Nussbaum Transportation is no joke

I have been driving with Nussbaum Transportation for a couple of months now, and I'd like to let folks know how it is over here. I say drive with, instead of drive for, because you are definitely treated as a member of a team-not just a truck and source of revenue.

A few examples of my personal experience I'd like to share to show that the promises made are not just lip service:

-$1050/week guarantee. This is no joke. I came out of orientation ($600) after three days and was assigned my truck and first load. It was to pick up just outside of Peoria, IL, and head to York, PA. No problem here. Unfortunately, I had a check engine lamp come on while on my way to the pickup. I called the shop and was instructed to stop by the dealer to get it checked on my way to PA. I got the load picked up, and proceeded to blow a trailer tire on my way to the dealer. Long story short, I lost a day of running (and the load was pulled) getting the truck and trailer taken are of. My next load was a short run to grab a trailer that needed to go into the shop. On my way there, the EGR cooler started leaking-another day down. It's now Saturday morning, and I am in Bloomington. I park the truck in Elwood, since I live in the area. I picked up a load headed out east, took it to Elwood, and went home for the weekend. All in all, I drove about 200 miles in my first week. How much was my check? $1050. Yep, $1050 guaranteed pay is no joke. I was even apologized to by my driver manager for the down time. Granted, getting payed something for nothing is cool; but I'd rather be getting more miles in the seat than sitting around the lounge.

-Home time. I live in the Joliet, IL, area. Because there is a large amount of freight moving through here, I have yet to not be home for a minimum of 34 hours each weekend. Most times I am home on Friday afternoon, and don't roll again until Sunday night (rare) or Monday morning (more typical).

-Equipment. Keeping in mind I am a new to the company, I am in an older (2012 with 540k miles) Cascadia. It is equipped with a DD15 and an Eaton 10 speed automatic transmission. While it is getting up there in miles, and will likely be replaced in the next few months, the old girl still rides and drives great. I see this as a testament to how well they care for their trucks. The interior actually looked nearly showroom new. The bunk even has a real mattress. Not the 2 inches of foam pad masquerading as a mattress that I was used to. Also, said mattress was brand new-still in the plastic-when I got my truck. They even installed all new privacy curtains. I have added a 1000w inverter (shop installed), a CB (personally installed), and they even allowed me to swap out the radio for an aftermarket unit (just had to save the old one and not do anything that couldn't be undone.) They even equip every truck with a T25 Torx driver. If you have ever had a Cascadia, you know that you can, pretty much, disassemble the whole interior with this single tool. The refrigerator works great (it's a Dometic unit), and the APU does a reasonable job of keeping the inside of the truck cool on those hot summer nights.

-The Culture. To me, this is one of the most important aspects of any workplace environment. I must say that Nussbaum is a far different experience than anywhere else I have ever been. In orientation,my photo was taken for my ID/gate pass. They also use the photo whenever you call in. I have seen the computer screens when some calls in, and it's pretty cool. Your picture pops up on the screen with your name, phone number, and truck number. The DM's refer to you by name. I actually got yelled at when I gave them my truck number one time when I called in. As for pictures, the employee manual has photos of everyone in the office with their name, direct line, and email address. I like this because I know who's face to look for if I need to talk to someone when I am at the yard. The other drivers are very accommodating as well. There is always a wave when passing each other on the road, or a conversation when meeting at a shipper or truck stop. I can't keep track of the number of times I have been personally welcomed to the Nussbaum "family."

-They really do care. A great example of how much they care occurred when the tornado wiped out much of Coal City. I was out it New York when this happened, and had no idea that there was such a catastrophic event back home. At around 9:30 the following morning, I received a call from Mitch (our safety manager.) He remembered that I live in Coal City, and wanted to see that everything was okay. Thankfully, things back home were, for the most part, unharmed. This, in my mind, is going way beyond the call of duty; and I am most appreciative of this. I was able to call both of my sisters and my parents (all are in the area) to make sure that everyone was okay.


I am sure there are a few things that I forgot to mention, so, if you have any questions or comments, please post up here or send me a PM. If you prefer, I'll even send you my phone number if you'd like to talk more. I'm just saying that, if you are looking for a company to drive with (NOT FOR), Nussbaum Transportation is really the only place you need to look. Sure, you might be able to make more money somewhere else; but there is more to it than that.

 

They are on Earth, they pay me a minimum of $1050 per week, and I got out of CR England and went to a better company.

 

Check my profile and look at my posts.
-or-
Look here- https://www.facebook.com/shaunmessenger
It's my Facebook page.

I'd have never thought that posting that a trucking company is actually what they say they are would get me blasted on here. C'mon, guys, not all companies are crap.

 

My truck in PA:


My truck at the yard:


My truck at a delivery in Countryside, IL:


My dash with the Kenwood installed:

 

Thanks. Can't take too much credit, though. It's a company truck.