Stevens Transport - review after 14 months.

I learned to drive at Stevens Transport, and drove for them solo for a year. Total time with the company was 14 months, including training, ending March 2017.

Pros:

1) Nice, newer trucks with APUs.
2) Good support network for new drivers.
3) Hyper-agressive safety department.
4) If you like training, and qualify to do it, you can make good money as a trainer.

Cons:

1) Hyper-aggressive safety department.
2) Low pay per mile.
3) Mileage is zip code miles, not practical or actual miles.
4) They will hound you **constantly** to become a lease operator.

It might seem, on the face of it, like I'm going to give a bad review. I am not.

Stevens is a great company to learn at. Almost every driver manager is an ex-driver. Most of the safety department is as well. I put the hyper aggressive safety department in both the pro and con column, because it's good, but at the same time, it's horribly annoying.

Stevens, however, is not a good company for an experienced, solo company driver to work for, unless you have a LOT of experience. At my 1 year anniversary, I received a pay increase from 30 cpm to 31 cpm. Zip code miles. Drivers with decades of experience might get reasonable pay. I have heard the top of their pay scale is 48 cpm, with 10 years experience.

If you want to try leasing, feel free. Stevens will teach you something from that choice too - that it's a mistake.

If you like training, being a lease operator AND trainer CAN be very profitable. It can also be a horrible experience if you get the wrong trainee in your truck. Stevens does not even pretend that they do not give special preference to trainers. Trainers get first choice and all the miles they want, if there are miles to be had. There are special driver managers for lease operators and trainers as well.

TLDR: Stevens is a great company for learning how to drive, but unless you want to stay and be a trainer, it's ONLY a place to learn. Stay 6 months or a year, and then look for greener pastures.

 

1) I'd like to think I'm a man of character, but there's no school obligation here. I got my CDL at TDI, Forsythe, GA. I was hired by Stevens with my school completed, and it was done on a grant, so there was no loan involved.

2) I do have higher tolerance for BS than the average bear.

3) I'm ex military, and need very little sleep. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is, as long as the temperature is decent, and I have a curtain to block most of the light. 4-6 hours sleep a night is enough for me. If I don't set a clock, I might sleep for 8 if I went to bed very tired. I also sleep BETTER with a reefer or APU making droning noises in the background.

 

It IS a driver farm company, but if you finish six months or a year with Stevens, and don't screw the pooch on something or another that is going to get the attention of an employer, almost any major carrier will hire you almost instantly. When I called Shaffer, I was told they would hire me as soon as I said I had a year with Stevens, no at fault accidents, no incidents. Literally three sentences, and they said "You're hired. 49 CPM to start. What's your name again?"

Any time, day, or night, you can call the Stevens dispatch team and get help from an experienced driver. That, by itself, is gold if you are the type of person who is willing to look for help when it's needed.

They send weather updates by Qualcomm, which is nice for a new driver, especially in winter. They will also provide turn-by turn directions for every stop on NYC runs, and those instructions are updated daily based on road conditions, construction, etc.

Also, they do not allow drivers with less than one year experience to drive through the Vale, and nobody puts chains on a Stevens truck unless you are specifically allowed to.

So, yes, again, they ARE a driver farm. That's their business model. They hire a LOT of drivers, and provide a LOT of drivers to the rest of the trucking companies.

They also kick a bunch of drivers to the curb if they are stupid and can't follow simple instructions, like never make a U-turn in the middle of a road or at an unprotected intersection on a public road unless you are directed to by a law enforcement officer. They will fire you. No second chances. One strike and you're out.