Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

I have been viewing this forum for a little time I think people don't realize this thread was started in 2006. Has Stevens Company Changed or is it as it was described at the 2006 post?

 

All companies morph over time. Yes, there have been some changes, but largely, Stevens is the same company.
The difference is the way it's perceived by people.
Personally, I find Stevens very organized, by the book and straight forward in their dealings.
Someone who doesn't work well with structure, may find it confining, overbearing and hard to deal with.
However, they do as they say. It may not be what someone wants to hear, but they live up to their word.
Specifically, they are a training company. Their business model is to take new drivers and equip them to be safe, well trained, drivers.
As such, they will learn to run legal, follow procedures and rules and when having completed their training, be amongst the best trained new drivers out there.
If you've done two years with Stevens, you will find that almost anyone will hire you.
They do not cheat you. They do not 'steal' your money. They do not pay top dollar, either. But they do as they promise.
If you have a specific question (s), feel free to post and ask.
I have been a driver for Stevens for just over 3 1/2 years and a driver for more than 39 years total.

 

Well with that said it makes for a more relaxing student here. hah I just finished week 1 in obtaining my CDL and was alittle concerned on what was posted here. It must be as you stated some people just can not LISTEN is what I say it comes to maybe the bad rep that people are saying were bad apples and needed a place to vent. Could be anything actually

 

Trucking is a difficult business. Harder for some than others. Too often a rosey picture is painted by recruiters, or our 'insight' into trucking comes from movies and TV.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Once drivers get out into the world of trucking, especially OTR, they are rudely slapped up the side of the head with reality.
Long hours, no family, rude shippers/recievers, weather, time pressures.
And nobody cares.
But performance is what you're graded on.
Then mix in poorer pay than originally expected, pressure from home...
It's a tough job.
But if you stick it out, pay your dues (and generally like the industry), it grows on you and you will find your niche.
For some of us, it's OTR. But for others, it becomes a local job, or regional. Bottom Dumps, Flatbeds, Tankers...there's a whole world out there. But you have to pay your dues and learn the industry.
You do not become a driver just by graduating from a CDL School. You become a driver by experience. And that's the hard part.
The highway to success is littered with the bones of the carcasses of those that attempted, but gave up too soon or were not willing to apply themselves to the task at hand.
This is not an industry of entitlement. You will only get out what you put into it.

 

Emulsified, thank you for the information I myself have seen the trucking life briefly when I was a kid. I would ride with my father in his truck for a summer and help as much as a 10 year old could. (raising the trailer legs, cleaning the cab, windshield, etc.) So I do have an idea and researched quite a bit on how it has changed. I just hope my experience is fun and profitable.

 

I suppose that trucking is like any other profession, you get out of it what you put in and sometimes luck plays a hand in it. I've read posts from many different sites about Stevens Transport that goes back more than 12 years and the pros outweigh the cons. The same goes for just about any company out there and believe me, after 20 plus years in the Army, ten years teaching and three years in defense contracting in Kuwait, I could tell you some stories both good and bad. For me the question is, why Stevens? To begin with, I live about an hour away from their Dallas facility and my brother who has been an owner/operator for more than twenty years has put Stevens in his top list of three.

The big question you might ask of me, why the devil do you want to get into trucking? As I am nearing Social Security age and not wanting to retire, age discrimination is rampant out there in supply chain logistics. Despite experience, knowledge, and certifications, when they see what year you graduated from high school and that puts you past the age of 45, that's the kiss of death and an E-mail saying thanks but no thanks.

I had to come back last year from Kuwait to care for my father who passed in November and have been looking for work since. Going back is not an option and I don't mind being gone for a few weeks at a time. I was used to working 12+ hour days, seven days a week with heat, sand, dust, and pollution from 5 refineries close to the facility I worked in supporting the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle program. Small price to pay as we were working on a vehicle that saved many lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The cab of a Peterbuilt will be like a room in the Hilton for me, and, not spending hours in line at security check points trying to get to work.

So with much thought and research, I've decided to go with Stevens and like my brother says, "you've got to pay your dues".

I plan on being an owner/operator in a couple of years and go into business with my brother so hopefully, the synergy of "our" efforts will be greatly rewarding, So Insha'Allah "God Willing".

Many of you have written some very insightful comments so thanks to you all.

 

This job is really better suited for a man in his 50's. After he has a family and raises his kids, then he is ready to have a job where he is never home.

when his kids are still young, he wants to be home more often. But older men don't mind it as much.

 

Bowman316, that sounds about right. My wife is Filipino and lord knows they as a people know about being away from home and family. Jobs are so scarce for them even with a college degree so many end up as foreign workers in countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where they are treated poorly and paid low wages compared to our standard but yet, they go so they can earn a little money and send home to help support family.

Besides with modern technology, you can stay in touch 24/7 so it's not to bad if you are willing to make that change. As I said, I have to pay my dues first then I can either buy my own rig and work with my brother or work for a local company and be home every weekend.

I wanted to start driving years ago but my father didn't like the idea so I relented. I ended up teaching for 10 years then taking a job overseas in Kuwait for a few years. If not for that I would not have met the wonderful woman I am married to whom I met in Kuwait.

Cheers

 

If you've done two years with Stevens, you will find that almost anyone will hire you.
They do not cheat you. They do not 'steal' your money. They do not pay top dollar, either. But they do as they promise.


Do yourself a favor and don't even give them 2 minutes of your time. Value youself and the job you do way more than this company is willing to pay you.

 

It doesn't matter where you get your experience. Two years at the same company and a clean record will get you hired just about anywhere with an equal chance at employment.