Navajo Express - good or bad company?

I still don't understand how per diem works.

 

I do drive here. All this talk about the per diem- well twp points:
1. I have had exactly zero issues or problems with it or anything regarding it. And no problems filing my taxes.
2. The single benefit is to Navajo- they cut payroll taxes way back which means more cash flow back to the company.

One thing more- if did work here and left then fine- dump on us all you want but if you still drive or work here- keep your negitive comments to yourself. Only a complete fool rags on the outfit while still getting a paycheck from that same outfit.

 

Navajo is basically your average run of the mill otr company. While not the greatest outfit out there, I wouldn't place it among the dregs in the industry either. Here is some basic info on the company for those looking into Navajo.

1) Divisions

In addition to otr lower 48, Navajo also have 11 western, regional, and dedicated positions. Some are on Costco dedicated runs pulling rocky mountain doubles in the northwest, some are on Amazon dedicated in the southwest, and some are on other dedicated accounts that runs them from Colorado to Southern California. They also have local gigs though I don't think they have many vacancies to fill. The most likely scenario for for new hires is otr 48 pulling mostly meat loads to Walmart and other grocery distribution centers. While they also pull dry loads, refrigerated products is their bread and butter.

2) Equipment

As another poster mentioned, Navajo has about 600 trucks consisting mostly of Kenworth T660s, 680s, and 700s. They also have Volvo's and Internationals that they acquired after buying out Cargo Express, but they are in the minority. If you're a solo driver you will mostly likely drive a 3 year old 10 speed T660 with over 300,000 miles on the odometer. The trucks are governed at 65 mph on the pedal and 68 on the cruise, though some drivers trucks are governed to 70. Team drivers are usually placed in the 680's and 700's due to it being spacious. While the trailers appear to maintained quite well, many drivers have had gripes mechanical issues with their trucks, which is common for high mileage vehicles. From my understanding the KW T680 will be phased in by the end of the year. Also keep in mind that most of the trucks are not APU equipped. Those trucks tend to go to veteran drivers, teams, and trainers.

3) Mileage/pay

The miles are there for drivers who are hard runners. On a good week you can get 3,500 miles, but 2,500 appears to be the norm. The pay is also about the norm in the industry with $900 being a good week and $600 being about average. More money can be made for those who are trainers. 35 cpm and all the miles their trainee drives. If I recall the cpm is .31 with a .9 per diem. You can earn an additional .5 cpm so long as drive over 9,500 miles/month, no preventables, and use at least 75 % of the fuel stops provided to you in the fuel solutions. You get paid weekly and have the option of being paid via Comdata or direct deposit into your checking account. Your payday is on Wednesday with Comdata and Thursday with direct deposit

4) Home time

Expect to be out a minimum of 3 weeks before ever seeing the house. If you're lucky, you might be able to go home for a quick 10 if your load assignment routes you through the area. You get a weeks paid vacation after a year and from there you can take extended leave of absences. While you can stay out longer to have more home time when you want to use it, admin are not too keen on it, and would rather you take 3-4 days home time regardless of how many days you have been out. If you have any special events in which you have to go home for, make sure you start your home time a day or two prior and notify your dispatcher a week in a advance. They can be unreliable in sending you home and sometimes forget about altogether.

5) Dispatch

Loads are not forced dispatched, though sometimes it is like pulling teeth to reject the load. A planner sets up the load plan which is then funneled to the driver. They are pretty good at keeping you running, and usually have a pre plan established before you finish your current load assignment. Relays are quite common as load assignments are often given with little regard of the hours a driver may have available. Communication is often one way in favor of dispatch. If you're looking for a company where your dispatcher is always accessible via phone, you should look elsewhere. They prefer the qualcomm and it can take a while for them to respond. Your mileage may vary in terms of the quality of your dispatcher for they have different personalities and level of competence.

That's pretty much about it in a nut shell. Navajo is a so so company with so so pay and benefits. For a trainee, the company is pretty good due to the diversity of terrain you will cover (mountains, cities, etc) which can help to make you a more rounded driver. But for a seasoned driver who has "been there and done that", this may be considered a parallel move.

 

Very good post there. He basically said my experience here.

 

$600. Is low even for somebody that is home every night. $900. Is low to Average for a otr driver.

 

Like in all things trucking- your weekly wage depends on your hours, freight cycles in your area and weather. No one gets all the miles all the time. Keep your on the over all big picture- might find your averaging more than you think. Personally, I make a fairly decent living driving for these folks.

In response to "Silent Partner" pretty much the same data one can gleam from any transportation site on the net. But well done with this one exception- drivers have a lot to do with what goes on here- a driver's attitude, approch to the job, and communication skills in regard to the office can make or break a driver. I've seen this often over the last several years and heard it often enough from friends who are driver trainers. Navajo will give you the rope- up to you what you do with it. Bad news, same thing at most other outfits as well.

 

I was talking w/ Navajo's recruiter. She said I can make .35 cpm if I reach 3k miles a week and .30 cpm if miles are under 3k. Did/do you often reach 3k miles a week?

 

You need to pin her down on that because that is not how it works.

IF- you have available hours and IF- you are in area where there is freight and IF- you are not competing with a lot of other assets in your area then the probability is yes, you might potentially make 3000 or more- but, not every week.

 

I didn't think that every week I would reach 3k plus miles so I just assume that it will most likely be 30 cpm and try to aim for reaching that 3k range.

 

You are NOT going to see a change in your pay as far as cpm goes just for reaching 3K in a week. She's using a recruiter technique to sell our bonus program- which is based on your monthly miles, idle percentage and if you hit your "suggested" fuel and route points.

Trying to get 3k a week is a laudable goal- tells me you don't mind working. But, there is, as I posted earlier, factors beyond our control as drivers that affect that goal. All it takes is to be delayed at a customer for your week to get flushed down the toilet- and it's not even your fault. Welcome to trucking.