big g express

I worked for Big G for about a year and am trying to get back on with them again. I left because of a dispatcher. I know, dumb reason to leave. Besides the dispatcher problem I believe the company to be a very solid business. Equipment is very well maintained as long as, you, as a driver, take care of it like you're supposed to. I never had an issue with getting something fixed. And quite honestly had very few problems.

As for Big G and Goggin. If you go to the Big G Express web site and click on history and watch the video, you will hear all about the history of Goggin and Big G. Big G began as Goggin many years ago and evolved into Big G. One of Goggins previous employees worked his way up to buying the controlling interest in the company and the name was changed to Big G Express.

I hope to get back on with them. I am planning on moving my family down to that part of the country soon and it would be a great fit.

Hope this helps answer your previous questions. And by the way, don't let the dispatcher issue scare you away. I really believe it was an isolated issue with the one dispatcher. Other dispatchers I encountered were very nice and reasonably helpful most of the time. The staff at Big G are good people and make you feel like you are bcoming part of a family.

 

I recently got back on with big g. They have recently began bringing in Kenworth T660's, mainly to the senior drivers. All manuals, no more autos from what i understand. Too much extra work for their mechanics.
Honestly, things seem better this time around with them. They get me home on my weekends and i haven't had any problems with my dispatcher up to this point. I made it a point to take him aside for a private chat when i first hired back on to tell him the issues i encoutered before. So far he has done his best to keep things running smooth between us. It seems when an issue does come up, it's mainly with the planners and not dispatch. As with any company, planners don't care about the driver's needs they just have to get loads delivered. It's the dispatchers job to smooth things over with the driver. I've found that, for the most part, if you are up front and stern about your intentions and expectations with dispatch, they will usually try to help you out here.

As for their trucks, I drive a 09 Volvo 670 that is actually in pretty good shape. About two weeks ago I had a full service done where they changed brakes, tires and even replaced a windshield that had a small crack in it that i had just mentioned, no questions asked. Maintenance really does do all they can to help a driver, no matter what you may here from other drivers at big g. Driver complaints, from what i've seen, are usually from drivers who are so picky they should buy their own trucks. Drivers have to understand, at times, companies have to try to save money to stay competitive in this industry and that may mean you don't always get what you want right away. My personal view is that Big G does everything they can within reason to make the drivers job easier. That doesn't mean you always get your way.

With any company, drivers are going to have thier likes and dislikes. You just have to find one that fits best for you and figure out what you can and cannot tolerate. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give Big G somewhere between 8.5 to 9. There's always room for improvement no matter where you go. If someone ever finds that perfect company out there, please let me know so I can apply.

 

Great post ada I have a few questions for you

1. Where do you live?
2. Does you truck have an apu? If not do they have a idle policy/fuel bonus?
3. What areas do you typically run whats the farthest south and west you've been?
4. Do they haul any hazmat?
5. Do they use paper logs?

Thanks in advance

 

Where to start?



Equipment? Top notch, however you will be required to turn off that APU or face suspension. When you pull in to Gladeville the grease monkee(quite literally by the way he will spread grease to your door handle steering wheel cabinet behind you) will inspect your hours. Exceed their weekly maximum and be called into the office for re-education o0n proper usage (read amount) of your APU that wilkl last through four cycles of trucks or else. They fired the only good alley man they had because he would use his brain instead of the mantra of detaining drivers.

Fuel policy? Get ready to fuel twice a day when heading east. See they will have you fuel Gladeville and 30 gallons later fuel in White Pine tto deliver in Johnson City back to White Pine for 10 gallons to go to Charlotte. Drive by White Pine or Gladeville without topping off and get more re-education classes on the necessity of purchasing fuel at these to stops.

Dispatch? Rather have a barium enema than deal with their crap. Every Friday you will sit in your truck until 1700. Mind you may unload at 4 am in Lynchburg just to wait all day. Every other day of the week at 1700 when day shift goes home all of your "instructions" will come through the pipe.

