Destination Unknown

Discussion in 'US Xpress' started by TruckDuo, May 26, 2013.

  1. I'moutofhere

    I'moutofhere Light Load Member

    73
    18
    Jul 12, 2013
    Somewhere in Ga.
    0
    Thanks Duo. I'm going to looking to it more while I'm out with my trainer.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. TruckDuo

    TruckDuo Road Train Member

    6,394
    9,373
    Oct 21, 2012
    Chicago, IL
    0
    Remember to have your trainer notify the training department when you have around 80 hours completed that your gonna need to be routed back to Tunnel Hill soon. Training can be slow to route you if not reminded.

    Introduce yourself to the equipment manager so you get a nice truck. Sometimes they'll hold it for you.

    Juan & Johnny does the upgrade test after training. Both are cool guys. Make sure you learn how to use a map. Other than that, the upgrade paper test is easy. The only backing for the upgrade you need to be able to do is the 45. Johnny just asks you understand the concept of the 90 & blindside.
     
  4. I'moutofhere

    I'moutofhere Light Load Member

    73
    18
    Jul 12, 2013
    Somewhere in Ga.
    0
    Thanks again Duo. I'll take your advise.
     
    TruckDuo Thanks this.
  5. STap

    STap Light Load Member

    123
    21
    Aug 24, 2012
    0
    Ok. So we have been with CEVA dedicated for nearly a year (feb). We have been told all kinds of different ways this guarantee is suppose to work. Of course it's not pay period based. It's Sat-Sat. The boss won't call me back to verify the miles he has vs what I have been logging just to see if we are on the same page and make sure I understand it all. But that's fine. I'm sure he is busy and he has actually gotten involved in a few things when the fleet manager couldn't take care of stuff.

    Here re is my problem. Pay period miles have been almost 4k. For WEEKS. We had a 2012 cascadia with crazy DEF problems. Put it in the shop while we were doing home time for 4 days. (At a freightliner-not USX yard). We got back and the shop tore up our radiator along with not finding the problem with DEF. So another 3-4 days of not driving, we finally got reseated. This truck is pretty good except the bunk heater only works for about an hour maybe two before the truck says we are pulling too much power (we have experimented and made sure NOTHING was plugged in or running except the bunk heater) and when it's 33 outside, it gets cold quick inside. And setting the cruise won't work in this one...Anyway. We are not a complain about everything team. We drive. We don't stop if we don't have too. We take every load to every location. We don't refuse New York. We just want to drive. We actually really really enjoy it. But we still get very low miles. We sit and wait after every load for a day. We do solo short runs a lot. 300 mile trips, wait 16 hours for the next load. Do 200. Sit. Do 400. We have joked with our FM. Been super nice to them cuz I know we aren't the only ones try are dealing with. And we don't go home often. We stay out 2 month or more. We stayed out over Christmas and delivered everything on time even with bad Dallas ice skating.... Still that week barely over 4100. When we first started we were getting close to 5500 on average for about 2 months. Our only complaint has been with the equipment.

    Now they can't get us home. Florida is tough but we just did a Miami load and they had us wait. Then dead head to Atlanta. And we have been sitting for a full 24 hours. So we are not going to get hardly any miles at all. Like 1k. Then home time. Then who knows. We have talked to other CEVA drivers and they say yeah we are kind of slow, getting 5k miles. Or other OTR USX and they are getting 6k. Or con-way drivers that have been averaging 6400. Now, they all could be blowing smoke. I understand that. But how bad has freight been for anyone else on this CEVA account? Am I over reacting to a consist 4k week for over a month during Christmas? I'm a realist. I know we will have bad weeks. I'm good with that. But this is suppose to be the busiest time of the year. And we drove very little.

    Any advice?
     
    horsecrazychic22 and TruckDuo Thank this.
  6. TruckDuo

    TruckDuo Road Train Member

    6,394
    9,373
    Oct 21, 2012
    Chicago, IL
    0
    STap, Brendan is at the Houston, TX Ceva ground building. If you ever make a delivery there, go in person & talk with him. I met him last week. He is a young kid. I think like 26 years old. Talking to someone in person might help especially because the Ceva guy who handles US Xpress sits next to Brendan. That way, its brought to the attention of both of them. That is very annoying that he wont call you back. I hate when someone does that. Its a common problem at US Xpress.

    Does the OnGuard work on your truck ? The cruise wont work if that doesn't work. We have the same problem in our 2014 Cascadia. I need to put it in the shop on our next hometime.

