Auto Truck Transport Corp. - Kenosha, Wi.

This co. has more than doubled the number of empoyees since I started in '03 and a lot of things have changed since then, as they continue to do. Personal attitude is a major factor with Auto Truck and some people just can't handle actually having to think for themselves. I've worked for other co's where you have someone looking over your shoulder every minute and will never do it again. I like being able to run the route that I want, fuel where i want, and sleep where I want without "big brother" keeping tabs on me.

 

I applied at Auto Truck back in 1993 at the St Thomas Freightliner (now Sterling) plant. Back then, they weren't as tight for drivers as they are now, so they told me to come back when I had a little more experience (I had 3 years at the time). I stayed at my current job, and have been pretty happy since, although I still drive by and wonder if I should look into it again. I didn't even realize they had a location here anymore since Active has the big yard across from the plant, but I guess Auto truck's Canadian operation is called ACS now, and they just have a small office a couple blocks away. Not sure where they deck the trucks now.

What kind of time away do you guys generally have? Do you have the option to return back to your home location after delivering a load, or do they expect you to drive/fly to another plant and bring a load back. Or is it a case of if you want to make more money, you will run loads from all over to all over, but if you want to return home often, this is okay? I'm thinking that, since all companies want to cut costs, and walk-up airfare is expensive, they would rather you move loads back in your home direction than fly back to take more loads out.

As a Canadian, I don't think I would be allowed to move loads from one US location to another, so I wonder how much driving there is compared to travel time home. There is obviously a lot more trucks going to the US than coming back to Canada, so I'm sure that getting a return load is tough. How many FF miles do you generally earn in a year? Are you flying once a week, every couple weeks, a couple times a week? In the ads that Active has put in the paper recently, they highlight the FF miles, but as you guys say, you don't get paid to travel. And flying anywhere now almost takes a day that you aren't making any money. FF miles are nice, but they don't pay the mortgage LOL.

 

Dan, all of the loads are decked at the Active yard but Auto Truck and ACS pull them. I can't really comment on the ACS side as it is a bit different than ATT. As a general rule, we can put in for home time every couple of weeks but if you live near a terminal, you can be home quite a bit or even most weekends. When the Canadian drivers del. in the U.S. they either fly straight back or go to another terminal and get a load right back to Can. The FF miles will vary between drivers, I generally rack up around 60-70,000\yr. There are a lot of perks including holiday pay, grievance pay, one personal day, pd. vacation, delay pay, breakdown pay, motel points, mileage pay for driving rental cars, and in the event that you end up with a free airline ticket, you can use it to pay for a flight and the co. will pay you 50% of the cost of the flight ie: if your flight costs $900 and you elect to use your free ticket, the co. will pay you $450. I try to fly as little as possible but am generally in the air about once a week. The website for ATT is www.autotrucktransport.com

 

Someone is really 'shoveling' it within this thread.

DanJ: The turnover at ACS Canada is incredibly bad, said to be somewhat more than the 80 - 140% ATT admits to. Most of the guys I've talked to apply for an opening at Active Canada (Teamster Local 880 out of Windsor, ON) or find something else to do.

Has orientation/ training changed that much since I started? We had 4 days classroom and 4 days shop/shuttle. Everyone who started with me left a long time ago. I have relatively few bills and truly enjoy the job despite the weak pay, benefits and dysfunctional management.

Airline miles? It took me over 2 years to get the requisite 25k miles that can be redeemed for free tickets. Most of my 'free miles' are used for cabin 'upgrades'; I fly as much as anyone else with this co. Yep, my 'gay' trainer was just out of training himself and didn't have a clue about anything. He boasted he was getting loads of 'free tickets' in just the few short months he was there - not a suprising 'credibility malfunction' for his 'ilk'.

I'm typically home for a week once every 4-6 weeks; I work 9 months a year? No, I don't pull every 'trick' in the book but I do accept and complete my assignments methodically, safely and 'on time' - I've averaged around $45k the last couple of years. I don't 'cook' my log book or fuel my towed trucks (for later transfer to mule) to avoid logging fuel stops. I average 600 miles a day or better and turn the runs in very reasonable times.

The recent accident in Ohio was tragic for sure; I was in Garland at what used to be the Holiday Inn listening to other drivers discussing the events. Truly incredible to hear others admit they do the same unsafe practices on a regular basis; at least one stated he was 'taught' to do that as it 'saved time'! One of those drivers present also described an altercation he had the previous night when another man dancing with a woman in the motel bar confronted him about staring and touching the other male patron's butt! Most everyone chuckled except for a couple of us as this is the ATT 'environment'. I suspect the 'trainee' who was present during the discussion has left our employment by now.

