ALL Schneider Drivers Please Read!

My husband was threatened with termination 2x over idling, at one point for being 1% over their limit. He worked there 9 months.

 

Well I think it probably depends more on the DBL. I've received one bonus in the last year. Never got a threat, just a phone call....if that.

 

Very true statement Zig. The DBL can make or break one's experience at SNI.

 

In the 1990's I worked Security at a Nuclear plant in Zion Il. On November 8th of 2008 I was to start training at Schneider in Green Bay Wisconsin. One of the guys I worked Security with was supposed to be my DBL in Green Bay. That could have been interesting. About November 1st Schneider called me and said that the training classes were no longer being done. Missed it by a week.

 

If I could offer the original poster some unsolicited advice; Throwing a temper tantrum because you don't get a raise is foolish and career limiting. Doing it publicly and loudly during the worst financial meltdown in 50 years is a stunning example of bad judgement.

Seriously, I thought you were joking at first.

Let me get this straight; you are attempting to punish the same employer that makes your paycheck possible? You wrote them a letter telling them so? Hope you did it anonymously because ****Insults Removed**** I've seen people fired for a lot less than that. If you are worth so much money why don't you work for someone else? Another thing doesn't sit right with me; the company you work for, the same people who allow you to provide for your family, has a bad year and suspends raises ****Insults Removed****

I wish I had a job. I wish I had your job. You have a lot to be thankful for but your sense of entitlement won't let you see it.

 

Trust me Roehl doesn't need to use idle time to get rid of drivers. If they want you gone they will make things up.

 

Ok... To all of you not sure what's really going on with Schneider..
I started working for SNI a little over 2 years ago. From the get-go I was lied to... I was lied to about the amount of money I'd make per mile (team), the type of benefits offered, the miles available and so on. The documents we read & signed have disappeared... I've repeatedly asked for copies of MY contract and with a little BS and broken promises I'm told I'll get a copy in the mail... Then it's NEVER there. I've attempted this at least 7 times since I signed them. I do remember on a few of them they would not let us put the date we signed them claiming that their Notary will "add" the date later.... Now I'm wondering what have I done?!?
Alrighty... To be honest; SNI isn't the worst company to drive for if all you care about is miles (which isn't too bad). But as far as "being part of the team" you'll get a sharp slap to the face on that one... Here you are just a number that can be replaced and any questions/complaints you have will be ignored. The "Company Paid Training" is a lie! You'll end up paying SNI $13.56 a week for 17 months. Then after you've been with SNI 2 years you are supposed to get $1000.00 back. Thing is the $1000.00 is taxed so it's not what you expected. The only reason SNI seemed to be doing so great and was doing so much training was the government was paying them around $10K per driver or potential driver. When that was taken from SNI things really went down hill.
A few months ago after the "OBAMA-nation" started SNI announced they were taking away our free coffee and extra towels to save money. No big deal since I don't drink coffe and only need one towel. after about a month they tell us they are freezing our pay. Another no big deal since I was making 42 cents a mile (I was satisfied with it). About a week later they tell us they are no longer matching the 401K. Didn't really bug me all that much since I didn't start a 401k with them (although I was looking into it). Now here's where it gets "fun".....
We were told that we will no longer get Holiday run pay. And the office staff will be "forced" to take one week off with no pay. Hmmm... what else can go bad here? I'll tell you.....
Approx a week ago we were told that starting Oct 1, 2009 ALL drivers will lose anywhere from 2 to 5 cents per mile, depending on if you have your HazMat, unless you make a quota per quarter. The quota isn't a big deal because ANYONE can make it if you're given the miles to make it. It's 27500 per driver per quarter. The problem I have with it is SNI tells us they're taking this "chump change" from us to make the payments on the 500+ new trucks they claim they've bought... Bought is a joke! SNI is in such a hole they can't afford to buy new trucks, they are ALL leased! And who does all the cutbacks effect? Us the drivers. Everyone in the office has kept there pay as it was before the cutbacks. All they have to do is take 1 week off without pay....Oooooo I'm sure that hurt them soooo much! (not!)
Now I know why SNI pushed us so hard to stay away from Unions!
Every week there's a new unwritten rule. Every month there's a new quota to make. And every quarter there's a new excuse to not pay the drivers for the work they've done. Bonuses are just about a thing of the past! Instead of meeting 3 criteria you need to meet at least 5 (last time I checked). There's no safe mile bonuses, just a generated message patting you on the back. You don't get paid the miles you drive only Movers Miles, up to 12% of driven miles go into SNI's pocket. They're closing our Operating Centers down, 4 so far: Evergreen, Washington, Green Bay, Seville and more to come. They've fired/retired ALL the original employees of SNI. Wayne Lubner was the last, he actually cared about the drivers and this company..He was NOT retired, he was forced to leave! Your Driver's Handbook no longer applies to today's rule and good luck in getting detention/layover pay, they've stopped that too. Every time they change the game I tell them to send it to me in writing and I've never received any documents.
The benefits and other BS they talk about in their ads are just that-BS!