    Freight for us has been consistent. We were on hometime but they called us on Christmas Eve to take these 4 loads because they were short on drivers. All of them were short runs. I think added up, it equals 1,000 miles. The deal was we were supposed to head back to Markham to get our 50,000 PM. This was supposed to take several days because of some stuff they need to do on these trucks for the first PM. Instead, they tried to route us back to Springfield, OH. We live near Markham so I was able to convince them to let us go there instead. Now here is the suspect part.....they were willing to let us deadhead to Springfield, Oh & sit for a few days but when were on our way to Markham....Brendan calls me asking me to turn around because we are the only team that they have available to pick up this load going to Sacramento, CA. 2,200 miles....I'm happy about the miles but it is suspect how this pops up right before I'm going to chill at home. Now we're under a load so we wont get to hang out at home as long since getting our truck done is a priority for the shop.

    The paycheck before our hometime was 4,200 miles so we got the 4,700 mile guarantee. We were surprised by that because we had 4,200 due to the truck being in a Petro for a fuel filter change. That made us lose our long run to Miami from Dallas, TX. We thought they would use the excuse the truck being in the shop as a way to not give us our 4,700 miles.

    My only advice is to talk to your FM again. If that doesn't help, then speak with your HR rep. Explain to them whats going on. Let them know you have bills to pay & your not making enough with these few miles. Your a husband & wife team with hazmat. They don't want to lose you.

    My biggest advice is to start looking at other companies. You have your one year experience now. Look into the LTL companies. BlairandGretchen work at Old Dominon and make twice what we do for half the work. The best part is that their home twice a week. The LTL companies go from terminal to termnal. Great benefits, hometime, pay, etc.

    We've gone thru what you have. It sucks ! Keep us posted
     
  7. STap

    STap Light Load Member

    123
    21
    Aug 24, 2012
    0
    We hardly ever do Houston. Dallas yes. Not Houston. I know the miles are going to be sparse soon and like the idea of the guarantee. Another USX CEVA driver said try spoke to payroll. They told him that since the guarantee is a sat-sat thing not Wed-wed, he saves his paperwork from wed-sat: scans it in sat. Then from sat-wed paperwork gets scanned I wed morning. He says that doing that has fixed all his guarantee issues and he get guarantee nearly every week. So I've got my feelers out on a oil tank company, still OTR, solo. Me and husband being solo. But home time is every sat and sun. Probably too good to be true. But questions don't cost anything. It just baffles me that we are getting such low miles so consistently. And it would be ok, not great but ok, if the other USX-CEVA drivers were getting low miles too. If anyone else who has experience with the dedicated routes could chime in, that would be great!!
     
  8. TruckDuo

    TruckDuo Road Train Member

    6,394
    9,373
    Oct 21, 2012
    Chicago, IL
    0
    Yeah, the payroll for CEVA is done Saturday - Saturday but US Xpress does theirs Wednesday - Wednesday. Don't wait to scan it in on Saturday. We scan ours the same day it's delivered. If you deliver on Sundays, make sure you transflo that same day. Sunday deliveries have been included in our paycheck the same week instead of the next.

    STap, the weeks you do less than 4,700 miles & were available that whole week for loads....did you get your guaranteed money ?
     
  9. STap

    STap Light Load Member

    123
    21
    Aug 24, 2012
    0
    That's why I need to speak to someone. The boss. Cuz there have been weeks where I noted sat-sat miles as about 3k, but come our paycheck, we didn't get the guarantee.

    As as far as scanning I use the trans flow app. You just take a picture crop it make sure you can read it and send in the group. You get a confirmation number right away and an email with the confirmation number and a link to view them all.

    How do you know which loads get included on the guarantee? That's where I get confused cuz my records don't match.

    the pay stub only shows the wed to wed deliveries.
     
  10. TruckDuo

    TruckDuo Road Train Member

    6,394
    9,373
    Oct 21, 2012
    Chicago, IL
    0
    The guarantee covers any loads that are delivered from Saturday to Saturday. The guarantee only stands if your available for loads during that week. If your truck is in the shop, your on hometime or your otherwise unable to run then it doesn't count.

    STap, sounds like your record keeping correctly. I'm not sure why your not getting the guarantee.

    Get a hold of Brendan or talk to your FM again. FM is back from vacation on Monday.
     
  11. STap

    STap Light Load Member

    123
    21
    Aug 24, 2012
    0
    That's what I thought too about the guarantee. I'll talk with them after I get back from home time. Everytime we talk to anyone in the offices they always say CEVA is slow... I even asked if CEVA was going out of business. They said nope. Which may be true. Then I see a lot more CRST and a few Swift trucks hauling their trailers so that leaves less loads for USX.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.