McLane Southwest

McLane 'Grocery' Southwest Temple, TX.

Main Customers are
7-11 (Stripes are being changed to 7-11s now)
Cefco, Walmart, Walgreens, Family Dollar.

Deliver most anything you see inside most 7-11s, with some exceptions...Pepsi/Coke/Beer/Chips.



First of the good and the only thing, going for them.
The pay.. You will make good money if you work hard.
And Sign On Bonus is now $15,000
You will have to work hard for it lol.

When I started I came off the road.
I really thought I wouldn't be able to do the job/work.

I guess it's not as hard as I thought it would be.. But running a dolly up and down a ramp for 12-18+h with only a small break in between stops it’s not easy.

They just raised the Minimum to $3,000 gross/2 weeks (check). (which is really great for the new guys)
They have evidently decided that seniority does not mean anything.
As long as you do what you're supposed to (like don't call in, you would get the minimum)




I worked there for 3 years


When I started..
I was supposed to be trained; they somehow forgot about me. And I didn't work for like 2 weeks.
(I did have some other adjustments in my life to worry about so I didn't push the issue)
When I did finally start being trained.. They put me with another team, that didn't do things the way they are supposed to be done. So technically.. Only got trained at like half the job at best..
They didn't scan.. Didn't have me stack the dolly…didn't show me paperwork, didn't have me drive out.


When you are finished training you will go on Extra Board.
Extra Board really sux unless you like never knowing your schedule. And when they do set you up on another load (like after you come back they like to change it a lot).
Difficult if not impossible to plan anything.


Also.. In order to finish loads in a reasonable time… pretty much everyone works off the clock. So it is expected.
Basically 1 Driver drives to and all the stops until they run out of hours
Co Drivers logs Sleeper.. Until the first driver runs out of hours. (or close to it. Depending on length of the load). Is expected to work along with the first driver.


Of course it is not officially allowed. But it is all a big joke since everyone does it.
Occasionally they check (where they come to where you are at) they call 5-0..but in my time there I never got 5-0’d.
As a result it is not easy to drive back sometimes.


Very nitpicky as well with the Lytx Driver Facing cameras that go off/record if you take a sip of your soda/coffee or snack...if it's more than ?? seconds.

Sometimes it seems they make up/enforce rules as they go.
Seemingly making stuff up and putting guys on final warning just so they won't get their hard earned raises.



Management is clueless at best.
In the short time I have been there we had 4 different Transportation Managers..(2 sets of 2).


The quality of loads (they way they are being loaded) has gone downhill quite a bit.
(But I suspect that is not a problem exclusive to McLane ‘Southwest’
Management does not care one bit about ANTHING at all. Except that the load gets delivered on time.. NOT EARLY very important. Can get written up if you're more than 2h early.

About the load quality issues..
They keep saying/claiming that they're working on it.
Supposedly hiring a bunch of supervisors at the warehouse.


To Clarify I’m no longer with McLane, specifically waited to post this.




Not going to post publicly where I am working now.
It's very different from anything I have done before.
I found previously I came on TTR to vent a lot of the times, I decided that wasn't a good thing to do.



--
<edit>
>Completely forgot about Maintenance
So much other stuff to write about.

If this was almost anywhere else.
I wouldn't have stayed for as long as I did. Since it's Texas and DOT is nearly non existent and most scale houses are all but permanently closed....

It's not good...It almost needs a whole separate thread.

One other thing...
They're now hiring people with no experience (and no CDL and doing classes to get license) putting them behind the wheel as well.
Most don't belong behind the wheel of a Smart Car much less a Semi-Truck backing in between pumps at C-Stores.

 

Sorry for late reply.

Even though it was just 3 years ago...
I think it was a different time.


They seemed to be concerned that I wouldn't be able to do the job/work.
Asking me if I have ever used a dolly/ramp.
Trying to tell me they go into some tight places.. C-Stores and stuff...

(I have only done OTR prior to my time with McLane.. With about 1y or so running Walmart out of Harrisonville for Swift)


Now they're hiring people with no experience.


I can speak for SW only if you're qualified.. You're pretty much going to get hired.
Also with the high sign on of $15k.
They have a hard time hiring and keeping drivers.

I suspect it's the same at most of the other divisions as well..