Schneider choice program orientation and getting truck Schneider finance

Alright everyone I apologize for falling off the radar as my iPad had stopped getting online for a while so I didn't come back on and when I repaired it, things were going haywire so I thought I would wait to see how things go before I say anything else. I will summarize the last two weeks short and sweet.

I went in the next day after last post and told them about the white stuff in engine oil.
first they deny it then do oil analysis and acknowledge water in oil but say its condensation and insist
I send in another oil analysis in 10k miles before they consider anything.

lease of 475 dollars after all is said and done is about 1170 a week. 375 of which is maintenance fund that you can only use at shops inside their network and only with their permission. Failure to go to one of their network shops will result in you paying for it yourself.
If you do an oil change or anything else under 300 dollars you are charged 25 dollars for accessing your own money!

The truck a 2009 kw t660 with 350k miles used prior by a smoker still reeks of smoke even after their so called detail. I take the truck anyways since wanted to start making money.

700 miles into the trip driving up a mountain in Georgia and boom air line blows out brakes seize.
Call Sfi road repair mobile service comes out repairs air line over tranny after an hour and I'm off.
15 minutes later boom another airline blows out. Call again and guy is out again apologizing and repairs this new airline blow out.
I spend the night at truck stop off again. 250 miles into it and boom 3rd airline leak. I call again then they say there are no repair shops in their network till effingham 235 miles north but if I'd like I can pull a u turn and drive back 50 miles to Nashville kenworth. Nope can't grab brakes or ill lose all air within a few minutes so I drive to effingham petro.

They fix 3rd airline and I call sfi to complain that this truck is broken down 3 times in just 2 days out. I ask if they r sure they did a proper inspection and Amy the lease rep goes on the defensive claiming all is good and they would pay for half of all repairs. Woo hoo big deal I haven't had 2 runs and I'm a,ready in the negative.

I keep rolling and get a load from Illinois to California do I can finally go home after more than 3 weeks out 2 weeks with old company and came straight to orientation week prior to this.

I drive 700 miles and over a mountain grade just east of Elko nv a 4th airline blows out and I pull over. This time I call roadside and they say take to small kenworth dealer in elko. It's 5 pm I drive there and they won't be in till 8 am tomorrow.
morning the manager and service techs look at it and are very helpful. They find the airline is burned out but they show me something astonishing............

 

The exhaust pipe under the cabin over the transmission is broken in half and its apparent it has been like this for a long time since there was a lot of dust and black smoke as well as rust built up around the pipes. This they said sends a surge of heat from the dpfe of the engine when engine is under heavy haul ie going p hills thus causing extreme heat Nd burning up of airlines.

part can be ordered but wing be here till Friday afternoon. This load tho is due in California 4 am Friday in Cali. I call the ever useless ICAs with SNI and explain that it's it my fault and that sfi didn't do inspection of this truck thus causing me 4 breakdowns in just 2 days. She claims she will transfer load to another driver and I won't be charged the 500 dollar fee they charge for late or transferred loads. I find out today that was a lie and I was charged the 500 anyways from last week.

so that day in Elko I call Amy again a Nd now I'm telling her this is bs. I'm not paying a penny for all this breakdowns because it is their fault this truck was improperly inspected. How could they miss such a big problem that's on the so called yearly inspection and they marked it as ok????
l tell her that I think either their mechanics are incompetent or sfi purposely didn't want to repair it so I could pay for half once I leave out the door.

she denies sfi does things like that. I tell her I'm not keeping this truck as I feel it is a danger to drive and don't trust their inspection. I told her ill just go to the new truck and I wil wait a month if I have to.
Amy became defensive again and told me," I don't think that you and sfi are a good fit. If you want to keep that truck fine otherwise you can bring it in I won't hold you to the contract and you will not be allowed to get any other truck from us.

so basically because I refuse to lay down and get raped by sfi then I'm not a good match for sfi. No problem I said I'll bring your truck back.

