Stevens Transport Aviary . . cont'

I trained with long time Alliance lease contractor. Good experience going coast to coast four times. I got involved with Stevens due to their bragging rights to the most miles for their drivers. I don't think I've had anything shorter than 900 miles on a load as a solo company driver. Best information came after I applied and got tentatively hired. I also recently checked out their owner operator site because of a significant cash in encentive for future owner operators. Google Stevens alliance lease and owner operator and start with that.

 

Stevens!!!

 

That's ########, There are solos doing fine on Alliance. Not everyone succeeds but a good friend and former student is there and he clears 13 - 1500 a week, solo, not a trainer.

It is possible.

 

yea I heard the same stories, 4 and 5 years ago....

the truth is, there is so little cooperation communication within the office for anything like that to be true. It is the nature of the beast. Want miles, learn to work with the system, and that means communication on your part. As an alliance drivers, you are a business man, or woman, and it is YOUR responsibility to run your business, not depend on a desk jockey to do it for you, and 50 to 80 others.

 

I was a solo Alliance with the wife on the truck and almost never had a problem making money. I usually had to ask for a break, but a lot of that has to do with your rep with the planners and how proactive your DM is. I did start training but only had 2 students before I left due to relocating to an area that Stevens had no freight to. I did not see a big increase due to training as I did not use them as a log book to increase the miles run per day.

 

FYI to anyone concerned, there are some major changes coming to the load planning department. The first change will happen in the meat department in the next two weeks.
The thrust of it all is the load planners will start working 13 hour shifts (12 plus lunch). This is the 7/7 plan, so a planner will be on for 7 days, then off for 7. This will give us longer coverage daily over the planning area. Planners will work 0800 to 2100 and all areas will be covered.
For a lot of reasons, this should improve dispatching and (hopefully) preplanning loads onto trucks.
Some of the planners are fairly excited at this opportunity, and of course there are those that are grumbling, however Clay has express the Royal Command: "It WILL happen...with or without you"
I'm personally reserved at this time, but only because I've seen things 'proposed' in the past and not come to fruition.
However...with the other changes being organized, I believe this one will happen.

 

12 hours behind a desk on the phones typing a keyboard, staring at computer monitors..... sounds like a decline in productivity as the day goes...

I know drivers are behind the wheel for 11 hours.... but our eyes get to refocus every millisecond... I see burn out city happening... that is more hours than a driver can legally work in 7 days. No thanks.

 

Off course if one embraces it... That's 6 months off a year.

 

actually it is less time off than a 40 hour work week. 13 hours at stevens, plus travel time to and from work, 14 hour day.... that only leaves 10 hours for the wife and kids, eat sleep, the 3 S's.... even less time at home for those that travel more than a few miles to work, due to traffic.

But they will sell it with look you get 7 days off at a time.

People will be so burned out at the end of the 7 day work week, they won't have the mental energy to enjoy the first 1/2 of the 7 days off.

 

Over a two week period you will work 84 hours .... or an extra two per week. over the course of a year.... that is more than 100 hours . i hope they compensate you for that