Covenant Info

Haven't you seen the WalMart commercials on TV lately? WalMart says they are putting more freight on their trailers so as to make less trips and save them, I mean customers, money.

 

No... really? All I know is that there has been an increase in Wal-Mart store loads for us... which I hate. We used to run those loads during winter holidays only. But now they have been asking us to run those from time to time.
I told load planner, "they consume a lot of our time and pay very very little". I do whatever I can to avoid those loads. I rather sit than run those loads. Too much hassle, paperwork, free labor, and very little pay.
Asked one Wal-mart dispatcher what happened? More loads than drivers? And she couldn't answer.... I told her, Wal-mart should hire more company drivers then...
Well, reason is, while Wal-mart drivers are paid more, I think .50 cpm, we at Covenant get .27 cpm up to .36 cpm.

I should say that Wal-mart store loads are different from our regular loads in this Wal-mart dedicated.

 

Those commercials are running constantly about how they are running the shortest routes, and packing the trailers so as to get as much freight on as possible in order to save money.

 

Hummm.... I don't watch tv....
Most of our loads in this dedicated division are light (less then 30 thousand pounds).
Store loads are generally heavier (over 40 thousand).
This dedicated is supposed to give us at least 2500 miles per week. Lately we have had much less than that.... And Wal-mart has been requesting us, dedicated drivers to offer our hrs to run their store loads. It's in the contract between Cov. and WM.
Most drivers don't like these loads. It's a lot of paperwork, macros, short miles, more than one drop and hook, calls to WM dispatch office everytime we arrive and leave location to give them info (time, mileage, location, trlr numbers, etc), besides updating log, inspecting trlrs... And all that with no extra pay (no local pay, no extra for drop/hook, nothing).
The only benefit is if the load has whatever amount of Hazmat, we can get $50.00.

 

If there is a way for WalMart to get more for less, they will use it. You would not believe how many textile plants WalMart put under in my area back in the "Bringing it home to the USA" campaign days. They made a commercial at one building that is abandoned now. They would negotiate a low rate, start with moderate orders, then gradually increase the orders until the companies had to drop smaller customers to meet WalMart demands. When WalMart was up to 75%+ of the company's business, then WalMart told them what they would pay for the merchandise.

The prices kept droping until many companies went under trying to meet their contracts to WalMart. WalMart is a predator.

 

still out hear running down midnight chasing the sun.

We had a dry ice run with stakes. Have to be on time with this load right.

well my co driver made a choice. that he could stop and watch a movie.

I had to drive as fast as i could and not stop, and pass my 11 hour clock to get the load there on a 30 min late.

Now after many question from dispatch. we have been sitting. Ran 850 mile run after sitting 12 hours

now we sit again. Great.

Now after sitting, I have found that I'm going to have to sit in Georgia. While he gets his hazmat.

That going to take 4 to 5 days to get back to work. I will not get paid for sitting.

this after a week pay as follows. 300 next 465 next 700. Now I'm going to sit. again.

Man this is so up setting. I've biting my tongue

I cant wait until i get a year. or aleast 6 months, maybe ill beable to make some money some where else.

 

Big Wheels, I just recently starting researching this company. What is TEAM LX vs just TEAM?

 

will it took a long time to come back to the forum, lack of internet connetion.

Nothing! nothing at all. sorry.

 

Well! I haven't made it to Georgia. So my co driver could get his hazmat.

But now he quiting to. Got a job on a o,o truck with someone he knows.

But I've been running good miles for a while. M co-driver got pulled over for a head light out. A get it fix ticket.

So after getting on the phone working out details of what we had to do. We was told to drop the load when we get there and get it fixed.

We called breakdown and told then what up and told us to go to a ta or freightliner. Call when we get there and he'll give us a a number to give them.

so we did. but only the first ta we came to didn't have the parts. So got on the QC and told them whats up and told them that he told us to go to the next ta they have the part. they said roll.

Then a new dispatcher is now sending QC message like who told you to go there. why are you there. calls on the phone and start off like this I'm only saying this once and i hope you get it. And first off I'm to stop sending QC message asking questions. Hes busy. and why are we running a round trying to fix the head light. As if the two dispatcher that switching shifts don't talk. like two ships passing in the night.

So we have to start from the top. But he's pissed. It does no good to talk to this guy. He sends us a routing to go there to fix the light. There is nothing there. So I call break down and ask then where do I go. the routing is wrong. Yep it is he said. A hour the wrong way.

