USA TRUCK! I would not recommend

Yes, I read the warning post. No, I dont give a crap. Why? Because I'm going to be completely fair. Ive been here a year now. Training was AWFUL for the most part. The trainers are so overloaded with loads themselves, they don't really have adequate time to train except for how to drive down the road. Backing, probably the thing that you most need to actually "learn" we almost never did. Now let me contrast this: I was a bus driver before this. When training for them, we HAD to back AT LEAST 75 times successfully BEFORE the test! And thats r for a bus that will never back into an irregular spot. As we all know not every dock or truck stop is exactly easy in and out (Flying J at Clearbrook, VA for example).

Moving past training. I was lucky to get 2000 miles/wk. The only time I got more than that is when I purposely drove off the clock just to show them I could drive 600-700 miles if they needed me to. I was thinking maybe they thought I was a weak driver. I stayed out more weeks than normal, if not on mandatory break, I was always moving still there was no real increase in pay or miles lucky if I net $400/wk usually like today I net $250 -$310 (keep in mind, as a PART TIME 30hr/wk SCHOOL BUS bus driver I made $300/wk!). After a year of this my DM and FM are working on this issue but the issue does exist. It seems part of the problem is that I live in the far northeast. There are not many shippers here that are not contracted or dont theyre own trucking. So a good load out and getting home on time is a definite issue. My feeling is they should say that (like many other trucking companies have, in the beginning! Crete actually told me the best trucking company for where I live would be Swift and to be honest I see Swift trucks all the time and almost never see USAT.)

The MAIN problem to me with USA and ALL of these companies people gripe about is this; the business model for trucking is severely outdated! Look at stock prices for all these companies, this alone tells me the bottom line about every company! USA is selling at $16 in the last year theyve gone as low as $7, Industry avg seems to be about $26, which is VERY low but if the stock price is below $23 for the prior 18 months its probably very iffy! For USA, this means theryre the loser of loser school, they almost got purchased two separate times by Knight and Celedon in the last 24 months. For an industry avg to be in the $20's is insane when every other business relies on transportation! Now some smaller companies are making very good profits and keeping theyre employess an avg of -hold on- 5-7 YEARS! That is unheard of in this business! Maybe they dont have the newest trucks or the fanciest logo btu they take care of theyre people and get them home on time! So happy employees = Happy business! A concept lost of larger companies in my opinion.

 

I think they are about to go under. And the Internationals they "used" to have? Still have!! They've moved to '14 Cascadias, and a FEW' 15 Internationals,

 

When I started they said they trade out trucks at 500k.miles, a year later I hear its more like 575k.miles. In all fairness I first had an 08 International ProStar with 485kmiles when they gave it to me and with the exception of a bent fairing and a mattress that felt like chicken wire, it was decent.

 

That's my whole point. My feeling is get me home and pay me enough to keep a home to go to! You shouldve heard the response the first time I asked for sit pay, yesbI had to ASK for it! I didn't even know what it was! Id done that for months before I knew it existed. Not that it should make a difference it is they're responsibility to pay you! This is why I say the entire system is broken. Especially when e logs are mandatory, I think things are going to have to change.