Earl Henderson - Salem, Il

To the driver from Missouri I never said you were lazy. But just like any other company there are lazy drivers at Henderson as well. If you have been driving trks for any length of time you know that. At every company you are going to have some drivers that make it and some that don't. There can be several reasons why some drivers get more miles than others.
1. Freight could have been a little slow in a certain area
2 The drivers just don't want to run alot of miles
3. The planners and the dms are not that good
4. Alot of drivers want to go home alot or not run all 48 states

Let's not be so fast to assume the blame is all on Henderson. Yes it is true that they are going mainly lease operators. As a lease operator myself and from the company standpoint who do you think they would rather run more miles the company truck or the lease? It is not personal it is business. I have met alot of Henderson company drivers who boast about their longevity with the company. No offense but that only matters to your bank or mortgage lender. That does not give you any leverage when it comes to getting priority loads from dispatch. This is a business and you need to think of it that way. A good company sees trucks that will run the miles and that is who they should put the miles on. Think about it would you like to go to a company and here them tell you that the drivers who have been there the longest get the loads ahead of you? If that is what you think you should find a union company to drive for. I have only been driving since 97 and I started with England and stayed there 4 yrs. I don't know everything but one thing I feel strongly about is it is not smart to work for a company where they have a cheaper option when it comes to dispatching loads. It was obvious that is cheaper to give the better loads to the drivers who were making less cpm such as the rookie drivers. It wasnt personal it was business. So should Henderson put 3200 miles a week on company trucks it supplies the fuel for and covers all the costs or should they give more miles to their lease fleet where they don't incur such expenses?

Good luck to you whatever you decide nobody can determine your fate you have to go with what you think.`

 

Been reading the responses to this thread. Hope ya'll are doing well out there.

Here's my take on Henderson. I liked them when I worked there, my dad likes working there BUT, we both ran dedicated runs. Home every night, knew more of what was going on than the dispatcher. It was easy. It would have been an easy job working for any company doing the exact same thing (Swift or JB couldn't have screwed this one up).

Now my dad and I know several guys who run OTR for Henderson. On my dad's last dedicated run he was a trainer (too many miles on the run for a solo, not enough for a team) so he keeps in touch with those guys. Also they cut a few dedicated runs (the factory makes car headlights-when the economy tanked they needed less parts, it happens) and we know a guy who went OTR after his run was cut.

Two of dad's students met up later and are now teaming. They lived close to one another and ended up being stuck in Denver for a weekend at the same time. Those guys are busy and a half. I don't remember how many times they've been from California to southern Illinois in the 3 or 4 weeks they've been teaming. They are pulling down some dough.

The guy that got his run cut was doing gangbusters for a while, running east to west. He was everywhere from NYC to LA and back. Loved the job. Then he got parked more and more. He eventually quit after he spent a couple days sitting, loaded to Chicago, then sat 3 days in Bolingbrook waiting for another load. He's the type of driver that will not refuse a load and will work his butt off. He's at Ozark now (been 2 1/2 months or so) and loves it.

Dad talked to a new lease purchase driver (in it 5 weeks), he got 3000 miles per the first three weeks of his lease, the last 2 weeks he barely topped 1200. I personally wouldn't take a lease purchase deal from my best friend, my grandmother, or my priest. You have to determine for yourself though.

I do know this- companies have more incentive to run a company truck than your lease truck. If their truck doesn't run, they still have to buy the fuel for you sitting, they have to pay the insurance, they have to pay the bank for the loan, your detention, etc, etc. If you are lease purchase and you sit YOU have to buy fuel for your APU, YOU have to pay insurance, YOU have to pay them for the loan (which is more than they are paying for the truck I guarantee), etc, etc. I think they have way more incentive to run a company truck.

Also, if the company wasn't making a ton of money on the lease, why would they do it? They have virtually no risk. If you get out of the lease and go bust it dings your credit and they just release it to the next sucker in line.

Good luck to you. To Texasbound, I'm glad you're doing good with the lease and want to wish you continued luck. I'm not trying to attack you in any way, I just want to make this clear. It's good to know someone is making it work, but stories like yours are very few and far between.

Good luck to everyone. I'm starting a new job today myself. Small company here in Knoxville (like 12 trucks), home more, better people to work for. Got a load picks up tonight going to FL with 4 stops on the way. Hope everything works out here, I need to be home with my 2 kids more...

Keep on truckin'

 

Seams like a big drop 3000 to 1200 seams theres more to that story!! Don't know but that just don't seam right not saying your not telling the truth it just seems like a big drop, Both the guys i know there stay very busy.

 

There is nothing to that, I have had the same thing happen to me more than once. One week they will run your balls off, the next you have to beg to get moving after sitting in Denver or at the yard for 3 days.

 

I lasted 3 weeks with them as an owner operator. Came on just after buying my truck. A friend who was working for them suggested I give them a try (he has now given up on them and quit). I had a few issues with my truck and ended up in the shop during this time but when I came back out and ready to run all I got was 2100 miles over a 2 week period. They just could not or would not give me the miles I needed to get going with my business. Had a good dispatcher (who is no longer there). Could not give them any more time to push me into an early grave with no miles/pay.
Biggest problem I see there is the communication is very poor between dispatch and the planners. There was a problem in the planning department while I was there.
The turn over rate is very high. I know a few lease drivers and they say that they are just getting enough miles to make the truck payments but not much to take home.

 

Yes I will admit in March and April things were a little slow as I am sure they were all over the industry. But I will say as of late especially since they brought in a new Ops mgr. I have heard and seen the operation getting better .

 

Things are getting worse at Henderson they brought in this new ops mgr who thinks he knows everything and with the company going to electronic logs it is gonna get alot worse. Even alot of the teams have been spending all their time repowering loads that have barely 350 miles on them left but the solo on the electronic log cannot make the appt. Than that team will spend several hours unloading the load than have to wait for another load only to be swapped out for another rescue. The only way to make any money on electronic logs is if the shippers and receivers were keeping to their appts. Once you head to a customer your 14 hour clock starts and if you end up waiting 3 to 4 hours at the shipper your day is ruined before it starts.

 

Everyones seems to be looking for ways to cut costs and they seem to be taking it out on the drivers hides.

 

They wanna go to the electric logs yet they do not have enough trucks and they are constantly having to repower loads. They want you to be at the shipper on time yet on electric logs once you move the truck your 14 hour clock starts even if you are stuck at the shipper several hours. I know drivers that have called ahead to see if their load was ready rather than start their clock heading over to the shipper only to have the Ops mgr complaining about being late for your shipper appt. His head is up his butt.

 

well i did 6 months and had the same problems
i am still waiting on my 1099 from them
but my overall experience with them was horroriffic i was in salem for 6 days and i was lease so the payment had to be made regardless i didnt make hardly nothing while i was there
but atleast its all a write off so i will have some tax write offs