AN Webber

I'm starting with this company soon. Let's see how it goes...

 

Good luck! Best job I've ever had. Very little stress.

Out of Kankakee or El Paso?

 

El Paso. Thanks. Excited to get started...

 

Difference in orientation between Outwest Express and AN Webber is night and day.

First day of orientation is over and I am extremely impressed with AN Webber.

 

I like that the Kankakee yard has six rooms for drivers to crash in, outside the lounge and kitchen. Alan has focused on driver accommodations like no boss I've ever seen.

 

@tlalokay How is everything going?

 

Things are going well, thank God. Had the road test today and last of the paperwork. I'll be solo OTR. Assigned a 2016 Pete.

No inverter or APU unfortunately. The company shop installs inverters free of charge, so I'll be picking one up shortly.

So many good things to say about this company's policies and opportunities for pay. Of course the proof is in the pudding, so I'm withholding ultimate judgment until I get some time in.

Side note: I will say this much about applying anywhere- make sure you have your DOT physical expiration date no less than a year out. That is, if the company allows you to submit your own.

If you end up going to the company-paid DOT physical, then there is a chance that that particular doctor will throw the book at you and request a CPAP/Sleep Apnea test based on your weight, neck measurement or some other individual parameter.

 

Hope you like Seattle. They go there a lot! There are a few tricks that'll help you out with them. We can usually drop our trailer at Central Transport in Tacoma, then bobtail to Loves, instead of trying to park a 53 there. It's crazy! Best taco truck in the world at the gas station next door to Loves!!!

They rely on your judgement for weather. Also, they leave it up to you if you want to chain or not.

Try not to use the non-forced dispatch too often. I never did, tho I complained twice. Not a big deal. NYC is rare, but I'd never do it. In my experience, you need a navigator watching the GPS. But as a solo, I only went to New England once, and Jersey twice in the 14 months I was with them. Got all kinds of happy when they sent me out west!

It's truly like having no boss, as long as you play it smart. They give you a load and let you be. But they have good support if you need them. Just watch your own routing. They send you shortest routes. You need to make sure they're safe. For example, I had a water heater load dropping in Placerville, CA. They recommended CA49 from I-80. GPS said to go all the way to Sacramento, and backtrack using US50. I took 49, and it was the worst idea! The road is narrow, winding, and full of cliffs. It is recommended only for trucks less than 35' in length. I was lucky as hell that I didn't kill anyone!

Hopefully, they'll teach you how to do both types of jacks on the drop decks. When you use the automatic jacks, watch the top rear of the trailer, so you don't hit the top of the dock door. Also, make sure you have a small sledge hammer, a crowbar, and a couple of pieces of 4x4, in case the drop decks don't raise up high enough. Sometimes you have to smack the arm of the automatic jacks, that wedges against the axle, because it'll stick on you. That's what the crowbar is for.

A useful tool for unstacking water heaters, for me, was a garden edger. I cut the handle off, and slid the head between stacked boxes, and pushed down, which gave me a lip that I could lift and pull out the top water heater.



If you need anymore help, let me know. Good luck!

 

That is excellent advice- thank you.

Already been told that we never chain.

They didn't mention it's non-forced dispatch. However, I guess that's a clue that it is. I'll keep that in mind.

Noticed somewhere in the paperwork that they use Rand McNally shortest route. So definitely will not be depending on that routing.

We went over it briefly, both types. I do always have tools with me, however I'll have to pick up the wood.

I'm a "no driver assist" guy, so I don't have to worry about offloading unless I want to.

If they ever have a small load of water heaters, I'll go for it. Not the full loads though.

 

I don't think they'd have a problem if you turned down one or two loads a year. I think their issue comes when you're the only one available for the load. Someone ended up quitting over NYC, I heard. But it makes me think a lot of drama was involved on his part, and pressure on Webber's. Just a guess there.