Speaking of Werner

[lady_with_greeneys]

Can I get anyones honest opinion of the company. I'm thinking of going with them and have not been able to find anything real bad about them. Is there a Werner driver here that can help me decide. I won't be able to start till December but want to get feed back about various companies now.

Thanks

[classicxl]

i started with Werner and I found them to be a good company to start with. Decent equipment and some decent trainers but you get low pay and you are just staff number to your dispatcher but they are a good company to get experience with

[lady_with_greeneys]

Thats good to know and thank you for your response I think their pay has increased recently. But I'm more into the experience than anything, at least for a year that is.

Once again thanks.

[classicxl]

you will get the driving experience. just hang in there and you will get the miles and just communicate with your disptacher

[Tilar]

If you are referring to that little blue booklet that mentions 34 cents or something like that, don't believe it. Hypothetically, if you make all the bonuses, you can make that. In the real world you are going to make 26 cents to start unless you take the per diem and then it drops to a quarter.

As far as the company, Your take on the company is going to be whatever your relationship is with your dispatcher. If you have a good dispatcher and you like them, your going to be happy with the company. If your dispatcher sucks, so will the company in your opinion.

I started with Werner in April, and as long as I deal with my dispatcher, I'm happy. She goes out of her way to keep me in miles and home on time. Last week she was out sick and I think the average IQ of the omaha terminal dropped 18 points. Those idiots can't tie their own shoes without adult supervision.

The truck is nice, an 06 Pete 379, had 114000 miles on it when I got it. It stunk to high heaven and looked like it had never been washed, inside or out. I average 10,000 miles a month, sometimes more sometimes less but its real close.

I like the paperless logs but watch your trips, sometimes they will route you to a destination with an appointment that will be right at the end of your 14 hours and the recieving company may not allow overnight parking. If that happens, tell your dispatcher that your not going to make it and find a truck stop nearby. If you move the truck much at all after the 14 hours or you send in your macro that the unload is completed, it will put you back on the clock and give you a violation for working over your hours.

In short, I'll stick with them to get my year in and then i'm outta here. You might be able to do better, but I know there are worse out there.

[classicxl]

yea I hear you about that electronic log. When i first started if you drove in heavy traffic for any length of time it would log you off duty then they fixed it and if you were in the terminal and moved from one side to the other to get a trailer it would log you as driving

[Windwalker]

If you plan to get your experience with Werner and leaving, you'd be smart to keep in practice making out regular logs. It's one of the ways that Werner is using to keep underpaid drivers. Go somewhere else where you have to start making them out again, and you're lost.

[Ditch]

Werner was a good starter company for me. If you are lucky get on a dedicated account with a DC or terminal near your home and that would be a decent job.

[Racer X]

im leaving on sunday to werner, considered the rest but this is best for my situation. look me up if you decide to go to Werner. BOL

[devildice]

Bottom line is that Werner or any other company for that fact will be what YOU make it to be. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

[driver2b]

let's see what happens after she makes it through training and gets assigned a truck... personally, I'd go with a smaller company... paperless logs suck! You can do everything by the book and send a macro 46 (sign the logs) at the wrong time and viola, you're in violation and you DO get a warning before you are hauled into the terminal for more computerized training... hours of wasted time. My last check was $117.50 net... there's no way I'd recommend the paperless log gang, no way.

[lady_with_greeneys]

Wow I love your boost of confidence driver2be. I agree with devildice, this experience will be what I make of it and as far as the paperless log I was more looking at the whole picture and not just trying to focus on one aspect.

[Skullitor]

My friend used to drive for Werner.Bobby loved Werner.Great trucks,
EZ-Pass and charge cards for toll roads.If it wasen't for serious family problems he said he'd still be there.

[jkhunter]

I?ve been bitten by the #46 macro myself, so I started to frequently issue the #49 macro throughout the day, to keep a running paper log of my 11, 14, and 70 hour status.

I had over a year laps in my work history, Werner was the only company to give me a break. They also started me, without OTR experience, within their southwestern region.
My fleet manager is great, just as I?ve finished my loaded macro, he is already pre-assigning load information. When things have gone wishy-washy internally, account management gone wrong, imho, I?ve been generously compensated. Of the two road breakdowns, one a trailer, the other a flat steer, were both fixed within two hours.

Like everything, a little give and take.

[driver2b]

my orientation class had 20-25 students. i befriended 6 guys in the class and we all exchanged numbers and keep in touch through training and truck assignment; one guy (1 out of 6) is still driving for werner and he is about to walk (the details all center around how werner treats drivers). i think the bottom line is how they treat drivers. my observation is they go through so many drivers (hire and washout) that the non-drivers in the company just roll their eyes at the drivers. i think it's a numbers-thing and management needs a serious attitude adjustment. bottom line is i get what i settle for and if werner is the best i can do then so be it... but i ain't givin' up yet... i can do better.