Size Up on KAG (Kenan Advantage Group)

I've been working for Kenan before they were KAG. Possibly the best I've ever driven for. Not sure where you are getting your info, emptypockets, but Charlotte do EXACTLY what they say they are going to do. My pay has never been jerked around and I never had an issue when I worked there. Maybe if you do all the work they give you and dont whine about it, you'll make more money with them...just a thought

 

Not sure where you are getting your info from, Dan, but the seniority pay works just fine and they are discussing adding another tier. After 1 year, 2% raise over base. After 3 years, another 3%. After 5 years, another 2%. And they just awarded all drivers an additional 3% on top of that. You must not have worked there very long. The Performance Bonus (aka Safety Bonus) is only temporarily squashed until they can get some rate increases from the customers. The problem weith this business is that the customers are very stingy. They know that if one company rates them too high (in an effort to pay the drivers more) they can always solicite rates from other local carriers. Sure, Kenan could pay thier drivers more anyway, but then they would be just like every other carrier out there...decent pay and crappy insurance.

As far as work schedule, its a 5 and 2. As more drivers get hired in behind you, they move you closer to weekends off. if you request a weekend off in advance (a few days notice), they give it to you. I have never had an issue with that.

 

Steelcitymm yea you are right they do exactly what they say! Nothing. Because if you don't kiss the butt of some certain person you don't make money there! And the proof is in the pudding let's talk about that (JB). You had 5 O/O quit within 4 months and i know of 2 company drivers. WOW THAT MAKES 7!!! The turnover is great! If that place was such a great place to work why have i not met 1 person that enjoyed working there but you. So if i was whining like you say then i guess you have no clue, i was whining because i was pnot working. No where in my post did I say that my pay was jerked around. I was told i was going to make a certain amount of money per year and i was not even close to the number that i was told.

 

Its funny...when people dont make money anywhere, its usually someone elses fault. Has nothing to do with kissing butt. That would be unethical and that has never been an issue. As far as the pay you were "promised", you most likely asked how much other Brokers made. You were probably shown what other Brokers made and were expecting the same thing. Some Brokers make more than others because they either brought the account in to KTC or they are more flexible than others. When KTC started doing ethanol out of thier own facility, there were a lot of growing pains...lots of delays. That hurt the Brokers more than anyone else. Nobody has a crystal ball and can foresee every issue that may arise. Yes...they lost some Brokers. Mainly because Company drivers have PRIORITY over Brokers..that has NEVER been a secret and was well known to all. When the economy took a hit...everyone did. Eagle chopped everyones lane pay by 10%...other carriers raised thier insurance...some took away the driver's EARNED vacation time. Kenan did NONE OF THAT. The ecomony is still in the crapper and they recently managed to give a 3% increase to thier drivers. Who does that??? Look around you...nobody.

I know all the drivers who have left recently. And if you will provide the initials of who you are referring to, I bet I can tell you exactly why they left. Some left for more money..(DUH)...others left to get out of the business all together. One guy didnt live near Charlotte and wanted more home time. I like your passion about hating Kenan so much. It shows that you actually have a position and are not afraid to voice it. But....lets not confuse perception with reality. And the reality, quite a few drivers who have left recently have CALLED TO GET THIER JOB BACK....wonder why? Oh yeah..I know...KTC Charlotte is making money now.

 

Steelcity:I'm glad you have the job you were told you would have.
I was told when I was hired I would make much more $$ than I am.

 

Dan...Which NC terminal do you work at?

 

One in NC.

 

There are 6 in NC... I only ask cause your comment about sometimes working days, sometimes nights..you never know if you're working the next day....no set schedule.. I know of three NC terminals where that absolutely is not the case.

 

Here's the problem with your "secret election". I work for KAG. Part of the problem that they experience at local terminal level and at the Coporate office is the inability to address issues that drivers may be having. They cant address them because they are unaware of them until some coward makes an anonymus (sp?) call to the HR Hotline. Terminal managers only hear speculation of issues, they ask about them during safety meeting and NOBODY is willing to "man-up" and present the problem. Only later, when HR is informed, can the TM's research. Even then, the problems are only "perception" of wrong doing...not actual fact. The TM spends the time and resource to investigate for weeks at a time only to find out that they are chasing ghosts. My TM was accused of allowing a Dispatcher to "favor" her husband (a driver) with "gravy" work. First, she isnt allowed to dispatch him. Second, there is volumes of proof that she doesnt even know how to dispatch the work that he does and three, with the new TMW system, there is no way she could get away with it. But...the perception is that she works there, he works there, so she MUST be feeding him the gravy. Yet NOBODY else want to do the work that he does (thats the part that convienently gets left out).

Now...back to the union...Corporate came out there to address your issues and get a feel for what needed to be done. Once again, most drivers presented NO ISSUES so they thought everything was cool. Then they got blindsided when the vote lean to the Union. Instead of just presenting the issue and giving Corporate a shot at resolving, now someone else is going to have to speak for you. And as much as my TM has been trying to reach out to the drivers to resove issues, (he even went so far as to meet with all of us and present an Open Door Policy Agreement) some drivers will still not bring anything to his attention. But most of us will. We NEED to bring things to his attention..vacation requests, equipment problems, payroll issues, etc. If the Union makes it in to your terminal, you can kiss all of the Open Door Policy stuff aside. Nothing will get addressed unless your shop steward handles it. During that procedure, the steward has to make time to listen to your issue. Then set up an appointment with other union reps. Then it has to filter through the system where it eventually is brought to the TM's attention. Then the TM has a predetermined amount of time to research (typically 2 weeks to 30 days). Then present the resolution for Union "approval" where it eventually makes it back to the driver. During the entire time, depending on the severity, you may be out of work for weeks at a time waiting on an answer. KAG wont lose anything, cause they will just hire in some O/O's and keep the frieght moving.

The way it is now, I bring a payroll issue to my TM, its resolved in a matter of minutes. There are many other similar downfalls with being unionized. I hope the best for you but I think you guys just stirred up a hornets nest.

 

some of these complaints are hard to believe. Like I posted previously,in toledo we got a hefty raise during this economy that puts us ahead of everyone else and the same as one other who base their rates off of advantage.
As fer as open door policy and speaking up, it really does work. In the last year we had meetings with bruce from canton,he is the president of the fuels delivery group.
In that time our assistant TM was let go,we got a raise,then our TM was let go. Now that is probably not what everyone wanted but thats how canton is trying to fix the problems while working and listening to the drivers.

ofcourse theirs always the people that will always find a way to blame it on the company,but thats why they either quit or stay and do nothing but complain.