Knight Transportation, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

I worked for them and they got rid of me for a scratch on a trailer, and I knocked down about 5 ft of small round pipe with my trailer.! My dispatcher didn't even have the balls to face me when I went back into the terminal. I asked him straight out if I was terminated, I was lied too and told no. But when I went to the termainal he ran like a scared kitten. To me knight is a chicken company!



http://www.knighttrans.com/images/Truckmainnew.jpg



Knight is a large Phoenix, Az based outfit with terminals throughout the US. They have several divisions and most recently cranked up a stand alone reefer division. They seem to be well regarded and all of their equipment I have ever seen seems to be well maintained. They do govern their trucks at 67 mph but you shouldn't let that bother you. The time you save with ezpass, prepass, etc make up for it. I've considered them in the past myself. Rumor has it that there was some connection between their founder and Swift many moons ago, but he broke off the arrangement and began Knight Transportation. I have no proof of that and am only repeating a rumor I heard sometime ago. I've never really heard anything bad about them. Take care & good luck!
__________________
The dream arose from the dusty farms of Plain City, Utah. Randy, Keith, Gary, and Kevin Knight had a vision of establishing a short to medium-haul truckload carrier and becoming a major player in the industry. They channeled their desires. They honed their skills. Then, with more than 80 years of trucking experience between the four of them, they were ready to do it better than anyone else. Knight Transportation was created on the basis of achieving growth and profitability through an intensive management style and the creation of a simplified, cost-effective operation. From Plain City to Wall Street, the Knight evolution has come full circle. Knight continues its aggressive business growth plan and has become a "major player" in the trucking industry.
K N I G H T H I S T O R Y
1989 1991 1993

Company Incorporated
Over $13 million in revenue for the year
Over 200 trucks in operation

Knight's first truck & trailer

1994 1995 1996

Went public with an opening stock price of $8 a share

Initiated the Owner Operator program
Reached 492 employees



Knight's first billboard to recruit in Phoenix, AZ
Opened Katy, TX terminal - February

Opened Indianapolis, IN terminal - April

By summer, operating 500 tractors company-wide

1997 1998 1999

Started KMS (Knight Mgmt. Services - a consulting group)
Reached over 1,000 employees

3:2 Stock Split - May 18
Acquired Action Express of Corsicana, TX

Opened Charlotte, NC terminal - June


Randy Knight retired in July.

Investment in the creation of Concentrek Logistics

Opened Salt Lake City, UT terminal - November

Over $150 million in revenue and reached over 1,200 trucks

2000 2001 2002

10 years in business

Acquired Fayard - John Fayard, Fastway Systems of Gulfport, MS
Opened Kansas City, MO terminal. - May

3:2 Stock Split - June 1

3:2 Stock Split - Dec. 28
Opened Portland, OR terminal. - March

Opened Memphis, TN terminal. - July

Listed on S&P SmallCap 600. - OctoberR

2003 2004 2005

Opened Atlanta, GA terminal

Opened Denver, CO terminal
Opened Las Vegas, NV terminal

Opened Carlisle, PA terminal

Opened Lakeland, FL terminal

Announced opening of Knight Refrigerated, LLC
Announced opening of Knight Brokerage, LLC

Opened El Paso, TX terminal

Opened Reno, NV terminal

Acquired Edwards Brothers, Inc. of Idaho Falls, ID


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I must of done something right. Got a 2007 Volvo with only 94,000 miles on it and my dispatcher...dang she's hot. And she got me a load straight to ohio and now home for a couple of days. And all the people at the Indy terminal are cool, it'a actually kinda nice working with people that are around my age (24-26). Yup, I think im gonna like it with Knight.

Ian

 

Best of luck to ya,KnightRider.

 

Hello, I live in Indianapolis and am looking for a good company to go with. Right now, im still in school and should be done in week and a half. I havent heard to much about Knight yet. The carriers ive been looking at dont seem all that great after doing some little research online. Been looking through forums and research on http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/. Any additional info on Knight would be great. me at
Thank you,
-IndyIn

 

HEY NIGHTRIDER.KNIGHT CALLED ME TODAY ABOUT A PROGRAM THEY HAVE.ITS LIKE 4 DAYS ON 3 OFF.CAN YOU ENLIGHTEN ME ON THIS PROGRAM AND IF ANY ONE IS MAKING MONEY OR WHAT.WHATS THE SCOOP.THANKS

 

their website says they only run extreme NW.

 

Knight runs 48 states but they are big on the west coast especialy I-5..... They have terminals all over plus they are going to double, with that said, it doesnt matter where you live , they will get you home! You can run anytime, anywhere you want (assuming freight is going there) or you can run 4 on 4 off, it really doesnt matter. We have drivers that run 2 or 3 days a week then take a week or two off, just be prepared to slip seat.... If you run 10,000 miles a month then you wont have to worry about sharing the truck. Knight trucks run at 66 mph now which is better then when I started (3 years ago) 62 mph... I run I-5 mostly so speed isnt an issue. NO FORCED DISPATCH - enough said..... Good Luck, and remember one company doesnt fit all, you need to find the company that suits your needs...

 

Knighton5

Their website is pretty void of information as far as hiring goes, pretty much just a link to an online application. If you don't mind, could you answer a couple of questions?

Do they hire recent CDL school grads? If so, what's the pay start at? It sounds like you're doing just what I'd like to do, run almost exclusively the I-5 corridor (I live in the Seattle area) What kind of miles do you get on average? THANKS in advance!
Scott.

 

Knight requires 4 months of experience, They have a sliding payscale based on length of haul that starts off at .33 and ends .41. You get 3 performance raises your first year which should put you at .36 and then every year after you get an automatic .005 plus any additional pay.

Miles vary greatly depending on of course the freight, some drivers have the magic with them and get alot, I ran OTR for them for a year until I got a dedicated run and averaged 2500 a week, some more some less. But knight is a short to medium haul carrier, there's alot of 400-600 mile runs with 32+ hour delivery windows. You add that with loading and unloading everyday It burns up your hours.

Knight does not pay for experience. You can have 4 month or 20 years and it doesn't matter. They're a decent medium quality carrier, but for the long term, they are not up to standard. They want to be the next swift or JB. The Knights and Company are excellent businessmen, but they are getting the swift attitude snd that's frustrating because they have so much potencial and they limit themselves in my opinion.

That being said I am actually going back to the SLC terminal and am hoping to spend about 3 years there building up my 401k( Theirs suck, they contribute only 840 per year max) You have the potencial to get a $500 safety bonus and a $ 500 customer service bonus per year in the form of a savings bond that matures in 5 years. The safety bonus accumulates $500 per year to a max of $2500. The customer bonus stays at $500.