?'s on US EXPRESS

Since getting my license back in 05 I had 4 driving jobs in less than 6 months. Why because I was new and did not no any better. Then when I finally found a decent company ( my opinion) I stayed a yr. Then went local and have been since 3/07. do a lot of reading before you decide who to drive for.. I personally hated US Xpress and here is why. I went to them after Werner. Started orientation in 10/05 up in Oklahoma.. After orientation, I spent 30 days in a hotel with no trainer insight. They paid my $30 a day plus the room, but I had a family to support and could not wait any longer. So I left and started to work part time for UPS in their warehouse during the holiday season or until I could find a driving job..

 

I would greatly appreciate any responses from US XPRESS drivers, trainers or students on how the training is setup and anything that may help me make up my mind on this company. I've had my CDL for 2.5 years and very little class A exp but alot of class B delivering beer. I am torn between this company and Prime. I am interested in equip condition, pay, miles etc. Anything anyone maybe able to pass on.

 

I'm sure there's a thread for this question somewhere in the vast expanse of this forum, but, I wanted to ask...is there a decent income in driving a beer truck or something similar, say a Coca-Cola truck?

Sorry for the hijack:smt075

 

There can be very good money in the beer gig..........

 

How about something like soft drinks - Coca-Cola, Buffalo Rock, etc. I hate to sound overly religious, but I don't think that delivering beer would settle well on my conscience. I am a Christian and don't think that would work well for me. That's not to say that those who do are condemned to hell. Its a personal conviction, thats all.

 

We had a US Express recruiter at school yesterday. He was scheduled to come in for the evening class, and since I am in the day class couldn't wait around.

Don't know what was discussed...but if they are actively recruiting then ?

 

So instead of driving the beer truck feeling guilty about the beer you put in people hands would you feel better driving a coke truck, delivering obesity to America's youth?

If you drive a beer truck you are not responsible for anything besides it besides it getting into a cooler! If someone drinks, it's on nobody but themselves. Worry about doing your job not others personal choices, if you a christian delivers the beer, that's all you are doing. If another christian drinks, that's there decision, if a bartender serves a drink that's on the bar tender, this will all go down the someway whether you or another person stocks the cooler!

Don't read to much into what you are doing, aside from the simple tasks you do!

 

Many districts and private schools are looking for drivers, many don't advertise go into your local district or private bus company and pick up an app. If you don't have a CDL many will train you.

I just moved and a local private company hires drivers right off the bat and gives them a run!

I was a substitute bus driver for a while, I didn't enjoy subbing (trying to read a note of where to go, looking out for stops and turns and having a different one every day was to hectic for me) but did enjoy doing trips! If I wasn't going somewhere else I'd jump on the local company here and get my own run!

Delivering beer/soda is a nasty job! God love them doing the job, but it's not for me! I remember one day I had to take a sports team somewhere and be to the school at like 2:30-3. I was running errands like an hour before that and I saw the pepsi guy unloading crates of soda onto his hand truck dripping sweat. I had to go to a few other stores and literally saw this guy pulling into one store after the next. No real just drive maybe a minute or two here or there and unload again. I felt bad for him! I get to the garage pre trip my bus go in side and BS (becaus eyou have to be there 30 min early so they can fix or give you a new bus if you notice something on the pre-trip), I'm getting paid for this, driive to the school pick up the kids wait around for about another half hour before the team gets on and we are ready to go. So there is about an hour paid every day before yu really do anything.

I'd take off and leave for whatever school they were playing, and see teh pepsi guy still doing rounds!

I get to where ever the kids are playing, maybe an hours driive at the most some times, unload the team. Check the bus, make sure no one left anythng they would need for the game (HS and JHS kids woud forget their own heads sometimes lol) then you'd sit around and wait, take a nap, go get dinner, drive to Wal Mart, I always dreamt of seeing a movie one day but I never did. Some people had their wife/hudand boyfriend/girlfriend meet them whereever they were and go out to dinner, all of this waiting was paid. I had to buy a better phone that was great on the internet because I was so bored. lol

I remeber one dsy I took a trip near where they have the pepsi truck depot (and when I was waiting for the kids, driving to get some dinner) I noticed the pepsi truck (I noticed the number) going in that I saw unloading when I was going errands one night. While I was napping, reading the paper, on the internet, talking/texting to my friends this guiy was busting his ###...

I saw that company had an ad in the paperk, they must get pretty good money to work so hard while I screw around right? Nope, I called and it was about the same!

This guy might get 3-4 more (back breaking) hours than I did, but I could have easily exceeded his hours if i decided to sub everyday, if I had a regukar run whew, that would have great $$$! Prob 35 hours a week doing the route then any 4-6 hour trips you could pick up every day if you wanted,. and have weekends off.

 

the solo drivers are treated not so good, and numerous were told "go team "go lease or "go home, numerous went home. good luck on getting a bonus from usx, safety bonus program was cancelled, and phoney bonus programs were started & then cancelled, idling policy according to which state you are in & that states laws, if you are in a terminal,(california) no problem, but colton usx calif terminal is a ghost terminal, they have gotten rid of most of the staff building is almost empty, springfield ohio, is fairly new-nothing in the newly leased terminal in southern ill., okc ok, is same as colton ca terminal, etc., usx is going paperless log (still have to keep paper log for your own protection & when the driver tech computer goes belly up (again & again)

 

has anybody here ever drove for U.S. Express? will they hire rookies? how does U.S. Express compare to Werner, Swift, and Schneider?