Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

What a crock of crap! Stevens is a meat grinder. This sounds like it came straight out of a recruiters mouth. And as for the cops is TX-more BS. Now they might hang around the Stephens facilities thinking the odds of clearing out some outstanding warrants would improve. No cop around DLS will stop anyone doing less than 12 miles over the limit.

 

Well, I got my CDL in Houston and went to Dallas for Stevens. So far they have done what they said theyd do. I have a job, I finished training and have been solo for a few months now. The pay while in training does suck, but after all, I have zero skill before now so you get what you are worth. After the first year youll be average with most companies that pay 1st year drivers. There are those who pay more, but do you get the miles that Stevens gives you? At the time of this post I am only getting 29c a mile, but hey, I am still learning and any driver who tells you they aren't learning new things almost daily are full of crap. Every day I learn something new and use it to my best and tell others if it might help them. I found out that as long as you do your paperwork and make sure all things are noted and filled out per there reqs then you will get paid. I am averaging 2900 miles weekly and my lowest week was 2650 miles. I use the book to my advantage and run all I can as hard as I can. They dont overwork me or even try to. If they ask me to do more than what I think I can handle I tell them no and thats the end of it, they stop and accept that.
I call ahead to my receivers if I am to be early, and when I do my daily check calls I let them know what my standing hours are, and they will know already what your hours are looking like, alot of drivers dont do that small thing and end up sitting at places waiting on a load, again if you do what is asked you will not stop moving unless your stuck at a shipper or out of hours.
I only lump the loads that I want to lump, and I get paid almost as much as the lumper service would cost ( usually 20% less) and they honor that. I stop where they want me to for fuel, and mantain the speeds to achieve the highest MPG, because the higher you have the more you get to keep of what you earn when you go to the Alliance side. (Business degree helped understand that part). Bottom line is if you do what is asked you will get your pay on time and only stop when you have to.

Ill mumble a few about various things I have read in prior posts and reply with what I have personally encountered. Skipp from here if you get bo9red fast, hehe.

I had my physical in Houston, so i never had to have another one in Dallas. This is because you must have a Texas DOT physical for when you transfer your license here, once you have your training done you transfer it back to your home state. They are more strict about health conditions and will do more drug tests while you are in Dallas for training.

I made 350 a week salary for the time I was in training. 1 week to do skills before you get sent out with a trainer. 5 weeks / 8500 miles with a trainer. 1 week in class going over what you learned. 3 weeks / 8000 miles (between the two of you) with another student who was just out with a trainer, they call this trainee/trainee but I call it dumb and dumber. This is where you will see if the other students trainer did there job, or not. After the 3 week fun trip with your other student and have made it this far you will spend 2 days clearing all your paperwork to get your own truck. If you choose you can recover a truck from someone who quit and left there truck or pick up a truck from a repair facility somewhere. This is where you now go to your HUGE .26c a mile pay. You will get a raise after your 15, 30, 45 90k mile or something like that, the sheet is lost in my clean truck somewhere (joke). After you have been solo for 90 or possibly just out of training you can go to the Qualifying Fleet to become Alliance where you make more but pay more. As a company driver you get paid mileage pay and everything else is covered but Stevens. So your mindset is miles miles miles, get it? MILES! HOWEVER, when you go Alliance its all about SPEED. You will get .85c a mile loaded/unloaded and right now its .35c a mile loaded for fuel surcharge. How much of that you get to keep is up to you. If you have a lead foot, dont bother joining. You will pay for the truck, permits, insurance and all that other crap. You will make money but the object here is top KEEP IT!!. You can do 2500 miles and easily keep 1000 bucks from it if you can maintain your speed. For every .5mpg OVER 6.0 you can acheive you can get between 200-300 dollars in your pocket. If you need it all in numbers ill make a post with that stuff. But a simple way is...ahh what the heck..

200gallons for the illus below. No surcharge added. Income from 2 full tanks if all miles are driven, only you can factor in the idling and other fuel usage.

6.0mpg = 1200 miles * .85c = $1020
6.5mpg = 1300 miles * .85c = $1105
7.0mpg = 1400 miles * .85c = $1190

So just off the fuel you have the .5mpg increase is 85 bucks. you will get fuel 2x a week minimum already giving you 160 bucks. Then you can add the .35c you will get for every loaded mile you drive. So the slower you drive will have more money staying in your pocket. The trucks at Stevens are specced out where 1250 rpms or about 61-62mph is where you need to be to maintain these goals. If you need heat then buy a heated blanket that plugs into the lighter or get a truck with an APU, if you need to be cold then there are fans that will cool up to 30 degrees below the ambient. How much you can keep is up to you. The total cost for the trucks with all the other stuff is varied upon the truck you want and mileage it has. All I did was show you where you can make money if you can control your speed. I am company driver at this time until I can get myself to where I can maintain the areas I need to make money, When I can maintain the MPG and get my miles weekly steady from showing I can make the loads to the dispatchers, then ill go alliance and I wont have anything to worry about. Alot of Stevens drivers jump into the alliance program and dont make money because they are trained and have there mindset into the keeping money instead of going after all the miles they can. So to each there own, and yes, im rambling on as its the end of my 14, 3am and my mind is on a roll, hehe.

