Fraley and Shilling Orientation

After a quick search through, I noticed there was little to no information about Fraley and Shilling of Rushville, IN. Since I just completed orientation with this company, I thought I would offer a quick overview of my experience thus far.

I submitted the application on October 11, 2013 and was offered the job on October 18, 2013. For those who are watching (and why wouldn't you? I'm bloody fascinating!), yes...I was employed with Falcon Transport at the time. Since I went through the Brilliant, OH terminal, my point of contact throughout the process was Melvin Haught (Safety and HR, no recruiters in the company). If you choose to apply, bear in mind that Melvin wears a lot of hats in Brilliant, so you do have to stay in contact. He may not have the time to call you, so call him. Very nice guy, plenty of experience in the field, former driver before he got bumped into the office.

So, I accepted the job offer (with a HUGE sigh of relief at the prospect of getting away from Falcon), and we set orientation for October 28. In the meantime, Melvin scheduled my DOT Physical and Drug Screen in Erie (closest place they have a contract with to my home), and reserved my hotel room. I stayed at the Best Western University Circle in Steubenville, OH. Nice hotel, clean rooms, friendly staff, and there's a Damon's Sports bar right on premises that has pretty good food.

Melvin picked me up for the first day of orientation, and I was given use of the company pickup for the rest of the time. Made life a heck of a lot easier for everybody all around. Orientation itself is pretty standard: road test, company policy, insurance forms, load securement, etc., and so on and so forth. The biggest difference between F and S and other outfits I've driven for is the hire date. Most outfits make you wait and stress out until the end before you are hired. Fraley set my hire and anniversary date for the first day of orientation. Talk about sweet! Employee from day one!

Additionally, I had a truck assigned to me before I even arrived. Unfortunately, that truck got swiped by another driver as his broke down. But they did indeed grab another truck for me, got it all nice and clean inside and out before they gave it to me. It's an older Freightliner Columbia, which is cool...but it's an automatic, which sorta sucks. Upside is that I won't have this truck for long, as another driver is waiting on the paperwork and contracts to buy it out from under me. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) I'll get a ten speed as a replacement.

Anywho, orientation is scheduled to last the entire week. But since I was the only guy in orientation this week, and since I'm a pretty smart fella who picks up policy fairly easily and has the amazing ability to both ask questions and listen to the answers, I got done by Wednesday. Truck was in the shop Thursday morning to get some minor issues dealt with and to take care of equipment issue (chains and straps and all the other goodies), and by Thursday afternoon I was sitting back in my easy chair at the house. Dispatch is looking to load me out come Monday morning, and I can (oh Thank You, God) finally get back to work!

While you are in orientation at Brilliant, you'll be dealing with both Melvin and Tim Freeman. Excellent guys, the both of them, and very knowledgeable about both the company and the field. Pay attention, ask questions if you are not sure, and life will be rosy.

I will stress this as a warning to all drivers looking to join. Safety is the absolute top priority with Fraley and Shilling! They have been having an issue with drivers speeding. Instead of turning the trucks down, they are firing drivers! We, the drivers, are expected to behave like professional, responsible adults. So if you can't keep your lead foot off the fuel pedal, don't bother applying. Same goes with freight securement. The mechanics in the shop are trained in securement procedures, and every load that comes through gets inspected. You ain't doing your job tying your freight down, gods help you. Additionally, both Melvin and Tim like to wander the yard and check freight securement out just to make sure.

This company is not joking around when they say Safety is the top priority in any way. They keep an eagle eye on the CSA scores, and let everybody know when someone screws up. Seriously, there's postings in the terminal and announcements across the Qualcomm with names and all. Disciplinary procedures are outlined in the handbook and discussed at length during orientation. Same procedure for both company employees and owner operators, so don't think buying your own truck is gonna save yer lazy butt.

For me, I foresee a long and successful career as a driver for Fraley and Shilling. They have the same priorities as myself, and really feel like a driver oriented company. They want everybody to make money, but not at the expense of getting yourself killed or worse while chasing the almighty dollar (or dime, these days). Once I get a truck I'll be keeping for more than a few weeks, I'll start posting pictures for everybody to see.

Stay safe out there, drivers!

 

Between 64 and 68, depending on what you get. Some as low as 63.