WERNER ENTERPRISES, Omaha, Ne

That's some good "one upsmanship" there!
I served in Iraq myself, and it was hot, just like you said. The post wasn't about the Army, or how hot Iraq is. It was about sweltering in a company truck, and I don't blame her for being p.o.'d about it.

 

My point is I know dam well none of those dispatchers are tryin to sleep in what feels like 120 degrees nor was I when they could fix it. They didnt pay me enough to not be able to breathe while i am tryin to sleep. I wonder if this guy has ever been in a truck much less in the heat. The point was that i had to get it fixed 3 times before they ever got it right and Werner couldnt careless but they sure wanted you to bust your butt to do their lousy 200 mile runs so you could wait hours to get loaded or unloaded.

 

i think the point he was missing is she isn't in iraq and never will be. being in the U.S.A. she shouldn't of had that problem. the company should have done a better job of making sure their truck was in working order.

 

You're right about Iraq being hot. But nearly everything there has a/c and heating. D-facs, MWRs, living containers, tents, etc. Out in the streets there are no a/c's but once on a base it's not so bad. Had some Marines griping about heat once when their's was out for a few hours. Their gunny ripped them a new one. Told them to shut up and remember in WWII that many were fighting in the same region and not even Patton or Montgomery had a/c or running water like they did. And the hottest it has ever been on Earth is 137'. That's measured with real equipment. We had big wall thermometers that we could set in the sun and make read over 170'. Of course everyone would e-mail home that it was that hot.
In this country no one should have to do without conditioned air unless the company as a whole is willing to do the same. We made do without for years, but since we started working and sleeping in more mild temps the average life span has increased dramatically. The main reason as always is the bottom line. How much can the little guy or gal be squeezed to make a few more bucks for the big guys.

 

lmao I got there at the in about march 2003 with the 101st Airborne. We didn't have all the ac's and dfac or none of that stuff. We were stuck out in the desert and slept on the floor or in the humvee or abandoned buildings and ate MRE's im not complaining about it just stating it. Yes I understand the fact just perfectly that she was not in Iraq and was in a semi. My point is she will be ok.
and saying the hottest it has ever been on earth is 137 degrees is ridiculous. Now im not getting into a pissing match just stating a fact that she will be ok. being po'd they wouldn't fix her ac understandable. Im not saying she shouldnt be po'd just stating that she will live though and still be healthy.

 

Not ridiculous at all if you accept facts. I have no doubt that the temp has been above 136' the official record. But it has to be measured in a scientific manner to be credible. In the shade 5' above ground level. I measured inside closed vehicles with electronic t-stat in Diwaniya, Iraq at 193'. Doesn't matter. If you haven't been there people cannot believe how hot it is. I did a/c work in attics in TX for 20 yrs and it was a shock to me. Used to be glad to see a mild dust storm so it would only get to 110 or 115 that day. That's a miserable place. Met lots of good HCN's though. And all the guys like you were the only reason a lot of us stayed over there working. It wasn't the money.
Here is link to hot temps. It is the Gov. but is reliable as any.



http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/scienceques2001/20020524.htm

 

Well, as much as I love to BASH Werner - I will say that I definitely was sent ALL over the place. In fact, in the short amount of time I was with them, I had driven through every single state except California (which certainly didn't bother me anyway). They kept me from Arizona - that was and still is my home state - didn't want me going HOME, that's a FACT. But, the company plain sucks, there is nothing more to be said about it.

 

Trooper--no doubt! I guess since im from the southeast they had to keep me up north running 200 mile runs so i could hurry up and wait 8 hours or more for a load to go another 200 miles! LOL I just got sick of it! No miles and up north! Cant get no worse than that for sure. LOL

 

90 degrees and no air?? wear cotton?? lol this dude must be a recruiter, or drives NE only!

 

Lady:
Well, I guess I'll have to also admit that Werner kept me running. It was always running, running, running, no time off, ever. They kept me out on the road and that was the size of it. The dispatcher always had hot loads. I never heard him say anything but: "this is a hot load, you have to get it there yesterday". Them 53 footers came out, they gave me one right away. Load that thing from front to back, get it going. Spend hours unloading the freakin' thing cause' it was over-gross. Not overweight on tandems/axles, overgross.
My problem with the company was the time spent out and not at home. 3 an a half months? Or their seeming lack of desire to fix equipment - it was always do this run and then we'll get it fixed. Even routing maintenance was put off. I'd go several thousand miles over on oil changes with the dispatcher's blessing/command because this was a "hot load". Honestly, I NEVER heard that man say any load was anything BUT a hot load.
I didn't care for corporate's attitude towards drivers, either. They can claim all they want in the open, in the background, it was more like drivers are scumbags, dispensables, objects that can be disposed and replaced with new.
I remember the tractor I was driving - going through snow, sleet, storms, the thing was so filthy it looked terrible. Yet there wasn't time to stop and have it washed. Even at their own terminal, I would put the thing in line to get it washed. No time - dispatcher wants me to go here, there, wherever and get loaded. I admit I was part of the problem - I always wanted to go home after having been out for so long, but had a hard time turning down a 2,000 mile run that was going to put the icing on the paycheck cake.

For the most part, I just think, in general, that most giant trucking companies have either no respect for their drivers, or more likely, haven't got a CLUE about what it's like to be out "there", day in and day out. They come to their jobs at 8:00 am and go home at 5:00 pm. The concept of actually living in a truck doesn't strike any chords with them.

There is one company that - at least from the drivers I have talked to, which are many, and talked to one today - that seems to treat it's drivers well enough that I have yet to hear anything bad: UPS Freight. The driver I talked to today said he was happy with his pay and told me that they are paid wait/detention time. They send him from the Riverside area in Cali to various points in Phoenix and then actually have him dead-head back to Riverside on a weekly/daily basis. Says he's out one night, home the next. I'm not claiming it's a dream job, just that I have talked to several of their drivers whenever they come into our yard and they have all spoken highly of the company.

Anyway, I always hold Werner in the top 5 "Highest Despised" list.