I keep track of every load I do in the laptop and also on a spiral and I find loads that are nice and fast, long and crappy, then when I am in an area and I know a load will be there I can ask the dispatcher if i can wait an extra day for that load it usually happens. Call the driver manager and dispatchers, get your name in there heads and you will get to be known as a driver who knows what they want, and youll get it. If you call and complain about everything or just have a crappy attitude they will treat you with the same respect. There are times where you may need to take a crap load with alot of stops or has low miles on it, but if you have shown yourself as a good person they are normally giving you that crap load knowing there is a nice one at that destination. I have had loads from dallas to california with 8 stops, and after the stop pay, it is ok for me, cause when I get to Cali, I always get that nice load heading me all the way to the NE usually Penn or NJ, and thats where I get my thanks for taking that crap load.

i also take care of my dispatchers with little gift cards or whatever I can think of. There is one who collects shot glasses, another who likes wine. SO i grab a shotglass or a bottle and when I pass thru Dallas I drop them off. I small thanks and anyone should know, whos gonna get the nice loads, the guy next door or the one who brings you little things from time to time? 20 bucks in shotlgasses has earned me several hundred in extra miles and loads where I can get it there adn keep moving, not getting stuck on a 5 day 800 miles load. It takes a little thanks to get what I want and it has paid off very well. I get loads with alot of time that passes my home, so I go more often and thats helps me mentally. All of this by the way, from Stevens. As long as you do your job and be professional youll get the same in return. Act like an ### and they WILL treat you the same, those are the stories you hear most.

I try to keep up with videoing my travels, mainly cause my daughter wants to see what dads soing, and my family can log on and see where I have been. look me up under MorphEQ on youtube. I use a laptop with Co-Pilot and have a little Garmin 330 Nuvi. Between the two of those I have never gotten lost. I use my mapbook to make sure of low clearance and road restrictions but it saves me lots of time. XM radio and the Camcorder on my CB. All of this was paid for from miles I have driven, so Stevens pays, even if it is pennies per mile. Just discipline yourself and you can succeed no matter where you are. When I get some more time under my belt then I will see where I will go, but as long as I am green I might as well make the best of what I can.

Sorry to have long winded myself, figured I would get it all out and see what kind of responses I will get. You are what you make of it, all I can say. Keep safe and Drive safe. Hope to see you on the road, with whatever company you may end up with.

morpheq

 

Morpheq-you sound like you have the right buisness mindset to make it in the trucking industry. I would get my experience w/Stevens and then go somewhere that doesn;t make you jump through hoops to make good money. I would think you are just the right kind to make a great living at a place like Landstar if you choose to be an OO later. Good luck.

 

Big Duker,

Amen brother! I have had a LLC for over 10 years now adn have built business credit from my roadside company. But that bores me and driving seemed to have my interest. After a year I can get a truck on my own credit and have alot of researching before I make that step, but as I talked to another on the phone tonight, I am proactive, I go out and look ahead so that when that day is here most of the work is already done. That is what has made me what I am today and applying that to the driving field seems to work quite well also. I am new, and I understand that as with any job I need to get my time in before I can really get the cream of the crop. I keep an open mindset and talk to drivers every chance I get, ask them are they happy, how are there MPG, what kind of pay and miles they get. Figure all this in and I can get an idea of how hard I will have to work to get the income I want with the least amount of effort.

Some pay more for less miles, but are you sitting around more? Is there more driving in traffic involved? Can I choose when I go home and how often, can I instead choose to get loads thru my town and be out longer? If I mantain MPG logs and acheive the 6.0 they ask for, why do I only get 125 bucks, bah ill just drive hard......wait wrong mental picture here....I will maintain the highest MPG because it will keep more money in my pocket and less in someone elses pocket, yeah, thats it. To may variables and while im alone driving, you can bet my dry erase markers are scribbling crap on the windshield and driver window so i can review it later, im that crazy about numbers and how I can keep as much of the money I will be making. There is just no way in frozen tundra will I bust my arse so anyone other than myself can keep it. I have the plan set, still fine tuning it to how I will do things but once I get this Alliance thing started I should be doing pretty well off. They say an average of 1/3rd of what you make you keep, im already sitting near half with my driving habits and parked habits. Now to keep my stomach from eating so much junk and get that refrigerator stocked with more filling but healthier stuff ill be even better. There is always another way to improve your earnings. I am exploring them all and trying to find more. Tires with better rolling resistance, loading the trailer with as much weight as possible to free weight on the drives for less friction. Only keep as much fuel you will need based on your MPG to drop excess weight, let reefer run 1/4 to 1/2 tank to save that little weight. Tire pressures, heavy tools and non essentials you really don't need lugging around with you. Everything has a factor against how many MPG you can achieve. I am now trying to find better ways for aerodynamics for what this truck has. The way they are stock there is still to much drag, and im sure there are things to help reduce this and I hate that #### converter muffling the jake, have to see where I can get bigger pipes and get more airflow yet still be legal. I will bend every rule I can but will want to be legal otherwise why do it? I hate having to look over my shoulder. I am sure there are alot of things I have yet to even find out but ill will find what I need or ill keep asking until I do. But I can do any modifying until I get my own truck, which is coming soon enough, but until then ill learn all I can off Stevens and there dollar so when it becomes my dollar, im prepared. Just because a route may be the shortest it may not be the best for MPG, i have to explore that one more for certain routes I have noticed we run alot here at Stevens. My wife says its about time I put all that school to work in my head. To bad the job market is over saturated hence I can drive. Its just me and the road, well it used to be.

