Knight Transportation

Exactly!!! You wanna run 48 states? Good Luck to ya! You wanna be home when you need to be? Drive for Knight, Your Home town national carrier!!!! Its that simple.

 

exactly! he should have listened in orientation since they make this fact very clear.

 

Where did I say I didn't get home on time ? I said "sit for two days." I'm glad chumps like you are okay sitting so others's don't have to.

 

Personally, I went back and re-read your post. Let's just say that you are lucky that Knight didnt fire you on the spot for those comments and all they had you do was sit 2 days. When I was at Knight, I saw drivers get fired for a lot less than what you did. What you actually said(if you really said it) could be construed as a threat, and if you read your employee handbook it specifically states that threats and intimidation are grounds for immediate dismissal. I never sat 2 days or even 1 day for that matter while on the road over at Knight. I did know drivers who did though, because everytime that they gave them a load, they would moan and cry and complain(kinda like you did) and then the DM would figure that they didnt want anything and they would sit. I would take any load they gave me, crappy or not. Usually if they gave me a crappy load, there was always a good load at the other end. The DM's over at Knight are told to look for attitudes problems and put those drivers at the back of the line when it comes time to get re-loaded after dropping a load. I have said before here, that the last year that I drove for Knight, I drove more miles than any other single driver East of the Mississippi and beleive me, my paychecks proved it. Knight Transportation is not for everybody, Knight is geared to(or at least it was) a little better caliber of driver than say JB HUnt is and you should have realized that when in your orientation there was probally less than 10 there. In mine we had 8, in 6 months I was the only 1 of those 8 still left on the payroll. I drove there almost 3 years and the ONLY reason that I'm still not there is because I am making more money as a linehaul driver for an LTL company. I had my little problems with Knight, but most were do to the little things, as far as getting paid correctly, getting the miles(almost 2700 a week on average, most of the time more), getting home every weekend and driving half way decent equipment--I had no complaints.

I usually left on Sunday night/Mon morn and I was non-stop driving until Sat morn(besides breaks of course). I also made good money over there and BTW, I never went any further West than Grand Island, Nebraska with them. I pretty much drove the East Coast and Southeast and Midwest.

 

10%
Sorry it took so long to get back to you, I was busy doing nothing for a couple of days.

 

Tim truck you are correct. Had I put that on the quallcomm, maybe the out come would have been differen't. It feels good to come here and blow off steam, though. But the sad reality is a $1200 dollar month is just the way it is and instead of getting even, the best thing to do is pull over and quit instead of burning a bridge (no matter how satisfieing that would feel in the moment.) All in all Knight has been good for most of the duration but trucking sucks, it will make you bitter and angry. That is the way it is. and yes it took me 8 years to realize that, I never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed. Thank you for giving me a conclusion to my little hissy fit.

and Thank you Sad Panda. 10%

 

I talked a guy into signing on at the Tulare Terminal 2 weeks ago. He was just looking to run the southwest and get home every 7 to 10 days and average 2500 a week since he lives close to Tulare CA, I suggested he go on their 4 and 4 program just to try it out. But he went full time and even told them he quit May Trucking because they sat him to much.

He worked for them for 8 days and turned down no loads that where given to him.. 3 of the 8 days he sat doing nothing Did 3 locals at $35 dollars each and ran 1697 miles. His gross was around $715 and his net around $572 For 8 days on the road. $ 71.50 a day take home.

He brought the truck back and said adiós. He is looking for something local now.

 

One big gripe, and the source of my frustration, with Knight is working for free. I never turn loads down, ever. Yes there are a few places I won't go but I am never offered loads there in the first place because my dispatcher agrees, sitting is no good. I have a few days lay over I was never payed for, that is why I don't like to sit. A few local loads here and there not paid too. My demeaner in my previous posts was displayed to my dispatcher and wa lah, I got paid for two local loads. Who cares he calls me drunk from home sometimes and he won't hesitate to put me in my place if need be. But anyways keep records because they are counting on some drivers not even catching the errors. Times are tight for everybody and I do not intend on giving any of my time to Knight or any other company for that matter, out of the kindness of my heart.

Does anyone feel that I am being a "typical truck driver" in bringing this issue up ?

If so how would you handle it ? Quit ? Sure thing but in my case I would like to resolve the matter and stay put if possible.

 

Not at all.

And after I was in the Las Vegas termial today some of those dispatchers need a swift kick to the butt. I walked in to transflow some paperwork and walked out madder than hell. All of them were complaining about how drivers that didn't want to chain up or drive in the snow needed to be fired.

From their warm office with flush toliets.

Unlike the drivers who at the yard get to deal with the rain and portapotties. I left before I said anything because I wasn't going to start something with another termnial, but they need a check to the head. One driver once said that every time his DM started getting lippy, he threatened to lock him in a truck for the weekend and give him a bottle to piss in and see how he likes it.

I understand they have a job that is different and hard as well, but they just have no idea what is going on, and like Knight pays you to throw iron...

 

Well here's my though on that. That would be a dream come true for those of us that enjoy what we do. Knight has some real idiot drivers taking up space and bringing overall miles down for everybody. I agree with those dispatchers you heard 100%. I am not here to make friends I am here to run that truck into the ground and earn a good living and just ask my terminal safety manager if this can be done LEGALLY. It can be done if they load us up with some miles, that aren't there because the economy blows and well, I guess everybody has to suffer.

But that will NEVER happen. Knight listens to their dispatchers about as well as they listen to their drivers. They really do need cut out the fat and turn this place in to a well oiled machine that it could be.