Just about ready to call it quits...

As some of you know I decided to start my truck driving career with Schneider as a tanker. Not many companies offer tanker training fresh out of school. I received awesome training with Schneider but ever since I've been given my own truck I'm not happy at all with how I'm being treated. Very long layovers, stranded at operating centers three to four days while on duty... fuel cards not working, putting in 14 request for fuelfuel zero response, practically running out of gas stuck at fuel stops for 3 hours. Driving 872 miles to a chemical plant just to be told that the order number was wrong and the co-signee made a mistake then being told to drop the trailer off 40 miles down the road told to take a 10-hour break and being stuck at a truck-stop for 2 days. I really wanted things to work out with this company but I just don't see it happening. I didn't come into this industry to sit on my ### twiddling my thumbs and being disrespected. Dispatchers are a joke there, after hours service is an absolute nightmare. Im just not happy. For someone that's only been driving for a little over a month that got extensive training with Schneider what are my other options? Y'all possibly can't suggest that I continue to get chumped off like this. Do y'all?

 

I'll try to peel this onion for you against a lifetime out there. All I can do is take your thoughts and work back.

"After Hours service is absolute etc"... That's exactly RIGHT. When the day time dispatch and shop people GO HOME for the night, you are on your own. Im assuming this is a assigned company truck. You don't get to be bothering anyone after normal business hours in that company unless someone shot at you and your truck, burned it down or something big time serious. Then there will be a thousand people within seconds all over you.

Long story short. When that sun goes down, there you are with your load or without it. Whatever you are doing, you keep right on doing. Unless something broke. You are not going to play the needy driver card pestering the night people about banal this and that and something else friviolous. The night people are not interested in problems that the Day People can solve. You follow me? Whatever is not big can wait until the morning.

Dispatchers are a joke there... well...

You find one dispatcher you like. And run with him or her just so. Qualcomm usually has a first and last name code you can macro directly to that person or have a extension on phone to dial that person. Usually you have also a Driver manager. THAT one is the one you talk to with complaints affecting potentially your desire to remain employed.

This industry the first thing you will learn how to do is sit on your ### and twiddle thumbs. And then when you are sick of waiting wait some more. You are just a driver. You are there. Someone will get to you sooner or later. Wait. What I think you are feeling is that old oats and wanting to get out and RUN like a race horse. That is the motivation to continue driving day in and night out. You need to find some way to harness that energy and desire to go when it's time to wait. It will eat you up and you will be just another 90 day wonder who burned out fast and don't understand why like thousands before you.

IF you had to wait at the truckstop because some drone inside the company office effed up that royally on needed information that requires accuracy IT. IS. NOT. YOUR. FAULT. *Slams table... NOT. YOUR. FAULT. LEARN to use the time to pull a fast reset 34 hours and be ready to roll when the Office drone gets everything uneffed. That will happen sooner or later. In the mean time DOCUMENT it date, times, names, who, what, why, when and how. That is just in case somehow you got fired for a screw up. Careful documentation presented to your home state's Labor Board at unemployment WILL work wonders.

You drove that 872 miles. I don't want to hear you whine. What I was wanting to hear from you is....

"Boss, PAY ME" this trip is 872 miles done at such a such a payrate per mile. where is my pay boss? (Document that too with trip number etc.) throw in the 40 miles and whatever you get for layover. You follow me? Office do not want to hear whiners and needy drivers, they want to see that you assert. ok I drove 872 miles ... "Pay me."

The company as big as Schneider has no excuse whatsoever for not having a fuel card, toll transponder or god knows what else they use that DOES NOT CONTAIN READY MONEY at any time 24/7 TALK to your driver manager and tell him or her explict that your company as big as they are sitting on millions a day running trucks in fuel, tolls etc has no excuse not to have it ready for you the moment you need it.

....UNLESS you have been terminated and are being routed to be sent home....

Document that too just in case it goes sideways.

So you sit at operating centers for 3 or 4 days on duty, logged as such and so forth so on, Im assuming you destroyed your 70 hour HOS weekly clock doing that.

WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. Sitting there all that time on duty? Twiddling thumbs BS'ing with everyone in the driver lounge? Eff that.

Now if you were told to do actual work on duty there for 3 or 4 days I want to hear besides that whining...

"Pay me"

Document that and be prepered to show that you spent work over three to 4 days at the company property.

The layovers I cannot help you with. That is where your favorite dispatcher comes in play. Ask him or her nicely you have anything coming up after I get empty after this load? If you are any good at all without whining complaining or bellyaching or in generaly being needy, you will be given TWO loads maybe THREE to choose from days before you are empty. Next thing you know you have more work than the day is long....

Isnt that nice. But you have to put in the time and you have to take the good with the bad.

 

Where I meant on duty I meant without a 32-hour reset that I was on duty for them to give me a load. On the Qualcomm I put in sleeper berth during those whole entire four days. My operating Center home base is in Georgia not Texas I went to Texas just to pick up my truck and when I came there to pick up my truck I sat there for 4 days before I was given my first load ever with this company.

As far as fuel cards go I was given one but the dispatcher put unleaded fuel only for one weekend when I was driving from Georgia to Texas in a rental car instead of me using my own cash to pay for gas they told me to use the fuel card. Guess what? The fuel card didn't work and I made it very clear to them to make certain but there was no issues with that fuel card in the future when I'm driving a tractor-trailer for them. And sure enough we had issues.. communication has been absolutely terrible I'm just not happy with these people. I knew going into this that I was going to have to sit and wait for loads this is just gotten out of control. I even agreed to take a much longer load that would prevent me from seeing my child this weekend all I ask him to do is make certain that I'm home every other weekend as a regional driver that's all I ask and I've been gone for 3 weeks and I have not had the ability they get home to see my kid.

Trust me I'm not nagging them but I'm not going to allow them to totally disrespect the hell out of me. They actually offered $115 for that 872 mile trip instead of paying me mileage I told them absolutely not. I don't get it I'm sick of their crap

 

Well, I think at this point you might as well abandon the USS Cluster#### that company is becoming before it gets really bad.

It's a shame. Tanker work and regional with constant home time as a family man is more important.

Thank you for taking the time to explain a few issues, I understand them better and changed my position somewhat.

 

I've always wondered why Schneider was ever in the tanker business to begin with, and your post simply adds to my wondering.

I've been with Indian River for three years now and have never experienced what you have described.

What's Schneiders' recruitment phrase, anyway?

Come for the training. Stay for the incompetence.

You deserve better.

 

Maybe give Fastenal a phone call?

 

I believe it. I had to spend a day at their Keasbey NJ yard once when my truck broke down. I had originally applied for Schneider bulk out of school but it was winter time and they sent me to dedicated van instead, intending to switch over after the required 6 months. Long story short... there were guys there that had been sitting for 6 days in that rats nest of a drivers lounge. That made my decision for me. I stuck it out for 2 years on the van side and moved on to greener pastures right down the street from my house and got to pull tanks after all.

I've heard great things about their training, however the conversation always seems to end there.

 

That’s a common story @ Schneider with the tanks