Who's The Worst Of Them ALL to work for?

One problem with your theory, which I agree with some of it. I agree that a lot of people are just looking for a job. I don't agree with your theory that these companies are making larger profits by using the new influx of labor at lower cost. Everyone from the top down is hurting right now. The trucking companies which you assume are making tons of money on the backs of less paid newbs is a false premise. They can't afford to pay drivers what they were paid in the past because the economy stinks. As for newbs stepping on the toes of experienced drivers......SUCK IT UP CRY BABIES. Their are plenty of companies that do not hire people who are newbs, work for them. If you are so bitter that you are going to run health risks from high blood pressure caused by fuming, GO WORK AT MCDONALDS.

 

I worked for J.B. Hunt very briefly during the late '80s. I was told I would have to ride with a 'trainer' briefly as I had no OTR experience. 'Trainer' couldn't pass an 'adult book store' without stopping. 'Trainer' also inquired on a regular basis the week we were together whether I was masturbating myself while lying in the sleeper.

I phoned our driver manager and asked for a different 'trainer' or release me to my own truck. Driver Manager put me with another 'trainer' (first class guy) who promptly released me after our first trip. I drove for JB about 4 more weeks and left their truck and load on the ATL yard after being completely mislead at every turn about being routed by my house for some 'home time'.

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The other most memorable employer was Benton Express based out of Atlanta, GA. This LTL company was/is actually controlled by the Cordero Family of NYC; reputed cuban mafia figures who moved north after Castro took over Cuba. The only place I've ever worked for where I carried a sidearm for protection from fellow employees and well as the general public! Their business has actually expanded over the years by buying the assets and routes of bankrupt LTL carriers. Many 'employees' with questionable employment and legal histories.

 

AfterShock That is the best answer(s) I have heard yet. Good Job!
And Yes its hard to get Out, it gets in Your blood, I drove for 20yrs. quit for 10yrs. and here I am getting back into it.

The one point I have is that You never know what to expect from some of these companys when You quit, some Blackball You on DAC just because they can.
A little power in the wrong hands can be a terryble thing!

 

I'm about as critical as you can get of the big companies and the direction they (with the government's urging, whether intended or not) are taking the industry, without being a frothing-at-the-mouth lunatic.

That said, I think the "WORST company of ALL to work for" will always be some small, fly-by-night operation. Say what you will about the big dogs, they're at least visible enough that they have to maintain a veneer of respectability.

The truly immense mistreatment will always come from people who feel like they're obscure enough not to be held accountable. Whether that works out to be true or not, there's always a bad apple in the bunch.

And to be fair, the smaller outfits may legitimately find that they have to cut more corners, because they have fewer resources to divert to each new burden. Some day, hopefully, government will realize that all of their tinkering only benefits the so-called robber-baron corporations that polite society villifies. Anything that increases the price of entry to an industry, or the cost of maintaining one's legal status within an industry, naturally helps those parties that are already most firmly established.

The evil schemes that a lot of people associate with larger corporations are not an outgrowth of freely practiced capitalism. They're an outgrowth of crony capitalism -- which isn't to say that all regulations are bad, or that unfettered free markets have no abuses; it's just that a free market is, by definition, not rigged against the little guy, or the individual.

The current trucking industry, like a lot of other industries and even life in general, can certainly feel rigged to Joe Driver.

Sorry for that rambling rant. It sorta got away from me there. Interesting thread.

 

Well,as the tone of this post might indicate,I am rather angry at the way that I have been treated,AND LEST I BE INCLUDED IN THAT DEFEATEST ATTITUDE comment I'll do my best to be clear on what I expected-BASED ON what Swift claimed to be and the "promises" that were made and have CONSISTENTLY been broken-by this company that claims to be supportive of their drivers....I know- I expected too much(forgive me for that).This company is filled with so many slimy,lowlife people on their upper management,that one would have to wonder if that(those "qualities") is a requirement to being hired by Swift.And the ones that don't possess those qualities, are either IGNORANT,RUDE or just plain Stupid(I'll be mild here).
From the D.M. who gave me incorrect information on logging requirements(and required me to take a 34 hour restart[WITH 47 HOURS] -regardless of my objections and requests for her to get clarification from someone "higher up")to the d.m. who told me to "ASK A COP OR FIREMAN" when I asked for proper directions-when the directions to Michigan started at I75....Yeah I know how to use a map-but they require drivers to stick to designated fuel routes.
Swift is a company which does its best to keep its drivers in a position where you feel that they are doing you a favor by letting you work for them.They continually point out any mistake,and try and make you feel as if they are doing YOU a favor by allowing you to stay working with them.
They Inflate any small incident that you are involved in,and then remind you of it EVERY chance that they can.
I am not that young....and I have worked For a few Bigger companies,but I have never been forced to deal with so much dishonesty,so much ignorance and so much flat out BEE ESS.I have come to expect,that everytime I call in,that I will be faced with some BEE ESS Atiitude,ignorance or stupidity.
I told you that I would clarify what I expected-I EXPECTED a company that would treat me favorably...that would reward me for my ON TIME deliveries and the positive things that I have done,and gone OUT OF MY WAY to get done,for this company and their clients who I deliver to-ON TIME.I expected a company which would honor its committments that it made,when it first hired me (and not tell me: "well that policy changed last month").I expected to be paid properly and NOT TOLD that,even though my truck needed parts(wipers,oil,fuses,solvent etc etc)that Swift won't reimburse me and That I should have called "roadside"(uhh yes... you dumbeffs should send someone out to me with a wiper rather than let me buy it....that's pretty cost efficient[sarcasm])
I cannot imagine any other company being this lousy-and if there is one,then that is a sad commentary on "the state of affairs" within the trucking industry.
This company is an EFFING JOKE,and I am looking forward to the moment when My loan is paid off so I can do that Johnny Paycheck thing and tell them to shove this "job" straight up their ARSE.

