Just graduated. Interested in covenant. How are they?

Sandsquid... none of the starter companies are all that great. That's why many old times get on here and bash them, because they already have better options. I'd just do your homework and find one that looks like you can live with and go for it, get your year in, then more doors will open. Don't expect good money in the beginning because I promise you won't get it. Just learn at much as you can.

 

thats not true i made $46k my first year



American Trucker

 

the recruiters are up late tonight. Sandsquid look for people on here that have more than 50 posts. A lot of these cheerleaders are recruiters doing damage control.

 

Ok let me rephrase... MOST people don't get good money in the beginning, but there are always those few in the crowd that can fall in poop and come out smelling like a rose.

 

With 2 yrs. of that ever-so-precious "verifiable" experience, I was offered a whopping .28cpm to split. I have rarely been so insulted. I do not drive for .14 cpm, I don't care how many miles your recruiters will claim.

The newest trucks being offered to new drivers I saw 18 mos. to 2 years of age. Kinda screws the whole "average age of trucks is 14 months", huh? The truck I was offered was 2 1/2 years old, and required a minimum of 3 weeks of shop time to be considered possibly road worthy. Of course, that is a real shop, not the travesty of a shop found at Covenant's treasured "White House" in ever so glorious Chattanooga, TN.

Covenant's main shop will double to triple the amount of time it takes to get even the most basic of maintainence work done. The only way to get around this time issue is to suck down the "lease deal" Kool-Aid, which will only save you once. Cause once you lease, you don't get to switch trucks until that lease is paid off, your dead on the side of the road from starvation, or you've wised up and quit.

Covenant is yet another "training company". Read that as completely worthless if you have driven anything more complicated than a tricycle. The pay is openly insulting to anyone who is capable of the most basic of budgeting (which should be most of you). Contracts are racing off to the competition, since Covenant has implemented e-logs, but can't seem to run dispatch properly. If you do join Covenant, expect to team. Teaming is the only way Covenant can deliver their freight and keep their drivers within the HOS. So while you as a driver will have to share your truck with another driver of questionable skill and hygeine, you will most likely not see team level miles. The "real" team loads are reserved for trainers and dispatcher butt-kissers. Covenant makes a big deal out of being a "faith-based" company. If Jesus Himself were to return, I'm willing to bet Covenant's owner would be among the first to run in fear, due to his treatment of his employees, and his money-grubbing tactics.

 

BRSims, not sure what truck you were offered but I'm sure it was newer than 2 1/2 years old. All teams go into 2011 or 2012 trucks. As for the .14/mile, if you have hazmat, it goes to .17/mile for all miles run. There is also a .01/mile safety bonus each quarter. After 90 days, rate goes up .01 then another .015 after another 90 days. So very real .195/mile after 6 months plus safety bonus. It is only .14 if you don't have hazmat. I would encourage you to talk to ops management if you'd like to investigate further. Good luck.

 

.19cpm still sucks lol



American Trucker

 

No longer driving, certainly not for Covenant. As I earlier posted, .14cpm is a flat out insult. I have 2 1/2 years "verifiable", plus more than 8 years of driving for O/O's and very small fleets (5 trucks or less) who, oh I don't know, PAID ME! Thanks to ATA, gov't regulation, and "mega" carriers slashing frieght rate to the bone, all the good small fleets are going bye-bye.

The truck I was ever so graciously "offered" was an '09 Cascadia that hadn't seen the inside of a shop since the blasted thing was built. Offered in precious Chattanooga, based upon my finding a teammate. Because I obviously couldn't be trusted to drive all by myselfsomes. I might suddenly forget what the big round thing in front of me is for, or confuse the clutch pedal with the sliding 5th wheel release, or something as asinine as that.

Recruiting offered me a job running solo, with an excellent possibility of running dedicated out of Erie, PA. Orientation turned into a "refresher course", teaming, a crappy truck, and say bye-bye to a dedicated run until I'm too old to care.

Covenant is a garbage company. Any outfit that loses more than 150 drivers in a week, most of them trainers, due to lack of pay issues is not a "faith-based" company that embraces Christ's gospel of compassion. A company who keeps a driver who PULLED A KNIFE ON A STUDENT at the ever-so-fabulous Covenant Inn is definitely not a company that I will support with my employment.

Anybody coming here to "cheer" for Covenant is either an obvious recruiter, or management staff attempting damage control. And we see you coming from miles away.

 

i really cant believe nobody mentioned the conviceted druggie/child molester they had outed on to catch a predator--now that was funny---please stay away from them--find a good company where you can pursue a career and not just keep a seat warm

 

Completely missed that one. Probably because I don't watch "To Catch a Predator", due to a deep-seated desire to offer the poor, mentally ill "predators" a terminal cure for their problems...