Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

when did stevens start payin alliance drivers deadhead miles under 500 miles ??????

 

I don't know when they started.
In fact, I've never even heard that they didn't.

Sounds kinda unbelieveable if you ask me.

 

As far as I know, they have always paid deadhead miles for alliance drivers. They do not pay a fuel surcharge on deadhead miles, only the base pay.

So much misinformation out there it is unbelievable.

 

Look at your contract again. Obviously Stevens was able to deal with not having that load picked up by this driver. The deadhead charge does not apply unless he were the only truck able to get there and pick up the load. I'm sure the driver manager would have communicated that fact if no none else could have done it.

As far as caring less about on time delivery, we have a 95% on time raing. Sometimes that means that the load will be relayed (repowered). If you are going to be late, whatever the reason, communicate that fact and the load being late is no longer your problem. Now obviously you cannot repower a load because you want to play blackjack for two days in Las Vegas, but HOS delays, traffic delays, weather, and shipper delays are valid.

I am an alliance driver, and a trainer. Apparently, I'm a little better at gettting paid than you

regardless, I think this discussion has been very informative to new people looking in on Stevens. What can those new people glean from this discussion. A trucking company is what you make it. Stevens has so far delivered 95% satisfactorily what they promised, but then again, so have I. Being successful at this business, whether you stay on the company side, lease, or become a full owner/operator is up to you, not the company.

I believe that what stevens has to offer you is at the very least the best, most comprehensive training of any training company out there. Stevens also has plenty of opportunity beyond just training. You can put yourself in "the mall", buy your truck from stevens or anywhere else and lease on to them to get reliable loads. However if you're just starting out, make your mistakes before you risk it all. Stevens may not be the last company you ever work for, but if you're getting into trucking, they are a very good next company. Hopefully, my fellow drivers agree here.

 

It was a pre-plan. I had to call for dispatch (produce).

 

Ok Stanko, I am glad it worked out for you.

Now my statement about not careing about delivery, after rereading it is not what I ment to say. Stevens wants load picked up and delivered on time. They will use a truck in the area that can not make the delivery, to pick it up, and plan on repowering the load down the road. That is what I was trying to say about stevens, is that they use the available trucks, and produce really does not care if you can make the delivery, they care about getting it picked up, then they care about getting it delivered on time. And delivery on time is number 1 priority.

I get paid quite well as an alliance SOLO driver.

Stevens is what you make it, but one must be aware of the potential pit falls that are written into the contract.

I sincerely hope you do a good job of training wg. I have run into some trainers that should not be trainers.

 

i knew about this company i saw it for what it was before going out on the road

 

looking to get back on the road had bad luck with arnold

 

My students actually get training, everything from progressive shifting, my own take on getting maximum mpg. (I get 8.2 when solo by the way) My students usually average 7.6 by the end of the 35 days. That's great for a student.

the truck averages 700 miles per day with the full eight hours rest. Occasionally we'll take a 10 hour break instead of eight so that stress doesn't take place. there's no need to throw someone who had a 9 to 5 job (8 hr day) into an 18 hour day in the first 35 days on a regular basis. It takes about two weeks for a new student to get the endurance to drive a ten hour day.

My students by week 3 are doing the majority of the driving. By week two, they've been over four (two required, two more by me) major mountains without jakes, they've had cruise training, jake training, do full pre/post trips every day, learn the log book, mathmatically work out "sure thing" scale tickeets etc. they are even taught about small repairs on the truck and "gadgets" you see advertised. My truck also has the very latest qualcomm omnivisiion which is windows CE based, with gps and electronic logs. (I'm currently one of a few testing it) They learn triip planning both manually as well as using google maps to hash out alternate routes faster. they learn to read weather forecasts using not only maps from the internet, I have a site for iphones that conolidates what I believe the most usevul maps are. Http://www.wxiphone.com should anyone be curious. They also learn how to check traffic cams, and resources to avoid issues on the road including using aviation forcasts to determine the current weather including wind and dew points along their path.

Finally, they get the alliance orientation course given by me as we go along. I don't pressure my students to join alliance, but rather tell them the simple truth. If you get 2500 miles/week and better than 6.5 mpg, you'll do better with alliance. Get even better mpg than that, and you can afford home time too.

 

WG, glad to hear you are one of the ones that actually trains, and does not use the student as another log book to try and get more miles. When I have to deal with these guys, on a repower, I can tell, as they are always in a hurry, and impatient with the student.

A good trainer does what you have listed, and my hat goes off to you.

Your figures are pretty honest on what it takes to make it as an alliance driver.