Now I have my laptop set up, has copilot on it. I have my XM screaming my favorite songs. I have a camcorder hooked into the laptop so my daughter can log in and watch where her daddy goes thru the streaming video. ( she can only see what is in front of me and at 6sec intervals as long as I have internet reception). I have mt GPS pinging google earth so my whole family and friends can watch this little blip move across a map of America, and then call me telling me im driving fast, to which I reply it is still buggy, hopefully they believe me. I have my garmin to tell me my drive hours/sitting hours and even total hours for the day along with miles driven adn miles left, I love that thing. And the best thing is that laminated atlas to verify what technology says is ok, when I need to double check. The internet to keep myself sane, of which I have like 30 videos to get uploaded when I get another 34hr restart chance ill do that. This truck is my home and I have to make it feel homey. Little floormats and my goose down blanket for heat when im not running the truck in 20 degree weather, can you believe I still sweat my backside off, it gets that cozy under them blankets (saving fuel again, im a sucker until I get an apu then im sure ill be shrewd cause of its 600-800 pound ill gain, im not likeing that.

Its pretty neat how my driving has helped my kids in history and geography. I can tell them to look up on the computer where I am at and tell me if they can how that city got there, and what is important about this area. They can tell me what the weather is like from another website and little things like that. This teaches them how to navigate the internet, look up history on people and cities, read weather maps from accuweather and sometimes they tell me of contruction but usually by then im already in it or passed it. They like it, to follow there dad and see all the things I see, and learn where these places come from. My daughters are 9 yrs old, and they have realized the produce from the southwest, meat from the midwest, orangejuice from florida, candy is in the northeast, and other tlittle things from where I go. So from this they can see how the different regions of the US produce certain goods that we all need. This makes me happy cause if I wasnt driving, when would they learn this? I guess im kinda stoked but bottom line is I miss them, and would love to stay home but at this juncture in my life i need to do this until there is better or another way to make my family happy and comfortable. talk about a derail of a thread, sorry. But to be back on track, whether Stevens or Swift or Schneider or whoever gives me the work, as long as I do my part and then some extra to reach higher goals, ill make the money I want to and hear of from some drivers. All I need is 2 years adn thats whats drives me. Dont have much else to say cause im to lazy to scroll up and im about out of words, hehe.

You drivers keep it safe. Hope to see you on the road somewhere. When I get a permanent truck ill make up some snazzy signature, hehe. Night all.

Morph

 

Landstar? Ill check em out. Thanks for that heads up. I just need a carrier to run thru Houston.

Morph

 

You should do a bit more research before leasing a truck. Although you have written all the good things you have missed out on the reality of trucking. I really would advise you to do ALOT more thinking and planning before you do anything, if it were as easy as it seems everyone would own a truck. Run your numbers on 1800 miles per week, if you can do that then you have a fair chance of success but if you need 2500 per week average well you are setting yourself up for a big let down. Also the better L/P plans ( I use that term very loosely) are paying .90 cpm base rate and they do not have all those little charges like charging you for a paycheck or statement and excessive mileage. Best of luck to you.

 

Howz it? Ive read alot about stevens here both the good and bad. Im thinking of checking stevens and a few others out myself. I got approved with Prime but Im just not too crazy about pulling reefers. I dont know what to expect because im green at otr. I have 10 yrs exp driving local though. Im ready to try otr. To me, its what you make of the job that matters. Pretty much most companies are the same. Your going to find lazy, idiotic, no common sense having people everywhere you go whether it be drivers or management.

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing you at all. Everyone has bad experiences at some point. I know i've had my share. Thats just something you have to deal with. I myself just wont read too much into it. Thank you for going all out posting your experience though.

 

If you don't want to pull reefers then don't bother with Stevens. All they haul are reefers. Prime has flatbed and tanker divisions as well as their reefer division. Hope this helps.

 

Yeah, I know prime has a flatbed and tanker division. Im thinking of going reefer since the economy is slowing down. Everyone has to eat. I guess I can get used to it.

 

I'm beginning to think more about going to Prime, although there were a couple of other companies I was looking at, for the same reason. The others are straight dry van. Reefer isn't that bad to pull. I did it some with Swift when I worked there. One thing about Prime is they have VORAD, Lane Diversion, and Anti-Roll technology on their trucks plus APU's. I think Stevens just has APU's. I have also read that Prime is now adding the live scales to their trailers which is great for not getting overloaded. There are a couple of concerns I have about Stevens that I am still try to clear up by talking to Stevens drivers.