Big G Express????

the trucks i see DO appear to be well kept.
haven't read much about them here on the board though.

 

DOT# 580685, very high driver out of service rate mostly for HOS violations which could mean 500 mile runs in 4-hours, trucks to be given level 1 inspections at the inspection stations. Vehicle O/O/S rate is very low.

From a retired federal DOT official

 

A family member worked for them for about a year. I worked for a company that was a "sister company" with Big G in Shelbyville about 10 years ago.

My brother left Big G a year or two before the economy slowed. He left because they ran too many miles. They ran to the congested northeast from TN very often and they monitor idle time like a hawk. Since that time Big G has installed APUs on all trucks so that may help with being up in the northeast and not being able to sleep during the small amount of down time because it's too cold or too hot to sleep.

As I recall this family member talking you were expected to get 4000 miles per week and anything less was a problem. The dispatchers and load planners were pretty good so you weren't sitting around all day and then having to make 800 miles. The company is honest with your paycheck, no games, maybe an infrequent mistake like any company. You pay a deposit to carry a pet, it may be non-refundable. I carried my pet when I was OTR and a non-refundable deposit is fine with me. The companionship is far more valuable than a non-refundable deposit. They will get you home most or all weekends, but keep in mind you will get your 34 hours for a reset and maybe nothing more.

Keep in mind my info is prior to the economic slowdown and I don't know anyone currently working at Big G. And the higher out of service rate is almost certainly due to logbook problems trying to get all of those miles wedged into 70 hours. One complaint I remember was the driver being required to accept the next dispatch before being empty with current load or before being able to check the miles and directions/times to new customer. If you accept a new dispatch and then don't make the appointment time that's a real problem.

I know the family member well and that person can operate with limited sleep for a limited period and then needs a full 8 hours more often than not. Other people I know can go the rest of their lives and sleep a couple of hours, work half a day, sleep a couple of hours, work half a day, etc. etc.

If you don't NEED regular 8 hour sleep periods and IF they still have plenty of miles Big G is a good company. They take care of their trucks very well and the trucks are nice. I don't know if they have any other terminals except the one in Shelbyville, TN and the one on I-840 near Lebanon, TN they call Mt. Juliet. Are you planning on living near Big G, moving near Big G, or will they let you park at home? If they say you can park near home, and you aren't near Big G that means adding time for truck maintenance during the week. Maybe if the economy has slowed down they are more reasonable with their dispatches. They have lots of long-term drivers. Like anything if the shoe fits you, it's a good shoe. If the shoe fits me, but you have to wear it, it's not so good.

 

Well I hope that they are a decent company. I am going to orientation next monday. I am the same situation as Biscuit. Laid off. If the run me good while I am out that's alright with me. The thing that burns me if they send you out, you make a delivery and set for a day or two at a truckstop waiting for a load.
I have been local for the past six and a half years. Been a while since I'd done the OTR thing. But I guess I will get use to it.

 

Any new info to share. Miles.home time starting pay. Area run,drop and hooks.

 

i dunno but i briefly talked to a BIG G driver last year in chicago and he seemed pretty pleased driving for them got the miles andwent home every weekend he did say he ran from tn to chicago alot more then anywhere else usually ... not sure about the north east ...personally i like my open spaces lol ...

 

Working on my fourth week with Big G, so far been a decent gig. Even with the short weeks ( the first and the week landing with memorial day) I had a decent check. The second week I had a check that reached into the four digit. Now this is a guy that have been driving local for about ten years now and trying to get back into the OTR thing. The barrier for me is the changes in the HOS rules since I'd been over the road. I imagine the veterans with Big G are doing a hell of alot better then me. Oh forgot to tell you. I have been home every weekend since hired with them.

 

I know a Big G driver and they have nice equipment and APU's on the trucks. He used to skateboard and went to dry van. Says he misses skateboarding but the money wasn't there any longer. I met him one night at a shipper and we bs'd for a few hours and exchanged phone numbers.

Last time I talked to him he was a little po'd about getting stuck in the NE for a bit but other than that, he says they're ok but he's looking for local work now because he's just plain tired of OTR.

He didn't have much bad to say about them except that they have a tendency to overload your donkey with impossible trips at times but that's just about anywhere right?

 

I hae spoken with nine Big G drivers. One had a tiny negative shot about who they hire, but I found out he was new. Oddly, Two drivers right after mr. negative. They glowed about Big G. They said you still have the quirks of trucking, that is with EVERY company, but you get ONE DM, they KNOW you by name. You get 700-1200 dollars a week TAKE HOME PAY every week AFter deductions and you are home most weekends. I don't know why I am waiting any longer...........soon, soon. JUMP ON!!!! They have all been people that were soft spoken, smiled a lot and except for one rig, they were clean outside and INSIDE. If you are there three years, you get a new rig every year. NICE. QUallcomm, inverters, TV antenna's, prepass, ten speeds, KW's or Freightliners. New folks get the oldest trucks and then you move up, as usual. No slip seating ever. You can wash your rig every time you get to a yard, you can pay to have the rig washed and they reimburse.....WOW. Not like PAM, one wash every 60 days. No wonder they are the sharpest rigs on the road. You can have your dog with you right away, you can have family ride very soon after you are out of a day and half orientation. This great driver named Anna sealed the deal for me. She said they get bonus checks in July and December. She said some older guys are leaving because they do not like electronic logs and that they are considering running teams.They are going to start taking new drivers out of school and she had some trepidation about that, but overall, I cannot say bupkiss in the negative about them. All their people (majority) are happy and home most weekends with good insurance and pay with home time. Oh, and you are an owner in the company after 90 days.........NICE.