Werner Enterprises, Inc. - Omaha, Ne.

Hey, Mack. I could use that law if I were a newbie at Swift's Richmond, Virginia training with a newbie trainer. I can see my next run going something like this:

1. My trainer and I would roll out and hope on I-95 North carrying a typical NYC-bound load some cheeseball experienced driver dropped in Richmond because he didn't want to go to NYC.

2. As we'd approach Maryland, I'd ask the trainer either to let me off the truck or to turn around and return to the terminal.

 

My favorite thing is ride in a half ********* trainers truck then jump in a truck and team with another greenhorn. What are these companies thinking?

 

I hear that. I've been on the road 2 years off an on, and theres no way I would feel comfortable training someone else, hell I still mess up stuff my dang self.

 

I know where you're coming from. One of the reasons I never trained is because I was not only NOT qualified, but I was also afraid if I made a mistake, my innocent trainee might have had to share with my paying for that mistake.

 

exactly. But there again just because Im not comfortable after 2 years, im sure theres a million others out there that are. I know one thing though, aside from company trainers...I take my hat off to CDL school instructors. anyone who can jump in a truck and let somone with NO experience take them out on the highways has gotta have some STEEL CAHONES! LOL

 

No they just have lots of life insurance and a death wish.

 

That could be it too...maybe not the life insurance though cuz it would all go their wives and kids, not like they'd get to enjoy it...but definately some suicide junkies

 

workt with werner for 2.5 years (no doubt my biggest mistake). 250K safe miles. trained for a year. ran team werner with my wife for about 6 months b4 she became pregnant and now quit.

i took a 2.5 week leave of absense. when i came back to get a truck they said ok u have to sit here and wait for a breathalizer test. ok, no prob. it's 1300 and i havent had anything to drink since before 1500 yesterday and only a few beers that. finally they call me for the test i blow in the thing and it comes back 0.009. that's not possible i say the term manager giving the test says hold on this things not acting right it's sposed to prompt me for a 15 min retake. so we sit around waiting. in the meantime he calls safety at omaha and they tell him to wait for the retake. 15 min later i blow again and it says 0.000. finally can i go get a truck now. ya go see jim. ok so im talking with jim and he's getn me setup when the manager comes back in and says safety wants to talk to u. so they put the guy on speakerphone and he verifies my SS# and EMP ID#. then he asks so how many drinks did u have last night and i say i had about 3 beers yesterday none after 3PM. then in a more condescending and abrasive tone he asks HOW MANY BEERS DID U HAVE LAST NIGHT? i say again maybe 3 and none after 1500. again he says HOW MANY BEERS DID U HAVE LAST NIGHT? i look at the term manager for confirmation on WTF is going on he just says answer the question he's just doing his job. again the guy asks loudly and abrasively how many beers i had last night. i start getting pissed off. im like WTf the test came back 0000 the second time clearly your machine is ##**ed up i havent drank anything in 24 hour. again the guy says HOW MANY BEERS DID U HAVE LAST NIGHT? i say i dont have to sit here and take this #### and get up to walk out. the term manager says no wait and the guy on the phone says no let him go. so i quit. it was like a scene from a bad cop movie where i was being framed then interogated only thing missing was a spot light in my face. worst case scenario they should have had me retake the test clearly their machine was on the fritz. i couldnt believe this.

then i called my dispatcher and told him how i couldnt believe werner would do this and how they apparently didnt care about losing 1 good driver. he said hold on b4 i left so he could call safety to find out what happened. he didnt call back in 30 min so i called him and found out he was on lunch. for another 40 min. so i call back in 40 min and he says well they had the right to fire u after u blew the .009 this sucks but there's nothing i can do.

WOW. clearly werner doesnt care about their drivers. at least i have a copy of the breathalizer so if werner put this on my DAC i can retain a lawyer and maybe make something out of this situation.

EDIT: this happened at the Inidanapolis terminal
FYI: An average 170-pound man must have more than four drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level.

 

Well that scares me a little bit, I'm going to be driving for Werner during my training, and stay there for at most a year to get the experience. Fortunately for me I don't drink, but that doesn't help anything, since he blew 0.009, just for another reading of 0.000 15 minutes later. I sure hope this year goes by quick for me, so I can move on to a better trucking company to possibly get a career going. How were they at getting you home when they said you'd be home?