Werner - Not What I'd Heard (Thank God.)

If you really want a handbook, your boyfriend could probably pick up a second copy the next time he's at a terminal. Me? I ended up with three copies just by accident; every new truck I was assigned (and by new, I mean new-to-me) had another handbook lying around inside.

Unless it's a terrible accident, Werner will not go out of their way to call you in for a safety review. They will wait until you're either at a terminal anyway, or near one and not under a load. That's what makes the riot act they'll give you somewhat amusing; if whatever you've done were half as serious as some of these desk jockeys would like you to believe, then they wouldn't let you drive for 1-3 months before talking to you about it.

Your boyfriend will get pulled in for a meeting, at some point, with a safety rep, who will make your boyfriend describe the accident and sign off on the safety rep's write up. If your boyfriend disagrees in any way with that write up, and the safety rep refuses to change it, then your boyfriend can refuse to sign it -- though the safety rep may act as if it's required.

Then your boyfriend will be assigned a couple of CBTs (computer-based-training exercises) -- basically videos telling him not to hit stuff, as if he didn't already know that. When he's finished with those, his truck will probably be released, and he'll be on his merry way. There's a chance that Werner might also force your boyfriend to stick around for a class on the Smith system (defensive driving, basically), which may take a day or two to schedule; the last I heard, Werner was planning to make Smith a widespread requirement, but I'm out of the loop so I can't say for sure.

I don't want you or your boyfriend to worry too much. You may get a very threatening speech from the safety rep in question; you may not. The important thing to keep in mind is that a lot of these people are just kids who don't know how to handle personnel.

Like I said, some terminals are better than others.

In any case, rest assured that Werner has not forgotten the incident. It will come up eventually, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It's your boyfriend's first problem, and it wasn't a serious one, so the worst he's likely to see is a little bluster from a self-important blow hard who doesn't have any real power.

I'm glad to hear that things are going well, otherwise.

 

My bf doesn't like me meddling in his bees wax so I'm sure he won't pick me up one.

Annnnd the reason I was asking about having an accident while on probation is because that's what happened to him.

He fessed up to me just this weekend.

His first accident was somehow knocking his own mirror off in early Dec. He was upset when confessing this so I didn't get the details and didn't ask how. He was called into safety a month later and he did have to talk with safety, watch a video and do a computer program thing. And he was put on a 45 day probation.

Remember in early Jan. I wrote about my bf being called into safety and I thought it was over a violation and instead he did a pee test and watched a safety video?? Well actually they had called him in for the mirror accident he had and put him on a 45 day probation at that time.

Well now, 2 months after the actual accident and about a month after he was put on probation, he backed up into that grill.

And I think he finally confessed because he knows he's at real risk of losing his job and I guess he didn't want it to come as a complete surprise to me. I wasn't even thinking that for something so minor he would get fired and told him he was over reacting but now on the boards it seems like termination is a real risk in his case.

I'm hoping that since the coordinator really seems to like him - since the bf is not a complainer, etc. and basically does everything he's told - coupled with the fact that he's only been a solo driver less than a month, (after his teammate of 2 months decided to quit during Christmas hometime) that Werner might have mercy on him.

Since both accident were basically the bf's fault I can see how he should be fired since he violated his probation but I guess I was looking for some hope that this type of thing has happened to other drivers and they were given another chance - instead of the axe - by Werner.

 

so how much were u guys making a week with werner straight out of school?

 

Training is $325.00 week.About $260.00 bring home.

 

Heh, I understand. I don't know what to tell you, though. The Driver's Handbook is written for employees; you're not likely to find a publicly accessible copy of it, short of convincing another Werner driver to send you one.

I wouldn't be too concerned with getting a copy.

I see. Well I wish him luck then. Nothing he's done is shameful; these little mistakes happen all the time, especially with new drivers. You should see the records of most city bus drivers.

Problem is, those city bus drivers are protected by unions. Werner drivers aren't. I wish I could tell you not to worry about the probation thing, but honestly I don't know how it's going to pan out. Three years ago, your BF would have been fine. But now, who knows?

What I find most disgusting about this sort of thing is that it rewards drivers for not reporting things. Or, to put it another way, it creates an atmosphere where you'd almost have to be an idiot to report things honestly. You scratch a trailer and Werner wants to act like you ran over a family of four.

And yet, somehow, most of their trailers have dents and dings. Most of their tractors are banged up, at least superficially. I used to make it a point to report any trailer I found that had a safety problem, even when I had no intention of picking it up myself -- because it was clear that very few other people were doing that, and I can understand why.

Anyway, I wish you and your BF luck. It's very possible that whatever safety guy who reviews his record will conclude that the two incidents are too minor to warrant termination. Probation, after all, is somewhat arbitrary; it doesn't even kick in until after you've had your safety review, so technically you can be better off having two accidents on consecutive days, rather than two months apart.

I think they only use probation as a way to scare drivers, in other words. There is room for discretion; you just have to get the right safety guy to evaluate the situation.

From what I've seen and heard, your own dispatcher/fleet manager doesn't have a whole lot of say with respect to the disciplinary actions for safety issues; the two departments are kept separate by design. Then again, most of the fleet managers I've heard about and dealt with don't care all that much about the individual drivers under their charge. Some might fight for their drivers.

Either way, I wouldn't give up yet, and regrettably there's nothing you or your BF can do until the safety review comes. Just go about your business. If worse comes to worst, check out some of the other forums here and read up on DAC reports and how to dispute them.

Just try to keep in mind that what your BF's done isn't unusual. Most of the people out there who so shrilly decry truckers' every smallest mistake not only have no clue what our lives are like; they themselves also make similarly careless mistakes every day.

 

Thanks for all your advice Truckered Up.
I plan to review the DAC stuff.
We just have to wait and see.

 

i was told i would make between 600 to 800 a week

 

As a solo driver, that's not an unreasonable estimate (though I'd say $600 is much closer to a reasonable average).

But you have to complete training first, if you're just out of school. Training can take anywhere from 2-4 months, depending on a whole host of factors. It's an exhausting, low-paying crucible -- good for you in the sense that it helps you prepare for the rigors of the lifestyle (in fact, solo driving is almost a breeze by comparison, just in terms of the schedule you can keep), but not necessarily all that educational, which again depends on a number of factors.

In any event, it's not a good idea to go into your first day with money signs dancing in your head. You'll be disappointed.

 

so how far back do they look into past employers? i might of fibbed a bit on the dates of my employment....

 

My bf, who started training it May 09 was making about $250 - $300 in training. Now that he's a solo driver he makes about $550 - $600 a week. I think his highest paycheck was $780. Depends on the week...
He also - just this week - got his first mileage bonus - who knew Werner actually did give out those bonuses LOL!