Following Schneider Closely

One thing you can bet on here, I'll never try & pait anyone a pretty picture. There's no sence in misleading someone that is really trying to make a living.

If you are a local driver, on a dedicated account, weather it be in Van or Bulk, yes, it is very possible that you will be seeing a lot of the OCs. How ever, if you are a network driver, (OTR) regardless of which division you are, Your chances of getting to an OC are slim pickings.

As for power inverters, THE ONLY one they will except are those that are a single out let that plugs into the cigarette lighter outlet. Any others & you get caught, Wel, lets just say it won't be pretty.

There are many things out on the road that you can get paid for, IF you know what they are. Your trainers & DBLs will be reluctant to tell you about them. (MAC33) is one of them. USE IT when ever you are delayed (24hr blocks) or broke down, etc. Its not much money, but in this game, every penny helps. Depending upon who your DBL is, You may have a fight on your hands trying to get paid. If they give you grief, take it up with Green Bay. Sometimes it works, others not.

If you find yourself in a position that you do not feel comfortable driving is & feel it is unsafe for you to do so, TELL your DBL. If they squawk at you trying to force you to continue, CALL GREEN BAY & report it. EVERY TIME you begin to back up, GET OUT & LOOK!! KNOW your Surroundings AT ALL TIMES. If you make an oops, Plan on packing your bags. While this company swares by the good boo that they are loyal to their drivers, FORGET THAT MESS. NEVER WILL HAPPEN Period!! If you believe that crap of them standiong behind you & support you, I've got lake front property in AZ I'll sell yah. HeY, I need the money from suckers...

The ONLY ones that gets new trucks are the Teams first. Next in line is who eve3r has the oldest truck. I know many drivers that have worked for this company for almost 10 years & have yet to see a new truck.

As for repairs for your truck, You are more likely to get major repairs (Tires, Springs, Engine work etc if & when you are broke down on the side of the road. Most times when you pull it into the OC for repairs your're given grief & excuses as to why they can't get to you.

Facts, JUST THE FACTS. Take them or leave them, But that is how it is.

Sorry for busting any bubbles, But I'd rather you thank me now for the truth than to have you curse me later to telling you a lie

 

I am not here to pick petty e-fights with anyone, but quite frankly it seems you have more of an axe to grind than any helpful or useful information.
I can honestly say almost everything you wrote is not only condensing, but untrue.

If I break down your post...

There are 24 OC's. If you are close, then stop. IT is a glorified truckstop that has slightly cleaner showers, and a larger driver lounge, nothing more.

I will agree about the inverters. However, it took me about 3 days to learn how to deal with that. If you go into an OC for repairs and are openly displaying illegal equipment or contraband, then that is your own stupidity.

I have NEVER had a problem getting reimbursed for a legitimate expense. If I have a question about whether it is legitimate, I ask not only the DBL, but the dispatcher, my original TE, and the other drivers. For my particular case, I was told on three separate occassions I could have stayed in a hotel and had it reimbursed when I didnt. Otherwise I get paid for everything, which includes when I go my own route , and they have to add routing points along the way because i drove further than I was supposed to. My dbl paid me funeral leave on the second week I worked for SNI.

I have twice "refused" to drive. Again I am newer, so the first time I was faced with driving in the fog and rain on I-77 through West Virginia. The second was this week when I saw snow and ice for the first time driving on route 43 through Mass and NY. I just shut down and called. On both occassions they changed the drop time, and in the case this week even changed the relay drop point to accomadate me. I also have had three "accidents" and went over my hours of service twice. I have had exactly 30 minutes of remedial training, and no other comments about it. I hit a concrete barricade in the INDY OC, and have taken out both a cable and phone overhead line on two separate incidents.

I do not know anything about new trucks. I heard GypsyWillow say they were only getting new trucks for teams, but I have never even seen one, so I can not really comment on that.

On repairs...My experience has been 100% opposite. I keep a running list of even minor things (like 12v acc plugs) that are not right, cause driver discomfort, or I have questions about. Everytime I go to any OC, i take it t the shop, and I have NEVER left without things being resolved to my satisfaction 100%. When I first got my truck, i was on a learning curve in general, but specifically with the truck. I took it to INDY 4 times in two weeks, and everything was fixed, including 6 new tires and an alignment. IN addition, I was given great tips and hints about the truck and given a bunch of things to help me like fuses, lights, oil, etc.

I have a separate thread that documents my first month and then sporadically since, but anyone in this section already knows that. I am sorry if you had a bad experience with Schneider, but in my opinion, and based on your posts here, maybe it was you that was the problem not Schneider. I went into this job thinking I will get out out of it what I put in. I put in hard work, dedication, and honesty, and keep a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) at all times. What I get back is respect, honesty, communication, and what I consider a fair wage.

Raid3r

 

I would like to comment on this as well.

My experience is more closely in line with Raid3r than THD. I am not saying that THD is not having those experiences, because I can only comment on myself and not on the experiences of others.

Not all, but most of my maintenance issues are taken care of when brought to the shops attention. Driver niceties are not as high of a priority as I would like, but on the other hand, Schneider is paying a driver to haul freight, not to sit and listen to the radio and such. I look at issues from both sides: driver perspective and also business owner perspective. As large a company as this is, they can not accommodate every single driver on a personal want basis. I think that Schneider does a decent job of keeping the majority of drivers satisfied. That is my opinion, and my opinion only.

When there are so many personalities coming together under one umbrella, there are certainly those that will never have satisfaction no matter how a company would bend over to accommodate. The bottom line is the individual expectations and acceptances.

