Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

fyi all the apu equiped trucks have inverters in them. i believe they are at least 2000 watts????.. not sure but good enough to power my microwave, ps3 and lcd tv at the same time.

 

Hey Bigowl. . .Good meeting you here on TheTruckersReport.

I have to admit I get some satisfaction airing my gripes and my positive experiences here on this thread. When you finally get through your training period and get out on the road solo. You will start to hear things like. . ."Truck Driving ain't for sissies".

Well let me tell you. I'm reminded of those words just about every time something goes wrong or does'nt quite measure up to expectations.

As far as Stevens goes. Stevens is a training company. So with that comes some added rules and company policies that go beyond what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations will impose.

Sometimes that gets alittle annoying when it seems like they keep coming up with new rules for us all to comply and contend with. In all fairness these rules and policies are there to keep us and (First and Foremost) Stevens Transport out of trouble.

If you are going to Stevens Driving Academy. You will get top notch training. I have had students from other schools. And I can tell right away if they got good training or not. Stevens will really drum into you the Safety aspect of driving. Good Safe Driving is going to be a never ending daily theme.

When you get out on the road and see how alot of other guys are driving then you will begin to apprieciate the training Stevens gives you.

Make sure you understand how payment/repayment of your school works. You could end up making payments for 3 1\2 years like me. I still owe $2k on my loan. It might have something to do with me signing on with Alliance. I'm a contractor not a Stevens employee.

As far as equipment goes. The oldest trucks should not have more then 450k miles on them. That is when the Peterbilt standard warrenty runs out. KW is probably the same. But even if a truck has 300k miles on it. That is like 50K miles on a car. Still alot of good comfortable miles left in the vehicle.

When I was on Grad Fleet my truck had 350k on it. It was a KW T2000 and it ran like a champ. I had no complaints. Back then Stevens was assuring new hires that they would have a brand new truck after 1 year of service. With the economy being what it is today I'm not sure if they are still making this promise.

I was told that by the end of the first quarter of next year all trucks in the fleet will be equiped with an APU. APU's are nice. I would not want to drive a truck without one.

As far as creature comforts go. I live in my truck. I'm fairly comfortable. I can't really complain. Its like RV living. You are allowed to have an inverter. You can use it to run a cooler, TV, Microwave, Crockpot, etc.

Although I'd be alittle concerned about the crockpot tipping over. You will want to find a way to secure it in one place and keep the lid from flying off when you drive over some hefty bumps.

Yes. . .There are dues to pay. Getting on a truck with a trainer is a leary proposition for both trainer and student.

You both have to keep in mind that you are both there to do what the company is paying you to do and you both have an obligation (to Stevens) to complete the training process.

Two men in a small space 24/7 have to be able to get along with each other. Sometimes It feels like two astronauts in a space capsule obiting the earth.

5 weeks with your trainer goes by alot faster then you might think. The best advise I can give you is "Keep your big mouth shut." I don't mean this sarcastically. I have a temper of my own. You need to stay focused on why you are there and just get through it. You will be on your own and in your own truck in no time at all. Just get along with your trainer.

As far as all the BS goes. It all boils down to how much abuse you can take.

In some ways. . . Life is all about trade offs. What you are willing to give for what you are going to get in return. I probably should not say this. God only knows who is reading this thread. I made myself a promise that when I started with Stevens I was going to tuff it out for 2 years no matters what BS or obsticals they put in my way. By the end of those 2 years I will have the experience and training to get a job with any trucking company, anywhere.

Well now that I have the knowledge and know what I know today. . . My greatest fear is that all these trucking companies are pretty much the same. Same old garbage just different people. So its all in what you make out of it.

Hope that gives you the insight you are looking for.

 

I was not aware of most of what you posted here. I did hear a rumor that Steve Aaron's daughter could take over the leadership of the company.

It is my personal belief that Steve Aaron had other ideals for the future of his company. I think he sees Stevens Transport on a scale equal to Schneider or Con-Way. The unfortunate part is unless senior management finds a way to change their ways. The company will not grow much larger then it is right now. When a company is growing there is opportunity for personal career advancement and growth.

Stevens Transport could be so much more of what it is today. I'm in fear of the trend starting to go back in a negative direction.

 

Thanks Jerry C. I believe everthing you said to be true. I will keep my mouth shut when I go out with my trainer. I just want to be like a sponge and soak up all the knowledge I can get from my trainer. I believe this is the right career choice for me it's something I wanted to do since I was 5. Keep me posted how your days are going the kind of experience you see out there. Believe it or not me and I know others on this site learn alot from all the posts you put on here. Keep up the good work because we appreciate it. (At least I know I do) P.S. How often do you get to see the West Coast and where do west coast loads take you. . .

 

Thank you dude. Looking forward to finally getting this on the road so to speak.
Sitting in the Crossland hotel now on the wifi. Have a roommate but no sign of him yet and I've been here a couple of hours. lol
Nice hotel, especially considering the dumps I know several places wanted to put me up. One was on the local COPS show last summer! lmao
Clean, wifi, not too noisy, sheets smell like detergent and not pesticides and no visible stains. What more can you ask for for free?
Should have flown myself, but since I'd never taken a bus ride longer than an hour or so, I let them buy me a ticket from Indy. OMFG. MISTAKE. Horrible experience, but I survived and learned a few lessons and had a little fun.
Starting classes Monday morning.
Keep it between the lines and out of the flashing lights, and I hope to see many of you out on the road.

