CELADON is not a place you want to be!!!!!!!

You guys got a raw deal, glad I bailed on FRE 2 years ago.

 

Who did that?

 

Originally Posted by BirdBoat1
I'm a seasoned driver. I've been in trucking for 16 years. I say CELADON is not the place to be for several reasons and I will explain;
1.) There School:
The school is just there to gain extra revenue for CELADON. Only 17% of there students actually go on to drive for the company!! They receive on average $10,000 dollars from Uncle Sam for "Job Training". I'm sure its more for women and minorities, add in the welfare factor and the money gets greater!! Weather you pass or fail, they still get that money from Uncle Sam!! If your fortunate enough to pass with the minimal training they give,you will be placed in a vacuum of people waiting around for at least a month or more for a trainer. During this time you will not wave the ability to earn income. You will be shuffled back and forth from the hotel to the terminal. Once you get a trainer, you will have to complete 12,000 miles with your trainer at a rate of .18 cents per mile. Also trainee do not receive breakdown pay!! So if your truck breaks down,you won't receive a dime!!

2.) The Trucks:
The Internationals are a peace of junk!!!! They used to be really good trucks!! The new ones are riddled with problems; anything from electrical,to leaking you name, they have it! You can tell a leaking truck because the floor will be rippled. It should be flat.To be fair Internationals at all companies have the same problems. My company truck stayed in the shop every week. There were multiple times I stayed in hotels. Breakdown pay is only $120.00 after 3 days. Please feel free to ask a mechanic, I have asked several. Also look in the truck sales papers for proof. Most of there mechanics need fired!! There are only a few that know what there doing. I had to fix some things on my company truck myself!!

3.) Lease Purchase:
The Lease Purchase program sound good,.25 cent per mile for your truck note. I want to let you know that I over herd a office worker state,"Only a fool would go into Lease Purchase!!". I was smoking a cigarette when they came outside for a smoke break after i had just signed my lease.This is when I over herd the conversation. At first it was good, but things quickly went to peaces!! I went from $1800 dollar pay checks to $235 paychecks!!! On top of nickel and dimming you to death with fees for this an that, I contacted ATBS, the financial consultants. They projected my Gross Profit to be $165,000 for a year. My net was projected to be $37,000. A person can defiantly make that as a company driver without all the responsibility and tax burden. If you stay the course on this lease, you will have payed over $180,000 for an International that won't even be worth enough to even trade in.

4.) As A Company:
Celadon as a company tries very hard to portray that they are about the drivers. When you have problems they will fall on deaf ears!!! They have a Drivers Relations department that will listen and apologize,but that's it. A person receives no definitive solution to there issues!! I had a health incident and had to be rushed to the hospital. The day I was released from the hospital they terminated me!! So much for looking out fro drivers health huh!! They also tried to stick me with the cost of a rental car to go home and heal!!

I have never had an accident or incident in a Commercial Vehicle. I haven't had a Log Violation in 12 years. Drivers need to ban together because without us, these companies don't exist!!!! The bird is out!!
Geez, Lets just pick on everything you think is bad about MY company! I have been a solo driver for them for 4 years and its not perfect, but its been a great place for me..yes, I would only do a lease with them if the things I would be gaining are worth having to put up with the headaches of additional paperwork, higher tax liability, etc..with a lease you get the options of picking more of your loads, having a pet, etc..etc.. personally, I just want a paycheck and I deduct my per diem myself at the end of the year..
I know that with Celadon if you act professionally and treat this as a job and not just a way to earn a paycheck here and there, you will be in return, treated well...Have a good relationship with you driver manager, communicate any issues on a timely manner..ask for preplans, keep your eta and pta up to date at all times and you will do well with them..I have had several driver mangers and with the exception of 2, that moved on rather quickly they have been awesome!! Operations managers are and can be helpful in a pinch as well..I have been able to do over 130,000 miles with these guys each year with totally awesome equiptment and support..Its very hard to come across that with any other company..i have seen so many leave thinking the grass was greener on the other side only to return..what does that say?? the instant gratification of being offered sign on bonuses, etc..wears thin pretty quickly overall, as far as I have seen..Doesnt lure me to go elsewhere..
As far as what you have been saying about the school...geez, man?? I don't know all the particulars, but, I wish I had had better training when I started out..I started out with Werner..its was ok, but, when I was done with my 3 week local school that just barely taught me enough to pass my CDL test, and then my 8weeks on a truck with my werner trainer, I seriously didn't know if I was going to be able to do this as a career when I was given my own truck with them.. I stuck it out, asked for help..every chance I got, pulled into empty warehouse and went around and around practicing backing over and over, and went thru 6 months of total stress everyday because I was no where near prepared for what I was doing..I learned so much about how strong and determined I could be by going thru all that, tho..18 months later, I was a trainer for them for 4 years straight after that and used my experience to help others get thru..BUT..it still isn't a very good program..Celadons is so much better..and I don't know about the 10000$ thingee each student, but, I bet..and im pretty sure that barely covers the expenses of having these student get thru their training..Celadon covers room, board, transportation, medical checks, etc..etc..for the entire time the student is there..plus, the trainers fees, accounting, human resource cost, etc..etc..what do you expect?? I bet we are lucky to keep 25% of the drivers for more than 1/2 the training program..Lots of people come into trucking with a totally unrealistic view of what its all about..its a job..not fun and games..Go blow you unhappy smoke up some other peoples butt and quit bashing a really good company that is trying to expand and maintain itself for the future..The bigwigs here don't skim tons and tons of extra money or hug salaries off the bottom line here..its reinvested into making us better and looking out for our future..I LOVE Celadon and im just a lowly solo driver..I don't want anything from defending MY company, no $ from any referrels, Nothing...and I wont take it, but everyone..most people who spend time bashing companies on this forum and doing it because they cant make their job work for them, not that the company isn't trying to make it work for them... Thanks Lori H.

I know that this is an old thread but i just wanted to say that I love this forum. Here are two drivers who have different views about a company but disagree in a respectful manner.

 

As a current Celadon Lease Operator I can tell you right now, they do not give a #### about the drivers. In fact, I am in a huge fight with them just trying to get simple work done on my truck. They enjoy making me sit for long periods without pay, they recently deadheaded me home, at my expense 226 miles!!! Driver beware is an understatement for this company. In fact, I'm currently looking into other companies.

 

Ok I went threw the school for Celadon and some how after the 8 weeks long weeks that was just a joke I ended up passing my test.Turn around and start working for them even tho my gut told me not to.Well after sitting for 4 weeks waiting on a trainer I got one and was with him a month but in that month I did more sitting at his house then I did on the road a matter of fact I spend a total of a week and a half on the road with him.After fighting with the company to get me back to Indy that took them a week to do I get another trainer and I spend a month with him all so but when I was with him I did more sitting in indy or at a truck stop cause he didnt want to run and when I was driving he had the seat set to where you could not get comfy.So after driving 11 hours in a seat where you are not comfy it started to take a toll on my back.But after two months 6,000 miles later I put two and two together that I was never going to finish my training with them and there company is a joke and the trainers they had me with didnt know anything when I had to teach them stuff.

 

JRay, that's an all to common story. I've, since my last post, have turned my truck in and resigned. I now have a job waiting for me at a much better company.

 

Because Celadon purchased the company I was driving for... No, it is not working out!!!

 

I signed the forms for the incentives Cedon might recieve, and I was part of a buyout that featured senior drivers with predominately 10 plus years!!! I expect everyone signs those...