Am I making a mistake leaving Werner?

51k is actually pretty good, for a new driver, just starting out (comparatively speaking). I would actually point our that just because that's what *he* makes, does not mean that it will also be what *you* make, so keep you expectations realistic. It usually takes one to three years before you get to that level (with notable exceptions, of course).

And getting a clear picture of what the future looks like in any job, involves opinions from both the happy and the unhappy. So far, it sounds as though your information is still pretty one-sided. Ex-employees are not always truthful and forthcoming, but then, neither are the guys who drank the kool-aid. If the company hasn't screwed you, you will naturally be pretty happy, and if they have, you will naturally not stick around. A positive attitude and outlook will serve you well, in your daily interactions - but while you hope for the best, don't forget to continue to plan for the worst. Better to be prepared and not need to be, than need to prepare, and be caught off-guard...

His experience has been good enough that the company wants him to share it with their new employees. Your mileage may vary...

 

Oh man I'm going to Roadmaster school...am I making a mistake of going to Werner?

 

No. OP is just really good at finding reasons to quit. Just don't be like him. If trucking were rainbows and unicorns everyone would do it. There will be challanges anywhere you go.

 

WHY does anyone that drives truck automatically assume that there life SHOULD be a living hell. unpaid 34 hour resets at truck stops are fantastic. its like you never actually have a day off. days off are days that you should NOT be in the truck, so you aren't able to drive and make any money. answer me what GOOD is an unpaid 34 hour reset? they suck. could you imagine any other industry accepting "camping out" at their workplace and not getting paid for it. GOOD LUCK. my current trainer said the first time he has to spend a 34 hour reset on the road, he is turning in his keys. i cant blame him, 34 hour unpaid resets away from home a bad joke.

want to live in a flee bag hotel? thats great too. the place stinks like an ashtray and is probably infested with bed bugs. you will find that the lovely maids will barge right in without knocking, better secure your door with that sliding lock deal. expect to be in that hotel for up to two weeks waiting for a trainer. no car, no transportation, basically a paid prisoner. you will have many days to sleep the entire day away re-thinking your life. expect to loose your privacy with constant roommates. wadhams give me a room by myself, it was NICE.

ever wonder why such a fantastically great company needs to fill a hotel up with new "hires"? its because they are a constant revolving door. WHY? the lifestyle sucks, the company plays games, you have no life, and your family is a distant memory.

not only that but the company makes probably as much money on "training" new students as it does on actually hauling freight. they need people to quit so they have room for more "students". when you finally get on a trainers truck expect to be run as team. the trainer will collect the miles and allot of trainers will show you little else beyond what puts more money in their pockets. it takes time out of pilling miles on the truck to show you important tasks like backing.

comparing the two was apples to oranges so far. i spent 2 nights in the hotel. everyday i was there was spent doing something productive. Friday afternoon i met with dispatcher and the arrangements were already made for my trainer. before i left after my 3rd day i was already talking and texting with the trainer that i will meet up with Monday. they were very efficient and they have to be. they arent lining their pocketbooks with government subsidies for running a driver mill. they make the majority of their money on freight. after all of the arrangements were made i went home for the weekend.

i will be with the trainer from monday morning till friday evening and once again go home for the weekend. everything so far looks good.

if you want to try your chances with werner go ahead, im not stopping you. dont just take my word for it either, read all of the posts, there is far more negativity towards this driver mill then there is positive. im not the only person who felt taken advantage of.

 

in my class at wadhams was a student driver from USX and another from werner (lol). the one working for werner drove for them for 7 months. he got fed up with the dollar account so they changed him over to sears dedicated. it worked out OK for a little while, but after a few weeks his mileage dropped to nothing. the week he left, he drove 800 miles and made $250. he left shorty after.

 

I give it 6 months....

 

Here are some REALITIES of trucking.

1. Sleep is a luxury. The industry doesn't work around a human sleep pattern, it works around the freights scheduled delivery and pick up
2. For company drivers, 34 resets are considered some kind of privilege. It's like they are doing you a favor. Company driver managers think that 34 resets are to reset your hours, not to let you rest after a hard week...read lack of sleep due to meeting the demands of shippers and receiver.
3. Drivers are expendable commodities with hopeful students lining up every day for a chance at this nomadic vacation disguised as a job. When bright eyed hopefuls realize it's a job with a lot of subtle complications, many quit and find another career. Thus, the high turn over rate.
4. Company training is many times just an illusion. It's a paper trail. It's a technicality. Even after training with a trainer, you'll still be just a wide eyed noob wondering how it all works. You'll either learn or you won't. There are exceptions, but considering the randomness of the places we deliver and pick up at, I really doubt that the trainer, even the best trainer, will be able to expose you to all of the iterations that exist within the real world of trucking. I've been doing this five years, and I still run across new problems.
5. The legal world thinks the truck driver is to blame most of the time, irregardless of all realities on the ground. If there's an accident or a mistake, you'll get the blame. You'll have to prove your innocence rather than the other way around like in the normal American court system.

All I can say is that I hope this career fits you, because it's a shoe that has one size, and if it doesn't fit, you won't last.

 

my experience has been better at the same carrier so far. i know it wont be perfect overall

 

Doubt anyone could have said it better

 

I amend my previous statement to 4 months.