Western Express Inc. - Nashville, Tn.

I don't know how they keep the doors open, I have not read one good thing about them. drive55cat

 

Wow. Just wow. Saw a Western Express van tonight and remembered that they do flatbed too. After reading this, I think I'll take a pass on that company.

 

i see alot of bad things about western-the i guy may not had a signal-does happen which is why you call an hour later to confirm they got message if you dont hear anything.i drive for smx and western keeps us in the dark alot,dont think with this merger we are alowwed on western property.when we get dispatched on 1 of thier loads it takes so long im late already-miles-how can you get miles when they give you 300 mile a day loads?had a day went through 3 trailers to find 1 i could pull and still had to get hole in roof fixed?!but to may point western told smx no changes and you will say smx is making changes but why would they change pc miler so loads dont pay as many miles unless they did a rate increase-driver still loses.yearly safety bonus you now have to earn 180k in revenue instead of 144k.thats a big jump.hear western doesnt pay bonuses say lets make it unattainable

 

thinking the exact same thing

 

I've been with Western for 8 months and been a class a driver for 11 yrs. I came on with them for a local dedicated run. The lies started with the recruiter (edna) telling me I would get .34 a mile because of my experience and squeeky clean license and background. At orientation (after they stole me from another co. making .32) I was informed I would get .31. (edna would never take my calls again or return my voice mails after I was hired)

After 6 months I was transferred to another account because I got angry with the dispatcher/mgr Ken on the GP account in Lebanon, TN because I wouldn't drive a truck with bald drive tires and he sent it out that night in horrible weather with another driver.

I have never taken a truck needing repairs into the shop less than 3x to finally get fixed. Also, the shop (nashville) is famous for ransacking drivers trucks and stealing anything they want. There is a sign that says "not responsible..." but what are you supposed to do, empty your entire truck every time you get it serviced...which typically takes 10-15 hrs waiting.

I am authorized to bring my truck home and I drop my trailers at a drop yard 10 minutes away from the house. One night I had a heavy load cause the dollie legs to sink in the ground. Someone called Western and reported it. My wife also saw it on HER way home and I ran down to check it out. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't have dropped my air bags and gotten under it, but I called a local wrecker to meet me there in case I needed them. When I got to the trlr another wrecker was there and had it out of the ground, then mine showed up. Instead of Western calling me to inform or ask me to check it out, dispatch just called a company 2 HOURS AWAY to come to haul it off. $450 later for theirs plus the $100 for the LOCAL guy I called, they hung me with $550 for wreckers I more than likely didn't even need, just because they wouldn't take 30 seconds to look up the trailer number and call me. BTW, if I didn't have my own glad hand lock on the trailer so they couldn't release the brakes, it would have cost me another $300 since they would have taken it to their yard 2 hours away and locked it up.

Everyone at Western walks around with rude argumentative chips on their shoulders with no respect for the drivers. Probably because when the head of the van division (Mike E.) spoke at our orientation he stated that Western DOES NOT make most of their profit delivering freight, they make it buying and selling their used trucks. If you put it together, that is why they don't give a rat's butt about their drivers and hire 25 to 30 new drivers EVERY WEEK. They can't keep them. All we are to them is warm bodies to put a few miles on the trucks so they can resell them. They get such good bids on large quantitys of new trucks that when they resell them they practically make all their $ back. So, freight is just gravy. Because of this, they have absolutely NO regard for experienced, perfect record drivers like me. I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone, and not a day goes by that I don't look for another job to suit my personal situation. I'm tired of dealing with arrogant and rude punk dispatchers that are only emulating the way upper managment treats them and everyone else. You know what rolls downhill!

Also, if you even breathe that you are quitting while out on the road, you better be where you want to be because they will shut you down RIGHT THERE. You will have to find your own way home for you and your possessions. Then they will send someone to recover your truck and charge you upwards of $500+ to bring it back to their yard. They are also famous for BAD DAC reports even if you give notice and leave properly. Jim J. in safety is a hateful jerk who gets off on trying to ruin drivers reputations.

Don't go here, you can do better unless you just enjoy constant abuse and threats of termination.

 

I've heard alot of poor things about western but am "thinking" different for a minute.. Y??? I call and talk to a guy & lady at the coporate office in nashville right. She told me proudly I will bring u with a trainer for 2wks of load securement and etc. Hometime i ask? You will be out 3wks with 2.5days at home!!!! WHAT.... Ok now monday call western terminal in Alabama lady told me i would run 48 with trainer, 20-28 when am in my own truck. My hometime would be home weekends for a 34hour restart and that would be my home terminal.. What to believe??

 

chigger-think you summed up alot of things about western.when they fired our smx drivers for refusinging to run ne they wanted you out of the truck right then and wise wanted someone it truck that day.had a sfety meeting and i quote-wise said we are to big to be d.o.t compliant.think he changed when d.o.t came in and gave a unsatisfactory rating and if they didnt pass in 90 days may have fined or shut them down.finally had to go into nashville yard and it wasnt bad but no one was friendly at all.with his low pay you get the drivers that have issues or new-whats that say about the future of the company!

 

I've come to find that it's easy to tell when a recruiter is lying to you.Their lips will be moving.

 

as far as there equipments goes i guess i was just a lucky one i always had great trucks when i was there i had 3 different brandnew trucks while i was there. but like i said in previous post. they will run the dog crap out of you. i was out of the decatuer terminal and i didnt have any problems there all of mine came from the trip planners in nashville. true i did have to do a lot of log work. but i did a lot of that on my own. they did get me home every weekend. but the only way that happend was with me having to deliver on the east coast monday morning usualy mass or ny city. that was my main problem with them was the east coast shuttle and them running me way too hard when i was tired.

 

Agreed, they do run you hard. And if you have a tire problem? IE no tread left on tire (on wires lasted for 10 miles), service still wants you to drive it regardless of conditions