System Transport - Spokane, WA

No, I'm still working for System. I just quit the light-duty job, so I'm not getting paid til I get back in the truck.

Wasn't making enough on the light duty job to be even remotely worth the verbal abuse and being stuck in a hotel room 4 hours from home.

Life on the truck was pretty good. Have a great dispatcher and like the job. Like I said, it's the side that deals with OJ injuries that's broken.

 

Let me me be very clear here. System has treated me FAR better than most companies out there. I got paid mileage to drive to orientation and everyone more than about 200 miles away got a plane ticket, not the greydog. They put us up in our own room. They provided OUTSTANDiNG new driver training.

These guys took me, as a new driver and spent probably upwards of $20k on me just to get me to the point of driving my own truck.
My dispatchers have been for the most part, helpful, on my side and working their butts off to get me the most miles possible. They've been patient of new-driver screwups, new-driver stupid questions (and ya, some of them WERE stupid questions) and basically held my hand as long as I was willing to work.
I've made, on average, $970 per week gross every week on the road. That INCLUDES 2 weeks I wasn't able to drive to to personal health problems. In general, I can count on $1100-1400 gross.

I'm pretty happy overall, with how System has treated me. They gave me a shot when I had nothing to offer but a CDL and a clean record at good wages.

It's flatbed and you're expected to work HARD. Welcome to the real world. But if you're willing, they have shown me nothing but good things, absent my OTJ injury.

I would encourage anyone who's willing to do flatbed to go with System as a new diver. Melton PERHAPS has a better rep, but that's all hearsay. Other companies I talked to offered me LESS money, LESS training, WORSE equipment and less miles than System.

Just because I'm really ticked-off at the Risk Management manager and their whole OTJ injury program doesn't mean I'm damning System. It's been a great job...IF you are willing to work hard. If you aren't, well, I hope you can take a joke. Because if you didn't expect to work hard, you picked the WRONG industry, I don't care if it's reefer, dry-van or tanker.

We're the hardest working people in America. If you aren't willing to be among that number, lots of other career fields are out there.

 

Ramblingman: I'm with you in constantly improving. System may or may NOT be a permanent home. But I'm a noob driver and have found my treatment overall to be very good. Certainly head and shoulders over many other companies out there when it comes to noob drivers. I have run into precisely ONE fuel solution that was a bummer. And ya, there is stuff you don't get paid for. But what company does NOT have something you don't like? A year ago my life shattered around me and I had no idea what to do.

A year later I have a job that pays me 43.65 CPM, a dispatcher who's been awesome, a trade I'm competent in and proud of.

Pretty good deal overall. I had MY part in making that happen, but System has a part too. I know you left after 1.5 years, but even you said you'd recommend it to a noob.

As experience grows, new opportunities open up. Some of those even within System, like JJW local. I've see n so many horror stories on this board, but none of them have been at System. What specifically was you problem with them? Because micromanagement covers a lot if ground. I'd be interested to hear it.