Shaffer trucking......Specifically

was just looking at my online stuff, my official hire date was sept 1st, spent 8 weeks with trainer so i've been on my own for 3 and 1/2 months. sorry things aren't that great for ya dark. I'm sure a bit of a positive attitude could help in situations like these. I'm not going to say everything is perfect, ie communication , shoptime, but you got to take the good with the bad. the last job i had in my life was my dream job ive been trying to get for 15 years and wasn't all rosey. i'll surely keep y'all up to date on my goings on. i'm heading out this week and don't plan on taking home time for about 2 months so see y'all later

 

Right there, that's what a lot of company's look for and want and that's why so many drivers don't last! You my frien just hit the nail on the headKeep that out look and you will be noticed and rewarded with mi.

 

Hmmm... positive attitude? How is averageing 1800 a week and barely making enough to eat for a positive attitude? Just keep that positive attitude up and in a few months when mile are gone and you sit more than you run... well see if your checkin in happens anymore.

 

i've had an 1800 mileweekor twoinmy short time here but it is ususlly followed up by a 3000 mile week. i had one week where i went on all short trips, ie under 150 miles on most and i got the average by the end of the week. Never once got #####y about it to dispatch. i got a bit annoyed but kept it to myself. then by the end of the week i had 8 or 9 trips which equalled out to the average they want. I'm just expressing my views of what i see so far. i'm new to the business but it seems to me no matter what company a driver drives for all they want to do is ##### ##### #####. i jsut came back after my 4 days off and i'm sitting at the yard in knoxville about to to a 94 mile run tomorrow cuz i have to be back here on tuesday morning for DDE class.yea it kind of sucks but after class or the next day i know i'll be back out on the road. To fill you in on me and how i work out here. I do get up as soon as i can, sometimes leaving at midnight or 2am. i try as hard as i can to get to consignee or shipper the night before so i don't have to start my log until i'm loaded. i do feel like some days i put in way to many hours for what a truck driver gets paid but hey, so far i love what i'm doing.Up to this point ive been staying out for about the 3 weeks but beleive i'm going to up that. i think i can do a lot better financially if i stay out longer and take shorter hometime. right now it's all about knocking some debt out and since we may be coming out of the snow and ice, i'm ready to take advantage. anyway, enought for now i'll check back in in a couple days]
ya'll stay safe out there

 

Ill tell ya. Keep this thread.. because its all sing and praise with y'all knew drivers.. just give it a year and see how complaints you have. I just know for a fact your only one out of a few drivers for shaffer that get decent miles... alot of us don't get crap... we don't gripe or complain.. its just we keep hiring when we don't have freight for everyone.. ask around for what our turnover is compared to cretes. So please go ahead and praise shaffer here, im thru and going to flatbed, were atleast when im setting weekends, its at home.

 

i'll definatly keep y'all posted on what's going on . i will say this, since you mentioned us new drivers praising shaffer, i probably did over a thousand hours researching this industry and i read the least negative about crete/shaffer. Knowing what i know now i may have chose the dry side but i didin't so again, i'm going to stay positive. It does seem you have more opportunity to stay productive when you don't have grocery warehouses to deal with but even that isn't so bad. I've had one instance where i sat at a shipper for over 7 hours and that was at a anheiser busch place. Some of the warehouses have been 3 to 4 hours but not enough to get all riled up over. I use that time to get one of those midday naps i like so much. as of so far shaffer has been nothing but great to me , as i type this i am in the midst of the worst week i've had but i was home the 1st part of my week and then had to go to my class. I'll blame myself for it cuz i could have planned it so my day back was the day i went to class. oh well ,liveand learn.

 

My problem.s lay on communication.. whoever I talk with in dispatch is always so slow to respond..I have to write 3 times or more to get answers out of them.. over at central... my dm was fast to respond.. not to mention my dm just doesn't work for me.. and you can't switch em to my knowlage.. so I'm having a hard time here when it was 10 times better at the company I started with.. my buddy had the same problems but moved to crete and is doing so much better.. so I may have to have my dm pull a few teeth and put me over on cretes side..

 

i'll tell you what i've learned about communication, i ve been here like 8 months now and there are many times i don't get a response to something but i've figured out if you don't get a respose then do what you think. i think a lot of things they feel you should figure it out for yourself. there was one load i got a while back where i didn't get the routing for some reason. i sent a message, went to the nearest scale which was about 30 minutes away, sent another message and relaxed for 15 minutes then i sent anohter one and finally got the route. and as far as not getting a response the way i look at it, if i chose to do the wrong thing as least down the road i can say ghey , i sent a message but so far i guess i've made the right calls

 

I am a student driver (just graduated). I will start working for Shaffer during the new year 2013. I am very curious about the pay . Shaffer starts students out at .35 a mile. why is that? someone said the more a small company pays you. the less you will drive. they said most likely i'll be somewhere sitting up and waiting for a load for about 3 days.

Can someone please tell me their experiences with Shaffer? good and bad

 

Shaffer is usually good to newer drivers. For the first few months you will get all the miles you want. At least that is what usually happens. My advice is to try and get to know your Asset Manger (AM). Once they know who you are, and what you will do for them, they will (usually) try to keep you moving and happy. I have been with Shaffer for almost 11 years now and overall I am happy with them. Always happy? no...but you will never be happy all the time anywhere you go.