Werner Enterprises, Inc. - Omaha, Ne.

i have a friend lookingt to maybe go werner from central ref. he is curious if he would be able to stay western if he get on with werner? any reply helps thanks

 

Thanks for posting Ruckie=)

 

Starting with werner on Monday out of Atlanta. I have read so many horror stories about werner along with every company out there it seems. I have 7 prehire offers, yes 7. Due to the economy we were forced to shut our family business, so the wife and I are hitting the road, she is not driving. So, being a 46 year old newbie I choose Werner after long talks with recruiters and other truckers not to mention countless hours researching companies. So, here is my take on things. Most all of these companies have the same orientation pay, Most, now most all newbie hire companies pay the same, between 26 cents and 33 cents per mile. So that being so here is where it starts to devide. Training time- with the 7 companies I have offers for, (Transam, Stevens, USexpress, Werner, Epes, Swift, Schnieder,) the shortest training time was 3 weeks out with a trainer then 5 days at Terminal to test out (Transam). Longest training was 4 weeks out with trainer then 8 weeks with newbie partner (USexpress). Everyone else was inbetween these two. Epes was the higher pay at 25 cents per mile while training and Swift was lowest at 300.00 per week.

 

Now how I choose my company was who is trying there best at making me the best truck driver I can be??? Someone who puts me with a another newbie for 8 weeks and I have to sleep while they drive. I DONT THINK SO. or one that puts me out on my own after 3 weeks and wants me to lease there truck, the shiney black one with all the bells and whistles. How many horror stories are on here about Transam leasing. So, I dont think that one either. I wont go into all the others but let me say why I choose werner and it may help others or may not. Just looking at things logically. Werner is putting you with a trainer for 270 hours with you behind the wheel. This means they want you to LEARN to be a Professional Truck Driver. That means driving a truck and taking loads that can be 70 miles to 2000 miles. I have read so much about bad DMs and Im sure there are a few but do you think they would get pissed off if a newbie came in, wants to go home every week or 10 days, just give me the long hauls. Im sure they get tired of that. What happened to the days about proving yourself and working hard for what we get, earning a living. Think about our fathers and Grandfathers, they never had it so good with all the technology and comfy rides, air conditioning ect.... We as a country need to start sucking it up or we will not even have the right to choose your own profession. So, CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG. LOL. OK, THAT WAS MY TWO CENTS. Hope that was good reading. Oh, my other half says that was ten cents worth.

 

Apply to schneider..Great company,good pay and constant miles..

 

RECRUITER, RECRUITER, RECRUITER.

 

I haVe am problem I new with a few mOunths of experience. I work for Warner. Any how iwad at a truckstop,and was hit by a owner op. Talk to safety and no cops were involed . I thoight everything was fine but jst found out they put it on xmydriver re cord I whont to leave but will other copines hire me

 

wow i thought us rednecks spelled funny

 

The short answer, yes. There are companies that will. Be honest with them, and put your best foot forward.

The safety sallies at Werner (And I hope they see this) blame ANYTHING happening to the truck as driver's error or fault.

Legally parked? Mirror got clipped? Preventable, you shouldn't have been there.

 

I am glad you have done your research and just wanted to add a few cents of my own for you to consider. I am not trying to sway you as I have worked for Werner and did ok there myself, but some of your reasoning for choosing them may not be as strong as you think.

You said you do not want to be placed on a truck with another newbie driving while you sleep. That is more than likely what will happen at Werner. Yes the newbie will not be quite as new, but the odds are your trainer will not have much experience, more than likely less than a year.

The 270 hours you must put in will more than likely just be you driving. It is not really you being trained, it may happen that you get a good trainer and get good training, but the odds are more likely that you will not. You can learn a lot from driving yourself, and if your trainer at least has some knowledge and will answer questions and assist you when needed you can do ok.

The time line for your 270 hours can vary from as short as 4 weeks (doubtful) to as long as 3 months or more depending on you, your trainer, his FM and the way your trainer runs. As for them wanting to train you to be a professional driver, think again. They want you to be able to drive and not wreck.

In the time I worked for Werner I did get a little more of an inside look at the workings than a lot of drivers get because of the account I worked on. You can be sure that the driver is the least important thing in this company. They have plenty of them, hire more daily and will gladly replace you at anytime.

You can still do OK there to learn the trade if you choose to. A lot of it will depend on you. I worked for them for over 4 years and while at many times it was a painful experience, I am sure it could have been worse. I did make what I would consider to be decent money every year I was there. I would probably have stayed but I am relocating and don't think I could work for them in any other division other than where I was.

Best of luck with your choice and keep a positive attitude and hopefully you will do OK.