Big G Express Shelbyville, Tn So far........

Something I forgot about is that wellness thing. I personally don't carry health insurance on me or the wife ( I pay cash for any doctor/hospital visits). Tow could prolly give the skinny on that wellness program, I believe you get $ off your premiums.

I prefer to choose my own DOT doc and have no issue with paying for it, depending on how long is left on your current card you wont need a new one (I didn't and had about 8 months left on my current 2yr card).

I'm not into company gatherings/mingling but Big G likes to throw some fun in the mix, from time to time they do some wacky stuff at 840 as well as cooking for company personnel almost every week (maybe every week), not my thing but the company IMO has good intentions.

 

For what it's worth, When I lived in central IL I used to leave Monday mornings about 0500 and be home Wednesday afternoon, leave Thursday morning about 0500 and be back Friday night or Saturday morning usually by 1000. I made $72,000 and didn't have to pay for anything but my food, underclothes, and a hammer. They even paid us $35/year for bedding. We had a vending machine we just went up to, put in our driver ID and got our gloves, hard hat, safety glasses, flashlight, batteries, chemical suit, and anything else we needed. Family insurance was $45/week for a golden super double triple diamond Cadillac plan too. Got divorced and moved back to TN, or else I'd still be there.

Now I work Monday-Friday night or Saturday afternoon, and am guaranteed $65,000 minimum whether I work or not. If I make more I get to keep it, but if I actually earn less, I still get $1,250 a week as long as I was available to work Monday-Friday. I do have to buy my own gloves, pants, bedding, flashlight, and batteries, and our insurance is about $65/week and not as good, but a guaranteed paycheck is worth it lol.

However, I am shopping other companies because on July 30 we were informed we are getting the cameras in our trucks that face out and in on the driver. Haven't gotten mine yet, but am just putting some feelers out to see what else is available. Will wait till I get mine installed to see if I can live with it or not.

And there is a company called Highway Transport that offers a guarantee of $68,000 (or somewhere around there) if you are available to work for 13 days (if I remember right) at a time. Don't know about their insurance or any other details.

 

For $72,000 there wasn't another part of the city you could move to that would let you keep the job and stay away from the ex? But in IL, after state and city taxes (if any), higher property taxes, and a higher cost of living, $72,000 turns into $65,000 quick. Plus...honestly, I wouldn't live anywhere in the IL, IN, OH, MI, PA area unless it was in the $85-90,000 range. Call it an "a-hole surcharge"(not that I am saying everyone up there is an a-hole, it's just an area where they have an over population of those that are)

Plus you're talking tanker, hazmat tanker at that. Schneider advertises in my area, tanker jobs that average $70k+, but it's Schneider, and it's Hazmat tanker. That is 2 things I don't want any part of. I have my tanker endorsement but dropped my Hazmat endorsement last year because Poly doesn't haul Hazmat and w/o it, you don't renew your D/L as often.

The reason I am interestes in Big G is because of their reputation for how the driver gets treated, not just pay. If I wanted to work with a company that treats us like crap, but pays more, I'd stay at Poly or go back to Crete. But atmosphere is important to me, and by what I read here, it seems that most are happy and enjoy their job at Big G, and that is a rare thing in today's trucking world.

 

As far as insurance, starting either this year or next year, the penalty for not having it is going to exceed the yearly insurance premiums to have it. Plus, the wife has many perscriptions that are a bit pricey if paying cash, so insurance for her is an absolute must, I don't use it but she does.

 

Our insurance is excellent and the premiums are about the same wherever i have been. I do pay the extra to upgrade my coverage plus the short/long term disability coverage which i never had before. At my age that means a lot. I always say i can afford to die just not get sick.

I have worked jobs in the past also that paid a high salary with free healthcare and all the premium perks. But I was required to carry a gun and didnt take but a few years to realize there was a better way to make a living. Everyone has their own reasons for working where they do and I can say that I am very very happy at Big G.
My wife and I drove team for 8 years or so and we could go elsewhere and team for big bucks but i am over that.

If you are looking for a place to make a decent living with great benefits and want to be treated with respect then this is definitely the place.

 

I made good money carrying a gun. Still do.

 

And the one thing that is making me lean towards them is day 1 insurance (according to the adverts I've seen). Not having to wait 60, 90, or 120 days for my wife to have insurance is a real bonus.

 

That is true..it has a higher deductible for the first 90 days but you still have coverage..

i strongly suggest taking the long term disability..you can get it no questions asked during orientation but not after..well worth it

 

disability insurance is great if they pay. Crete had it when I got hurt. Not only did they NOT pay me a dime for my 2 months off, they denied the claim as a workers comp injury, but the doctor, the hospital and my lawyer all said it was without a doubt a legitimate claim. They probably spent more on legal fees fighting it than what their cost would have been to approve it.

As far as the deductible costs, that's not a big deal as long as the perscription plan pays for her meds.

 

Our disability is thru an insurance company