Falcon Transport, Good or Bad?

Well I've talked to them again just to keep base, my pre-hire's still good until my birthday in feb. I got a few local guys I gotta keep ahold of too. One that runs lowboy's and dump trailers, and another running cement. I know alot of people in this industry, but with everywhere being as slow as it is, no one can hire me yet. looks like I very well may be going with Falcon, if they still need a driver come feb.

 

Automotive is what Falcon does a lot of. I stopped at my school last week. One of the instructers said automotive is starting to pick up. When I talked to the recruiter at the time he had a dedicated team run open. Laredo to Dayton Ohio. Paid $800-900 a week.

They dropped their requirements in TN to 3 months. They may drop it lower.

 

I was with falcon for a short time here in NW Indiana. They put me on a outbound dedicated account where we hauled coils out of Mittal and US. They said I would make 800-1000 a week, but it was closer to 700-800. I would have done a little better eventually if i stayed with them. The tractors are very bare essentials. They have 48" sleepers that are just big enough to be comfy in but im only 5'7" tall. They do not have APU's, but do have Wabasco heaters. Mine never worked so I just idled the truck when I had to. They really dont care what you do so long as you get the load there. We didnt even have any tight delivery times. Just usually get it there on a certain day or whatever. After dropping off the coil(s) I would deadhead back to Gary for another load. They were still on the paper dispatch system when i left. I really liked how nobody bugged me and my fleet manager never used QC ever. In fact, mine didnt even work! It is a typical old school style steel hauling outfit. Atleast thats how my account was run. I never had a problem until I got sick with a very bad ear infection and had to stay home for four days. They told me it was okay and my truck will be there when I get back. I show up to the yard and they had already given my truck away along with all of my belongings. They did leave me my bed sheets and cooler. But my $300 CB, some personal items and $200 worth in tools didnt exist anymore. Needless to say I left and never returned. Just watch your back and dont trust anyone. If you can work for a company like that.

 

Thanks, that's kinda what I'm looking for, something old school. No qualcom dinging at me, paper logs, etc.

 

But remember, it makes it alot easier for them to screw you. These steel haulers around here will take advantage of a new driver. I wont say dont go to them cuz I liked that gig, but they'll do you just like they did me and not think twice about it. CYA

 

Blah. Thats why i dont have anything valuable in my truck that i cant take with me in a hurry. If i leave anything on a truck in a yard its not going to be there when i get back. period. IF it does, youre lucky as hell.

I have a laptop, $300 CB (didnt pay that much for it though!), GPS, and assorted small accessories for those, and my clothes. Thats all my valuables in my truck. Couldnt care about anything else.

I do have a cooler, oven, extra shoes, blanket, sheets, pillow, CDs, high security seals (i go to canada a lot), van straps, and food. lots and lots and lots of small items. All of that is a write off in my opinion. The cooler and oven have saved me thousands of dollars. The food is just meh. Got my blanket for free and the rest of my bedding for very cheap. Stuff like straps, high security seals, etc, which are actually essential for my job, are company property but i had to pay for most of it and get reimbursed for it, which is a pain.


Im thinking about going to falcon still. Im very pissed at werner right now and would like an idleable truck

 

Well for one, I consider everything that I own to be important. Otherwise, I wouldnt have it! Secondly, as it was in my situation you cant always just grab your stuff and go. I had a 104* temp and could barely walk much less take anything from my truck. I learned a valuable lesson from Falcon. If they dont care what you are doing out there in your truck, they dont give a rats arse about you. I would pick Werner over Falcon. In fact, they are my back up plan if things dont work out with another outfit Im applying with.
Why are you displeased with Werner?

 

Im displeased with werner because of road breakdown/maintenance My truck started falling apart around 300,000 miles. Every time i need something done with it, i get the runaround.

Like my APU died. Every time i sent a macro 24, i'd get oh, we cant do it on the weekend t the dealer. i sent it on a weekday, we cant do it after hours at the dealer. i sent it during normal hours, we cant do it at the dealer take it to the terminal.

when i finally put my foot down, i lost several days of pay because i had to wait for a load to indy where the terminal is, brought it in and talked to the foreman...he didnt even let me write it up, said we're too busy, heres the directions to the dealership and a reference number. This guy was great.

Even if they dont screw you around like that, they screw the shop around. First of all most shops wont deal with us because of slow payment with PO numbers. Supposedly it takes over a month or two for payment from werner to a shop. Unless you need roadside assistance, you have to go to a TA or dealership basically. I had to drive 200 miles out of route to a shop once, but admittedly it was because i ###### a trailer up totally my fault. But 200 miles?

