Ronnie Dowdy Inc

We have been with Dowdy now for nearly 5 years. Yes, there are times when we wait....and wait at the shop.
But, we use our time there wisely. Borrow the company van, go to the laundromat, do any shopping we need to get done, etc. If it still isn't ready, and we have to be there overnight, we either go spend the night at our friends who live nearby, or if they are on the road, spend the night at a hotel. Relax, eat some GOOD food, get some sleep,then ready to roll in the morning.

Yes, we have had our issues with this company, (such as the Donio loads, and BOB at Donio), but as L/P, we just tell them "Nope!Not gonna do it!", and what can they say? Haul it over gross, anyway? NOT! They tried that one time....(hubby wouldn't let ME call BOB,or Dowdy....hmmm, can't imagine why?? LOL)We just sat there until they said take some pallets off and roll. (Cuz we put everything on QComm....they pretty much HAD to say that, now didn't they?LOL)

Anyway, overall, we have been happy here for almost 5 years.

Judi Kay

 

Yes I agree Ronnie Dowdy is not a great company unless you know to fix things your self, I worked for them for only a month and ran! I was in Florida and the bolt to my shackles broke they took two days to get me to Freightliner had they gotten me in when this first happened I would have not had to sit for 4 days because they got me in on a Saturday and they were closed Sunday! and by the time they approved any repairs it was too late to order the parts needed! so parts couldnt be ordered till Monday so that was almost a week sitting in one place! I was so mad! when I got back on the road they asked me how I liked my Florida Vacation well my reply made sure they knew I didn't like it at all! I had no idea what I was getting into with this company till I saw the drivers..most had not seen a shower in a week some had a lot of them did like to try to talk war stories when they should have been using soap and water on the body and the clothes they had on! BUT if you don't mind pushing the envelope with DOT and you taking all the chances and you being the only one who looses anything you will like that company. Dowdy is not for me.

 

You can't judge everyone by the sight/smell of a nasty few....and I'm betting they were all company drivers. I do know that the company drivers have it worse than the O/O's, or the L/P's. As an L/P, we don not have to wait to get "approval" for parts, and/or service. That's why we have a maintenance account. When something needs fixed, we get it fixed....whether at the yard, or on the road.
Dowdy is just like any other company...some bad, mostly good.

Judi Kay

 

Ronnie Dowdy sux. been there done that.

 

I don't know which driver's you are talking about, I have driven for Dowdy for a few years now and take a shower everyday. I see drivers for most every company out there that need to take a bath. On the second point I have never had a problem having thing's on my truck fixed, then again I take care of my truck like to was my own. I do fix things on my truck if I can. This truck is my lively hood your #### right I try to fix it if I can. You sound like on of those steering wheel holders who pull your truck into the shop to have a head light changed.

On the last point I only "push the envelope" when I want to "push the envelope". If I can't make the load I let them know so they can either change the delivery time or swap the load out. The latter rearly happens.

Maybe you are one of those drivers who needs a dispatcher to hold your hand 24/7. One of the best things about Dowdy is the fact that they aren't all ways looking over your shoulder.

 

lol at Ronnie "Howdy Dooty" Truckin

 

Its Howdy Dooty time, anyone remember the howdy dooty show? and the puppet??

 

Well I think I said I did see one or two drivers who did shower and look some what decent, I do not need anyone to hold my hand while I am out on the road, I was given the privilege to be educated by a man who was a 60 yr vet to this industry! I got my CDL 10 yrs ago and went straight into produce hauling, I did not go through one of them companies like Swift or Werner I went to a smaller company, we ran hard I mean hard at that time you could still get away with things and I was taught every manner of getting away! LOL The first thing I learned was to have a good tool kit with ya and I learned how to use them in my first year! I learned what did what and what you can drive with bad and not kill your self or someone else to what needs fixing right then! Shackles need fixing right then and there not a few hundred miles down the road! I don't know what your looking at when your in Batesville but it was not the drivers that came and went because like I said I seen more oil on the heads of these men and women than I have seen on the pavement of a truck stop! I keep my truck up and clean but I also keep my body clean because I represent my self as well as the company I work for. Oh the dispatch was great but they are all scared of loosing jobs if they make the wrong decision so they fear making any decisions! Really how hard is it to decide that uhh you have a busted bolt to a shackle it needs fix, the driver can not fix it get it to the shop..I don't think a collage education was needed for that decision yet it took two days just to get an address! can you blame me for being mad? Would YOU drive 800 or more miles with a busted shackle? I like my drive shaft where it belongs not laying on the road!

 

Let's face it...you had a bad experience with Dowdy, stopntrafic.

But not ALL, nor even most, of the drivers at Dowdy have the same bad experiences.
My husband has been a driver for 26 years, he knows what to fix/how, carries his tools in the sidebox, we shower regularly, keep our truck clean inside and out. AND, he is a driver for Dowdy.
Not EVERYTHING here is good, but on the opposite side of the coin, not everything is BAD, either.

I'm sorry your experience with them was so bad.

Judi Kay

 

You are right so right and I was not implying everything was bad with this company, But you have got to admit it is not a good sign when you see so many dirty drivers hanging in the drivers lounge! The showers are in the next room and they do not use them! I did say I saw a few clean drivers but the dirty out numbered the clean by far!
Why is it that the dispatch seem to be so afraid to make decisions, I felt like their jobs were on the line. How can a company run like this and it not effect the driver? I do not waste their time please do not waste mine also.