KLLM or SRT anyone have experience?

Have both of them accepted you? Which has the best benefits during school, ie. meals, lodging, etc.
Look at it this way, either one probably won't be the company you retire with, so flip a coin and just concentrate on gaining 6-12 months experience. After this, evaluate your situation and plan the best move for you.

 

KLLM also bought out FFE. So now they use FFEs training school in fort worth tx. Ive been thru it already they offer onsite housing for males and off site housing for females at a hotel and free dinner at the academy. Its a year contract if you dont have your cdl already. 6 months if you do have it.

 

If ur a non texas resident, u cannot attend KLLM/FFE academy in texas to get your CDL. U must get ur CDL from the state ur residing first, then apply at Kllm/ffe academy in texas for 7 days refresher course. GL

 

KLLM has a CDL drving school in association with Hinds Community College. In the school they have driving simulators and you train in the actual trucks you will either drive as a company driver or as KLLM calls them Independent Contractors. There are several options one is tuition paid. I am sure there is a period of time that you have to agree to stay with the company. Another options is the tuition reimbursement route they will repay your tuition over the course of a year. (I think dont hold me to that as it maybe two years). KLLM is a good company. Family owned I believe by the Duff brothers. (the same one ones who bought out LISA and FFE and rumored to own 30% of Stevens). This is just truckers talk so is heresay. I do know the Duffs own Southern Tire Mart as well.
I am told that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence (usually because the fertilizer has been broadcasted a little deeper there). I do not have much experience as a company or lease purchase driver.
I do know that there are things about trucking that you need to know about both. I learned the hard way. Usually your OTR trainers just use you as a logbook to capture additional miles each week. Do not get me wrong there are some really good trainers with KLLM. KLLM sends drivers to school to teach them how to be a good trainer and no one with less that 3 years driving experience is even considered to be a trainer.
KLLM's orientation is short and sweet. Mainly a few minutes on each topic then sign the line. You are really not prepared to make the decisions you need to make going lease purchase right out of the training stage and orientation. KLLM does nothing to prepare you to make sound financial decisions on what is it like to run your own trucking company as a lease purchase operator. Those things you will need to ask you trainer before signing the line. Lease Purchase driver cannot be forced dispatched. Company drivers can.
Company drivers in all reality get the short end of the stick because they cant say no to swapping loads, being dispatched on loads late ect. KLLM in my mind is probably a step ahead of other trucking companies but they have grown so fast that they do not have the internal support structure to keep up with the drivers.
The Officers of the company have an open door policy and you are welcome to drop by and meet and greet the officers, and fleet managers. the night and weekend dispatchers are usually to busy. The shop offers discounts on repairs and tires (as you can imagine) can be obtained less expensively than other places. Lease drivers can have invertors install in their trucks company drivers cant. KLLM uses a satelitte for position tracking, ELOGs, prepass and Qualcom. They have Macros on the qualcom for you to fill out and use. learning how to use them greatly improves reimbursement. You can either use TransFlo or the other scanning system (I cant think of the name) either at the trucks stops or with the app on you smart phone.
Obviously by now you should presume that I am not entirely happy with KLLM or I would not be on this forum seeing what is out there. However I am not disatisfied. Just looking for something better

 

KLLM is a good company. It is family owned by the same company that owns Lisa Trucking, FFE and Southern Tire Mart. They do have a CDL school in association with Hinds Community College. The school has simulators and you train in the same equipment that you will drive as a company or independent contractors. The Lease Program is one of the better ones.
As it is with any trucking company the loadplanners are always busy, the dispatchers are always busy but even the company officers, loadplanners and dispatchers have an open door policy and every driver is encouraged to drop by for a short visit.
There are some really good OTR and Company traineers with KLLM. I still talk to mine after 1 year for reference. They have female trainers, I do not know how many as women are only now showing up in force in trucking, based on my experience, only, no stats to confirm or deny this. So by that reasoning fewer female trainers, but if you are forced to stay overnight somewhere the company will spring for seperate rooms if you have a male trainer. Most trainers take their job a serious as a heart attack and have a desire to see you through training as I believe they receive a bonus. However some a just a trainer because they can run as a team and get the extra miles each week.
Check on your trainers, see how much training experience each has, how many students have they upgraded, how many students quit there truck. KLLM will reassigned you a different trainer if you do not "hit it off".
KLLM has been growing by leaps and bounds and are hiring drivers right out of school and have their own training school to insure a constant supply. As with every trucking company, get there on time and deliver on time is the name of the game but for the most part your dispatch manager will take care of you and an emphasis is placed on getting each driver 2400 miles a week minimum. I have driven as few as 1800 and as many as 3472 in a week. It just depends on the luck of the draw. IC's can refuse loads, Company drivers are forced dispatched and regretfully draw the short end of the stick because well you work for the "man" and the show has to go on, so to speak.

 

According to the latest adds that is not exactly true. The MS CDL school has partnered with a local college and some form of business economics class is included in the training. They want their driver to be successful. After all, drivers making big bucks bring more money to the Duffs!

I drive Chicago Intermodal, Red Hot Mess on this board is an OTR driver and does well.

Mikeeee

 

Yep, and a few of us are finding this out the hard way. Many lies live here. The only good part, so far, is the training through the University of Arkansas community college. Some very good, top notch instructors.

 

Pikes peak did you go to srt? Are you there now?

 

Maybe, and Maybe.