Head aches are all that you will get from Knight.You are lucky if you dont go bankrupt in the first 90 days of employment.I say this because you will sign a contract that if you do not complete the first 90 days of working for them you will recieve a fine of substancial proportions.I was also devastated in the layover policy.You will not see a written policy,only be told that you are being put in for a layover only to never see it.In 90 days I had 24 layovers and never saw the 48 dollars even once.I was told the 21st time that if you are under a load your not eligeble.So when you get a big 320 mile run on Friday morning and it delivers monday,your not eligable.I was never explained this until I had been there for 2 and a half months.Even when I met all of the requirements to a layover,I was never paid.Its as if Knight with-holds the policy guidelines .Another trick they use is to dispatch you over 24 hours out,to pick up a load.That way your dispatched and not eligable. Lets talk trailers,have you ever spent the entire day looking for one?2 days?Been dead headed from Portland to SLC because the have no loads?Did you ever have weeks of 700 miles?Welcome to KNIGHT!
It just depends on which driver is posting. When I read the post I called up a friend of mine who works out of their Seattle terminal and he reported that since he started driving there in November that he has not done less the 2,900 miles per week and did 3,300 one week and has only driven in Wa,OR,CA,NV, and AZ and his longest layover was 2hrs and his longest DH was from Fresno Ca to San Jose Ca. The Seattle terminal (Knights terminals operate indipendently) wants there drivers to average at least 2,750 a week and he was even paid $12.50 a hour for 5hrs because the customer did not have a crew ready to unld a insulation load that was sched for del at 0600 but was not worked on till 1000. He did say that on a couple of occasions he has done a couple of locals to get a mty trailer in LA which was faster then waiting for a mty because they were D/H loads. At any large company there will be a certain amount of drivers getting a box of rocks and a certain amount finding a pot of gold probably half the ones getting the shaft is because they asked for it. So if you did not ask for it, then just find another company.
My experience at Knight is consistent with the O.P's. No M.T's , trailers with bad tires (average 33%), loads that have two days of sitting unless you do a local "continuation" load that you don't get paid for, checks short on lumper fee reimbursements, detention, layover, you name it, always having to chase after your money. Local terminals dispatching their drivers around you even though you were empty 1.5 days before their driver. Run from Knight they will, do, lie to you and their mechanics may get you killed I.E. doing a alignment and leaving the drag link clamp untightened, swapping tire on trailers and neglecting tighten lug bolts and then telling you to take the trailer. #### I was only there four months ...........
I think you have to get P.O. numbers and fill out their paperwork correctly or you won't get paid on time . The guy I know that works for them left his house Last Friday to run a driver to Portland and then pu a load from Tacoma Wa going to Phoenix. He then PU a load from Superior AZ dropped in Kingman same day and pu a load down the street from the drop and dropped in Seattle this morning and then had to go to Target to get another load to Phoenix. He did say that there was 4 or 5 drivers from out of the area sitting at the Seattle term waiting for a load from 1-2 days. The other poster is right. Each terminal cares only about their drivers so you best work at one that knows how to keep you rolling when your in another area or you will sit.
I've worked for Knight Refrigerated for 8 months now, and there is good and bad. The good news? They'll get you home whenever you need it, and the tractors are decent enough. Truth be told, my '06 Volvo is the most comfortable I've ever driven. The bad news? Okay, here we go. They will lie to you on a daily basis, often just for the hell of it. They tell you one thing, then the very next day, do the exact opposite. 3 times I've been promised a dedicated run, and after one load, I'm off to somewhere else. The trailers are a joke. One out of three trailers I pick up need some work done on them just to make them DOT legal. As I run mainly CA, that's a huge issue. Of course, I have to take them to the shop (or TA) on my own time. The pay they will claim is a lie, straight out. The guy who runs payroll used to be the shop manager, then one day they tell him he's in charge of payroll; enough said about that. They promise detention, layover pay, but I haven't seen it yet. As much as I sit, that adds up fast. I also haven't been reimbursed for my scales or tolls in 5 months. I figure that's another $100+ out of my pocket every month. I'm also told I make $.34 per mile. Wrong. They pay me $.32 per mile. I called them on it, and the response was "Nothing you can do about it..." The sad fact is, every time they short me, I'm supposed to call the payroll manager. When I do, he's either out of the office, or he's too busy or "running a program" on his computer and can't access his records. My question is, why should I be doing his job for him? My job is to drive and deliver on time, not hound him every time (daily) they screw up. Word is getting out fast that the only people who will work for Knight are the ones who can't find work elsewhere. I just turned in my truck, and even if I have to work double shifts at Burger King, I'll come out ahead, considering the hours I put in with Knight, and the compensation I've gotten in return. If you like being treated like a disposable piece of meat, then go for it. If you have even the slightest self respect, keep it intact and stay away from them. One last thing... Knight has been flagged by the DOT for numerous safety violations. If you run with them, plan on being pulled in for inspection frequently. I keep a clean log book, so it doesn't bother me, but it can be annoying when you're in a hurry.
If you get paid .32 a mile it is because they pay .21 for there longest run taxable and .13 per-diem not taxable and then take .2 cents of the per-diem pay. Why I don't know because the guy I talked to in Seattle has not returned my call with the reason.
WoW as far as layovers not sure who your dispatcher is but I would fire his ###. About your finding a trailer I will agree it was frustrating BUT I always get the number and call the company they try to send me to and have them ask their yard dog if there is any emptys. Just work smart if you are getting layed over that often something is really really wrong..
Why complain about the deadhead, pays the same. You are right about the layover, you are only eligible for it if you are not dispatched and have not refused a load. That crappy over the weekend BS is you DM's fault, he needs to do a better job of getting you enough miles to keep moving over the weekend.
