Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

I haved worked at Stevens almost 2 years. I started with them and am now a trainer. I am also in the lease program.

I went to the Stevens school in Colorado. I felt is was a good school and the students I've had from this school ar better than most. It was 3 weeks unpaid. I signed a 1 year contract with Stevens. It was $0 down no credit check and at the end of the year I no longer owed them the money. I never paid a dime for the school. If you break these contracts you do pay the tuition in full. A deal is a deal and nothing is free. Try not paying a fedeal student loan and see what happens.

I then rode Greyhound down to Texas which I also never paid a dime for. When i got there a van picked me up and brought me to the hotel. The hotel was not the best but remember they have up to 200 people at a time to put up. If they put everybody in the Hilton they would be bankrupt. The food was bad. Try to bring some money to get yourself a couple good meals. I was in class and on the skills course untill Thur morning when I flew to meet my trainer. He was a good trainer and had be back to the yard in 35 days exact.

I then decided to take my week off at that time which ended up being 10 days because of the schedule. I rode the greyhound which was paid both ways by Stevens. When i returned I learned that my counselor messed up and I had to redo the northwest. They gave me a $75 a week pay raise for the trouble. I was out 2 weeks and came back to the yard.

The next phase of training was smooth. I got right out with a partner and we were back exactly 3 weeks and about 8900 miles later. Stevens is not making that much money on you during this phase despite what people say. Do the math its solo miles but 2 of you driving them at $350 a week each, $700 total. That is what new solo guys are making. I then got my own truck which took about 2 days and went straight home for 3 more days time off.

The Stevens lease isn't for everyone. You have to run hard and work smart. I've done well. I make $700 to $1200 a week solo and usually make around an extra $1000 a week with a student. I can get home anytime I want. As a company driver they want you do the 1 day off per every week out and be out 3-5 weeks at a time which is normal to start.
If you got a cool driver manager he will find ways to get you home more often.

I don't feel that I was ever lied to by Stevens. There are things that maybe were not as clear as the should have been but then again maybe I should have asked more questions. The people that had problems seemed to be the people that either lied, didn't ask questions, or had health problems that came up. Do your homework before you choose any school or company to start your career with. Find the situation that will work the best for your needs. Don't go to work for a company that dosn't have freight going in and out of your area because you're never going to get home!!! If you can't afford to take a long training proram find a shorter one. Rember though you get more training in a longer program so don't cheat yourself out of money in the long run by not learning to drive the right way just to make a couple extra bucks up front.

I would recommend Stevens to start with. The training is good. There are a lot of companies that try to hire me because of that training. Stevens help you all along the way as well. Stevens does not chain up and you can shutdown anytime you feel unsafe with out a service failure as long as you call safety and let them know whats up. They do goto NYC but they walk you through, its not that bad, and you don't have to go. I go by choice all the time because its a good freightlane.

REMEMBER ANY COMPANY THAT IS WILLING TO HIRE STUDENT DRIVERS HAS ITS FAIR SHARE OF PROBLEMS THAT YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO WORK AROUND. THAT IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH TO GET YOUR START.

 

who was your counslor and fleet manger

 

Thank You for This Post. My Husband Just Went Out with a Partner on Thursday for the last part of his training (3 weeks). So Far Everything has been exactly as you stated .. it has worked out the same for him. He is enjoying this company and see's a pretty Bright Future. I was really paranoid after reading the other posts on here. I understand that things go wrong and that you have to find the right company for you. But your post made me feel so much better and it makes more sense. My Husband had an awesome Trainer, and thinks real fondly of him. Infact he is now wanting to be a Trainer in the future. I appreciate this - so Thanks Again.

 

I agree Stevens isn't the best company out there but as far as training companies go they are as good as the next.

I spent all 5 weeks with an owner op trainer and only ran an 11hr day once.

Our trucks are not governed at 62 for drivers under 3 yrs exp they are set at 65 and for 3+yrs 68.

Yes the company makes you sign a contract for one year, if you break it you have to pay. Price a driving school on your own $5000 to $6000 and you can only get a loan with perfect credit. I paid for my own schooling up front by borrowing from family. TAANSTAFL.