 

Wow! That sounds like <insert any company name here>.

I think they are pretty much ALL doing that. Pay freezes, pay cuts, this and that cuts, etc.... Right now, I would NOT want to own a trucking company. Those guys are getting eaten alive. I don't particularly like the fact that they are cutting more driver services, including pay, being that drivers are the ones who actually make the money (the sales people and load planners actually bring the money to the company), but you gotta wonder what any company would do when faced with this Obamasamalamadamadingdong ecomony.

 

Ahh, another victim....muhahahaha!

Well, that means YOU didn't make a copy of your paperwork, right? Don't get mad at them because you signed willy nilly on every paper they gave you.

I guess maybe its just me, but when I signed onto this company that has over 10k drivers...I didn't assume I would be a name.
On the contrary...I don't want people to 'know my name.' because I dont want to call in every 3 hours with some stupid complaint or question or issue. I've been rumored to be a ghost...someone that nobody hears from until I pop out of nowhere and make a phone call. Then again, when I have a complaint or comment about something...it gets taken care of. Not sure why it isn't with you. Hmm?
Wow...you had to pay a whopping 13.56 a week for 17 months? Thats a grand total of...holy Carp!....its $922 you had to pay for two weeks of training at an OC for your new career, plus OTR training and final testing! If it makes you feel any better, I paid 25 a week for 18 months. At the end of the day, I paid 1/3 the cost of my training for my new skill. Not bad. We also didn't have the 1000 give back at the end of our contract. And either way, you DO get the 1000 back...its just simply taxed. Duh. lol.
I LOVE the comment about the Government paying 10 grand per driver. Wow, lol. If the government had any grant program at all, it was for the drivers that finished training and I highly doubt it was 10 grand, or anywhere near that amount. Considering the fact that a huge number of student don't even make it through training, they don't make huge wads of money...NOR is that their intent.

Holiday pay was a whopping 40 bucks for the holiday. If you worked, it was an additional 40. For me...Im on a dedicated account...so all I got was 40 bucks. Big Whoop. That and I don't feel I should get paid more for working on a holiday in a country that tries to take God away from everything anyways. Amazing how many stupid athiests out there love making double overtime on Christmas.
As far as the office staff...I don't care because Im not an office staffer, lol. And again, lots of companies are doing this left and right.

Well instead of signing your papers without reading...you should have actually looked them over.
ALL drivers for SNI are required to have HazMat. That is a fact. So complaining about their requirement is dumb, when you've known all along about it. If they take away cents per mile from you because you fail to get HazMat...I don't blame them. By not having HazMat, you lave them in a situation where they have a harder time finding another driver who does have it...especially if you are teh only one in the area and they have to bring in someone else from far away beacuse you didn't want to do what you were told.
I won't ASSume to know what they are doing with the truck purchases either. I've been told that some are bought, some are leased. Who knows? If you think about it...SNI hasn't purchased many new trucks at all over the last two or so years because they wanted the new engines to get the kinks worked out. Now they are buying Cascadias, Volvos...I've seen some Kenworths, new Centuries. I know on our account, we are getting new trucks...they cost about 1500 a week more than the current trucks we have.
So with that in mind, that they haven't bought trucks...all the money that they normally set aside for buying new trucks that is written into the contracts for moving freight...all of that money is sitting somewhere in a big ol pile and is now getting used to buy trucks. Don't pretend that they don't factor in truck replacement as part of their shipping bids. They DO have the money for the trucks, sorry for you.

Next, lets look at your argument for the cutbacks...comparing the drivers cutback for NOT having HazMat (I dont think they get a cutback IF they have HazMat) to office workers who are forced to take time off. Ok there isn't really any comparision there at all...its pretty obvious. You are complaining about a 2-5 cent per mile loss because you fail to get the required endorsement...while the office workers lose an entires week pay.

Ohhhh please...PLEASE argue with me about unions! Please!!!!!!

Not sure how you know about the unwritten rule...especially since its unwritten.

Never heard of a quota at all, especially since they are the ones giving you the miles.

Excuse about not paying the drivers? uh...nothing has changed there at all. Sometimes you get paid for line 4 stuff, other times, no.

Bonus...I heard that at one time you could get 3 out of five and get your bonus. Then I heard you could get a partial bonus. etc. For my account...we either get it, or not. And its based on Idle time, OOR miles, safety, and overspeed. Maybe something else too, not sure. Not too hard considering if you shut the truck off...no Idle. Dedicated account...no OOR miles. Saftey...dont hit anything. Overspeed...naughty naughty if you go faster than you should...all the time.
But then again...lots of OTR SNI drivers get their bonuses all the time. Not sure why you aren't.
I wasn't getting my bonus because they never turned my truck down. It was set at the old team speed of 68 and since I would rather go 68 than 60...I simply didn't care much about the bonus.

 

Like I said before, welcome to working for a right to work company.

Drive safe.