Stevens Transport Aviary . . cont'

that was a while back. seems like three or four weeks ago.

 

Thanks Emul. At first I didn't believe it, but the more I thought about, it made sense because the 'class' of students that Stevens was bringing in was continually spiraling down.

 

14 days out and made 167 dollars not to shabby lol... Stevens scamport returning truck tomorrow #### Stevens

 

Any driver who works this company more than 6mo-1yr is a sucker. and the lady's voice on the drivers line is so annoying also I like to hear the losers talk about Alliance lease bonuses I got 4500 cash after paying off a truck for Mr Aaron rofl lame my dad's a o/o and hauls glass and makes that in a week if not more

 

Well everyone's experience is different. I just looked back at my final 2 months at Stevens ( Sept, Oct 2013) I banked over 4200 with taking cash advances. Now in those 8 weeks I took almost 2 weeks off for personal time. So 6 weeks on the road at 4200 is 700 week at .28 thats 2500 miles a week(probably closer to 3000 - 3100 with advances). Not bad for a rookie. I ran where I was asked(not always happy about it all, the NYC run comes to mind) but I did it and I worked my DM and the planners. I did not mind Laredo and knew I could get a 1500+ mile run out of there. I did not mind waiting in the meat patch so I requested the places I liked going(Liberal KS, Marshalltown Ia, Laredo TX, etc.) People hated the wait I didn't mind it, as I did more I got less of a wait. Sometimes too short. But I have been in business of some sort for almost 30 years so I can go with the flow. Not all can. I will be back to Stevens in a month or less if I can cut the 3 week refresher down to a week or less. If I am a sucker so be it, but I will do it my way.(sorry Frank)

Go work for your dad if he makes that much, stop ######## and enjoy life because the real world is what you make of it. And watch those lot lizard's you may get more than you bargained for.

 

Well Kolorado, sorry this didn't work out for you. Stevens isn't for everyone. But your vast years of experience in this business bespeaks your wanton knowledge of how the system works and certainly gives pause for anyone seeking sage advice.
I can tell you that there are many drivers out there that began their careers at Stevens, and tho haven't been connected to the company for years, still consider the training and start they received there a pillar in their driving career.
When I was driving, I was amazed at the number of drivers in the truck at the fuel island next to me that would strike up a conversation, then tell me they started with Stevens and if I could stick it out for the first year or two, would appreciate what I had learned, but not until moving on down the road.
I use to tell my students the same thing.
Good luck in whatever you do. Come back in 5 years and let us know how your driving career has progressed.
Better yet, come back to this forum anytime. You're always welcome, because as the old saying goes, "once a buzzard, always a buzzard".

 

Whatever you do, don't do that. The growing pains at Stevens are tremendous for some ... it was no different for me ... but they are just that. I believe that it's Stevens philosophy ... perhaps unspoken and unwritten ... that a new driver must take his / her lumps and build a reputation for doing what it takes to get the job done. I think that to some extent we all had the same feelings at one point or another in our first few months there.

The truth of the matter is the trucking industry is one of the rare exceptions to the Minimum Wage laws. It would be impossible for Stevens or any trucking company (other than local delivery) to pay you by the hour. The time we spend waiting to load / unload, waiting for a load assignment, or any one of a thousand other things in this life called Over the Road driving make hourly pay and compliance with a minimum wage unlikely ... if not impossible. Just think about everything a long haul trucker does in one day. Unfortunately it's all a part of the gig, like it or not.

Your deductions should have been spelled out for you, I agree that it's ridiculous that they weren't. But, like the others have said a phone call should take care of that, or the driver's web site may have that information.

Have heart, it WILL get better. Once you build your rep with the folks inside you will find that you're getting the miles and the better runs. But you have to take the time to build a good rep. Here's how:

1. Run your tail off - get your load to the receivers as quickly as possible. Call and tell them that you're going the be in the area early and ask if they'll take delivery when you get there. It doesn't always work, but when it does it's something sweet. I've gotten some really nice runs coming off something I've delivered early rather than taking all of the time given on a load, when my clock would allow it.

2. As a new driver you're going to get tested - Whether or not it's a constructed plan, as a new driver you're going to get some strange ones. These tests that Stevens puts you through will test your mettle and show them what kind of driver your willing to be. The important thing to remember is ... they really want to see your planning skills. They want you to show them that you can take the ball and run with it, but they also want you to show that you are aware of what you can do LEGALLY and tell them if you can't make a delivery due to hours, etc...

3. When asked for a favor - do them if you can regardless of who asked and whos ### is getting covered. Usually there's a little bonus in it for you if you help out. The bonus may be a good follow up run if your waiting or a bit of cash on your card. I have even heard ... not sure if it's true ... of a driver getting the company out of a sticky situation by helping out and being rewarded with a newer truck sooner than expected.

They're going to knock you around to see what you're made of. If you stick with it I think you'll be surprised at the outcome. It's not really games that they're playing, they just need to know which drivers they can really depend on and which ones are simply steering wheel holders. You want to be one that they can depend on. Now, you can stand up and shout that you're dependable or you can show them ... which do you think will carry more weight?

Try to hold them to promises, but don't go to war over it. When messaging back and forth on the QC it's best to be repetitive. Sending in, "Still Waiting", after you've been waiting for a while is going to mean nothing to them. Unless you remind them of the situation you're going to get ignored. These DM's have many many drivers that they're managing everyday and an terse message on the QC without any details is going to be ignored or worse it's going to damage your rep.

Sometimes it's better to be creative and offer a solution. Example: A driver is waiting for an empty at Kraft after dropping at the rail-yard. Just sending in, "Still waiting for an empty at Kraft", isn't going to do a lot. Sending in, "No empties at Kraft ... any chance there's a load waiting here that would be in better position if I helped move it to the yard?", will show them that you're thinking and that you're willing to help out. I personally have done that one in several places and gotten to the yard where it's a bit easier to locate an empty from time to time. If there's no empties on the yard, ask for a local live unload that you could handle for them.

In the end it's all up to you. The harder you work the better runs you're going to get. The more creative you can be the better your rep is going to be. A driver that's a whiner or complainer even if they're a good runner isn't going to get as far as a driver willing to be creative and think out of a bad situation. I hope you stick with it and it all works out for you, I think it will if you gut it out.

UPDATE: I think I may have been too late ... sorry to see that temper won out over patience.

 

KoloradoB is just another one of those that expects to be treated and paid the same as an O/O who has experience... He creates the negative atmosphere, that he is complaining about.

 

I was pissed I apologize but like I said I'm not driving all over the country for peanuts to many deductions I give Stevens the good training they gave me and when I told PRIME I went through there school and training they are going to hire me with 3 months experience