Schnieder National ..... What BS!

Yeh, that's why I'm reserving judgment for another day. Waiting for the honeymoon to be over. Emphasis on "I think I'm gonna like it"

But it isn't a bad start, considering the way things have slowed down.

 

Tell me who or I shall hunt you down and tickle you.

 

If you are a driver starting out and making low cpm you really need that 2500 mile+ per week.

Had 3000 the first week and 1500+ my second. Stay away from the Atlanta area (fifo -been bad for a few months) and for some reason Gary,IN was really bad this week also, but I was able to get some much needed work on my truck done.

Freight is bad and getting worse. I feel sorry for the CRE and other fleacers since they must be in dire straights. Freight levels are down and freight prices are dropping --> bad for trucking companies and O/Os.

 

I'm just finishing the experienced bulker training. Will see what's next?

 

I know I've only been driving for 8 months, and all of that for Schneider so I don't have any illusions that I know much of anything about this business.
I do however have over 50 years of life experience. I keep my eyes and ears open as much as I can and I have, tentatively, formed a hypothesis about Schneider. It may fit other large companies, it may not. I don't have any experience with other trucking companies to go on.
From what I've seen, rather than being one large monolithic company, it's more like a lot of little companies under one larger company.
How a driver fares depends a lot on two things. One, what board the driver winds up on, this is the little company. The folks that man this board are the ones that deal with load planner, safety, regulatory, etc.. They can make or break you. The second thing, is how you, the driver interacts with those folks.
The first, you probably have little choice on. The second however, is all on you. Now I'm not in any way suggesting that one has to suck up to these folks, rather the old phrase "do unto others as you would have done unto you" seems to fit.
I don't know the person that started this thread. Don't know anything about his board or how he relates to it. I do know that, though my miles are down from last year, I rarely sit a long time waiting on a load, and if I do, I get my detention and layover compensation without having to say anything.
So far, I haven't had much to complain about with this company. They've been straight with me.
Is it my dream job? No. But I have to earn my way to one of those great jobs and I'm pretty sure there are worse companies than this one to drive for to earn my stripes.
Before quitting this company, in todays job market, I'd suggest trying to get moved to a different board. Things might be better for you, they might not, but it can't hurt to try.

 

[quoteHas a company ever gotten too big???

Well, Schnieder National Has!!! I left a good paying job, which had a dying future and signed on to work for Schnieder National. The CDL training was good, but after that...things went bad.
In my five months I run for them:
I have only averaged out 1525 miles a week.[/quote]
Considering what many drivers out there are getting for miles each week in todays economy, you should be thankful for 1500 miles. It could be worse.

Most of the big companies out there are struggling. In the world of economics, truck transportation is the FIRST indicator of the economy. This is a known fact. Right now, loads are down across the board, not just with SNI.

Plus, this is the beginning of the year, another well known time of low freight.

You arent guarenteed to sit anywhere. With the low miles and everything, they would just as soon get that truck rolling to make money for its payments.
Plus, by 'sitting' two days, you were given a 34 hour restart. That is not a bad thing.

Also...by saying you had to move from Dalton to Clarksville, a trip of over 200 miles, just for them to avoid paying you layover...that shows something. It would have been CHEAPER to pay you to stay in Dalton, then to pay the costs to move the truck.

Stick around on this board, or get to know the trucking industry really well, and you will find out that Florida (aka, next to GA) is a nightmare to get freight going OUT of. As well as California and New England.

They changed their ads to reflect hiring only experienced drivers. With the economy the way it is, and the turn down in freight and all, now is as good a time as ever to hire on experienced drivers. It also helps in other ways, such as lowering insurance costs.

All they are doing is keeping their name out there for potential drivers. Plus, there is the regular turnover that they need to replenish.

If you quit SNI, you will have to pay back your loan back to them. As soon as you say "I quit" whatever that amount is (maybe...1200 by now?)...that will be immediately due with full interest.

If you don't like it...try changing some things on your end. See if you can swap over to the western regional board. Or, depending on where you live, a dedicated run might actually end up a better situation in the short term.

 

Anytime you sit anywhere, other than home. It's a bad thing.

1500 miles a week??? That's 30 hours average.

What are you doing with the remaining 138 hours ?????

Chalking it up to 3 resets, and able to make some serious money if they throw you a bone?

 

Schneider earned 3.7 BILLION for 2008. You would think they could treat their drivers a little better.

 

Amen brother!!! Tell "em again!!!

 

wisecentral - welcome to the wonderful world of trucking! you think your situation is unique?

"the pay is low but they make it up with miles"

I had a potential employer try to tell me this once. they were offering 4 CPM LESS than my last job, and NOTHING for deadhead, no benefits, no vacation, no NOTHING. and he tried to convince me that I would be raking in the dough. WHY would I want to do MORE work for LESS money?????????