We get there and get it fix. Maybe a hour. But we have been taken off the board for loads until it fixed. I QC message its fixed. and said we are back on the board waiting for a load. all day.

We then get a load to pick up Friday and dropping Saturday. right no problem.
then we get a message stating this load can deliver early but can not be late!!! attn dvr all receiver loads must shut down by 1 hour before sundown on Fridays loads can not move again until 2200 hours on Saturday's this applies if you have a load that runs over the weekend. this is to observance of the sabbath. call dispatch with questions.
and we did.

The load picks up at 0200 that morning and drops at 1400 hours.on the the Saturday..
now how are we to drop a load when we cant move until 2200 hours .

o we have3 a pre plan to pick up at the same time as the drop.but only 80 miles in the other way.
So we ask to be clear on this pick up and shut down move again 2200 t5he next day. she said she'll check with CST. came back and said there not sure roll.

But when we got to the shipper it was closed. call a number posted on the door. a guy said they were closed-and be opening on Monday.so we tell covenant that we cant pick up until. Monday . they say stay the night and see if we can get load on Saturday.

Do we did and in the morning nobody is around to get loaded. tell covenant and wait.
Now the pre plan is to pick up 80 miles a way. at 1400 on the 5/8. So we wait at a pilot. all day Saturday. so we asked what was going with this load are do we pick up pre plan.
they answer undispatched pre plan. and now what. we ask because the phone number on the door we called stated that they was don't going to be open until Monday. at 0700. do you want us to sit hear all day Friday Saturday and Sunday to pick up Monday at 0700.
And this is what we get back.load to college dale are production line deliveries if loads loads is going to be late the customer must be contacted at phone number with an eta. there is a 75 dollar fine per hour if the customer is not called. very important. "college dale' we not going to collegedale or is to customer name collegedale. so we are like what???
we said a QC saying the load cant be picked up have no eta until made contact with shipper to load. or we still on this load or move to the next apt time.

this what we get back."new load assigned pre plan only" and asked do we still pick up this first load where there is no one to load the truck. they say yes only yes.
the new load pick up time is Sunday. so how are we to pick up new load when the first load is able to pick up Monday at the best guess. do we ask yes.

this is what we get back"follow up to earlier message. Did i mention in the first message i am handling over 400 trucks?? obviously I'm running way behind. the continued multiple messages asking for new load info. asking about freight, etc,etc sure aren't helping me get caught up. currently about 2 hours behind on messages so its going to require a lot more patience from you guys to ever get this caught up. looks like going to be a long day. again your Patience and cooperation is needed.

What???I'm asking real need to know question. like it my fault your behind 2 hours.I guess it is not important to ask question about load information, freight, pick up time, shipper is closed. these thing are not important.

So we sit. but buy the time someone find out we are sitting .they be like what are you doing why didn't you contacted dispatched. you missed the load blab blab and blab.

So anyone need a job at covenant. all you got to do is sit and wait and its your fault you didn't do something right.

covenant must have fired everyone but a small crew to run thangs at covenant. I cant get no body to answer the phone . but they call you when they want to #####.

Its not like i have a family to take care of. I don't need to work. right. My family is hurting from the lack of money. it hurts me to know this.

I run my tires in the ground drive all i can to the last hour. to have covenant treats me as if I'm a problem.

dispatch is unable to do the dispatching job. I have to sit Friday,Saturday,and Sunday,until 0700 Monday to pick up a load that could have been re dispatch to some one later like maybe Sunday. to be able to pick up the load.

so we are told to not send message over the QC or the phone. in other word forget you.

This is away to run a company. hire people who are unable to do a job and make other people suffer. or put to much on one person be cause they do don't want to hire another person to help;.

who is watching this take place and is not doing any thang about it. Who job is it to make sure thangs are running right. there is so many problem hear now. this week. I just hope it gets better and i can get out of hear. 87 more dayt to 6 mnts.

On top of all this nice shine pile of shisnets. I have to go back to chatanooga,tn. to find a new co driver because he quiting. They don't pay anythang while you sit waiting on a co driver whick can take a few dayts. that wait for a load to get out of there. great.

 

Sorry to hear about the setbacks... Covenant is a mess, there's a lot of miscommunication between load planners and dispatchers and substitute dispatchers.... between departments, safety, breakdown, dispatcher.... You have to be constantly repeting what you said... And sometimes you have to decide yourself what to do. Are you still with Michael (dispatcher)? Hope your trucking is running well and not giving you too many headaches. Are you going somewhere else after your 6 months?