I spammed the site about Schneider and my posts got moved here

Driver, you're right. Trucking ain't pretty and a large percentage of large companies suck, treat drivers like crap, don't care about anyone but themselves and the bottom line, have managers and dispatchers who never drove and don't have a clue about driving or the logistics involved, and a general complacent attitude and incompetence when it comes to doing the job they're hired to do. Your comment detailing being on hold for an hour examples this. This type of thing is sheer incompetence/neglect from the managerial hierarchy.

I agree with you in regard to some drivers blaming you for an attitude. They shouldn't and they are part of the problem as they have come not only to accept but expect retribution from managers, dispatchers and the like.

The managerial teams and suits at a company are supposed to be above this behavior no matter how poor an attitude is expressed by a driver. They are supposed to have the skills to handle this. You don't screw a driver around by intentionally making him wait unrealistic times, you don't screw a driver around by giving him less miles, messing with his loads, etc. These are corporate games the higher-ups condone and allow but shouldn't. If a driver is screwing up, making unreasonable demands, expressing or displaying a bad attitude, the driver needs called on the carpet and provided a chance to get his situation right. If he can't comply, fire him, end of story. Playing games where managers are allowed to screw with his paycheck, hours, loads, etc. is garbage and any company where this goes on (I know this takes place across the board at many companies and again, we are in agreement that drivers are partially to blame for this because they ACCEPT this garbage as the norm) needs called out and the behavior published on forums like this.

Here's my advice ... take yourself to another company now. The smaller the company the better off you'll be in the long run. Obtain all the endorsements you can, get away from hauling general freight ... it sucks. Tank, flatbed, specialized, etc. is the way to go.

After you get another gig, come back on here and name names. Name your manager, your "dbl" and everyone else at Schneider that is involved in these games. The trucking industry needs to know who the scumbags are so they can be avoided like the plague. If more rats are called out at the large companies, the companies will eventually have to change their policies and/or take action to no longer allow some of the corporate bs these clowns try to ply against drivers. Good luck.

 

The solution is quite simple. If you don't like it there then go somewhere else! Yes, it's that easy. When I worked for Schneider I got paid for hunting trailers. I got detention pay when I sat at a shipper/receiver longer than 2 hours. I got great miles. Then again I had a good relationship with my DBL.

 

I admit I worked for SNI for a bit. There was no short supply of BS there. I did however get close to 3000 hub miles a week, I wasn't paid hub but my point is I always had loads. They have a crap load of freight and if your not getting miles something is really wrong. But, I never turn down a load and I will drive any where, any time of day or night, I only say that cause I have also talked to drivers that won't go certain places or won't drive at night ect ect.. if the dbl knows you are a go to kind of driver they go to you. If you are a headache they don't. Most of the drivers at companys like that are new and I'm sure the dbl has to spend time answering new driver questions. So if you are the kind of driver that just gets it done and doesn't ask how to find the shipper from the truck stop you will have loads good loads. Lastly I don't get why anyone with a good chunk of driving time would be a company driver there to begin with? Its a starter company they know it, we know it, everybody knows it. There are really good companys that need drivers. Or maybe thing about being an IC. But, even then you gotta deal with life as it comes. Just my two cents as I wait on my oil change. Peace out.

 

Here's one thing to remember in regard to publishing your experiences on the Internet. The single, unimpeachable defense to any libel claim is the absolute truth. If what you publish is the unadulterated truth, you have nothing to worry about. My former career required an inherent and thorough comprehension of media law. Stick to the facts and the only entity that has anything to worry about is the entity that did wrong. Give 'em hell.

 

It sounds like you are the one missing the point.

Diving has never been a job that is paid hourly, it has always been miles or percentage based pay for the most part. There is nothing new about having to wait to get loaded or unloaded and that time as already been averaged in with your mileage pay. Sometimes you make out and sometimes you don’t but it all averages out in the end. Don’t like it get another career as this one is not for you.

All you’re whining about it has done nothing but pissed off those who have control over your miles and thus your pay.

There are thousands of posts on here from other drivers from Schneider and they all seem to be making a lot more then you and for the most part are happy. There is a reason you are making a lot less than them and that is you and your attitude.

If you want to get paid hourly choose another career. Perhaps you should apply as a DBL if you think they are doing so well being paid hourly but I suspect you would just find something else to complain about no matter what job you have. There are always those who want to be seen as victims and you are clearly one of them.

Whoever told you life was fair? Find them and smack them because they lied to you.

 

No doubt you are in a less than stellar relationship with your DBL. Note that HotH2O had a different experience at Schneider. I know that within Swift if you have a poor relationship with the DM then you have the right to request another DM and can go up the chain of command to get this done. You can even ask to change home terminal to find a better dispatcher. Talk to other drivers within Schneider, find out where the best terminals are and who the best dispatchers are, see if you can get with them.

Regarding the issue of not getting paid to hunt for trailers and all the other freebies we do, you should be talking with your DBL to get paid for that. I know in my experience at Swift my DM's have always looked out for getting me detention time, layover time, miles driven looking for empties, etc. Your DBL may have another agenda where he/she doesn't want to get "tagged" with excess payments to his/her fleet. Talk to the boss of the DBL. Figure that one out.

My point of view in all this is coming from working most of my trucking career as a codriver with my brother, an O/O. If you are an O/O you don't "pay yourself" to do all those extra things. You get paid by the load or you get paid by the mile. It's all part of the territory. Company drivers usually sign an agreement regarding the structure of payment. Review that agreement and make sure you are getting everything that you are owed. If you aren't then put in writing what you are getting shorted, send a copy to your DBL, make sure the DBL's boss has a copy, and Payroll has a copy. List everything.

Most of all make sure you act like a professional at all times, especially with customers. NEVER let your poor relationships within the company get in the way of acting courteously, promptly, and safely in and around customer yards. I've seen many an example of company driver's with an attitude creating unbelievably poor customer relations, apparently trying to sabotage the customer for their company. That's just shooting yourself in the foot. Most recently I was waiting streetside for my turn at a customer's dock. A driver with another company came to park in front of me, except that meant his cab was extended out into the entrance to the yard. The guard asked him to move. I backed up as much as possible to let him back up, but he still didn't clear the entrance. The guard again asked him to move....

.... pretty soon he came back to my truck to brag about how he'd just been booted from the load by the customer and he hoped his company would lose the customer and he didn't care if he was fired...

... guess where that information will ultimately end up? Likely on his DAC report. Always be a professional in your dealings with the customer, with people in your company, and for that matter with EVERYONE you come in contact with.

 

This part is mostly correct, he forgot to add that you need to drop the attitude. Find out what you get paid for up front, smaller companies are great in that they are forgiving but you have to remember that if you take your attitude of not doing what is asked of you into a smaller set of customers you wont last long. So you need to figure out what you will be compensated for and you wont before you throw a fit, or simply refuse. I've seen several drivers do this at a smaller customer and they say enough is enough you lose your job not miles.

 

Yeah, I guess that's the major point I'm trying to make, the attitude. Doesn't matter if you are right or if you are wrong, if you have a poor attitude that will get you a bag of chips and small paycheck every time. You'll end up being "That Guy" in the truck stop nobody wants to make eye contact with...

 

I did my year with Schneider a decade ago. The only reason I stuck it out was that I was not going to pay that $3500 fee for quitting early due to the schooling. If you have your year in, get outta there. Give Maverick a call and talk to that Maverick guy Sarge that posts on here. Maverick ain't no piewalk, but they don't lie to you, pay well and treat you like a human being. I will warn you that flatbedding is difficult, but I was so much happier than driving pumpkin trucks.