I drove on the company side for 1 yr before signing a lease. On the company side I averaged about $500 to $600 a week. On the lease side I have made take home as much as $3000 in one week and been in the negative as well.

There is no such thing as the perfect trucking company...remember they are trying to make money too. With Stevens you will learn how to work a paper log. You also learn how to go down a mountain with no jakes if necessary (fuses blow).

Yeah it is a pain if you don't live near a KW, Pete, or Thermoking dealership. Thats where the company trucks have to be secured for time off.

Yeah our recruiters are salesmen so are all the others you may talk to, they blow as much smoke as you will let them. Do your homework, research all the training companies and then decide which one id the best fit for you. As far as Stevens, don't plan on being home more than about 30 - 40 days a year, your going to give up either Thanksgiving or Christmas with your family.

As far as paying back the loan if you get fired for 2 accidents in a year, well you tore up company property and most likely broke policy. If your not at fault Stevens will back you, it means going back to Dallas and watching videos and taking a road eval, but that is to your advantage.

I am even encouraging my wife to go thru Stevens training to be able to run team. After she gets her year in and I have completed the lease then we will look at companies that require experience beyond the trainee level.

 

If you live by a drop yard you can park there as well that is what i do. Also if you are a contarctor you only have to secure the trailer and can take your truck home.

 

Your husband will be alright. It is entering in to our bad season. Produce is slow, holiday items slow down, and then people start fasting and quit eating meet. Tell him to hang in there, it will pick up around the end of April and we have more freight then we can hall then. If he builds strong relationships with dm and dispatchers he will make good money even when it is slow. The people that struggle treat the office like crap or don't do anything to get themselves a load.

 

There seems to be a lot of the same stories at all company's. I have driven for a few others myself and it seems i hear the same things over and over. They are never completely clear unless you research it yourself. I always thought stevens was one of the better company's but of course I haven't worked for them yet. It seems a lot are having issues with the school from what I am reading. I dont need to go to their school so i dont need to worry about those types of issues although I hear the same thing everywhere. One school--which i wont name--i was put with a student straight out of school as a team driver--of course--i was an experienced driver at the time. Anyway, he was supposed to start out makin .22 a mile but when they had him reimbursing the school for his training--he would end up making .12 a mile and needless to say got discouraged real quick. So--the moral of my story is--you may think its horrible where you are but it can be a lot worse. Good luck to All!

 

I you want the real low down I have just completed 3 months solo after their 10 week orientation and can give you up to date first hand info on this company.
Here goes:
Below INDUSTRY avg pay (way below) you'll go broke
5 weeks out at a time
no hotels you sleep on top bunk
some trainers are good some arent
5 weeks w/trainer
3 weeks w/trainee (aka dumb and dumber)
avg 1700-2200 miles a week (not 3000+ as advertised)
trucks run 65 (you cant pass anyone) power turned way down
trucks are fairly new (3 years or so)
I forgot what else you wanted to know so just reply with other questions and I will let you know.
GOOD LUCK

 

well ive been with the company since late july, solo driver now for almost 2 months and i must say ive enjoyed every minute of it. im averaging 3000-3500 miles a week give or take, and have not had any downtime except for 3 days when my truck broke down. ive heard lots of negative stories and lots of good stories. it takes all kinds.

 

I've been keeping tabs on this thread for awhile now. I've been driving almost 15 years and was real close to signing on with Stevens back in Aug. I decided not too only because I like being closer to home. It seems to me, most of the negative feedback is coming from you newer guys who don't have a real world expectation of what OTR is really all about. I've read there website and was sent a package in the mail explaining what I could expect. I thought it was pretty straight forward. Did not you guys read the same info? Trucking is not a 9-5 job with two 15 minute breaks and a 1/2 hour lunch. Yeah there are probably some bad trainers at Stevens, and more than likely there are bad trainers at every company out there. Thats not to say that you can't learn something, even from a bad trainer. And so what you had to sleep on the top bunk. Did you expect the Hilton every night with a jacuzzi and room service? I mean come on guys get real here. I'll keep reading this thread just to see who else comes in here complaining of how poorly they been treated and just my head. My 2cents.