J.B. Hunt - Why your company will never be this good.

I've been with them for ten years. When I started, it was pretty much all OTR. They had just enacted the pay raise, .37 a mile. It was 1999. I've been pretty happy with them. There have been ups and downs, but you get that everywhere.
About a year ago, they forced everyone out of the OTR fleet with pay cuts. Those that couldn't get on a dedicated account got their pay cut. I was making 45 cents, they wanted to bring me down to 32. When a dedicated job was offered to me instead, I took it. The company saw the need to downsize drastically and that's how they did it. They ended up selling off almost half their tractors. Hey, they did what they had to do. Now, I'm making 43 cents a mile, plus another $100-150 a week for pulling haz-mat. 4 weeks vacation every year. I'm pretty happy.


I think 90% of JB Hunt's reputation comes from drivers who came to work here, stuck it out a month or two, and left in frustration because they didn't make any money. They don't teach people in orientation how to make money. What they don't tell you, on the OTR fleet, you aren't dispatched by a person, but by a computer. You have to keep the computer updated with the quallcomm on when you are going to be empty. If it doesn't know, the computer dispatches around you. Another example, empty trailers. If you don't have one, the computer dispatches around you. One Friday night I delivered my load at a Kmart DC just north of Philly. "Drop your trailer, no, we don't have any empties." I told the other guy to follow me, the East Brunswick yard is 35 miles away, we'll find one there. He refused, telling me he didn't have permission to drive that far, and was going to wait there until he had it. Now, I had been there 7 years at the time, and I tried to tell him that he'd be sitting there until Monday. I drove the 35 miles, and had a thousand mile load for Monday morning come across my qualcomm while I was outside cranking up the landing gear. I bet that guy quit within a month, and told all his friends how you can't make money at JB Hunt. You have to be a go getter, you have to know how to outhink the computer. You can't depend on the kids watching pixels back in Lowell. They are too busy getting yelled at by angry drivers.

That's the OTR fleet. The dedicated accounts are a lot different, but most drivers come out of orientation and go into OTR.

JB's been pretty good to me. I can't complain.I've been there since 1999, and I haven't found a reason to leave yet.

 

You are 100% right mr mustard, I also worked for jb hunt very successfully OTR. I am a go getter, hate to sit, my fm & I, once on the same page, knew we could count on eachother! I was in the top 3 of his board every single week, n one of the other trucks over me was a team. Also I worked outta the Wayne terminal in MI, was.making .43 cpm, unfortunately I got injured, n am still working on my strength to return to my job at jb! Anyway, every company has draw backs & either your a fit or your not, but I loved my job & I knew jb always took care of the equipment! I brought home decent pay n didn't have to run illegally to do so, nor did I have to kill myself in the process! I worked hard, did my job & kept a clean driving record!

 

What you said about the computer dispatchin ya is very intriguing.

You have to admit though, isnt it kind of shady to not tell people how to make the money? Hmm.

Maybe I ought to go there...

 

It is hard to argue with success.

 

what is "decent" pay?

 

I brought home between 1000 & 1200 regularly. Not too bad for the miles put in. I'm sure there r places where u can make more, but jb was good to me & as I said, I never had to worry bout the.equipment, to me that's worth even more!

 

Fewer miles same pay is like making more money per hour if the company trucks average the same speed you will make more money at the higher rate. Driving is long boring and fatiguing work so if you can earn more in less time then you are better off. On the other hand if the JB trucks run slower the hours behind the wheel could average about the same which would mean that JB is really no better than the other guys at least from a driver perspective.

 

This has little if any impact. We're governed at 62. I'll bet I can average the same as a 70 mph when it comes to miles driven per day simply because I keep the left door closed and rolling down the road. I rarely see a 70 mph truck pass me once. Usually, I see them pass me 5 or 6 times before my day is done. I average about 600 miles for a 10 hour day, 500 miles for an 8 hour day.

 

All I can say is this, 2600 to approx 3000 miles @43cpm is decent money. I would run just about all of my 11 hrs in 12 to 12 1/2 hrs. If your serious about your job. & run like u mean iit, jb is a great place to rack up the miles & earn some cash.