AN Webber

I decided not to stay with AN Webber.

Part of my decision was based on having to run regional out of the Kankakee terminal for most of the week I was "OTR".

Part of the decision was getting assigned a truck that smelled like urine and smoke, even after asking the El Paso terminal manager to have the truck cleaned.

Part of the decision was also based on having to submit paperwork for each instance of "additional pay". So even though dispatch is the one booking the regional or local load, the driver still has to submit a request for additional pay for each load that is not OTR.

Another part of the decision was the really crappy attitude of some of the office in Kankakee. As a new driver, I don't expect a red carpet when arriving at headquarters, but if your mantra is "you're not just a number", then it strikes me as more than a little insincere when a new employee doesn't get so much as an introduction or tour around the terminal. And then every time I have to check in to dispatch to see what's going on, I have to provide my truck "number".

The above concerns were further confirmed by more than a few drivers that I talked to and at least one other office person during the 4 days that I was stuck at the Kankakee terminal.

Out of 7 days "OTR" for AN Webber, 1 day was local/crosstowns, 2 days regional, 2 days sitting and only 2 days driving over 500 miles. I was told by a driver that when he asked why he only averaged 2,200 miles a week for months which consisted of mostly regional loads, he was told that there was a slow down in loads due to AN Webber increasing their rates.

Also, I don't think I could ever adjust to the mega concept of informing the driver of the next leg/load ONLY after getting empty. I think I'm going to stick to small carriers for that reason alone.

So dispatch is out of Kankakee, IL whereas most of the OTR drivers are out of El Paso, TX. It was kind of a welcome realization when a receptionist at the Kankakee office proudly and emphatically stated that even the El Paso terminal manager doesn't make decisions about loads, ONLY the Kankakee office.

Thanks, but no thanks.

 

A whole week? You really gave you and them time to feel each other out. People are too impatient anymore. Sorry it didn't work out for you.

And yes, if you were expecting dispatch to know you right away, you were demanding special treatment. While they knew my name and voice, I still had to remind them what truck I was in, because people are people.

Hope you find what you're looking for.

 

The things I mentioned won't change week to week. They're permanent fixtures of disappointment and taken all together, they are deal breakers.

Being "patient" has nothing to do with finding what works and finding a good fit for employment.

Demanding "special treatment" is expecting a tour of the terminal and introductions to safety, dispatchers and, I don't know, maybe even one of the head honchos? If that's "special treatment" then yes, I do expect it, especially from a company that brags about how much they care about drivers and family.

No one's saying you can't like your job just because someone else thinks it sucks.

 

Maybe they should have thrown a party for you when you arrived at Kankakee the first time?

I don't think Webber is a good job, but one thing about the KK3 terminal is you are pretty free to wander around the terminal as you please, and not run into locked doors to keep drivers out.

If you believe the crap about family, and you being 'iimportant' at any company, you'll be disappointed.

The only good thing I see with Webber is the possibility of getting a much higher average length of trips overall, but that varies quite bit. Their pay is way behind the industry average at this point.

 

What is the industry standard? Does that industry standard have decent bonuses? Do they fight you about everything from routing to detention? I believe the problem ends up being that the industry standard is below industry standard; and that drivers are ok with that.

 

The bonuses are nothing to brag about. I have gotten 100% of the annual safety bonus since i"ve been with them, and a handful of the fuel bonuses. The fuel bonus i have very little control over whether I get or not.
I drive the same way all the time. I don't idle the the trucks much, even within the narrow parameters they have set on the truck. Most of the idling I have to do is to attempt to charge the batteries since they refuse to maintain decent batteries in the trucks, and you have no power in the truck after you sit overnight somewhere.


I've been in this business long enough to understand how to look at the total package and not just cpm.
I'm not proud of what I make here, but it's acceptable if the level of BS is modest, and the average trip length is longer than average.

 

I get what you were saying. I was speaking in generalities. There aren't a heckuva lot of choices out here for decent pay. One could always sell their soul for a good paycheck by going to Crete; or get one at the risk of breaking down mid-run, like at Poly.

I don't think I like the Penske repair system they have now. Seems to me Todd is making things more complicated than they need to be. But I was rarely unhappy at Webber. I'm where I am to get into a truck of my own; otherwise I'd likely be back at Webber.

 

Maybe they'll contract out the office people next, and we'll be talking to Chinese and indians on the phone?

 

Have you ever thought that Webber's garage was crap in the first place? At least the Kankakee one was. A bastion of resetting the computer instead of actually fixing the problem. At least they are trying to force structure there, but from what I had heard, the pay scale of the mechanics was the underlying problem.

Your diversion about the office is indicative of every other trucking company. They're trying to find ways to save money, that may not be overly popular with the people it affects.

 

I never thought the webber shops were terrible, not good, but not the worst I've dealt with. AT least they were fairly fast at the little they did.