Motels? Most of them are decent but you do run into those on occasion most of us would rather avoid. Pay for a better one out of your pocket, roll the dice and you may get reimbursed - I'm still holding a few unpaid invoices from the early days of my employment as I know the 'system' better now.

A current and major issue for many of us is the 'bag weight limit' that seems to change monthly when an airline at a particular location claims to have had their baggage scales 'calibrated'. I've noticed some in the last few months have gone up exactly 5 lbs., which puts me over the 50 lb. limit and additional baggage charge threshold (typically $50 with no reimbursement). Since I carry what I consider to be the 'bare minimum' for my time out (and always carry the same thing except in the winter), this promises to be a serious problem.

I, for one of many, do not consider myself a racist or a homophobe and rightfully don't care what most think. The sad fact is some social/ racial groups can, and often do meet very different (inferior) social/educational/performance/employment standards than I do. Do I like it? You bet I don't and I'm not afraid to say it. I also know the difference between patronage and genuine credibiity.

Am I a Teamster supporter? You bet. I'm 'persona non grata' in Garland more than at most terminals. ATT's increase in employment numbers is mostly due to the parent company JBT Holdings shutting down Active Transportation (Teamster) terminals and reopening them a few days later as ATT terminals (Machinists). The pre-exisitng employees had to reapply for their jobs with their 'new' employer and so-called 'red circle' drivers were brought in (along with independent non union contractors) to fill the 'gaps' until the local ATT operation was up and running.

The 'shift' at the Kenworth Chillicothe, OH plant has been put on hold indefinitely due to the lack of 'resources' needed to make the transition happen. Unimark drivers (another non-union division of JBT) are a pathetic bunch for sure - bottom of the barrel types and many 'brand new to trucking' and don't know better (mostly) and few employers will give a job to. They aren't paid anything worthwhile and experience an astronomical turnover - shouldn't expect any other outcome.

I, for one of many, want to see the IBT come back into ATT facilities as we should be in the $60-75K range for the type of work we do. Many of us feel the last election was 'stolen'; thinking we'll have a better chance the next time around.

Hoping I addressed most, if not all, of the pertinent issues brought up previously. Awaiting intelligent rebuttal or commentary.

:smt045

 

Hi ATT drivers,
I worked for Auto Truck for a few months in 02. I am now working at Con-Way Fraight (CCX) and I am home every day. I like the Co I work for but, if I was forced back out on the road I would go back to ATT. I left in good standing and live close to the Louisville office.
I also worked for Active for 3 years as a union car hauler but the Firestone thing got my job.
The transport side of trucking is a whole different world and can be a lot of work,but it has its +s also.
Loco Freddy

 

Yes I am.
Loco Freddy

 

Gallantry, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you worked for Auto Truck?
The reason I ask is, I keep hearing all of this negative stuff and after almost four years of employment, I don't see it. Almost every problem that I've seen with employees in this co. have been attitude related-ie: repeating\believing that if only we belonged to the IBT, all would be rosy, we would all be rich and we wouldn't even have to work for a living. Guess what, this is the real world. The Teamsters like to brag about how they "get things done". They seldom mention the drivers who are hurt after their strikes force employers to close plants or lay off workers. I REPEAT, if anyone wants to discuss this, e-mail me and I will be happy to sit down with you and explain my last years' W-2. I don't play games and don't like people who do. I work for a living and have never expected not to. I've spent a lot of years running up and down the roads for basically nothing and this is the ONLY job that has delivered as promised in almost ten years of driving.

 

So how is autotransport corp goin these days...back in 2006 some guys liked it some didnt....so what is it...i am a newbie getting into the truckin industry..

 

Auto Truck is not going good right now. As I sit here typing this I have been layed off since July 08, which was the second time. I was layed off in April 07 and took my first load after being called back in April 08. I left a good company just to work for 3 months and got layed off again. Of course I can't blame the company as the amount of work depends on truck sales and how many orders the manufacturers recieve. They have lost both Mack plants(Dublin, VA and Macungie, PA)Freightliner had in the works to close the St. Thomas, ON and Portland, OR plants which might be closed by now. That leaves them 5 yds I believe. But the biggest thing right now is shop people at the yard here in Springfield are working overtime and they have drivers that are more than qualified to work in the shop(me for one) and shop employees still on lay off. Not to mention the work being subcontracted out to other companies. But don't get me wrong I love working for them and I just hope that the truck market will take back off and they can manage to get the Mack contracts back. But who knows with the way the world is starting to get.