USXpress...just another not-so-swift, JB preperation H, Snider Nat

I will not do the crybabby thing, just list the facts as they are. you decide, it's your life after all.
*If you like being a truck number to anyone you talk to (your name is not important here, only your trk# and log ID) then this is your home.
*If you never need to call your fleet mngr, this is the place to be!(they won't answer the phone even if you do but hey...you too can run up your phone bill trying!)
*If you like being lied to about your pay rate? Come on down!
*If you like running less than 3K miles a week? It's all you baby!!
*If you have an undying love for the new england states? Have at'er there dude!
*If you hate going out west of ohio or in extremes I35, Your place to BE man!
*If you have a fondness for repowers, especialy team loads that have multiple drops in the north east, well then just bite rite in!
*If you don't mind having your hard fought for and long awaited load headed west repowered to a team from wich you will get above load in return before you ever get out of Penn state, Then you belong in a shiney red truck!
*and NOT last but for now finally...If you just can't get enough of absolute forced dispatch, Then this would be a match made in trucker heaven!
'nough said for now, except that the sooner I can get away from this "morally high standardized christian based company" full of liers, cheats, back stabbers and out right hippocrites the better for my christian sannity!

 

I believe there may be some truth to the part about solos out west. My understaning is that teams drive the Volvos and solos drive the Century's. I usually see a lot more Vovlos here in New Mexico then I do Century's.

 

While I agree with 90% of what you say, I do have to add the following:

If you like running less than 2K miles per week, jump on in.
In 5 months OTR, I've broke 2k per week TWICE!
If don't want to know who your fleet manager is, or even his/her name, here ya go!
If you want to get pre-assigned a nice 2400 mile run, only to have it pulled and replaced by a local run, welcome home.

I've been west of I35 for about a week now, and I've only ran to New England once, and that was just central PA.

 

Don't want to say I told you so, but if you read some of my posts on my 6.5 years at USX you will see there is no need.

If you think your experience with the company will be better, think again, sooner or later they will not want you to succeed because your mileage rate will be contrary to their profitability.

Though they do have a small cadre of drivers they need to keep happy for media campaigns, their driver turnover makes it self evident what the company is really like to work for.

 

I keep hearing these same issues raised,not just by USX drivers and former drivers,but by drivers from ALL of the medium to large trucking companies.So this isn't directed at you,but I'm relaying what I've seen growing up in a trucking family (father retired,mother,3 cousins,a half brother,and my wife)with most of my parents friends that were/are truckers too.And now that I've retired from the military I'll be getting my CDL and following the tradition.
My mother drove for them,went throught the ups and downs that every company has,and when another company offered her a dedicated run she wanted she left USX on good terms.
A cousin works for USX,he is out running and enjoying life on the road as a single male with no home attachments.And deals with the ups and downs of the bussiness.
My wife works for them,and with the ups and downs ,she loves the company.
If she does less than 2,800 mpw it's because she had ht,truck went into the shop,(yeah,ok,with a 07 Volvo thats a often thing,lol)
If her pay is messed up using patience,kindness,and determination the issue is settled.Keeping track of her records and making copies really pays off.
She knows not only the first and last names of her dm's,but she knows them when she see's them,they made sure she had a chance to fuel at the terminal they work and she went to meet them,even I know them due to her being routed by there so they could meet me.( something I was surprised about and really didn't know how to take at first,but after visiting with them I left with the feeling that they do care about their drivers working with them as far as can be hoped for)Yes they have a issue here and there but it's taken care of and everyone is happy again.
I have met more drivers that know and like their dm's than the ones that don't like their dm's.
Everytime a run that seems ate up to her is given to her another run is right behind it,she doesn't call her dm and raise hell about runs given to her,she takes whats given to her and if she doesn't like it for some reason she deals with it because she knows that not every run can be the big money making dreamrun.All she wants to do is run with a load,and she does.
With all of that said,she does have issues with her job,but those issues are not with USX,but with her some of fellow drivers.Like every other company there are the whiners,those that can't be happy no matter how good they have it.There are those that think a womans place is at home and not in a mans world,There are those that think a woman that drives is only driving so that she can find a man,and or think that all women driving a truck are lot lizards.But thankfully those groups are a smaller part of the trucking world.
As a last thought,any time two or more people are working together teamwork is needed,without teamwork nothing good can be acomplished.As long as people are out there with the attitude of "me,myself,mine,I"very little happiness will come their way.
I have met way more drivers that are at least content,to happy with USX,yes sitting around the drivers lounge they all have a story or two,but thats human nature.:smt070

No I'm NOT trying to say USX is the best just because they have staff that monitor and read these blogs,I'm only sharing what I see and know.

 

any company that dispatches by a computer has issues.

 

Thats because all the loads that solos like me used to run out west are now on a train.

Thats because solos are needed at USX to run short to medium loads that teams don't want. They also need you to do drayage work to and from the rail yards and pu and deliver the teams loads so they can make a living while you starve.

USX is a team oriented company. Solo's are second class citizens at USX at best and just kept around for the most part to do mission impossibles that a team won't do because they have not finished their laundry or they might have to drive 800 miles per day to deliver on time and won't have time for site seeing on the way.

By the way not just teams are issued Volvo's. You will see, like I did when I worked there, some solo women driving them as well. All they had to do is go in and say the steering wheel on the Columbia or Century was to big and they would switch you out. Some people would team up and then split up and keep their Volvo's because there precious high maintenance teams would not want a truck with 50k on it already. That would be just to ghastly.

 

I have talked to men solos who drive Volvos but just spoke with a team driver and he said solos usually start on the Century and can move to Volvo later. He also said that they are beginning to bring on Cascadias and has heard that the fleet will eventually be all Cascadias.

 

They tried to get rid of the Volvo 780's before and go with the 387 Pete but the teams complained about the lack of storage and room in the Pete.