Werner Enterprises, Inc. - Omaha, Ne.

Don't lie to the man. Werner is a bottom feeder. Anyone that's been around trucking a while knows this.

 

Sure, Werner is a bottom feeder, but so are most new drivers. They do the bare minimum to get by, missing appointments, being rude to customers, shifting loads, trashing yards, losing trailers, fubling inspections, ignoring maintenance issues, and all the while expecting top pay to do it. A driver that is professional and motivated can easily make more than $700 a week consistently with Werner, and I met dozens that were doing even better than that while I was there.

If you prove yourself as a reliable and professional driver, you'll move up through the ranks quickly, get on better accounts, with better pay, and better dispatchers, DMs, and load planners. Do otherwise, and you'll settle into a comfortable place on the bottom with rookie dispatchers and overstretched load planners on stripped raw accounts pounding your head on your qualcomm every night and ######## about it on the internet.

 

I'm working for a company that pays $1000 guaranteed gross per week and another one K&B offers a guaranteed 2500 miles per week (950 gross at their pay scale) so they are out there.
The company I work for moves frac equipment for a major drilling services company. I'd rather be OTR but I'm too broke (after working for Swift) to have that option.

 

Companies like Werner are starter/training companies. Noobs just coming out of a CDL school have to start somewhere. I guarantee that if you start out with Werner, work two years and leave with a clean record that you can go to work for any company out there. You just have to pay your dues. I spent 6 months with Werner as a company driver now I am an owner operator with them. I am on the TCU Mexico division and I'm getting good consistent miles and consider myself pretty satisfied right now. Once I get my truck paid for I will get my own authority, buy a flatbed, and stay in Texas transporting oil field equipment and such. It will be time to slow down then as I will be pushing 66. No matter what, you have to be safe, on-time, and deliver damage free.

 

well if the entry into DAC stood then there was proof that there was issues... I do not know what to say. All I can say is what I know... If the truth should be known maybe the CDL schools should be forced to use truth in Advertising.... That would be an eye opener. Now would it not!!! All OR most companies have there good points and bad. It is a two way street... A lot of drivers will not talk reasonability for their actions.. ie poor trip planning, poor communication, not being ready when they say they will, having accidents, being rude to customers/ general public.

 

1099 or with benefits? How many hours? A lot of aspects to total compensation besides gross dollars.

My trainer who was 48 state OTR with 1+million safe miles at Werner was averaging $1500 gross plus benefits, around $0.35 per mile for 4500-5000 miles a week. Trainers at Werner get paid for all the trucks miles while trainees get their fixed rate stipend.

We have some drivers on my account who run 3000 a week plus some stop pay for around $1k gross plus benefits a week and sleep at home. I do several hundred less because I ask for the shorter routes in exchange for shorter days.

I've also met a few at the terminal that have "zero" paychecks because of cash advances and deductions. One of the guys I met while I was there for an afternoon getting a set of tires was getting ready to quit for a lack of miles. He spent the day at a computer game on a high end gaming computer while his load sat in the yard waiting for him. He said he didn't want to drive in Atlanta traffic so he was waiting (10 hours from when he could have left) for evening before he left. Basically he gave up a 500+ mile day of driving with a load that was ready. With this behavior what priority do you think his FM will put on keeping him busy?

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There are always some guys (& gals) who seem to spend their time hanging around the terminal for one reason or another and carp about the company. I don't understand it.
You are right in what you say about trainers. Swift had the same deal. It really is the only way to make good money at these large places and it is really a good deal for all concerned. However, I'm a solo driver. I don't care much for company on the road. To me it's just an extra set of problems and a whole lot more noise. As a solo driver, you've got to figure top mileage at about 3500 +/-. So at .35 a mile the best you can expect BEFORE taxes, insurance & etc. is about $1200 but there's no guarantee on that and, especially dry box, it's seasonal so you might not get 1000 miles per week for a month or so, depends.
At least at Brown Brothers, I know I'll get $1000 before taxes (really net is 843.36) every week no matter what time of year it is and maybe 100-400 more. The job sucks as there isn't any real long haul, you're always in different trucks (all Petes but still) you can't use the bunk, and every movement, almost, is in convoy.
I would really like to get back on the road and just GO but I guess I have to do this until I get my bills paid down. Also, my wife is in 3rd stage MS and really appreciates me being home. Silly girl!
The hours aren't so bad just a lot of waiting around for repairs to trucks or at the well site, I have never come close to 70 yet. Remember, however, reset in the oil field is 24 hrs. and since I'm only "in" 2 days a week "off" 1 and on-call the rest I usually have several days where I don't do anything but wait for a call. More home time but it's aggravating and it's making me lose some of the skills I built up on the road (like backing) and it encourages laziness.
I originally planned to go to work for Werner but I heard so much negative about it that I went to Swift instead. I don't regret it but I wish I could have made enough to get by.

 

I am looking at Werner. Just need to get feet wet.

 

That's the problem with these bottom feeders. To make real money you have to be a trainer. What if you just want to drive and not deal with training anyone? You're so out of luck.

Why Werner? You're better off going to Swift if you want to work for a super mega.

 

Werner has said they will hire me in Jan. without a refresher course.