If you get a PM at a terminal, it takes all day. Thats not so bad though. My truck needs another PM soon. :/ I'm going to see if i can do it in Channahon while i'm at home. Sadly, that also means i have to unload my truck.


You're right about everything you owning being important. However, I got screwed over by CRST and lost everything in the truck twice. I didnt make much money there, so i was PISSED. But, here, im making decent money usually.

Before I came back to trucking, i promised myself i would have nothing in the truck that i cant fit on a greyhound. I also got bigger luggage to make that easier.

But you cant eat out all the time. First of all, truckstop food gives me diareah when i eat it alot. But honestly its lubrication for the truckstop toilet paper aka sandpaper. So maybe thats not so bad. But its so expensive to eat out all the time. So I got the power cooler and the lunchbox oven. Since they've saved me thousands of dollars and only cost about $120 for both, im willing to leave them behind if i have to. I refuse to leave them as gifts to another driver, so they will be destroyed if needed.

Everything else besides my food fits in two suitcases plus two carry ons.

But I understand what you're saying. I'd be pissed if that happened to me. How fast was it that you got back to the yard after this anyway?


Oh, and as for my maintenance dept....my hood is currently a technically out of service item and im supposed to be being routed to a terminal, but there seems to be no effort being made. Its held on with a ratchet strap. Cant open it, but it wont fall off. F maintenance. i decided a few minutes ago that im going to stop at freightliner and get a hood hinge and put it on myself. LOL.

Oh, yeah, one nice thing about werner: Werner buys an extended warranty on every truck and sells every truck before it runs out. If you go to a freightliner dealer with a warranty problem, they do not have to contact the company. Hehehehehe.

 

Well I was home every weekend and maybe a night or two a week. But i stayed in the truck during the week. I just went and had dinner with the misses or whatever and she stayed the night in my truck or whatever. I was on an outbound dedicated account from the Gary terminal. I hauled coils from Mittal and US Steel to their customers and dead headed back to grab another. LOVED that account. It was gravy let me tell you. Falcon was okay about maintenance if you didnt mind waiting two days to have your truck looked at. No telling how long it with take to fix. When I got my truck, both doors were stuck shut and the pass window was stuck down. They fixed the drivers door right away and sent me off. I had a miserable week of driving with that window down. I got back to the terminal on friday and turned in the truck to the shop. Come monday it hadnt moved, but was tagged so i couldnt take it. They said it would be four days before they could get to it!!!! You kidding?? They offered me a day cab to take for the four days. Falcon will pay for one hotel a week. So that meant i would have to pay my hotel for the other two night i'd be out. i said no thanks. Luckily im a carpenter and picked up a side gig for the week. That was a paycheck less week for me. So they will fix it if you want, but it will take FOREVER to get it done.

 

Falcon is a JOKE! I had my truck leased to them for awhile through the Gary terminal. Every week the settlement was screwed up. On more than once my settlement would come and have another trucks loads paid to me. Always missing loads. Every Monday I called payroll to straighten out. Every owner operator can verify this. Best thing was no deductions, escrow, insurance crap. Company equipment looks terrible, terminals, or should I say what's left of them are disgusting filthy s-holes. When you leave your equipment at a terminal be aware that your flat bed equipment can walk away. I witnessed company drivers taking equipment off other trucks. I had my own blue steel traps taken. Falcons response take tarps off someone's else's trailer. So I have two green falcon tarps in my garage. I also added to my J-Hook collection.

They definitely don't care what their drivers do. The last few months I ran under their numbers I was trip leasing. The last straw was I loaded Friday for Monday morning delivery in Cleveland. Monday in Cleveland I find that they don't take trucks on Monday. I called Adam my dispatcher who said, "he would call me back". I talked the guys at the receiver to unload my coil. I trip leased the rest of the week and had a great week. Friday night I got back to Gary and turned in my company rental trailer. Shop signed for it in good working order, like it matters with no escrow. Next Monday I start turning and burning loads under a new company, Friday rolls around and I receive my settlement from Falcon for that Monday load I delivered all good Falcon doesn't owe me any money. Well I'm making my Monday delivery the following week and guess who finally calls me back Adam my falcon dispatcher. He wants to know what I'm doing. I inform him I quite. He sounds surprised and asked when I was going to turn in my trailer, I inform him I turned it in a week ago. Great communication.

I don't even know how they are still in business. They could easily be the next Arrow.