 

I am trying to choose between Stevens and Central Ref any thoughts

 

Smokr, quick question - since you are from around Indy, why didn't you go with Knight instead of coming all the way to Dallas. I am in Dallas and thinking about going to Indy to train.

 

Central is EXTREMELY strict and thorough on everything but training. Their training is short, especially compared to Stevens.
During training at Central in Salt Lake you stay in company barracks which has no refrigerator and 1 microwave and tv for everyone. Vending machines aren't too high but not cheap, and nothing within walking distance for food or other needs. Room is tiny, like 10 by 10 cinder-block walls with bunk beds, 1 chair and no table. Cleaning is spotty. Showers are good and very much like a truckstop. Basically a jail with freedom to go outside for the first week. Then you stay at a hotel with four other guys in your room the second week. Heard the hotel isn't bad, but no amenities either and no table or other stuff in your room.
Stevens in Dallas puts you in extended stay hotel which is clean, has wifi, kitchen area with stove, fridge, pots and pans and silverware, bathroom/shower, cable tv, 1 chair and table all in your room, and you have 1 roommate but separate beds. You pay a hugely reduced rate for the hotel stay once you start working for them, but you get to live more like a person than a jail inmate.
There is a store or two in walking distance of the Central yard, but it's a LONG walking distance of better than a mile, and not feasible in cold or rain, but its a WalMart and a lot of other stores and fast food. Around the hotel Stevens put you up in is nearly everything within a block, and pretty much everything inside a two block walk, including a Big Lots across the street, ACROSS THE STREET, Wendys, Subway, Tobacco Road, several mom and pop restaraunts like BBQ, Chinese, Japanese, and I suggest Napoli's which delivers and has awesome Italian and American including pizza/subs and steaks and seafood and is decently priced with most stuff about $5 or $7 bucks. Also a pawn shop, electronics store, a couple of shoe outlets and a couple of clothing stores and a Discount Outlet.
Training time and actual driving time during training at Stevens is twice that of Central. Trucks are about the same, but Stevens has an edge in that they have APUs and convertors in most trucks and putting them into the rest, where Central wants to charge you for putting on their trucks if they feel like allowing you to have them, and heard rumors they don't like to. Having an APU is a huge deal as it saves your idle time, thus saving you a reaming on costs and a reaming from your fleet manager etc about idling too much, and makes it possible to get the fuel economy bonus which Stevens offers each month, and which Central does about four times a year.
Central puts you with a trainer driver for three or four weeks at $450 a week, then your on your own. Fast if you want that. Stevens put you with a trainer driver for five weeks, then a different truck but with another trainee like you for three more weeks. Stevens pays $350 a week during all six to eight weeks of training driving. Stevens offers an advance during first two weeks of $70 a week for food etc those first two weeks of classes which is taken back out by that $25 a week payback when you start driving for them. Central does not, so take all the money you will need for the first month.
Stevens is almost all Kenworth T2000 and a few Peterbuilt 387 they are taking out of company drivers hands to the lease program. Both are said to be the best of trucks. Central has a mix of mostly various Kenworth and assorted Volvos, and talk is not as new or well taken care of as Stevens. Stevens drivers brag their trucks are far newer, seemingly true.
Both run mostly reefer, if not totally all reefer. Central pays a couple of cents more per mile, but no APU totally offsets that all on it's own, let alone the fact the truck is better to boot, and that the training is longer and more thorough. Now add on the fact that Stevens pays loaded or unloaded and the choice gets even clearer.
Now research for yourself more and find out all you can. Spend an afternoon or an evening a week at a truckstop talking to drivers from both companies and taking notes.
Good luck!
BTW, currently sitting in Crosslands Extended Stay Inn watching cable tv, munching on nachos and microwaved cheddar cheese sauce, with mostaccioli and tomato sauce cooking on the stove for dinner, all bought across the street, and using the hotel wifi. Thanks Stevens.
And yes I am aware I will have to pay it back when they start me over the road at $25 a week, and I'll be glad to after spending a couple of days in the cinder-block lockdown in Salt Lake getting ready to train at Central eating vending machine sandwiches heated up in the one microwave on site that hadn't been cleaned the entire time I was there, or mexican food off the parking lot food wagon who's open or closed whenever he feels like it and charges $3.00 for a 20 ounce bottle of pop and having to wait for the shuttle to WalMart to buy anything else. It only goes to WalMart, you have to run your ### off across the highway to go to any place else, and they don't take a head count or make sure you got back in time before they head off. If you get left behind, and I saw it happen, you call and wait for them to come pick you up after the driver waits long enough he feels like you've learned your lesson. I don't know what you'd have to do if you don't have the shuttle guys number with you when you go.

 

Because a cousin drove for them for a grand total of something like three months. His highest mileage week was like 1,100 and he got paid for just like 600 of it. That isn't the only week he was shorted. He's still owed a total of nearly two thousand dollars and he went to them with a CDL (he didn't get trained there, he's had a CDL for something like five years or so) and a good empty DAC that now says he is unreliable and would not be hired back.
His last week there he watched a driver get fired for idling in Minnesota. It was below freezing and he was waiting to deliver, but that didn't matter I guess. He idled over %50 that trip and he was fired.
He has other horror stories, but I don't remember them very well and he "don't to that internet thing"
The numbers in the first sentence are vague and not exact, I don't remember them %100 but they should be close. The nearly two thousand he is owed is as exact as he told me though.

 

Smokr

Thanks for the info. The way you are talking you sound like you are at Stevens right now.