be a quick study and learn fast. And I was proud of myself for how well i was able to catch on. In just a few weeks i was chaining,strapping and tarping with the best of them at all of the customers I would go to. I guess I kinda got to learn the old school way,just get out there and do it.

 

I know a few drivers on the box side, they pretty much take off from Nashville and spend there 3 weeks up in the east coast, NJ PA NY (lots of ny city) shuttle trailers around the east and then work their way back down 81 to home.

 

Yeah, Van side at Western dam near lives in the eastern half of the country which is kind of weird when you consider the name of the company. I got lucky on flats and very rarely went past PA. Spent most of my time in the south and midwest and texas. made it as far as Bay area California on my last run out with them.

 

Jager I trust you didnt get any shotguns going off?

 

No sir. I can proudly say that even with being self taught I never had anything come off of my trailer. Like i said, whenever i wasnt sure about something I was very quick to ask other drivers for tips or advice. I basicly just used common sense and that is one of the biggest parts of flatbed,using your head.Knowing the load limits of your chains and straps and using your brain are the most important things. Alot of drivers get to caught up in doing things fast and just forget to use common sense.I also learned that there is no such thing as over securing a load. When ever you are postive that you have enough straps,just remember that one more can never hurt.

 

Yep, company recomends to over strap or chain.

 

That is what I was told by one of their dedicated drivers. I think running flats would be a good idea. I think they pay more for flats too.