I am seriously thinking of removing cdl-a thanks drivers mgmt llc aka werner ent

Amen to that, the more they praise and preach about God the more it hurts when they forget the vaseline while raping you in the backside

 

Mr. Ex-Werner,
Now that you have experienced some of the garbage in trucking, take a breath. Most big companies have their own "driver's school". But, since you have uprooted your entire family to drive, go get in with a company and stay there and make some money! Realize that there is some junk in every business. Focus on your goals and and get those paychecks coming in! I do $50,000 plus per year, granted I have been in it for 13 years, but if you like the business it will pay off. The grass isn't usually greener, so don't start the company jumping strategy. Calmly talk to other drivers and believe half of what you hear, do your research, write down facts about benefits, mileage, and bonuses, then make your best choice.
Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.

 

LOL... nice try. You're just cravin to pick an argument. You must be bored. Go aim this wannabe argument at someone who cares. lol The entire post has rather lost any meaning or sense.

One more time...s-l-o-w-l-y just for you... MY point was, and is... everyone has an opinion. Not everyone will see things the same way. And if you like shoveling #### (meant as a funny euphamism btw...not meant to slander drivers, but nice try) and then getting kicked like a dog everyday... enjoy yourself. I don't care.

If I like shoveling #### and I DON'T like getting kicked like a dog everyday (which I don't), I will either change companies, or should I like my job enough, try and change the "getting kicked" part. I'm sure even if we worked for the same employer, that if you truly enjoy getting kicked in the arse daily, they will be more than happy to do so. The only way you would be forced to lose the perk of getting your butt kicked daily would be if my complaints led to unionizing "our" company. But then, you'd probably complain about the higher pay, more hometime and better benefits, right? LMAO

Ya see? No reason why everyone can't be happy. Well, except for the #### economy and politicians screwing this country up... but that's another post for this Anarchist Libertarian. heheheh...

 

Good advice...and good to see some intelligent, non-argumentative posts here dealing with the topic.

 

SOme companies understand this and they have wht they call lifestyle boards and it depends on the company on how it works. With some you drive a week, then you are home a week, others you drive 6 weeks and are home a month. Celadon, Roehl and I beleive Barr-Nunn(or at least they did, dont know if they still do)and several others have these types of programs. A lot of times it is up to the driver how often he/she wants to get home. If you live off of I-80, I-70, I-5, I-40, I-65 or I-95 then you will probally get by home a lot more than if you lived off of say I-10 in Florida. And if you live in the lower Midwest or Southeast you will probally get by home more often than say somebody who lives in Jackson Hole, WY. That is just the way the industry goes or unless you are a local or a overnight linehaul driver for an LTL or you are running regional. I have met some guys and gals that really dont mind if they ever get home and some that want to be home every 3 days--it all depends on where you put your priorities and or preferences as to how often you want to be home.

Most of the "biggies" try to at least give you a 34 hour restart since it is to their advantage to do so. That way you arent chasing your hours next week and you are set to go and run when it is time to go back out. And since most of the "biggies" realize this, they would rather have you do your 34 hour restart at home instead of on the road. Although sometimes that cant be helped. I have done my 34 on the road before, and beleive me, it aint fun. But it couldnt be helped.

Not all these Big companies are jerks, some of them really care about whether you actually make money or not and whether you get home or not. SOme of this depends on your atitude as a driver and some of this depends on whether you are doing your share of moving their freight. A lot of these guys that are getting screwed by some companies havent even done their time or havent pulled their weght. For your first (at least) 2 years in the industry, you should expect to be given the crummy routes, crummy miles and crummy loads. Once you get by that and the company realizes that you are or are at least trying to be a team-player they will start giving you better runs, better mileage, and better home time. I have worked places that I was home 2-3 times per week as an OTR driver and still averaged 2800 miles per week, and then I have worked places that I was home on weekends only or maybe even partial weekends and averaged 1900 miles, it all depends on how YOU want to play it. Now, dont get me wrong, there are companies out there who just dont give a rats butt and dont care. It is just like other jobs, YOU tell them what YOU want and YOU expect while on their payroll, and if they cant deliver then go elsewhere, there are more than enough companies in this industry looking for drivers. You can either treat this industry as a lifestyle, or as a job, or as both. The way you treat it depends on how successful you will be, and these companies know this also.

 

Maybe this post should be put in bold somewhere so new guys can get a better idea of what's going on in trucking. It could be called "Start Here".

Thanks Tim. Another good and non argumentative post.

 

EXCELLENT ADVICE, do not jump from company to company because it will only come back and bite you in the backside making it harder for you to get a job overtime. Trust me I know thats why I have to drive a large and not very nice company now so I can get my record both employement and driving restored to excellent status then I will be in a much better position from there.

 

Locked N Loaded,, take some time clear your head before getting rid of your class A cdl.. then decide if driving truck is for you or not or whether you want to try to find a real decent company to drive for they are out there beleive it or not,, look for the good companies and what they can do for you and what you can do for them as a driver,, of course if you really decide that driving isnt for you then i wish you luck on what ever endevor you chose for a career change for your future,, good luck to you and your wife in these tough times.

 

I hardly feel a bit sorry for anyone who rushes into the trucking industry and does zero research. There's a simple solution to companies like Werner, spread the word and don't work for them. They're not called the Big Blue Screw for nothing.

I had to learn a lot of things on my own as a rookie, but I managed. It isn't nearly as much of a "manly man" job as the stories my dad and uncles told me. I started out in a truck with no jake, no johnny bar, and castrated cat engine engine. It was junk but reliable junk. The company took good care of their equipment. I found a company with less than 300 trucks in their fleet to start out with. In my opinion, the smaller the better. I have never worked for a huge corporate mega outfit, and never will.

I think the worst part of the job is the lack of physical activity and a screwed up sleep schedule. Even running legal can make you exhausted, often more exhausted.