Considering a career with Stevens

For the sake of newer people to this board I'll reposts these things:
If you are a company driver, you may NOT take your truck home. You must secure the truck and trailer in a company approved secure location. The company will assist you in finding an approved location. It may or may not be close to home. In most cases, it's within 40 miles.

If you are a lease driver, you must secure your trailer in an approved location. You may not take it home. You may take your truck home, contingent on local ordinances.

Stevens never has, and likely never will provide paid orientation. For new drivers, you will attend four days of orientation (sunday thru wednesday), then if hired, will start on the payroll starting thursday. Not all persons that come to orientation will be hired. You must complete paperwork that is checked for accuracy (things like work history, possession of a valid CDL, etc), pass a Stevens provided physical, and a DOT drug screen. All very standard in the industry. You will demonstrate minimal operating skills of a tractor-trailer.
The most common reasons for a candidate not being selected are: Drug Screen failure, Falsified or incomplete pertinent facts (i.e., failed to disclose serious issues like a DUI, felony record, etc), Failed physical.
Some candidates will be put on med hold while additional information is obtained from your doctor, a hospital. This may include records of a previous surgery, history of treatment of a condition (diabetes, as an example). Most of those on med hold will be cleared and join the ranks within a very short time.
When a candidate is brought into Dallas for Driver Orientation (NOT CDL school), Stevens provides the transportation (normally bus), the motel (you will have a roommate) and two or three meals per day. Those meals, the accomodations and transportation are nothing to write home about, but they suffice.
Plan on your providing at least one meal per day on your own, just to cover yourself.
If you are sent home, Stevens provides the bus ticket home. There may be rare cases where they do not. I don't know of any, however, if you wantonly lie about serious matters such as a criminal record, you may be released. I personally know of a couple very serious situations, but Stevens still provided transportation back home.
You do not have to pay back the cost of the hotel, food, etc. when you are brought into Dallas for orientation. Stevens pays it completely.
You are not required to change your CDL to Texas. You must come with a valid CDL from your home state.

Hope this clears up common questions for people researching Stevens. Feel free to post any questions you may have. Stevens' board is very active and posted responses are mainly from Stevens drivers. There are many other posts from former Stevens drivers. We don't pull any punches on this board. We tell it as we see it, with no fear of repercussion from management.
As with many other companies, management personnel do read this board regularly. They in no way inhibit persons from posting, even when their opinion is in stark contrast from Stevens' policies.
Some of the management people will encourage new drivers and driver candidates to read the Aviary as it's one of the best sources of direct information and opinions available.

 

I am considering Stevens as the company I want to start with. This forum has been invaluable in finding information about the entire process. The brochures are sales tools and always paint a pretty picture and sometimes do not include ALL the information so if you do not mind... A few questions that I hope have not been asked and answered here before.

I am planning on the Houston school since I live in the area. Are there any drivers here that have been through the Houston school and what were your experiences in general, what to expect, instructors, inside information that may be helpful.

Exactly when is the physical performed? Who pays the cost of the physical? I don't have any medical conditions, the one thing I do not want to happen is go through a sponsored driving school, get to Dallas and be disqualified and still owe $6k for something I cannot use.

I understand the HOD laws and the 34 hour reset. And Stevens offers 1 day home for every week out, but do they count a 34 hour reset as a day off? I think not and hope not but just wanted a little more clarification on it.

The next is the expected costs of Orientation in Dallas. The expenses and equipment needed are expected but if there are other sources to get what is needed or if you MUST buy the locks etc from Stevens due to a key-alike situation.

How often do O1 trainees get through the 5 weeks in 5 weeks? I understand things happen, trainers need to get home time etc.

What is the current status of Stevens from a drivers point of view on number of trainer/trainees. In other words do you feel Stevens is under or over staffed with the need or urgency to get trainees through the 8 weeks training and driving.

During O1 training, if there is a need to be back in Dallas and wait for a different trainer. What does the trainee do? Sit at the terminal and wait? Hang out at a Hotel? Drivers Lounge? Someone please describe this for me.

All of your posts have been very helpful and informative and some of the week recaps have given me a lot to think about and some great insight into life as a trucker and life at Stevens. The whiny posts paint a bad light sometimes but the information and the tone here does a good job of clearing those up and dispelling the myths.

A quick background.... I've been in IT for the past 15 years and have found little to no further advancement opportunities without much more schooling and a lot of money paid for irrelevant certifications. I am starting first, and my wife will follow in a year after our last daughter graduates high school. We plan on team driving and enjoying life together for a change ans seeing all the places we always wanted to go. We have been married for 13 years and never even had a honeymoon or vacation. Looking forward to a great second half of our lives.

 

I've answered the questions I can, hopefully someone can chime in on the Houston school thing.

 

ill say this much you don't get paid for four days of orientation you will start your first day at five am till seven the second day and third youll be there sixteen hours lunch is like alpo and if you got cash bring it because the crap they feed you is aweful fourth day well its a waiting game fifth day wait sixth day wait if the people in the office were any ruder I mad it a week four days unpaid still didn't get a trainer so I came home if you go with them its on you personally I would look for better I found my new home but stevens is a joke

 

I left with a trainer the day after I finished orientation. My first day on payroll I was driving.

 

I have a little more patience than others. I will be there to learn, and will be anxious i am sure to get out on the road. The good reviews have outweighed the bad as I have searched through the forums here and elsewhere on the internet.
Let your attitude rule the day, not the day rule your attitude.

 

the foods not all bad i ate worse while in the service but it is free and i also was sent out with a trainer in one day if you cant handle the hours in a training environment then how will you handle the hours while out on the road. the reasons they do those hours is to see if you can deal with it and well going home proves you didnt deal with it well.

 

I agree with stlvance and others, the food is not the worse and the long hours and hurry up and wait you will get on the road. I went into OR1 a the week before Christmas and was stuck there till after new years, I went home, but went out the day after I came back. Unfortunately I will be going through it again this summer, had some family medical issues that required me to be home. But I plan on going back if they will take me. Just pay attention and get what you can from the guys on the yard then when you are out with your trainer probe him/her on everything and if you show up early to pickup or drop a load practice backing. Park the truck yourself at the truck stops, get as much time behind the wheel as you can.

 

It may be an off the wall comment but I have found that drivers coming from an IT background do well in this biz. Many are used to rigorous training and self motivation and come with an understanding of following rules and direction. In IT there are specific steps to get a job done and short cuts generally don't work.

 

I handle myself very well im already in a new orientation making five hundred a week and its great I love this place wish I would of started sooner as for stevens I talked to many drivers many of them and they were making crap for money as for me stevens is history