I told her I want to go. Home as I haven't been home in. Month now and am very close and will return it as soon as. Come back from home. Amy says that if I want to return the truck I must do so by the end of the following week or else I will be held to the entire contract.

no way I'm going to be able to go home and spend time and still get a load to Green Bay all in 6 days. So with a heavy heart missing my kids, I get load to Dallas and deliver Monday then from there to Green Bay on Wednesday.

i delivered the truck back to their yard Tuesday night the 25th just 10 days after taking the truck out.
she then emails me saying they won't hold me to the lease but they will charge me a deficiency for the miles I drove and mind you to this moment she has not once apologized for the trucks breakdowns which were due to their mechanic shops negligence, not one time did she feel any sympathy or apologize.

No problem if they had not taken the truck I would have returned it anyways and waked away from it.


90% of the loads are over 30k pounds most of which are 40k plus. Avg load rate is about 1.30 cpm.. And I've seen many as low as .66 cpm???? You'll find some in Chicago area or other big cities that pay more for shorter loads but with elogs don't expect to do more than 2 loads a day short runs if that.

i read some guys saying drop and hook. They forget to mention that you have to drop an empty at every load you pick up. So if you're not lucky enough to have an empty where you dropped previous loaded trailer you will be driving around for one.

Loads Cain be cancelled at anytime Neil you are actually sitting at shipper but you get no reimbursement for time o refuel but if you are late you pay 500 dollars???

Anyone here that tells you they have figured out all the drop and hooks and so they can just drop and hook all day long is full of #### in 2 ways. First you presume that none of your loads will be cancelled second you don't mention that empties have to be delivered before picking up a load and third you don't put into consideration that the pay varies so hard from one load to another. Running just miles doesn't guarantee money only guarantees you're moving.

You are not an owner op rather worst than a company driver because you have two bosses one is the SNI boss second is sfi boss.

As for jeff I see a lot of you guys arguing with him. He is in the process of getting. Truck and he won't listen to anyone so just don't tell him anything and let him learn the hard way he thinks its fun and games.


i drove trucks for 5 years and have managed successfully businesses for 11 years of my life as well as being a certified automotive tech. But I'll tell you that there is no success in leasing with SNI be it s new 1300 a week truck or used 1150 a week truck. Their rates for 80% of the loads are ridiculously low.

As for the person who says he isn't in this for the money and just wants to enjoy trucking loll. Then enjoy.

As for me I came back to my old company paid .40 cpm on paper logs and will follow the owners original advice which was to save up my money and buy truck with cash. Then and only then am I an owner op and dictated what I want to do.

After my fuel expenses and running illegal half e time on elogs and yes I did run illegal and after lease I netted 1200 first week and 850 this second and last week. Gross was about 3800 each week. Yep it is rape.

 

matt trust me man I went 3 days prior to orientation so I could look over the truck. How do you think I found the white substance in the oil? I did as through of an inspection that I could but this exhaust leak was under the cab between the cab and transmission and only way to have seen it would have been to remove 5 bolts and remove the side panel by the passenger seat exposing the entire right side of where the batteries were etc. even then I didn't see the break until he removed the clamps and the exhaust pipe came off.

No way anyone could see that by doing an inspection outside of a shop.
btw they don't allow you to take the truck to shop of your choice. I already asked. And no I wouldn't have suspected exhaust leak as there was no loss in mpg nor was there any distinct odor around that area.

if you think you're safe by getting a new truck sorry to burst your bubble but 3 out of 5 guys in class got new trucks didn't leave for 2 more days after orientation due to problems with their new cascadias.

one of my buddies I made there got a new one and it gives good mpg but the electric apu is driving him nuts as it dies out after a few hours and then it shorted out on m causing him to idle for 2 days till they came out to repair it through carrier.


again man I'm jus posting my experience and thought SNI was what it was when I left in 07 but seems since Don Schneider passed away this company has become typical giant corporation not the family like environment it used to have.

Good luck Matt hope you do good man.