Stevens Transport aviary

Here is another tidbit. Meat dispatch now does their own repowers, the DM's and repower group do not. So another fifedom has been set up with no communication outside the walls with the other fifedoms.

800 miles to the first drop and 20 hours to get it there. Any bets I drag this trailer with me on monday to kenworth?

 

Since the company is now being run by second generation, they do not have the passion or the desire of the founder. They pay attention only to the bottom line and the quarterly reports. So every 3 months like clock work we all set around with norhing to do because the owners change policies that do NOT address the problems.

They have no idea how to manage a company during a prolonged recession, as they have never experienced one.

And trying to expand into areas of trucking they have no knowledge of is a reciepe for disaster.

 

What areas are they expanding to?

 

water hauling in southern texas for the oil and gas industry.

 

Ya' know, any and all experience I have had working at a place (Car Business in my case, and my latter days at Stevens back in late 2010) that hands down the business to it's offspring, has always resulted in the demise of the business. The kids that take over always seem to forget what it took to make the business so profitable in the first place, and seem to just cut corners and think only of the bottom line, as in bottom line of profit. They forget it is ALL OF THE PEOPLE that work for the company that has made the company what it is, and think that people are a replaceable commodity. In some cases they are, but in most they are not. Seems like Stevens has finally hit bottom with all the late loads and lost accounts from what I have read, and yet continue to ignore and not care about the veteran drivers in their employ (TLea, Emulsified, etc.) that always deliver on time and safely. I was also always on-time and safe, but back in November 2010 began to feel disenfranchised since I was an Alliance Contractor, but the miles were lacking and I was lucky to bring home $500 a week. The final straw was when on a Monday morning I accepted a 280 mile Pepsi run from Dallas to Tulsa , delivered Tuesday at 1PM, and had to wait until Wednesday AM to get a load assignment to get up to Arkansas City, KS to pick up a load from Creekstone Farms that was delivering in Carlstadt, NJ. Problem was, I got to Creekstone Farms on Wednesday about Noon, checked in, dropped trailer, and then was told that load wouldn't be ready until Friday around 11PM. Called DM, was told "Sorry, that's all we got". So I sat there and thought about it for an hour, and realized that if I wait and do the load, that I would get about 1700 miles for the week, enough to probably have a ZERO paycheck. So I said, I'm done, and bobtailed from Arkansas City to Norman, OK where I live, and called Stevens to say I'm done. Of course Bonnie called and tried all she could to keep me, but it was too late. Funny thing is that I got a call from Creekstone Farms at about 1145PM on Friday telling me my load was ready. I told the guy "I'm in Norman,OK, and no longer work for Stevens".....long pause.........then an "uh,...ok ....but it's ready" ....to which I replied "That's nice". You think the dispatch in Dallas dropped the ball on Wednesday afternoon when I called in AND QC'ed to tell them I was done??
Anyway, back to the moral of the story. The guy that started the company (Steve Aaron), always took care of his drivers when he was involved in the day-to-day operations of the company from what I had been told. That's how Stevens got as big as it is/was- take care of your people and do all you can to retain the dependable ones who take care of the customer by always delivering the loads ON-TIME and SAFELY. Now you've got the Kids running the place, and into the ground it seems, and ol' crusty DEPENDABLE veterans like TLea and Emulsified are becoming unhappy, and it's just a matter of time before the final straw comes across their camels' back.
Maybe the 'Kids' will pull their collective heads out of their arses and Stevens wil get better, but History says they won't. Sad, really.

 

They are also getting ready to expand to bulk tankers to haul sand.

 

spending more money to park pretty clean trucks across the street... by the time they get all the pretty new trucks lined up, the skillful businesses will have the business, and Stevens will be sucking hind tit.

Again showing they know nothing about the boom bust cycle of oil and gas.

 

Oh, and do you think they are hiring experienced tanker drivers??? NOPE, guys straight out of CDL school are getting most of the jobs. Another recipe for disaster considering the surges you experience in hauling a tanker.

 

and what is stevens going to do when those trucks have to chain up to reach the well site? Surge, open bore, on dirt and gravel roads. where each truck has to be a professional and take turns going around some corners...

 

I had this conversation early on with Stevens (regarding tankers). They asked my opinion before committing to the program, largely because I have 8 years experience with strait bore tankers.
I had thought at that time they were looking to go into Food Grade tankers and compete with people like Oakly or Ruan.
When I heard they were going into the Oil/Gas field (literally!), I figured there must be some connections. They had a nice contract lined up.
I have been very dismayed at what is apparently happening....no plan, no experience.
Yes, you are right Tksh...hiring someone out of CDL school with a T endorsement is a recipe for disaster. About the time one of those drivers is bumping down a rough road a little too fast and hits the brakes is when Stevens finds out what a turned over tanker looks like.
The industry is paying an average of mid $20's/hr in that area.
Stevens is starting out around $17.
What does that tell you!
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so.
First generation builds it, Second generation rides the profits and third generation burries it.