Millis chat room

I've heard a lot of incredibly positive things about Millis... or maybe... it's the lack of hearing all the negative... who knows.

 

While there is no such thing as a perfect trucking company I think you'll find that most drivers are happy here and those that aren't happy probably wouldn't be happy anywhere. Our low turn over speaks for itself, I think.

 

Although I have not started training yet... After months of research (changing carreers at 49 I did not take lightly) Millis came out on top of almost all of the categories. What I am wondering is why Millis trains so many drivers? Are they expanding that quickly? Is driver attrition that high? If it is that high, what do you see as the main causes?

I only ask since so many drivers, even ones not driving for Millis, give it such great reviews.

 

I think a lot of new drivers get out there and it's not all chocolate farts and rainbows like they thought it would be. They get homesick. So that weeds out a few. Others get a year experience and move on to something else. Some retire and some get fired.

Baritone just had a trainee that quit after two days(or two weeks, can't remember exactly) in the truck because he realized it was not for him.

 

Comparatively, Millis does not train THAT many drivers. We have 3 training locations and classes are usually 6 (between 4 and 11 is what I've seen) and each location only has one class per month. So at an average of 6 per class, that's only 18 students per month. There are usually a few experienced drivers thrown in to orientation, but that's it. There is only one orientation per location per month. If you figure 2 experienced guys per orientation, that's 24 guys coming to the company per month. Now take into account guys that quit and/or can't cut it. (In my class of 6, there are only 3 of us left since October, one quit before orientation, one quit on the trainer's truck and one was let go for not having his CDL yet after over 4 months on a trainer's truck) So if you assume the experienced guys will stay, and count half of my class gone, you are back down to effectively only getting 11 guys in trucks per month. In a company that has over 800 trucks, that is not bad at all.

Now, I might have said something that will make some of you cringe. The fact is, people in your class will quit for various reasons. Family issues, skill issues, medical issues, etc will take people out of trucks. Know this coming in; This is a performance based career. If you do not perform to par, you will have a hard time with any company. The company will give you a $120,000 truck and expect you to deliver on time with no damage to load or equipment. Cause too much damage and you will be out of a job. Can't plan well enough to deliver on time and you will be out of a job. That is the name of the game.

You will see it said all over the place in the this forum. You have to want this job. It has to be in your blood. People who come to trucking because they need a job due to economy sucking will usually not stay in trucking. Some people think they want this, then learn it's not what they thought it was. And so on, and so on. It is the way it has always been.

Personally, I was raised around trucking and drove briefly before joining the army. After the army, I took a job I was not happy in and was just counting the days till I was back in a truck. I can now say I am the happiest I have been in a long time (career wise) now that I am back in a truck.

 

I don't know if I have the answer, but I can tell you Millis has been good to me, training in C-ville was great (thanks Greg), being out with trainer I learned even more (real life stuff). PASSED MY CDL TODAY (pat on my own back LOL) (thanks to my trainer, pat on his back LOL). I think what I learned in this process is it's HARD not just holding a steering wheel, AND its not for everyone, as far as turnover I think ads and recruiters for other companies paint a nice picture, and its the same ,if not worse.

 

L.B. What did you do in the Army? I retired from the Army in 2007. I shouldn't have to tell you my job in the BDU/ACU's.

 

Congrats Boomer!

 

Started as an Artillery Forward Observer, but had to switch to Intelligence Analyst after a bad parachute injury. I retired in 2010. Sometimes I miss Arty, but Intel was full of backstabbers! Couldn't wait to get out of that!

 

I feel you brother. I miss the MP Corp a lot. It had it's good with the bad but overall I enjoyed it. MP's have the best field missions. We don't work with our Commanders in the field! I'm in Cartersville every weekend available for coffee and old joe stories.....