Finally found a job and have some questions.

I've always been a company driver and have never read a contract. They shove the contract across the desk to me, I sign it and shove it back to them.
All I care about is the accessorial pays and freight lanes.

 

This contract has a no compete clause where the driver agrees not to work for any other carrier other than Wesfern.

 

Only while I'm working for WE, or if I decide to leave or got fired within 6 months and didn't pay $2500. Also the contract says as I understand WE should provide me 240 hours training, including HOS, maneuvers, etc. In my case I got only 70+ and the only skills I've learned are how to sleep or watch TikTok behind the wheel. So because of that I'm assuming I can leave without paying $2500.

 

doesn`t get any better than that.

 

after reading drivers post here, i would wait, throw the hook back out there and wait to see if he gets any more bites.

 

I`ll be straight up with you, find a local yard dog job, with in 6 months of spotting all day in the yard, YOU WILL be ready to break loose, and do very well. Spotting is the best training you will find. Your doing it all day, every day. Thats how i started back in 74, hooking and backing all day for over 6 months, turned me loose Downtown Chicago, Freakin loved it.

 

I may have misunderstood, but it looks to me that the no competition clause is for the 180 days REGARDLESS. I hope I am wrong.

Never seen that on an employment application.

 

It's actually not that different than what other carriers do. My current company has a policy that if you quit or get fired before the 90 day probationary period, then you have to cover the costs of orientation as well....basically, they keep your last check. Orientation is maybe 3 days. It's different for experienced drivers. You're brand new so it's more expensive to put you through orientation and training. That's why the probationary period is 6 months. I wonder if experienced drivers have the exact same contract. I can't imagine that it's the same exact investment to hire an experienced driver. The no compete clause is something that I've never seen in one of these contracts. If you move on before the 6 months, you'd have to hope someone is willing to pay off what you'd owe Western.

 

I think that's as long as the driver owes them the cash. I'll have to go back and double check that

 

So, if a guy shows up at Western, with CDL and verifiable experience, they are going to TRY to get him to agree to a $2500 fee to cover the cost of orientation and learning their system, correct?

My previous job lasted 15 years. When I started, I was a company driver. Bout my truck a year later and signed it on with the company. They had this big 30 page operating contract for owner ops. One contract was about the Qualcomm installation and usage, and me agreeing to pay for the removal and return of the system on my dime, where they wanted it returned to for a fee up to $3500. I don’t agree.

I took a big black marker, and marked all of that stuff out in the contract, initialed where I edited, then signed. They made me a copy of the amended contract.

Point is, some things are negotiable, even as a company driver. I got $.05cpm more starting pay, first day of orientation.