new info on Schaffer

Just found out about Schaffer.
I am looking for a good TCU company to go with upon my graduation from school.
Any honest input is greatly appreciated.

My head is spinning with this research but I will make up my mind after I take my CDL permit test next Friday.

I want to have my mind made up before I get on with phase two of my training.

Thanks!!

 

I drove for Shaffer for 3 1/2 years, left there about 3 yrs ago to try local work. They were a good outfit, no real complaints. Good hometime, good pay, not too much BS. You can drive legal, be home 5 days at a stretch after only 3 weeks out. But things were changing when I left, they were consolidating with the dry van side...things got worse from what I hear but still better than most. I have no horror stories about them, like I keep seeing about other companies on here.

They have 'load-select', or did anyways, and that let's you choose from up to 3 loads. Stay away from Kansas City if you can (Associated Wholesale Grocers and the underground shippers). The washouts were a pain, but that is with all reefer outfits. In 3.5 years I think I had to touch 2 loads, and one was beer kegs that were unsecured in a preloaded trailer. Mostly candy for Hersheys and M&M/Mars. Penn. to St.Loius to Redlands, Ca. Tried once to send me to Brooklyn, but I said no thanks and they got someone else on it. Got to know Chicago a bit more than I would have liked. A lot of loads to Maine going to walmart with backhauls of paper rolls (the huge ones). I liked those Maine loads, though they were heavy. A lot of heavy loads, but again, it is reefer work. No complaints about the equipment.

They did not trash my DAC or do any of that stuff. Knowing what I know now, I would have stayed with them, but oh well.

Overall, I would recommend them. And I drove a straight 10, fyi.

 

I know this is an old post, but I couldn't resist to say...If you have a wife that you know would not do this (I know mine wouldn't do this!) then you have nothing to worry about on this. Fairly sinceless post!!

 

Only takes an hour or less to learn the refer, just push a few buttons, no rocket science here.

 

pretty dumb reason to not work for a company. people cheat everyday in every line of work.

 

So happy to be reading positive posts about Shaffer. My husband starts with them on May 9th. He's had some not so great experiences with a couple of O/O, i.e., not getting paid on time, wanting him to drive illegal, etc. so he's looking forward to being a company guy again (he originally started driving with Swift - no love lost there, either). Anyway, great info here - I'll pass it along to him.

 

One thing i'll say about my 7 months with shaffer is there paychecks are always right on. if anything i think i get overpaid at times lol . they have some places where you pick up one trailer but it gets billed as 2 po's so you automatically get the extra drop pay. one time i diddn't get remimbursed for a lumper, which comes out of your pay when you pay with a comcheck, but it was my fault cuz i forgot to transflo the reciept , it did get put into my next check though. when i was researching companies last summer i found very little negative about them which is why i was so happy they hired me. as with any ujob there has been some little annoyances here and there. lately ive been sent to p/u loads that were supposed to be picked up earlier than i coulod get there which means dealing with shippers with chips on their shoulder cuz your late but i guess that is cuz there is more loads than drivers. hopefully we don't lose all those customers while they are doing more hiring. I just stayed out for 75 days without goingn home and i actually ran everyday except two of them. i would have liked to have gotten a restart so i wasn't fighting with my 70 but they kept me running. i learned from that and i'm not staying out over a month at a time anymore unless i have some plans and need to rearrange my time off. i don't keep track exactly week to week but i would say on average i'm getting between 2200 and 2700 miles per week which is good for me. i was right out of school to driving so every month i learn something to make the most of my HOS. so maybe in a few months i'll be able to get that a little higher

 

oh and btw if he wants to hear all the negative about them just tell him to hang out at one of the lounges at the shops, that's all you hear. i have an older truck i guess because i came right out of school to here so i spend a little more time in the shop then i woulld like. i've been either putting the truck in and getting a room on my own dime or dropping at a terminal and getting a ride home so i don't have to hang out and listen to all that BS. nothing against my fellow drivers but some of them need to be a little more positive about things lol

 

I'm glad someone is getting miles. From December to March I averaged 8200 miles a month and they sent me a message congratulating me for being over the fleet average, which was 7900.

 

I was getting on average around 1,200 miles per week the last year I was with them. They stuck me in the North/East (NYC mostly) even though I was supposed to be National. Finally after several pleas with my FM I had to leave to make some real money.