Best companies for a wannabe trucker?

If you are not already at werner check out Werner ripoff report on google. These ripoff reports tell you about how companies operate shadily sometimes and things like that. Werner is being sued right now over the way they were treating employees such as like you mentioned this IDLE time.

 

check into these companies also. I am looking at them right now.

Celedon

CRST

Central Refrigerated

Prime

 

I've went and talked with three recruiters for Stevens and got it in writing that if I went to school in Houston it is 1 year but if I went to Dallas it is 3 Years.

My concern is which is the best. I live in Galveston and I see Swift and Prime down here all the time. I don't have the money for a driving school. Stevens has a training place in Spring Lone Star. I've talked with ppl from all three companies some good some bad. I goal into work for 1 yr then try to get something local or regional.

 

If I were in your shoes, which I am with the not able to afford trucking school. I would check into the OET (unemployment office) about getting a CDL through them. If they say no check into your state Voc Rehab program if they say no, Only then would I go to a trucking company for their training.

Check out this website about which trucking company might be better for you and decide from there.

Truckingtruth.com

 

Yes, I know they are being sued BECAUSE THEY SEND ALL OF US MESSAGES OVER THE QUALCOMM ABOUT IT.

We all got a few messages about how Werner was being sued for orientation and training pay, and Werner themselves gave us the number and name of the lawyers suing them. They explained that Werner was being sued because students didnt think they were being paid minimum wage for their hours of training, but that Werner denied the charges.

So ya, Werner is not covering up anything. And when the CSA score got too low... Every single driver got a call. I remember my dispatcher calling and I asked him "Do we really have a problem with this?" and he said "Apparently yes, some drivers have an issue with using their seatbelts"...

So ya, Werner is being sued, and they didnt even try to hide it.

Personally, I decided not to sue them, because I spent weeks in a hotel being paid more than I made at my last job, making $50 a day while surfing the internet and eating Arby's... Last time I checked, being paid for not working, and getting to eat delicious Ruben's while looking at Boobs and Spike TV was not too crappy.

And idle time... I was allowed to idle my opti-idle as much as I wanted. The off/on is irritating, but that only happens on sunday after my idle percent is really high. The rest of the week, the truck idles just fine... turns off about 3am when its nice and cool, and turns back on/off as the battery needs charging. I never had an issue otherwise.

Werner might not be Crete and their $53,000 a year, but Werner is not CR England, they are not Stevens, They are not US Express, and they are not Covenant.

I dont even work for them any more, Im sitting in a hotel room, currently being honked at by a train, near Chattanooga. I have been offered jobs by all but one company SAIA, and for some reason I cant help but want to go back to Werner...

As a single guy, I really liked Werner. But if you want to be home and have a family, please dont even try. I hate to have to hear some married guy complain about home time. Im sorry, but I cant help that... trucking is all about 2 weeks out, one week back.

If you are single and want a relaxed company, Werner is actually really nice. I didnt see my family for 10 months at a time, and my dispatchers tried to force me to go home! I was really happy being single and living out of the truck, having my twice weekly steak in the TA in Roanoke with the adorable waitress... haha

Really, Werner is not going to bite, they just are a bit slow and a bit average, but they dont have any crazy rules...

My dispatcher actually had me FEDEX and entire truck from St.Louis on thanksgiving so I could see my brother, and sent me to Tampa on Christmas so I could see my parents. I didnt ask, he wrote the stuff down... because I did what he asked.

The guys who complained, some of them didnt get home... and it was their own fault. I didnt even ask, they sent me!

So, Werner can be pretty cool for a single guy. But if you want to be home more than a weekend every two weeks... not the right company.

 

HOLY CRAP NO!!!!

Do not finance your training from a company!!!!

If you drive only 2000 miles a week, every cent is $1000 a year! So if you make 22 cents instead of 26 cents, you lose a minimum of $4000 a year!

I say 26 cents, because that the worst paying account for Werner. It should be pretty easy to make 29 cents, even Werner pays 29 cents for any dedicated, and up to 38 for some. If you cant get more than 26 cents per mile, absolutely DO NOT go with a company. 29 CPM is pretty regular, and any experience driver should be making 38CPM or more, with Crete paying over 40...

So dont take these crazy low paying jobs to save $3-6 thousand for training. I spend $4000 to train at great southern in Dalton GA, and I only found out later that they finance... and so do most schools.

That said, I see you live in KY... you should be able to get a dedicated route. If you are willing to sweat and push some rolling containers, you can work Dollar General and make about a grand a week, regardless of the company. Werner, US Xpress, Hogan, and some others do that.

If you are willing to stay out on the road, you can get a dedicated really easy... at least with Werner. I came from Miami, moved to Dalton GA, and then took an account in Roanoke VA. Then I moved to an account out of GA, did some time in Texas on the cross border account, as well as the AL Target account.

So, I have a pretty good idea about being single and working dedicated accounts...

 

Me and my brother wanna get into to long haul team driving. We are from Washington state. We don't have our cdls but want to get on with a company who will help us get them. Any one know of any good places to start looking. I have researched and look but can't get any replys.

 

System Transport in WA is excellent for team driving, pays .50 cpm to teams.

Watkins & Shepard hires teams and has tuition reimbursement. Also has 3 terminals in WA.

CRST hires and trains teams and pays for CDL school for an 8 month commitment. After 8 months you can move on if you're not satisfied there.

Also, check with Central Refrigerated and Prime Inc. for CDL training.

In my opinion, do what it takes to get the training and eventually hire on with System Transport.

 

Yeah i looked into that systems transport only problem with them is they are not hirring. I have emailed crst and they don't reply to my emails or anything. I was told there a good company to start out with but can't seam to make any head way