Those will include driving 700 miles to deliver your suddenly hot load ( never mind that you have already driven 600) by 6 am. They do this so when you respond that is not possible night shift ( who's first instruction is always you have to do it or face suspension) will deal with you so they do not have to. Ask any night dispatcher how many e-mails were sitting there waiting on them to deliver them when they came on duty. We employ one of their ex-dispatchers. He left when they started the ESOP ponzi scheme to finance Marsh's campaign to state legislature.

Reloads? Really got to suck now that e-logs are involved. They used to spend at least 6-8 hours finding anything in Texas unless you were in Houston. Then it is soap powder to Dyersburg. Were you will sit until they have a shuttle to Bowling Green. 3 days 900 miles. And no their mileage calculator is correct. It is not actually far closer to 1200


Terry and his wife are very nice to send me my bimonthly post card asking me to return to work. Well in truthfulness it seems they have given up.



And I caution anyone to carefully examine the premise of their "Piece of the Pie" ESOP program.




On the other hand I know guy's that wouldn't leave their for anywhere? Some people enjoy crap like that I guess. But any company that makes me talk through a 12x20 window to dispatch is not for me. Oh and do not ask to speak to your dispatch if he is in Shelbyville ( I think they fired all of them but Bobo) because they do not encourage face to face conversation. You will sit out front until he gets time to see you.



My rating? Do negative numbers count?

 

Hey Taz, sounds like you should go buy your own truck if you have so many complaints. Before you do though, let me tell you, "been there done that, not contemplating again anytime soon."

Jelly Bean to answer your questions,

I live in Columbus, OH and do get home pretty often. They have alot of loads that go into Zanesville, OH for Dollar General Dist. And we hall a lot out of the Owen Brockway plant there also.

All trucks have APU's and yes they do monitor your hours on them but I have never had anyone tell me I was going to get suspended for over use. Or have to watch any videos or go through remedial training because of it.

Like I said in my previous post some people want things their way all the time and it just isn't that way in the "real world". You have be able to take the good with the bad in this line of work and if you can't, Mcdonald's is always in need of a good line cook.

I typically run up and down I65 and I71. Alot of Jack Daniels runs into and out of Lynchburg,Tn. They will send you up and down the east coast alot which tends to scare alot of drivers away. It's really not so bad once you get use to the normal routes they run. Been as far south as Miami, FL and as far west as Nebraska. They do have a lot of loads out of the Dallas and Houston area that usually come right back to the Tennesee area. Most of their west coast stuff goes to teams, yes they do run teams. They will send you out west if you don't care to get home. I have a wife and two kids that would like to see me when they can, so I tend to go home on the weekends for the most part. Even going home on the weekends I still average between 2700 and 3000 miles a week. Usually get home on a Friday night or early Saturday morning and don't leave out til Sunday night or early Monday morning.

They do run Hazmat but do not require you to have it or run it. They don't pay very much extra for it. I tend to think for all the extra hassle you may have to put up with it, the pay doesn't justify hauling it. They may require it in the future but I haven't heard anything in that direction as of yet.

I still run a paper log because I have an older truck. However, all new trucks have e logs in them and that is what they are going to. They will even eventually have systems in the trucks for scanning your bills also. There are still alot of us that have the paper logs but they are phasing them out.

Hopefully, this answered your questions and gave you a little insight into the company and the way they run things. Everyone has there own opinion of how things should run. Sometimes people are justified in their complaints but, in my opinion, life is too short to always be sturring up trouble. In this day and age it's good to just be able to say you have a job. I personally feel very blessed to have the job I have and be able to make the money I am making. Trust me there are alot of people out there that would love to be making just half of what I make in a week.

Don't be fooled. You will work for your money at Big G, but you will feel as though you have done a good days work for a fair days pay.

"Keep those treads a hummin' and the good Lord in your jump seat and you'll be fine."