 

I've been around a few companies in the 16 years that I've been out here on the road. I worked for some as a company driver and had my own truck leased to a few of them. Here's my rundown on the majors:

U.S. Xpress- Was a GREAT outfit in the late 1990s but went downhill afterwards. Their dispatch system became a joke and the maintenance on their trucks went from good to almost nonexistent.

Paschall Truck Lines (PTL)- Typically VERY RUDE and uncaring dispatch personnel. Trailers were JUNK. Had my own truck leased to them.

Landstar Ranger- I chose a bad time to lease my truck on with them- not long after the 9/11 attacks took place. Freight was slow but that was an industry-wide problem then as it is now. i'm sure they would be OK to lease to when freight picks up.

LandSpan Inc.- 'Team-oriented' outfit that often used teams for local work by day and expected them to do a 600-mile overnight trip.

Schneider National- They were OK to work for during the mid- 1990s but as is the case with most Wisconsin-based trucking companies they did a lousy job of keeping their equipment in decent shape. They were good about keeping drivers busy and getting them home but their trucks were constantly breaking down.

Crete Carrier- They were not perfect by any means but were much better than the majority of the others out there. I may be returning to work for them pretty soon. They do better upkeep on their equipment than anyone else I've worked for (but their Marietta, GA shop SUCKS).

Marten Transport- They are the WORST I've seen. Forced Per-Diem pay for drivers, too much of their freight going on the rail, a mostly lousy shop network that doesn't maintain their equipment well, and it's hard for a driver to plan anything with the family due to the company's dispatch staff not trying hard enough to get drivers home when requested. After 6 months here I've often wondered how anyone in their right mind could stick with Marten for long.

 

have to say marten should be number 1 been there done that they aint no good.

 

mattrucker, when u find that so-called fair company, would u plz post it for the rest of us fed up drivers. and im not trying to be sarcastic.

 

Well folks what this board indicates when taken in its entirety is that GREED is the main motivator for most Trucking Companys.
Does anyone know someone who has completed a lease purchase with any company that offers it?
I have seen and heard more horror stories than success!
Usualy the freight runs out just before the lease does. Doesnt seem to matter what company you go for, if its a lease purchase odds are you will get burned!
I realy dont know why the feds dont get involved, these companys and the peons that work for them dont think twice before ruining a drivers livelyhood, apparently just because they can! Companys arent held accountable for anything they put on a DAC report and most use it as a fear tool as CR England who threatens You with it almost from day one! Was a good company back in the day but it appears that new management has brought Greed into focus and made it a priority.
As they say Drivers are a dime a dozen, especialy when You can train your own.
How much does a company pay for a Freightliner when they buy 100 at a time or more? But the driver usualy pays around $450.00 a week or$1800./month plus fuel plus Insurance plus Variable plus Lease Reserve Plus Plus Plus....
You could go to a truck driving school pay $5000.00 purchase a truck from a no credit needed truck lot, get your own insurance and lease with anyone and still make more money!
I still dont understand how these people can ruin peoples lives, very often just because they can and no one in power does anything about it!?
They Blackball a Driver on DAC, ruin Credit with the Student Loans that cant be paid back because now You cant get a job, not to mention a lot of Drivers loosing theyre Families because of the Hours involved, especialy when the Driver Managers make money by the load, and that drivers are readely available so there is no incentive to care about the drivers!

It amounts to Greedy Companys giving Peons who have No Clue the Power to ruin Your Life.

"A Little Power in the Wrong Hands Can and IS a Dangerous Thing!!!!!!!!!!!!

And You wonder why some companys have armed guards protecting the business offices...lol

Just My thoughts on the subject.

 

Hi, can you advise how to find the Link to the weather thingy you posted ? thanks !