I Start With Averitt in January 2012

LOL. Had another straw placed on my back. I still haven't been paid for two days breakdown from the 13th-15th of last month. I've asked my FM to check on it......

Regarding leaving Averitt I don't plan on it. And if I did David would not be the only person I would be talking to. There are some shining stars at Averitt but there are some serious solvable issues for the turnover rate to be so high.

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Hey guys I hope it gets better, all of what yaw are saying is why I left, could not be gone all week and then bring hope chicken feed from no miles. Don't mean to sound negative but my trainer called David Broyles about how things had gone for me and he never retuned his call, and he said that wasnt unusual. Personally the orientation was very misleading from the results of my experience. I talked to quite a few 15 to 20 yr drivers with averitt that told me it just kept on getting worst. I loved driving but could have flipped burgers and brought home what I was. It's a lot of responsibility and risk , the ltl runs for the night after you have woke up ready to go that morning and you have to sit all day to go do a 300 mile run that night was messed up. I miss driving but if it's meant to be I will find a gig I can survive on, everybody be safe. ALSO IF THEY WOULD SEND THE FM OUT IN A TRUCK FOR A WEEK IT MIGHT GIVE THEM A BETTER PERSPECTIVE, IM JUST SAYIN ITS A DIFFRENT WORLD AND DISAPPOINTING TO BE GONE FOR A WEEK AND GO HOME TO YOUR FAMILY WITH 1500-1800 MILES WEEK AFTER WEEK, YAW BE SAFE!!!!

 

I have an opportunity to drive for Averitt out of San Antonio TX, and it is on the Dollar General account. I have been out of the truck for 5 years, and I have searched hi and low for a company that will give me the opportunity to get back in the business. With Averitt's policy concerning training and length of time off the road, I will hopefully be given that chance to drive again. Monday the 10th, I have an interview over the phone with Brooke. I am nervous about this chance, but it is one that I still am looking forward to.

I did however have a job driving a transport truck with a mom and pop outfit for 2 months late last year, but due to the owner's reluctance to maintain equipment I left that job. I made as many minor repairs on the truck as much as my limited experience let me, but I am not a mechanic, so climbing in and on top of the tanker was not a problem for me. I am not a slender man, nor am I so fat that I need assistance to move around. For a fatty, I can move. Anyways, with the amount of time I have been off the truck, requirements have changed for drivers. I have never heard of a sleep apnea test required to drive, or companies doing their own physical assessments of drivers. It is all new to me.

What can I expect with Averitt concerning requirements? Where are these sleep test done and who pays for them? What about a physical assessment test? I have browsed this web site looking for information concerning Averitt as well as requirements for other companies. The info that is coming from Averitt's past and present drivers is way more positive than bad, so that relieves some of the anxiety about them. I just don't want to make a mistake and finally take an offer from a company because they give me a chance.

Any information would be helpful to me. Thanks!

 

Tnronin , if you can afford to , hang in there, it was just that my best check was training pay and my trainer which was very cool told me when i passed training my check would be less for a while, thats pretty backwards to me!! things are suppose to get better not worst, be safe out there !! I never brought home more than i did at training , was hard for me to get excited about the following week. I told them numerous times im ready to roll as much as possible?? Darn good benefits though, take it easy!!

 

The physical at Cookeville is indeed more thorough than the average walk-in clinic. One notable difference is picking up the 80 lb milk crate filled with steel weights while keeping your back straight and using only your arms, bending at the knees. Bring it straight up without letting it touch you and set it on waist level countertop.

Maybe easy for the young guys but a struggle for me. Whenever I handle a 60 lb bag of concrete, I generally slide it off the tailgate of my pickup and sling it over my shoulder.

The apnea thing, although a nuisance if you don't actually have it, is actually not a bad deal compared to everywhere I have researched. There is no charge whatsoever for the test,( administered in Franklin TN ), should you test negative. If it is determined however that you would benefit fro a CPAP or BiPAP machine, total cost for testing and machine is $500 and future supplies are covered 100% by their insurance.

Most sleep labs charge well over a thousand dollars for the test alone and those machines cost 3 to 5 thousand each.

There is a somewhat lengthy hiring process, but unlike many companies, they do an in depth background check before you arrive at orientation. So many companies don't bother until you get there and end up sending half the class back home after dragging them up there.

The orientation itself isn't bad. They furnish nice accommodations and meals. First trucking company I ever knew of that gives you a plane ticket, rather than a bus ticket. Or you can drive your car and get reimbursed mileage which I think is around 30 cpm or more. It has been a while for me.

 

Oops, almost forgot the important part. The reason they are giving you this opportunity after such a long absence may be due to the fact that Dollar General isn't the most desirable account to be on. I personally wouldn't or couldn't do it, primarily for the labor involved and the extended periods spent inside that furnace of a trailer during the hot months, of which you have plenty in your neck of the woods.

There are guys, mostly younger than you and I, who don't seem to mind it as much, for there is extra pay for the unloading and additional stops and having a regular schedule.

I don't know if that is a deal breaker for you, just something to consider.

 

Actually I have done Dollar General when I drove for Werner 7 years ago. Back then most loads were still floor loads. It was HOT and sweaty work, but I lost weight. I left the DG account because that is all they would give me as far as how trucks were loaded. The distribution center for DG (Ardmore, OK) was converting to rolltainers, but just my luck, I was still getting the floor loads. So I went back to 48 state driving. The main reason for going back to a DG account is because Averitt may give me a chance at getting back on the road as a solo driver after being back in training for 5 weeks, and two it is close to home, even though I don't have to be home as often as I used to be, but still home every 5 to 6 days is okay with me.

 

Okay, as long as you know what the deal is. I can see how somebody could enter that situation unaware. I know a guy in Lubbock who consistently earned over $1100 per week just starting out on that account.

Plus, once you get your foot in the door, you can later bid on another position as something else opens up, if you prefer.