First Fleet

[wimpy]

I got me a interview with this company today. Just wondered if anyone has any info on this company like pay wise and benefits, their internet site doesn't specify anything like that. I've heard their a company that has a lot of dedicated routes? Is that all they do is dedicated or is it pretty much OTR running everywhere? They seem to have some pretty nice equipment (newer) anyway. Thankyou for any info!!

[Voyager]

I got me a interview with this company today. Just wondered if anyone has any info on this company like pay wise and benefits, their internet site doesn't specify anything like that. I've heard their a company that has a lot of dedicated routes? Is that all they do is dedicated or is it pretty much OTR running everywhere? They seem to have some pretty nice equipment (newer) anyway. Thankyou for any info!!

You are probably going to run on their grocery side, which I think is delivering to Fry's stores. From what I remember when I worked there is that you will probably go to Vegas and Albuquerque a lot. I don't know if you get any general backhauls, but I suppose a lot of return loads are dunnage (milk crates, pallets, returns, etc). I can't say what the pay structure is on the grocery side as I used to drive for them on their International Paper fleet, but last I heard they weren't hiring on that one. I grossed between $750 and $900/week while I was there. I applied with them in late August for a re-hire as I wanted to move back to Arizona to be with my dad while he battles lung cancer, but I haven't heard anything back.

Good luck if you get the position. They are a pretty decent company to drive for.

[GMAN]

I used to bump into some of their drivers from time to time. I don't recall any of them saying anything negative about the company.

[Jackrabbit379]

A friend of mine works for First Fleet. He likes it there. They have a terminal here (Wichita Falls). He is a local driver. He runs to DFW, delivering to Kroger's grocery stores. He also has ran up to Denver, "shuttling" trailers back and forth.
First Fleet is a dedicated company. They have many accounts. Mostly grocery stores. They offer good benefits, and I'm sure decent home time. First Fleet pays by the mile, and also by the stop. I'm not familiar with how much they pay.

[wimpy]

Hey thanks everyone for you input, Voyager, i did find out at the interview that they do have a major account with Kroger and he did say I'll be doing routes to Las Vegas and to Albuquerque if I was hired. From what he told me about the job and what they offer, it sounds pretty darn good for the way things are going in our economy. So today I took a physical and a drug test, hopefully that means they wanna hire me! I'm really looking forward to driving those shiny red Volvo's if they do end up hiring me considering that the Volvo is my favorite truck to drive even though they are tempermental with all the electronics and computers they have in them. He also said that I'll have at least 4 stops per route and even if I don't do 4 stops I'll still get paid for it and obviously if I do more than 4 I will get paid for that too. So I'm hoping for the best, wish me luck guys and I'll keep ya posted.

[freebirdrfd]

good luck wimpy. i hope everything works out for ya

[tbogle]

Good luck!! If they are as good as they sound, stick to them because it is hard to find any good company these days.

[Orangetxguy]

Hey thanks everyone for you input, Voyager, i did find out at the interview that they do have a major account with Kroger and he did say I'll be doing routes to Las Vegas and to Albuquerque if I was hired. From what he told me about the job and what they offer, it sounds pretty darn good for the way things are going in our economy. So today I took a physical and a drug test, hopefully that means they wanna hire me! I'm really looking forward to driving those shiny red Volvo's if they do end up hiring me considering that the Volvo is my favorite truck to drive even though they are tempermental with all the electronics and computers they have in them. He also said that I'll have at least 4 stops per route and even if I don't do 4 stops I'll still get paid for it and obviously if I do more than 4 I will get paid for that too. So I'm hoping for the best, wish me luck guys and I'll keep ya posted.

All the First Fleet trucks I saw in AZ andf CA 3 weeks ago, were WHITE Volvo's!!

Kroger is First Fleet's primary customer nationwide. Kroger, Nissan and Autozone.

[wimpy]

Hey everyone, thanks for you posts and for wishing me good luck, looks like it worked! I start orientation today 10/9. So I'm gonna do my orientation and my drive test today and after that I will go train for a few days and then I'll get my own truck assigned to me. So again thanks everyone and I'm gonna stick it out for a while with this company considering everything sounds pretty good and I'll actually get pretty frequent home time.

[Voyager]

Hey everyone, thanks for you posts and for wishing me good luck, looks like it worked! I start orientation today 10/9. So I'm gonna do my orientation and my drive test today and after that I will go train for a few days and then I'll get my own truck assigned to me. So again thanks everyone and I'm gonna stick it out for a while with this company considering everything sounds pretty good and I'll actually get pretty frequent home time.

Congrats Wimpy! I hope everything goes well for you. Keep us updated from time to time.

[jonp]

woo-hoo wimpy good luck and be sure to post the scoop on the company for us.

[wimpy]

Hey everyone, just updating those of you that wanted to be updated periodically on this job. Well I gotta say it's the easiest trucking job I've ever had. Tuesday nights and Thursday nights I take a load to Albuquerque,NM. with 1-4 stops and then go home. Saturday nights I do a run to Las Vegas and again do 1-4 stops. I guess the hardest thing getting used to with this job is going from a 70+mph truck pulling a tanker of milk to a 66mph truck pulling a reefer trailer. But I can't complain, it's a good company, I never have to worry about my truck getting fixed as they have a mechanic shop as soon as you pull into the yard with mechanics ready to fix the problem. We don't have to worry about fueling at truck stops, we just fuel there at the yard and with a full tank of fuel lasts to Albuquerque and back. So far it seems like they pretty much pay you for everything you do, you get paid a minimum of 4 stops per load whether you have that many stops or not. If your held up at a store for more than an hour, they'll throw an extra $10 per hour your held up (I believe thats how much it was). They have all kinds of bonuses, like if you average 6.2-6.4mpg it's an extra 1/2 cpm, 6.4-6.6 it's an extra 1 cpm and 6.7 and above its 1 1/2cpm. They also gotta fuel bonus, so if you have a low idle % you will be eligible for that and for me I'm hoping I'll qualify since I never idle being as cold as it gets in Albuquerque and Vegas. When I first got trained about a month ago, the guy that trained me said he'd been there for almost 3 yrs and he's scheduled to make just over $60k this year, so not a bad wage for such easy work. We deliver to ONLY Kroger grocery stores, so once you been to a certain store you pretty much know how to get back there the next time. Oh ya and the last thing I'll say about the company is, I had assumed that we had to unload the truck ourselves but not true, the store has people that unload it for us, all we do is "driver assist" basically just help them push the pallets off the truck. Once the pallet is off the trailer it's their responsibility. So like I said before it's easy work and easy money, I highly suggest this company to anyone that maybe throwin your resume out there for different companies to look at.

[headborg]

They used to have a small yard just east (outside) Springdale, Ar...

do they still do that? they used to pickup a lot of Allen Canning in Van Buran, Ar and of course around Springdale(chickendale)

[ronjon619]

I see those guys on I-8 heading to and from Yuma, AZ all the time. They have a sign posted on a stick in the dirt as you enter the Loves in Yuma. That sign has been there for a least a year.

[1catfish]

good luck wimpy. i hope everything works out for ya

ditto