The Dealio on Stevens

OK this is my first post on this site. I think this forum is great for checking out other companies that you're interested in driving for, and if you drive for Stevens, you should certainly be looking elsewhere.
I've been driving for these clowns 2 & 1/2 years now, although I swore to myself I'd be gone in under 18 months. I'm using the economy and some old debts as my excuse for hanging around this long. This is my first trucking job and I guess I could have done worse. I hear the same gripes from drivers working for other training companies. I've stuck it out and tried to a good job. I'm told that I'm one of the better drivers at Stevens. After a year and a half I was given a 2009 KW T2000 with an APU, so I figure I'm somewhat appreciated. My miles per week are usually in the 2800 to 3200 range. I've seen some $1000 weeks here but they are few and far between. I average $650 - 850 take home pay.
I'll skip telling you about the hiring process and training at Stevens since there are other posts that already go into that. From what I've seen, these posts are more or less accurate. In this post I'll try to outline some things for drivers new to Stevens that might make your life a little easier.
First of all, for your own good, DON'T get involved with the "Alliance" lease. There are some bad leases out there with some shady companies, but Stevens has got one of the worst. The one thing I do credit them with is that they don't call it a lease/purchase program. They're not even going to let you pretend to think that one day you'll own that truck. I know a lot of drivers at Stevens who are good at their job, yet they got suckered into signing that contract and got screwed. Most of the drivers who are making any kind of money with the lease are teams, or they constantly have a student on the truck, and few of these lease operators earn more than the company drivers. To be successful with that lease 100 things have to always go right, and nothing can ever go wrong. One small stumbling block and you will find yourself in the hole. Stevens knows most of the new drivers they prey upon to sign these leases haven't ever looked at a legal contract and they try to rush you into a bad deal. I frankly think this shows contempt for their employees and is #### near criminal. A word of advice- to pay for something that's not yours is a bad business move. Some things I don't like about their lease-

1) The "bonus" check you receive at the end of the lease is a joke. This is simply money they hold out of your pay, put into escro, and then give you back ONLY upon completion of the lease. If you bail out of the lease, you forfeit this money. I've got a better idea. Pay me all my money as I earn it, and if I choose to(It's my money, right?), I'll put 1 or 2 cents a mile into a money market or aggressive growth account and give myself my own "bonus". A##holes.

2) When you sign the contract, you waive your right to claim depreciation of the truck on your taxes. Stevens claims it on theirs. However you also get charged on every settlement for (you guessed it) depreciation on the value of the truck. This way, Stevens gets paid twice. Nice guys, huh?

3) Like many leases, a portion of your per mile pay goes into a maintenance account. At Stevens, you get back half of the remaining money in the account when you're done. Where does the other half go? To help pay for the installation of power locks, a power window on the driver side door, and a thirteen speed transmission, before the truck is sold. Meanwhile, the bare basics are good enough for you, even though you're paying for the truck, and the upgrades that will be done once Stevens reclaims it.

Alright, enough of the crappy lease. Although, believe me, I could go on for pages. I'm just thankful I talked to drivers who told me REAL deal with Alliance before I got sucked in. Its a trap to get you stuck driving for them forever, while they relieve themselves of much of the liability and responsibility for the truck, and pay you the minimum.
Another trap at Stevens is the fuel bonus. Now, since my truck has an APU, I'm eligible for a monthly fuel bonus of $50 if I get 6.4 mpg, $100 at 6.8, and $150 at 7.2 or something, I forget. Who cares anyway, I'll never get it unless I drive 55 mph all the time and that's just dumb. My truck's governed at 66 mph, and I got paid for 13,000 dispatched miles for March of '09. I drive this truck as fast as I can whenever the speed limit and road conditions allow. If I were worried about a fuel bonus in March and drove 60 - 62mph everywhere I might have gotten 10 or 11,000 miles. What's better- a $50 or $100 fuel bonus, or 1 to 2,000 paid miles? You do the math.
OK, to wrap things up here, make sure you use that 1-800 driver services line. I don't sit very much, because if I'm empty more than 1 hr, I'm calling those dispatchers and bugging the Hell out them. If you find yourself sitting empty, call the 1-800# and press 2 for the dispatch regions option, then according to where you are in the country, you can get in touch with the corresponding dispatcher or planner. Be diplomatic, not pushy, but persistent. No one likes to be #####ed at, and if you think you've got it bad just think what it must be like to go into those offices everyday, where the ones wagging their fingers are right on top of you. Most of these guys & gals dispatching are really cool. Become friendly with them. Ask for their direct extension numbers. Once they see that you're a runner and don't flake out on your loads, they'll help you out whenever they can.
Within the the next few months I plan to be driving for a different company where I'll be paid more and treated like an adult. If you're new to Stevens and are getting a little discouraged, take heart! Lay out your plan and use this company(they're certainly using YOU) for what it is. Training. Do your time, get your experience, and get out. Look at some of those long-timers the next you're on the yard. Do you want to find yourself several years from now sitting in the driver's lounge with that look on your face?
I hope this was helpful for some of you drivers in the big buzzard trucks. I welcome all comments whether you agree with what I've written or not, or if you've anything to add. Be safe.

 

Okie Dokie Stogie if I ever meet Wildcat I'll say Hey to her for you. Sorry to hear about your gig falling through, the economic downturn is what put my jobsearch on hold for a while. Sure we'll be seeing you out there again soon, though. Take care & Best of Luck.

 

EWI, I know my post here on Stevens is a little harsh, but it's actually not a bad place to get started. If you're looking to get into the trucking industry there are worse places to go than Stevens, but you you probably won't find any better. From what I can gather, most of them are pretty much the same when it comes to training. Although with the economy going the way it is, Stevens is one of the few still taking on drivers with no experience. You gotta pay your dues, you know? If you come to Stevens I'd just recommend planning on finding a better company to go to when you get your first year in. Good Luck!

 

No, it doesn't have to be Texas, but they do require that your cdl matches the state of your home address.