Is Butler a good starter

Discussion in 'Butler' started by milby, Sep 5, 2021.

  1. fishonron

    fishonron Medium Load Member

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    Yes.
    2800-3200.
    Their pretty laid back, I suppose it depends which dispatcher you get. Mine was great and the few office people that you deal with occasionally are nice and helpful too.
    I only planned on staying there a year but I was there 18 months.

    Anymore questions just ask.
     
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  3. L.A.toTX

    L.A.toTX Light Load Member

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    Thank you for the prompt response to my questions.
    For someone just starting out here with no experience, how would you rate the training? Is there any accessory pay in addition to mileage, i.e. detention pay, breakdown pay, layover pay, etc? If a driver wants to stay out for 2+ months and run hard but take let's say a week of home time at once, would Butler be a company to accommodate that? What did you like most and least a out driving for Butler?
     
  4. fishonron

    fishonron Medium Load Member

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    That all depends on who you get for a trainer. I liked my trainer, couldn't find any reason not to but for me living in a box with some other dude sucks, it did for me anyway but once it's over and behind you it was worth it.
    One of the reasons I chose Butler was because there training was only 3-4 weeks so companies that are 6-8 weeks were not going to happen.
    There is but it's not that great.
    Yes, I had no problem with getting home time when I wanted it. I'd stay out for 5-6 weeks and then go home for a week.
    What I liked was that they didn't micromanage me at all. Phone calls were rare. The only thing I didn't really care for had nothing to do with them, I just got tired with reefer life.

    I will say that I talked to some other drivers that would just ##### up a storm complaining about Butler but I'm pretty sure that they were the type that weren't happy unless they're mad (high maintenance).

    What I figured out is as long as you do the job and are a low maintenances driver as in not bugging you're dispatcher every time you're having a bad day you'll be golden. All they want you to do is stay out for 3 weeks at a time and many only want to do that and that's fine but as soon as they come back they're putting in for time off again. A lot of what a dispatcher does is coordinating the home time for there drivers so if you only want to go home every 8 weeks, well that's part of that "low maintenance" thing.

    Another thing I liked is in the contract you sign it says you'll get a 1 cent raise every 60k miles. When my 60k was up they gave me a 4 cent raise, at my next 60K they gave me a 4-1/2 cent raise which I appreciated and may have had something to do with being a "low maintenance" driver.

    Keep in mind I haven't been there for a little over 2 years so I can't speak to what's going on today.

    Bottom line for me is I thought Butler was a good starter company and would recommend them. Get your year in and then many other opportunities will open up for you.

    I still get a post card from them about every other month or so trying to entice me to come back.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2021
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  5. L.A.toTX

    L.A.toTX Light Load Member

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    Obviously companies can change over time, so I don't expect that Butler is exactly the same now as when you were there. At least I have a solid idea that this company is not likely to be a nightmare. Truthfully, I approach every job I have had with a positive attitude and just go to work, find a way to get things done, and typically become well liked by management. So, I am not going to have some of the terrible experiences that others may face because I don't bring things like that on myself.
    If Butler is willing to give me a chance (15-year old felony, 1 accident a little more than a year ago, unstable job history, quit TransAm after orientation, and no experience), I feel confident that I can at the least get 1 to 2 solid years there.
    Thank you for allowing me to pick your brain.
     
  6. fishonron

    fishonron Medium Load Member

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    Give them a call. The accident may or may not be an issue depending on the details.
    Just don't lie and don't offer any info they don't ask for.

    I almost went with TransAm because they also have a short time with a trainer but I had read so many nightmare stories about them I couldn't go there.

    You mentioned that you could find very little info about Butler online and trust me, that's a good thing.

    Good luck!
     
  7. milby

    milby Light Load Member

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    I’ve decided to go with Butler. I’m heading to orientation next week. My only concern right now is getting a good trainer.
     
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  8. L.A.toTX

    L.A.toTX Light Load Member

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    Keep the forum updated.
     
  9. fishonron

    fishonron Medium Load Member

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    North Central Kansas
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    You are going to get who you get and don't expect the trainer is going to actually teach you much but who knows, mine sure didn't. Nice guy but that was about it.

    My trainer was in an automatic and when it was time for me to do my road test before they gave me a truck the test was in a 10 speed. CDL school was in a 10 speed but I had very little practice with it because most of the school seat time was in a big lot just practicing backing.

    When I did my test along with the stress of the moment I was terrible with the shifting to the point that boss man Gary had to reach for the stick a couple of times and get me back on track. All he said was "don't worry, you'll figure it out" and he was right.

    I'm sure all of there trucks are autos now.

    Good luck to you at orientation! It's a breeze and they put you up in a Hilton at least they did when I went through.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2021
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  10. L.A.toTX

    L.A.toTX Light Load Member

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    When I went through orientation, TransAm wasn't bad (they do push leasing pretty hard), but it was after orientation that things really went down hill.
    One driver was sent to a location to pick up a recovery truck to be his assigned truck. He was sent to the wrong location where a completely different TransAm truck was located. Another driver decided to go lease and got his nearly new truck. 4 hours later, he was stuck on a highway brokendown. I ended up walking away because I waited all day for my truck that was in the shop. After having to sit outside in the Texas summer heat with no access to food, I learned that my truck was at KW being worked on. I was told that I would receive a call when it was ready. I decided to drive home (35 min) and return when I received the call. The only call that I received was one from HR the next afternoon telling me to bring the permit book and keys back. They said that the shop told me that morning that the truck was ready. I didn't argue with them and handed over the keys and permit book.
    When I went through TransAm orientation, there was no going out with a trainer. We spent 5 days on the range doing backing maneuvers and once getting each maneuver completed 3 times in a row successfully, we were assigned a truck.
     
  11. fishonron

    fishonron Medium Load Member

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    North Central Kansas
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    When I was looking at TransAm it was 10 days with a trainer and you were team driving. There's no team driving at Butler during training.

    TransAm's lease program is the worst I ever seen in my research. Butler has a lease program too which isn't much better, it was never pushed on me at all. In fact the only time they ever mentioned it to me was when I was leaving, hoping that putting some O/O stars into my head might make me stay.
     
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