Stevens transport

Cheap labor is why your husband was with a trainer so long.These days companies uses students for team loads and makes a killing off them.So is your husband still with Stevens?

 

Well, I can tell you that with many (if not most) 48 state truckload carriers such as Stevens, the driver has to be very "pro-active" in requesting and following up on home-time requests. Simply operating on the assumption you will get home "about every 3 weeks" automatically is rarely going to work. At many mega carriers, they will leave a driver out 2 months or more if the driver does not say anything. Plus it takes a while and a lot of perseverance to learn the ropes and politics of a new company and how to go about things.

 

As long as you both are content with this company and it pays the bills that's all that matters.

 

Truth in training at stevens... it is all told at the beginning, just most people don't do the math.

Orientation 1, 1 week at the dallas yard.
Training phase 1, MINIMUM of 5 weeks with a trainer. paid a flat weekly rate. Must perform all regions of the country, and mountain training, and miles driven.
Driver has the option to go home for 4 days at this time, or finish phase 2, and get a week at home.
Phase 2, 3 days MINIMUM on the dallas yard.
3 Weeks MINIMUM finish training... must again perform all required training goals.
Return to yard, another 2 or 3 days being certified and cleared for solo grad fleet.
Assigned truck, which will need shop time.
Load to home, which may take two loads to get you there.

So total time, 12 weeks MINIMUM to go solo and get home.

 

3 months MINIMUM TO BE OUT. I WOULDN'T WANT ANY TRUCKING JOB THAT BADLY.

 

Three months? Surprised they don't take people with questionable work histories and backgrounds. How in the holy hell do they find people to apply? "Pay your dues" "that's trucking" um no and no!

 

While I had a bit of trouble with Stevens Transport (See my earlier post for details), I have to agree with TLeaHeart on this one. Everything that Stevens Transport expects of you is mapped out in the orientation handbook and constantly told to you while you're in training. About the questionable background comment... Well that all depends how old it was and what you did. I caught two assault charge over 10 years ago which turned me down from the military but Stevens gave me a chance anyway. One of my family members had drug charges and still went through their training. He had to go home for family reasons and later patched them up and got his CDL through Werner. I will never say that Stevens is the "best company" to work for, but they were fair in some of their ethics when I was there. This is the ONE time I will defend Stevens Transport. To some, it is a good company. To others? Not so much.

 

This is true. I requested just two weeks out as driver when I first went solo. I ended up with three due to dozens of reasons. But I did make it home for seven days despite everything.