Venezia transport

Best of luck! It's not bad here at all. You'll like everyone at orientation, they're all real nice. As far as trucks go, they have something like 175 trucks still on order from 2021 that they still haven't got. Chances are you'll get an older one, just pray it's not a Pete starting with the number 16, but once they have something better they'll set you up

 

My time at Venezia will be coming to an end on the 24th of this month. It wasn't the company or the job that made me decide to quit, just stuff going on in my life sent me to a different career. I'll do a full year review in a separate post

 

As you may have read above, I am leaving Venezia, switching careers altogether in fact. Here's a full year review...

In 2022 I grossed nearly $93,000. I was home every weekend with the exception of a few Saturdays here and there during busy propane season. Venezia treated me very well during my time with them. If I had to go home during the week for whatever reason, it was never an issue. Pay was good, the work was easy, I worked with a great group of guys, and there was never a dispatch forced on me.

We'll start with the things I didn't care for.
Maintenance was a big gripe for me. There was really only 1 terminal in my area that I liked going to, it was in New Middletown Ohio. Awesome mechanic there, fixed what needed fixed, fixed it right and fixed it fast. Other terminals, such as Limerick, weren't so great. Many times I've left there with my truck in worse condition than it was when it went in. Prime example was a double gasket-ed oil filter after a PM.

Speaking of PM's, you will be overdue consistently. My asphalt trailer was 3 months overdue. Truck was 20k miles overdue many times.

I also didn't care for the equipment they now have, mainly the trucks. I've had the same Mack Pinnacle since I started here. It's a great truck, but it's old and wore out. They are getting new Pete 579's and the international RH and LT series. Both brands are very nice inside, but everything is now an automatic and has all the bells and whistles that tell you how to drive (distance alert/lane departure) and they drive me insane. I'm thankful for my old 10 speed Mack with nothing attached.

My hazmat routing has been screwed up lately. I can't run the entire length of the PA turnpike with class 2 placards, so they route me around the tunnels, sometimes. If you run class 1-8 make sure you pay attention to your route points so you're paid accurately.

Dispatch tends to cater to the drivers that complain, not the guys who work hard and keep their mouths shut.

Now for the good...

It's a very nice environment to work in. Everyone is very friendly and understanding.

I have never heard a word from safety criticizing my driving or work. Never heard about speeding, hard brakes, tire blowouts, anything. They will leave you alone. Dispatch is the same way. You get the load and deliver it. I've never been hounded to "hurry up and deliver!".

They pay, in my opinion, is very good. All miles are paid both empty and loaded. Asphalt and LPG pay more the heavier you run (yes I run over weight, no I've never been yelled at for it). Running LPG I can add 10 com to my loaded miles. Empty always pays the base mileage rate for that division. They pay you to drive the truck home and route you accordingly.

They reimburse paid parking and will put money on your Comdata card if you have buy stuff on the road (light bulbs, wipers, air lines, ect...). Or you can just get reimbursed.

Fueling is at PFJ, Loves, and Kwik Fill (PA only). If you need to fuel out of network dispatch will open up your card to fuel wherever.

Run the toll roads as much as you want, they don't care.

Trucks run 70 mph, now and then you'll get a spare that'll run 75.

Pay is weekly, benefits are good (division of blue cross)

Breakdown pay and maintenance pay is (I think) $20/hr.

They honor prior trucking experience so you can come on board at a higher pay scale.

All in all I think Venezia is a very good company to work for. I enjoyed my time here, learned a LOT, and made good money. Had I ran a little harder throughout the year I could've easily made 6 figures. I hope everyone finds this helpful