ATS Lease Program?

In my opinion, anyplace is a good place to work for ATS. I'm sure ATS has their own ideas about that though. I doesn't cost anything to try. My advice is to make sure your recruiter knows you are dedicated and hard working. I do not know what the hiring area is, just cover your bases.

Having said all that, you run the entire lower 48 and maybe Canada. It really doesn't matter where you live if you want to work. Now, if your mail concern is getting home, that is a different story.

I have been with ATS for about three months now. I have asked to be home only twice. The first time when I was assigned my truck, so I could pick up the rest of equipment and the second was for jury duty. I was home for about a 34 hour reset, I wasn't assigned a trial case and didn't have jury duty.

I have been by the house many times without asking for home time. Sometimes several times in the same week and over many weekends. Although I don't ask for hometime I manage my loads so I can pass through the house, even if it is just for a 10 hour break or 34 hour reset.

I am learning where the freight is running. There are several loads going out West that run through the house or close enough to make it worthwhile and loads out West that deliver in the area or to Houston.

Because I never ask for hometime, I guess I should have severl weeks built up.

This load that I am on now is a colossal failure. The idea was to deliver on Friday, well that didn't happen. It really was too far and the route too slow. I made one unforgivable mistake. I use my phone as my alarm. It is set on a 24 hour clock. I pulled over for a 1.5 hour break. I set it for 12:30 forgeting that is 1230 or 12:30 PM. I woke up and I couldn't get there until 1730, they close at 1600. Oh well, I have been running hard for the last three months and I needed the break. It is going to hurt the paycheck, but I was able to take it easy for a couple of days driving and do my laundry and get in a 34 hour reset. I get to do all that where the high temperature is 70 degrees not 113 degrees. Man it was hot in Texas eariler this week.

I get a fresh start on Monday and am only a few miles from Canada. This week may be, should be a very good week for me. I may have to bounce half way accross the country to get out of North Dakota, which hurts more and more every day as fuel prices continue to increase.

 

I really hate giving advice to drivers because I am so green myself. I will be going over two years, yes two whole years in about month.

A willingness to run hard is one factor. It is absolutely necessary. You also have to run smart, manage your hours to deliver on time and to have hours left for your next loads. Take advantage of any downtime to sneak in a 34 hour restart.

I worked for TMC for awhile. They seemed to be a little closer than ATS drivers. That is probably a misconception on my part. I base that on TMC drivers always waving as you pass and many time ATS drivers don't. Thinking about it, I bet it is that ATS has many different kinds and colors of trucks. We just don't recognize each other until it is too late. I am always waving at another ATS driver and not getting a response, I'll keep waving though.

 

Hey Terry, I got one of those colossal failures too. Got a big OD load out of Laredo. My FM starts screaming at me because of the money this one is paying. Tarp load from hell. Got the load late and it was late last night by the time I got it secured and tarped. Got permits Saturday morning. Followed the route and cutting through the woods towards Pueblo. Cant run Texas after dark unless on the interstate. Found a place to shut down. Now I cant run New Mexico on Sunday. 1000 mile load and will take til Tuesday to deliver.

 

Ok listen up.I had no idea about that.They didn't tell us that in orientation.And so if that is truely the case that is ats's fault.Why?Because they hired those drivers that did the damage.Think about what you are saying.Because a few drivers did damage it's the whole van divisions fault?So because a few drivers were unprofessional good drivers like myself that were always on time never had any claims deserve to go broke?What if the same happened in flatbed division?Would that mean that you and other flat drivers that did their jobs like professionals were at fault?As i said i worked behind a desk during my career.When we hired drivers i could tell just by talking to them and seeing how they performed their work whether they were what we wanted in a driver.ATS just wants drivers in the seats of those hundreds of parked trucks they have.They do not care who they hire any more.When i went through orientation there was a driver that had never driven a manual transmission.They hired him and gave him a truck.When i road tested guys at Cardinal freight if they ground any gears or rode the clutch i passed on them.I told management no good they needed more training.You keep saying ats is a good company.When looking at a company you have to look at them as a whole not just one division.As a whole their lease program is no different then swifts.jb hunts, us express.The lease is designed to benifit just the company.I did do good in 06 and 07 working for them as i said.However what i left out was as i neared the end of my lease they started trying to starve me.I did complete the lease then and got my bonus and a new truck only because i planned ahead and saved for a rainy day.If you come in as a true owner operater i'm sure you will do ok.But do their lease program and you will not.You have less control.They tell you where you can get your truck fixed when as an owner operater you should be able to find the cheapest best service you want as well as find your own freight if they can't find anything.But with ATS if there is no freight then you sit.And for every day you sit it costs you out of your pocket min. 200 dollars a day.You keep singing them praises i'll keep trying to keep drivers from making the mistake of hiring on.And again there are more drivers failing at their lease program then are succeeding.Ats is just like all the rest.Stay away from their lease purchase.It is no good and right now neither is their van division.There you happy triplesix i threw you a bone.But that reflects the whole company.Most drivers are driving to make aliving pay bills take care of their families.You can't do that at ats.

