Sharing my experience at Averitt (July 2014)

Sorry, but LTL is a local position...You pick up and deliver to local customers, you are back to the Service center everyday...

 

Great posts and information. Thanks.

 

Great posts!

 

Drove for 7 months with them recently. Overall averaged 1500 miles a week. Even with 1500 had to leave out 50% of time on Sundays and did not get back till Saturday 50% of time with an occasional get back on a Sunday. Lots of $300 to $400 paychecks for being gone 6 days a week. I got lucky with a 300K mile Freightliner but still had 3 breakdowns that put me in a hotel, one for 5 days over a weekend. Most new guys get the POS 700K mile Volvo's. Nasty. Be prepared to be micro managed and don't even think about not using there routing. A couple of times my FM basically forgot about getting me home on a Friday and I had to struggle with Night Dispatch to route me home. Also, they will use you frequently to run their precious LTL loads which are driven at night so that will screw up your sleep/work schedule that week. Expect at least a couple a month. Also expect to sit for 24 hours waiting for loads a few times a month also. Expect to be sent North a lot even though they say they are a SE carrier . I did lots of NJ, just miles to NYC, and Chicago, fortunately not in the winter so good luck now! If you stay with them for a season change expect to spend another $200 on their shorts, T shirts, cold weather gear etc. Their initial uniform issue is just the very basics. And if you get assigned a FM with the initials of PB be warned!!! On the upside there many Service Centers were nice. Got to stay in them 3 to 4 days a week except for when you go North. They are all in the South. Also dont be fooled when they tell you after one year in Truckload you can drive local. Those positions are few and far between due to low turn over. Good luck.

 

PB! Ha ha!! I see what you did there, CM. Btw, don't forget to tune into TWD this Sunday!

 

They must have changed things up a bit because in the 19 months I drove for Averitt they never said word about me routing myself to stay on big roads when i wanted to. I tried to keep my routing within 10 percent of the miles their routing showed but sometimes I went above that and NEVER had anything said to me about it.

 

I also have never had an issue with how I get there... Now I have had my FM ask me why I was going the way I am and once I explain (I.E. a yard to shut down for my 10, or have to get some maintenance done, etc...) He's usually good with it or offers another alternative. As long as the delivery get there on time, that's all that matters to them. That and it gets there safely, of course.

 

i haven't had any issues with extra miles on my route in the 14 months iv been here

 

I see their route solution as more of a suggestion. I can't really see US-460 in VA as a time saver... (Especially on a Friday...)

 

DEFINITELY agree... went that way last night heading to Richmond to drop a load, but that was 11 at night and very light traffic...

Usually I take the extra 1/2 hour and go the 81N/64E route.

But I do use 460 heading to NFK so I can go home... That part saves me almost an hour depending on traffic.