Knight trucks for sale?

You're right about trying to attract experienced drivers with the Petes! They 'promised' Pete's to them, which of course depended on what trucks were available in the yard at the time they hired on. Many had to start with Volvos til a Pete opened up.

Also, when Knight opened up their Refrig Division, all trucks that Div were Petes. But if a dry van Knight wanted to cross over to the Refrig Div, couldnt at current pay---had to take starting out pay!! They really wanted additional drivers---so much for job opportunities at Knight...pretty much the only way to 'move up' at Knight was get into the office...which BTW, for a paid mileage driver, was also a cut in pay. But of course everyone knows that to be home nightly 7 days/week while also working 7 days/wk (esp for newbies!) in the office, many drivers would sell their souls!

 

There are only and very small handful of old Roads Wests drivers still working for the company after the buy-out. There was a thing in the contract that Knight couldn't mess with them and their wage was higher than the others.

But stay away from the Knight units, there has been many lawsuits filed over these trucks. Starting with Cummins, Volvo and PACCAR! I wonder if the VIN's aren't blacklisted from the companies.

 

Now it's International Prostars. Nice trucks tho.

 

While there has been problems with International/Knight, most of the bug issues came to light before Knight had bought any Prostars.

 

I drove Express for my 5 yrs with Knight. Started out in Centurys, then Volvos, and then Petes.

Many trucks that I jumped in to start my week out had problems (about 1/3). Some of the reasons why they had probs besides 'lazy drivers' NOT turning them in (most 'regular' Express drivers were good about writing trucks up B4 going on home time til the big turn-over caught up with Knight and drudges were being hired!). Also, many of the trucks that I started out on were just bailed on by disgruntled drivers who did not put into the shop on their way out. Then Knight made the problem worse by requiring 3 levels of signatures on a work order B4 the shop would accept the trucks...taking the work order from the shop-to-the office and hunting down those 3 sigs, and then back to the shop, for a driver ending his week out and ready to go home became very irritating, and many drivers just avoided thereby leaving the next driver jumping into a truck with probs!

After finally hunting down the assigned truck which had probs & usually not found out as having serious probs til I loaded in my stuff (and sometimes not until I hit the road!), used to P.O. me to no end; and many times, after having to put the truck in the shop B4 heading out if no other trucks were available, I lost a day (sitting in the term or sleeping in an 'off-drivers' non-MT truck----which I hated to do since I 'honor' other drivers security of their property)...

[and, BTW, if another truck was available, I still had to write up the originally assigned bad truck and turn into the shop B4 moving into the next one]

But Knight was good at taking a truck for sale thru their body shop and repairing, stripping decals, spot-repainting, and buffing them out to 'look good!!'

 

Who owns Knight these days?

 

I believe it is still the Knight family, Sonny. And they are a bunch of "Good Old Boy, Crooks." Their recruiters will try to fill your head full of pig flop to get you to sign on with them.

There are so many problems with that company that it is hard to believe they are still in business. Take a look at all the threads and posts about Knight from those of us that worked there.

I am not one to bellyache about an employer if that employer treats their people even half way decently. But I bellyache about Knight, and with very good reason.

I would strongly suggest that Knight is NOT one of the companies that you would want to go to, after you get your time in with SWIFT. OTOH, you may just find you like SWIFT after you have been there for a while. Not likely, but possible.

 

Fear not, Big Don! Knight is not on the table for discussion. I've yet to hear anything positive about them. Swift will be just fine for the short term....maybe for the long term. I might find the temperature in the frying pan to be preferable to the fire (of uncertainity).

Right now, I'm enjoying at least 90% of this experience. The other 10% might just be something I'll have to tolerate.....no problem, I've tolerated much worse.

 

I do have one positive comment about Knight. Well, actually TWO.

1) They have them purtty red tractors.

2) I DON'T drive for them anymore!

 

Dont forget:

3) They give ya 3 new T-shirts every year!

(which, BTW, I still wear (thats 5 yrs at 3 shirts/year) w/my sweat pants (an illegal dress code specified by Knight as a no-no!) as lounging attire at home---like the pocket....)