Averitt and Pam Dedicated

[wsclinger9869]

Anybody know anything about these companies? Looking them over it appears they both have good miles available and also almost weekly hometime, without really any experience being needed.

Please fill me in with the information you may have....

Thanks

Want-to-be-a Driver....

[mbadriver]

My understanding is that PAM is a bottom feeder that you want to stay away from.

Regarding Averitt, I think they are a top notch company - but regional drivers claim that miles are hard to come by.

Anybody know anything about these companies? Looking them over it appears they both have good miles available and also almost weekly hometime, without really any experience being needed.

Please fill me in with the information you may have....

Thanks

Want-to-be-a Driver....

[Chasing Daylight]

It's been several years, but if unless things have changed drastically, PAM dedicated is a really bad idea. I drove for a company that was purchased by them. At times, I would catch a dispatch to run fill in for their dedicated accounts. A lot of them are for GM. GM has a reputation for having the slowest docks in the world (10-20 hours isn't uncommon.) Makes it hard to get miles when your on those docks multiple times a week.

They were also a pain in the ass to work for. Admittadly I am biased against them because I was driving for a good company that they ruined when they took over. Cut our speed, stripped down all the new trucks coming in to bare bones, Changed our dispatch policies for the worse, the drop and hook percentage dropped into the toilet, and they had this bad habit of routing us through the head office in Tontitown AR which was hell on Earth. You see drivers here complaining about mandatory inspections when they hit the shop, PAM takes that to the nth degree. Hit Tontitown and they will take your truck out of your possession do a complete inspection outside and inside (yes that includes your personal stuff) do an on the spot logbook audit, and anything else they can think of. You can pretty much count on being there 2-3 days, holed up in a cinder block bunk house, without pay. I think that says a lot about the company.

[WILLIEJOE]

I've been at Averitt for nearly 2 yrs, alright co. for the most part,excellent benefits and the pay is decent.I got out of their truckload division and took a dedicated run.When I was in truckload the miles were kind of inconsistent but I did alright and was ALWAYS home by Sat morning was even deadheaded from Atlanta to Jackson TN just to get me home.But I have heard things were changing and not for the better but the guy who told me that didnt really elaborate on it.I do know that the miles you get depends alot on where you run out of seemed like the farther East your home terminal was the smaller the miles got.They are pretty strict on appearance and I hate the uniforms.They also cut the trucks down to 65 mph a few weeks ago.But if you can put up with the truckload thing until you could get an LTL or ded. acct. it's not that bad of a place to be...I'm sure there are alot worse places to work.

[mbadriver]

At times, I would catch a dispatch to run fill in for their dedicated accounts. A lot of them are for GM. GM has a reputation for having the slowest docks in the world (10-20 hours isn't uncommon.) Makes it hard to get miles when your on those docks multiple times a week.

GM - hmmm - must have been at that lovely Lordstown, OH Assembly Plant. What a horrible place. I get the willies just driving by it

[Chasing Daylight]

Yes, been to Lordstown and it is a nightmare. OKC and Janesville were much worse back in the day. But, I understand that GM locked the doors in OKC and will soon in Janesville, so I guess that's a non-issue now. It is a shame to see that many prosuction workers lose their jobs, but I ain't losing sleep about the dock hands being unemployed. They didn't work in the first place, now they get paid what they're worth.

[JTM22]

I frequent another message board, and the Averitt forum there has nothing but gripes about the TL drivers pulling LTL freight for regular cpm pay. I'd check further into that before going there.