Werner_ How they treat their Drivers

Just 100% turnover? If you ask others on this board (some who've never worked for the company in question) will tell you that Swift has 713% turnover. Werner can't be as bad as Swift.

 

I'm also a current Werner Employee on the Family Dollar fleet. So far they have been really good about getting me home but im dedicated. It was different when i was regional.
If you have a good driving record and a stable work history, Gordon Trucking out of Pacific, Washington will hire a student with 6 months driving experience. Good luck.

 

I just completed licensing training and the school had a Werner recruiter stop by to make his pitch. When he finished, he wanted to know if there were any questions. I asked him what their turnover rate was for drivers and if he knew that they were talked about very badly on the street? He stated that last year (2008) their turnover rate was 180%!!! But now in 2009 it had improved to about 80%!!! As for the bad reputation he stated; "we have over 8,000 trucks so your going to hear more complaints than the other companies". If it smells like ...., and tastes like ...., it probably is ....!

 

I quit in November after 5 years. They have trucks. Omaha is sitting on a bunch (I would guess around 75) brand new Pro Stars.

 

Even if you don't do anything wrong they will manufacture a reason to terminate you. I know. It just happened to me. A Million Mile accident free driver.

While sensors for roll stability and braking have been in their trucks for some time. The last truck I had (52396) had it but I can't recall it ever going off more than 2 or 3 times in the years I drove it. The last truck I had 53330, every heavy load I'd get especially on an upgrade or downgrade with a curve that thing would go off. Much more sensitive than I have ever seen those sensors before.

Now they have just recently turned a reporting feature so when an event happens the folks in safety get an email, when they do you get a message to call safety to explain to them what's going on.

I found this out the hard way. I picked up a load of lead from Doe Run in Buick MO. Anybody that has ever been there knows that there is no really good way in or out of that place it's 2 lane road, winding and curving most of the way. I was fine going in as I was empty, however on the way out I had 6 roll stability alarms go off. At no time was there ever any danger of rolling over I had a heavy load with a very low center of gravity and most of these events occurred at less speeds of less than 38 mph in a 55 mph zone. There was NEVER any risk of a rollover at any time. Yet I received message after message to call safety. Which I had every intention to do once I got to the next truck stop and off the back roads. It was something like 142 miles cross country back to the interstate.

It is against Werner's company policy to park on the side of the road or an exit ramp at any time. This includes using the qualcomm, looking at a map or making a phone call. Most of the way back to the interstate there was no shoulder to park on even if I wanted to break company policy to try to call in. Wait it gets better. I figured that since there was never any real danger and wanting to follow company policy, I ignored all the messages since there was nothing I could do about them anyhow. Well as I was coming into Jackson, MO I got pulled over by the Police. Apparently the Sr. Vice President of safety Della Sanders decided that she needed to have me stopped. (Mind you this is the very same lady that awarded me my million mile award). It just angered me that these people can be so impatient. I did get angry with the people in the safety department for the stupidity of the whole situation.

It's really a sad state of affairs when a million mile accident free driver can be called on the carpet because of something as stupid as a sensor issue. Come on idiots, I can see where they [sensors] could be useful as a tool to see where there might be a problem, or to keep a closer eye on a new driver, but to terminate a driver that has been with you for 13 years with a stellar performance of on time deliveries based primarily on one afternoons sensor alarms is just wrong.

While in the office being terminated I was told that this was not the sole reason. They looked at my entire record of motorist complaints and there was a pattern of aggressive driving and I was just too big of a safety risk. I asked to see, or be told of these motorist complaints. There were a total of 5 in 13 years of driving. One of which was not even valid as I was mistaken for another Werner truck. Another was an incident in a parking lot where I got into an argument with somebody and the person calling in over exaggerated the events way out of proportion. Sorry Ms Sanders I just don't see that pattern of aggressive driving you were referring to.

I will be writing a letter to her boss to appeal, but I don't think it will do much good. In closing, my advice stay away from this company.

 

PTD, sorry for your bad experience! I can see by your well written post that you are definitely not blowing smoke. What is it going to take to stop this abuse by these big otr co's?? It will never change as long as there is no unity amongst drivers.

Anyone ever see the movie F.I.S.T. with Sly Stallone? He organized a trucker union to combat the dominant co's. Not saying that unions are the answer, but we need to do something!

 

Unions unions... blah blah blah... That is all we hear right now, but when you step up, everyone just looks at you. It will do no good, in my opinion.

I just watched on HDTV Televison (that is the name of the network) a show with Dan Rather and the Executive Vice President for Werner Enterprises was making comments that all of Werner's new trucks are being outfitted with cameras to monitor the drivers while they are moving down the road. The cameras turn on when the brake valve is pushed in and turns off when the barak valve is pulled out. He said that these cameras monitor the driver, the road in front, and the sides of the vehicle. He said with these new cameras, sensors on the trucks, and satellite technology, they can get an email and a video as soon as a concern is brought to their attention by either the sensors alerting them, a motorist calling in, or their dispatchers observing a concern, via a live feed. He said that they can watch the driver and his/her actions without the driver even knowing about it. Then he was saying that this will make Werner "the safest carrier on the road" and lower accidents by "95%."

Sounds like way too much control to me. If I wanted someone watching over me every time I worked, I would have worked for Disney World.

 

Wow I was not aware of any cameras as of yet, I do know they have the roll stability and braking sensors, (yeah I got a few warnings on hard braking while bobtail, sorry I stop for yellow lights).

 

What it's going to take is for people to stop being foolish enough to go to work for them . But that will never happen . Any job is better than no job and the lure of the open road , get away from the wife nagging about bills for a month at a time and all that .