 

I am franco and i disagree with sinister and triplesix.The lease program at least the van division sucks.I started in feb.and quit in may after many weeks with little or no pay.The company is in trouble.Any company that has that many trucks parked in their yards with no drivers is in trouble.If you want to go to ats do your research first.Do not just listen to the guys on here.They are in the minority.Talk to some of the drivers you see out on the road to get a better sense of what is going on.Ats was and i repeat was a good company at one time.They now do what most companies are doing screw their drivers and lie to them.I saw freight bills at a customer.They told me the load paid one price when actually ats was getting a lot more for it.No matter how you slice that up triplesix and sinister that is wrong and also illeagle.They are robbing the lease drivers.But then they have to.Just look in their yards and you will see the whole picture.The good drivers are getting wise to them and staying away.which means they have alot of driverless trucks.Good luck to you hollywood i hope that you make the right choice,i do not want anyone elese to go through the frustration i went through.If you do hire on go flatbed.You have a better chance of making it.

 

Does anyone else see a never ending cycle with this statement? Go onto just about any thread for any company and you'll read at least one driver stating something along the lines of "there's no freight. All I do is sit. The company doesn't have enough freight for the driver they have yet they keep hiring more." Then you see a company that is parking trucks and drivers automatically assume "They are hurting and getting ready to go under." First of all I don't accept any one persons blanket statement about any company. We all have been driving long enough to know the industry and how it works. Sometimes your just in the rut. That's they way it works out and from your seat everything is falling apart. At that exact same time there are drivers that say "I'm doing just fine." Does that mean your a bad driver. Hell no it doesn't. It's just not your time in the lime light. I also don't want you (franco) to think that I don't want you to continue to post on here. Drivers need all input both good as well as bad. In the case of ATS your insight into the van division is extremely valuable. There are very little van posts on here because just about anyone with knowledge of that side of the house is saying it has tanked. OK so if everyone or nearly everyone says the same thing, you can pretty much take that for the truth and what you should expect. I want to reemphasize that the statement that started this whole reply was that they are in trouble because of all the trucks parked. If no one was making money over there that would probably be true. Apparently the specialized and heavy haul is doing ok at least at the time being. Parking trucks in this economy is probably a strategic move for a lot of company. Many are trying to sell off excess equipment to downsize yet the markets are flooded with equipment so they can't move it. So you just have to fill up terminals until you find some place to get rid of it. (or the economy picks up)

 

I have a story.

 

I'm glad you qualified that with "van division." My experience is just the opposite. I have talked to many L/O , O/O even company drivers in flats. We all seem to be doing well. I have met only one O/O who is not and I detailed his problems in a previous post.

I do not deny or doubt your experiences, you obviously had a bad one. Yet you are only one person and you are giving advice to potential ATS drivers not to listen to the five or six of us posting our positive and successful experiences and listen to you, the lone voice of reason.

What I do like about your post is that you are not the typical drive-by poster who trashes a company and is never heard from again. You stick around and detail your experiences.

It sounds like you burned bridges when you left ATS. That is a shame. Those of us in flats seem reasonably happy. You could have switched, you might have been a little dirtier, a little more tired, but much happier and well paid.

I question the reasoning capabilites of a "van" driver anyway!

 

In my opinion the van division has always had its ups and downs, they basically got it big by hauling for fingerhut, when they went under, the van div. had to scramble for freight, which they did though alot of the void was filled with cheap freight like paper and recycled cans/paper(garbage) they got back on firm footing, then Harold passed away and Roley took over and in my opinion wanted to go to big to fast and did not have the freight base for it, unlike on the flat side when they took over trism (specialized), they also took over the majority of it's customers and alot of their drivers came over also, I know some of them are still with ATS.
I am not sure why Franco has it in for ATS, but I think he is blameing them for something out of their control, He signed for the truck, it broke down, it is a machine, it happens, the economy is in the crapper so once you get behind it is twice as hard to catch back up, I think some guys want ATS to hold his hand, pat his bum and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. ATS is a business, when you lease/buy a truck from them, you also go into business. The main goal of a business is making a profit, if you can't/won't hold up your end of the bargain, then ATS is not going to sacrifice the entire company to keep one driver happy.
Do they still have their reefer trailers that they used to haul that golden plump chicken(or what ever it is called)??

 

i have to say one thing here......i said i'm a car hauler, i work for toyota transport here in phoenix and i can say this, our trucks are soooo clean because there has not been any work for almost a year and yet they let us come in and clean trucks just to pay us for 4hours working. Hell i lost my house because of this economy. i'm just looking to get into a company and my own truck when the economy is barely leveling out so that way when it starts slowly going up so does my profit.
here's the deal most BIG companies really werent prepared for the downturn and panic'd. there is gonna be a little (and if you're lucky a little) bad times in every company whether it be haveing to layoff or just not giving raises for a a little bit, in order to keep the company and ultimatly you making money. btw: im not taking sides here, im just saying that im sure there are some making it and i also understand why some are a little sour.
we didnt layoff anyone and just spread the little work that we had around to everyone. in the end i lost my house because of it but heres the up side.......one of my co-workers/friends didn't loose his job and i get to laugh and work next to him to this day. sometimes money and home isn't everything. my family still has a place to live and my FRIENDS still have jobs so all is good in the end!