System Transport - Spokane, WA

So to update and complete this thread, I am no longer working for System Transport.

The doctor released me to go back to work Friday and I will be starting out a new local job doing Hazmat Monday. Pays about 1100-1300 a week depending on OT, home every night, two full days off every week and I get to live in my hometown, in a house, not a truck. Got the job through a friend who works for the same company. Wasn't even looking, just fell into my lap.

Called System to let them know about it Friday afternoon. They were great about it and told me to come back if things didn't work out.

Don't have a lot of negative to say about System other than advising you if you get hurt on the job and don't live near Spokane, stay at home and insist your medical treatment be done at home. You'll make less on WC, but the lack of aggravation is worth it.

Overall had terrific dispatch, as many miles as I could handle, minimal "micromanagement" and not a whole lot of time spent doing stuff I didn't get paid for. Not a lot of waiting between loads.
They pay every dispatched mile, loaded or not and for a rookie driver in your first job, the pay was decent, and in my case, very good because of the fleet I lucked into.

The training was outstanding.

I think a person would be hard-pressed to do a lot better right out of school if you're willing to do flatbed.

I'm sitting here thinking about the whole experience and trying to come up with things I didn't like and not coming up with a lot other than don't get anywhere near "light duty." Everything else is stuff you'd be dealing with just about everywhere.

 

That could turn out to be the case. I couldn't say. I've talked with LOTS of System drivers and no one's mentioned that to me. I am, however, a known quantity, rather than some random dude fresh out of school, so that may be different. Hopefully the new job will be Lolipops and Rainbows -Fat Chance! But this is the area I've been shooting for since trucking school. Local, regular hours and home every night with decent pay. I've been assured that pay increases pretty regularly too.

I'm no spring chicken and have worked for more than my share of crap companies. I know them when I see them. But EVERY job has stuff you hate about it. Unless I get my dream job as Gigolo to Super Models, I'm pretty suire that's just life. Even then, no doubt they'd want to TALK to me. See? Every job has stuff you hate.

System taught me some great stuff:
1. 51 years old isn't "old."
2. Hard work and serious dedication pays dividends (As in I made 6.345 cents more per mile than normal right off my trainer's truck. My trainer said he's never seen anyone more willing to work hard, which made me feel great. I wasn't sure I was up to it, and I was).
3. OTR is a Hell of a lot of fun if you just roll with it.
4. (And this isn't unique to System, but System were the guys who gave me a shot)
I'm a lot more capable of doing a physically demanding job than I ever gave myself credit for. I've lived a hard life personally and have the injuries to prove it, from wrecked thoracic spine to more broken bones than I care to remember. I've got mild arthritis pretty much everywhere and really wondered if I could do the job. Turns out the recent injury was just "Stuff Happens" kind of thing and is pretty common to truckers. Still hurts, it's gonna be months really healing, but I'm capable again, which is the main thing. Pain I'm used to.

This thread was meant to be MY experience with System, and I've tried to be honest, even when it made me look bad. Other people have had different experiences. I know a few of them who've left for various reasons, some good, some just stupid.

I know that trainers can make or destroy your experience. So can dispatchers, and we have a couple who just stink. Also, I think a lot has to do with your own expectations and attitude.

I came into this feeling lucky to get a job that wasn't Knight or Swift.

I had offers from companies paying .33 CPM which were all driver unload (unpaid). Another Flatbed company offered 35 CPM in older trucks with no APU or Inverter and ONE week of training. And of course Werner, which while perhaps isn't in the same boat as Swift, isn't known as being a good place to be. The alternatives would have required me to relocate or work for $13.75 per hour.

Compared to all the rest (that I knew of) System did and does seem like a pretty good company. God knows I made pretty good money and had a ball.

I'm sure there are better companies out there. Pretty sure Old Man Williams would say the same. I just don't know of any for NEW drivers.

If you're going to work for System at 40 CPM as an experienced driver, (2+ years) you're an idiot. That's crap pay for the work you already did. But EVERY time I talk to an "Experienced driver" who takes that pay, I find out they've got problems. Problems that make 40 CPM the best of a lot of bad alternatives because of driving record, piss-poor employment history, bad references, etc.

I know a guy that I personally like a lot, but he's a BAD driver and he's unreliable. He's a flake. And he HATES System because they actually expect you to be a grown-up and produce and aren't interested in a lot of lame excuses. Nice guy. He's a friend, warts and all. But the problem isn't System, it's HIM. I've told him the same to his face.

I know another guy who's a good driver, but he's dumber than a rock and even after a couple years experience he's calling me asking me noob questions I knew the answers to after school, much less training. He also is on a fleet (un-named for HIS anonymity) that's had real problems for at least a year. He's had to fight with dispatch, something I never dealt with. He's had a much more mixed-bag experience.

I could go on, but I won't. If you have 2+ years of good experience, I don't think System has a lot to offer unless you're already an O/O and it's working for you.

But the company is small ENOUGH that if you really ARE all that, they might just make you an offer worth your time.

Anyways, that's pretty much all I got here. Unless System blackballs me or something, I'm overall very positive on it for a new driver.