 

Jelly Bean to answer the second part of your second question. Yes they do have a fuel/safety bonus program. I'm not sure of the specifics of the fuel bonus but I do know that every 6 months you will receive a half cent raise and a bonus for safety. I'll get back to you about the specifics of each when I have a chance to talk to safety. They also have recruiting bonuses for getting new drivers to sign on. So much after their 90days, 6months and 1 year, that sort of thing. I don't take part in the little contests very often but I will talk to other drivers about big g and offer them a recruitment card and numbers if they want it. I don't try to force the company on other drivers. In my opinion it can give a false sense of desperation on the companies part if you're always trying to get a driver to sign on just to get a bonus out of it. You are the face of the company to other drivers and if you act desperate about getting drivers hired they may think there is something wrong with the company. Though, I have seen drivers at Big G that will try to run each other over to talk to a new recruit, just to get that bonus money. To each his own I guess.

 

It is not the work.

It is the insanity of not trusting their drivers to make decisions, and dispatches treatment of the drivers.

Went to work for Goggins and Tommy. I love the fact I can go bs with my dispatch at their desk. Jerk the planners chains(all in good fun) at theirs. Walk in to Phillips office to discuss any situation or just shoot the breeze. I can walk into payroll anytime a toll gets missed (usually my fault for not putting it on the cover sheet) or I change something, not submit it in writing and hear back a week later. That I pass Curtis and Kelvin and they always say hello, not pretend to be oh so busy.


Not be second guessed about my fueling decisions. Not be held around 840 all day Friday in case they need me with no pay.



And yeah spent many a friday pulling trailers at the plant and putting bills in nose so drivers wouldn't grab the wrong loads for their PRO and Appt number. They paid a lot of fines to Nationwide and Jack Daniels before they got their poop together on that.

I picked up at the warehouse the other day after delivering DG Zanesville. Do ya'll still use that company down in town for a drop yard? Man I hated going down that street in the middle of the night. Always thought someone was going to come out in their nightgown for making to much noise or something.

Still have a couple of buddies that drive for Big G. We take shots at each other but still remain friends. They do not chafe at Big G's policies where I do.

My biggest concern is about their financial stability. As I said look very carefully into their program of "employee ownership". I know that scheme was concocted after Averitt backed out and Mr. Marsh needed campaign funding. That and the Marshes reputation, around our area it isn't that great.


As for stirring up trouble? No, simply giving my opinion and experiences while working for the big g spot

Results may vary, check with your doctor before starting ny program

 

Thanks a lot for the reply Ada your post was very helpful. I live in md and see their trailers in random house in westminster a lot

 

I here ya Taz. The 'stirring up trouble" comment wasn't necessarily directed at you. I've met drivers at Big G that love to get rumors going and cause problems for other drivers, just like anywhere else. I'll have to look into this situation about the Marsh's.
Somebody was telling me the other day that Werner tried to buy out Big G a few years ago and they wouldn't sell.
Apparently, there are alot of companies that want a piece of Big G's pie.
I will say this, though, I have noticed here lately that they have had some organizational issues and at times do some things you shake your head about. But all companies do that, some more than others. I will also tell you, just like I told my dispatcher, if Big G turns into one of these two-week-out companies I'll be looking for another company. There are alot of companies that do pay better for keeping you out two weeks at a time. In this day and age with the economy this way, money tends to talk a little louder than loyalty. That's not to say I don't like the company, i do. But in my view if I'm going to be required to stay out that long I might as well get paid better for it. I know to some that may sound like the typical truck driver thing to say, but I've always been raised that God comes first then family, then your job. We only get to go through here once and to spend most of that time away from the people God put in your life can be rough, especially when you're trying to give them a comfortable way of life.
Not trying to get too personal there, just thought I'd put that out there for what it's worth.
Jelly Bean your welcome for the post, hope to here from you soon.