For me, the OC's are very acceptable. They are not five star facilities, nor do I expect them to be. Try to decipher how many drivers are through those facilities every day, not to mention the lack of respect for others that some drivers develop, (ie: if they miss a trash can, they keep on walking; leaving a food mess on the tables) This is not exclusive to truck drivers, but anywhere there is a larger gathering of people. On the other hand, through many hours of isolation through driving, some drivers also forget the larger picture and feel they are the only one being affected - therefore issues are felt on a larger degree than may be normal.

Schneider does have some issues that I would like to see different, but I did accept employment with them knowing those issues. I did not come expecting to change those issues anymore than I would expect an employee to demand changes from me if I owned and ran a business. Sure I would like to earn more, have cheaper benefits, have sunny skies every time I drive, but I accepted employment with them based on my tolerances.

If the OC's are below THD's standards, I have no disrespect for his opinion. Therefore, my opinion is that under the circumstances, and from what I have seen from other facilities, Schneiders OC's, policies, and driver treatment is equal, if not slightly superior to companies of an equal scale and for starting drivers. Will others have a different experience and opinion? Quite possibly.

Expectation drives most opinions.

 

Thanks to ALL you guys who have been taking time to give this thread some input.
As I've said in some other posts,,,,finding and joining this forum (as a newbie) is very beneficial...to help making some decisions.. But I'll tell ya, LOL, it also makes me so confused on which direction I want to go, as far as driving. (local, tanker, van, otr, etc.)
I guess it never sunk in at first, just how really rough this gig can be. (Not that I was lookin for easy and peachy) But there sure is a lot of knowledge to learn, aside from actual driving.
Sorry if my train of thought got out of wack here.
But I've really been payin lots of attention to all the posts here, trying to "learn, learn learn...Pro's, con's etc.
I know learning the ropes will be tough, but I didn't know the rope was so darn long!!!!
Thank you again guys,,,
Glider7

 

Guys, I have no Axe to sharpen, don't get me wrong here. Like some of you, I can only comment on what I've personally have seen & experianced.

True, some drivers are haveing it better than me, and that's ok, as I know that each of us have different DBLs. With that being said, please note that not only have I said this, but other drivers as well when I say that the DBL I have, (from the Keasbey OC) is a witch. There's no other terminology. She is a woman on a huge power trip , of "I am a woman with power, Hear me roar, or I will make yiour life living hell" .

It's true, when I say, how you succeed in your truck, will greatly depend upon your DBL & the mood that they are in. They choose what truck you have, they choose what loads you get, they choose how often you sit, & they choose weather or not if you are getting lay over pay or any other extra pays.

As for the OCs: If you have never been to the Houston, Reserve, Keasbey or other hole in the wall OCs, then there is absolutely no way that you will understand the phrase when I say, Ses-pool, from Hell. These OC's usally have one or only two showers available, no one on staff to help clean them in between each driver's shower, NO Towels, sometimes even if you ask. No On site cafateriea or anything even remotely close by for you to get anything to eat, Dirt Parking lots, usually near some place that stinks or smells like something has died. NO Access to internet, No place of getting your truck repaired. OH, You want a load? STAND IN LINE!! It's usually you & a dozen others who too are wanting the hell out of there.

Oh, You want to use the company car? Good Luck! It's either in the shop getting fixed, the Registration & tag is expired, or it's been out over an hour longer than it was intended on, and you are the 6th person in line. Good Luck with that. You'd have better luck calling a taxi.

Why not use your truck to go some where? Well, if you are on a lay over and you know that you will be there for more than 24 hrs, you will want to keep your truck still so that you can send in your MAC 33 to get paid for the lay over. Move that truck more than 1/4 of a mile, & you can kiss that lay over pay good by, regardless, & they know it.

Like I said, Every driver is going to experiance things differently. As for the one that has had 3 preventable accident, all I can say is, please let us know as to how it goes when you have another with in the next year. While I may be relativeely new to Schneider, I'm definately not new to the trucking industry. I drove for almost 15 years, took a 10 year break & then came back. In all of my 30+ years of driving, I am proud to say that I've never had so much as a parking ticket. I take my job very seriously as I look at everything & everyone as part of my family and in no way would I allow my self to be place into a situation that would cause harm to them or others. I know what & how various commpanies work. And they all pretty much (the big ones) treat their employees the same. They are nothing more than mear warm bodies to get a paticular job done, nothing more. If one ever thinks of them as being indespensible, then it is only themselves they are fooling. chosing the right company is only a matter of deciding as to which one you choose to be screwed over by & if you can accept that one as to not even kiss you goodbye when you become a liability instead of an asset.

 

Hey All,
Although I applied online for a tanker gig with SNI, who knows if I'll get a "call" or not.
Anyway, my question is: all the tests, and pre hire stuff?
If I'm understanding the process, you go for a physical, and drug screen, and tests of such. Who pays for the tests? I've heard a "hair drug test" is expensive! Or is all those tests paid by the company no matter what tests they require?
Any recent SNI drivers or new orientation drivers care to "chime" in?
thanks for any info.

 

They will tell you where to go to get DOT phys. and both hair /urine test done at same place (concentra). If you dont pass that you won't be going to orientation.They usually have you do that then when cleared,do phone interview ,then off to orientation.
SNI pays for it.

 

Do you get a physical and test even if you just had one at school four weeks earlier? thx. Im waiting to hear from schneider near weirton wv, hope to get with wally world account. Doesnt sound to bad here though.

 

I think I had three or four DOT physicals in a month. I had one for school, one for SNI, one for Roehl, and for some reason I am thinking I had another for some reason. Anyways, outside of what I paid the school, I never paid anything for them. Both Roehl and SNI wanted it done at their own facility, using their procedures (like SNI shaving a 2"x2" patch of hair from my chest since I have a 1/4" military haricut, lol), and their own forms.

I think the total of all "interviews" lasted about 2 minutes for me.

Raid3r