current info on usxpress and orientation

Well I'll just tell you up front, orientation is a pain in the ###! I just recently came back to USX from Roehl transport and man orientation has changed alot. It seems to me that the classes have gotten bigger and they dont have enough people to do all the checking and paper work. I'll just run down some things to be prepared for keep in mind I did my oreintation at the Tunnel Hill, GA terminal.

1. Be prepared to have a way home, you are not hired until you get your fuel card and paperwork!
2. Dont think its gonna be a easy process, if you really want the job be patient, dont cop an attitude or they will show you the door.
3. Be prepared to do some lifting/endurance/pulse rate tests, you have to carry some weight around in milk crates and they test your pulse and blood pressure.
4. Dont sit out in smoking areas cursing, or talking bad about the process your going through as you are not hired!
5. If you are a first seat driver aka no training required, be prepared to be sent home while they find you a truck also be prepared to be sent to another terminal to retrieve one could even be sent to recover one from a abandonded location.
6. If your a student be prepared for long waits for a trainer to become availible, have heard it taking "weeks".
7. Dont think for a sec your gonna get a shiney new truck when you get hired or upgrade, only team drivers get new trucks.

Ok now as for miles, I been getting more miles here at USX than I was getting at Roehl with that said they still fluctuate but overall I'd say I get enough to suit me.
I have found out that the longest wait times inbetween loads are if you happen to drop a load at a terminal or near a terminal, or when coming out of hometime. So some advise is to avoid terminals like the plauge, if you get in there its hell getting out!

Hope this helps

Keep On Trucking@##!!!

 

Oh, so its exactly the same as all the other orientations! Good to know. They all must be sharing evil company secrets!

 

LOL ummmm no you dont get paid while waiting for a trainer. I think that alot of trainers stopped training and I'm guessing its mostly due to not being paid enough to make it worth the trouble. I know I wouldnt do it for the measly 20 or 25 bux a day! I was making 60 bux a day doing it for Roehl so I can see why they are short of trainers. As for the oreintation being the same as other companies I really dont know Ive only be to Roehls and USX out of those 2 Roehls was more organized but you dont get paid for it LOL go figure guess, USX makes you earn that orientation pay.

 

Having gone through the first seat driver orientation here's a little story that could help. There were these two drivers who were hired with me and they could not wait to get a truck. The terminal had two brand new daycab Freightliner's sitting in Tunnel Hill that had to be in Dallas, Texas. The terminal said to them that if they drove these trucks to Dallas they would pay for the motel stay for a night and that 2 trucks would be waiting there. They agreed took and off in them. About a month later I was at the Tunnel Hill terminal and saw one of the guys. He told me that he did get the truck there and that unfortunately, there never was never any truck there. He had to wait a week in Dallas for a truck! So much for trying to get a truck in a hurry.

The point of all this is PATIENCE. You see, I stayed at the terminal instead of accepting one of the daycab trucks. The next day they had a clean Freightliner waiting for me.

If you need to be trained that will take some patience too. I had to be trained at USX and I waited a month for a trainer.

 

If you go to USX and can get through the oreintation it's a decent co. to drive for. The part about not being hired untill you get your fuel/pay card is so true. The bad part is you wont find out untill the last day. We had one guy at the Medway term that failed his drive test and that was given in the first hour of the first day, but wasnt told that he wasnt hired untill the last day at the end of the day. The bad part of USX is they split the country in half using I-35 and if you live east of that then you run east of that. So get use to seeing the north east and the chicago rail yard. One of the best things about them is there training. The student does all the driving, after you get 150 behind the wheel hours the trainer goes to the berth a few hours a day but he's/she's just a shout away. The last part which takes about 3 weeks to get to and last about a week you will drive team. After that you go to a terminal (which you called about a week before) and take your upgrade test. As far as waiting for a trainer, i waited 3 weeks and that was back in june.

 

Thank you for all of your advice. I am scheduled to attend orientation in Jan and hope that all of your advice will help. I will let everyone know Again thank you everyone ..... You know that life is just a box of chocolates

 

Ive been accepted to usx and am supposed to go out to Medway for orientation Monday. My recruiter told me almost everything mentioned in this blog which Id say is a plus already. Are they pretty good about getting you home? I dont mind staying out for a couple weeks at a time but not months like Ive heard from other company drivers. And just curious why did some of you leave Roehl to come here? Ive been trying to get back in with them but theyre on a hiring freeze. Thanks for any info