Truck Driving Jobs

Twilight Flyer · Joined: 13 Nov 2002 Posts: 5785

Any Barr Nunn drivers around? Curious what the status is over there. We've had a few drivers calling in today saying Barr Nunn is struggling and they're looking to jump ship before it sinks...one was from a very long-term guy over there, so I put a little more stock into that than the standard driver.

Yeah, yeah, I know...trucker talk. That's why I always check here with current guys that might be driving for a company to see what's up?

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

headborg · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 1221

I loved that movie.....Farris You're my hero!

Oh Yeah! --- I think that was a one hit wonder for Yellow.

DaveP · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:34 am Post subject:

I've got a friend (10+ yr. driver) that's been with them for about a year and a half now and was perfectly happy with them up until the last few months.

Hasn't really spoken bad about them (he's no complainer) but I DO know he's actively seeking another company....

That tells me somethings up because he's also not a "job-hopper".

ALKELE · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 44 Location: Indiana

As far as their actual financial status, I don't know. I have talked to several drivers who have been with Barr-Nunn for years who are looking elsewhere now.

While I have not had any problems getting reimbursed for scale tickets, getting reimbursed for parking, florida tolls, and headlights have taken many weeks and phone calls to get reimbursed. On the phone, I am usually told, "Oh, I see that and I don't know why the reimbursement hasn't gone through yet. It will be on your next check." About half the time, it takes another phone call and another payweek for it to appear on my check.

They recently sent out a message tells us that they were looking at cutting the trucks back to 62 mph from 66 mph in order to save money on fuel. They wanted our responses to that and whether we thought it would be a good idea or not. Of course, I felt that they have made up their minds about it and just wanted to 1. forwarn their drivers, and 2. find out how many drivers it would upset.

They also changed their layover pay. Now you have to sit for 34 hours in order to qualify for layover pay. After the initial 34 hours, layover is paid on a 24 hour basis. They raised the layover pay from $60 to $80 per day, but you have to sit for 34 hours to start to qualify for it. Now, sitting long enough for layover pay is very unusual (at least with my dispatcher), but it would really suck to sit for 24-30 hours and not get layover pay for it.

Loads seem to still be strong though. I still get good miles. They are mot splitting the shorter loads like they had been doing. You can get paid a little more per mile for shorter loads, but you have to pick up and deliver. If you pick up or drop at a droplot or split the load with another driver, you don't get the extra per mile pay. For a while earlier this year, they were splitting a lot of loads without needing to. I guess to save the extra couple of cents per mile. But that doesn't seem to be happening now.

Like I said above, I don't know their actual finanacial status. I have talked to several drivers who have said that from their experiences, Barr-Nunn is acting like a company with major problems. But, with fuel prices the way they are, what company isn't have problems and trying to find ways to cut costs?

Twilight Flyer · Joined: 13 Nov 2002 Posts: 5785

Thanks for the info, Alkele. It's been sounding like a little more than CB talk.

And you're right. Lots of companies are hurting right now.

whatsmynameagain · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 41

I still work for Barr Nunn (formerly known as Jagerbomber). I have been a pretty strong defender of the company but I will say that things have certainly slowed down in a big way for a lot of drivers there in the last couple of months and they are starting to slowly but surely institute some new policies that I think will certainly run off some drivers new and old....one of those policies they just kicked in is that they no longer pay layover after 24 hours...you have to be without a load for 34 hours to qualify for layover then every 24 hours after that. Thats just one of the new ridiculous things. 34 hours is way past un-reasonable to wait for a load without getting paid a dime. It is still a decent company to work for but I think they are slowly but surely moving from an above average company to an everyday middle of the road nothing special about them carrier and I think its going to drive that turn over rate throuh the roof. I am currently looking to move on myself and if you go back and read alot of my old Jagerbomber posts you will se i have been a very strong defender of the company in the past. I'm not going to badmouth them and trash them but i think they are headed in the wrong direction.

mbadriver · Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 357 Location: I94 Exit 69

Since 1993 a Barr-Nunn driver down the road from me has had his rig parked EVERY Friday. I don't know the guy/gal and have never spoke to the person. But, it amazes me that EVERY weekend (and Holiday) for the last FIFTEEN years he/she has been home. It is a Barr-Nunn truck not a lease truck or IC. I thought I was getting home early yesterday (around 1600), sure enough his rig was already parked. I smiled to myself and thought no way can Barr-Nunn be a bad company. One of these days I am gonna go knock on his/her door and get the scoop.

That's my Barr-Nunn personal observation - 15 years of verifiable weekends and Holidays at home.

whatsmynameagain · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 41

Getting you home is the one thing Barr Nunn has really impressed me with, you will very rarely find a driver complain about their hometime policies. But what we are doing during the week in between leaving and getting home is what is getting bad, trust me its not just newcomers that are complaining, I run to other Barr Nunn drivers alot at our regular customers and there are alot of long timers from the company that are getting fed up with the changes and are sticking the hooks in the water at other places. If you talk to the long time guys they will tell you just how much the company has changed from only just a few years ago.Different management, a drastic change in freight lanes and coverage areas, a switch from running all 48 to just barely ever hitting Colorado and running mostly short haul that is paying them good and leaving us hanging waiting for loads. Plus as i said, they just switched our layover policy from 24 hours to 34. Most of the changes are not for the better. But yeah, they definitely do honor the weekends home thing if you are on regional.

Karnajj · Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 1125 Location: Cincinnati

mbadriver wrote: Since 1993 a Barr-Nunn driver down the road from me has had his rig parked EVERY Friday. I don't know the guy/gal and have never spoke to the person. But, it amazes me that EVERY weekend (and Holiday) for the last FIFTEEN years he/she has been home. It is a Barr-Nunn truck not a lease truck or IC. I thought I was getting home early yesterday (around 1600), sure enough his rig was already parked. I smiled to myself and thought no way can Barr-Nunn be a bad company. One of these days I am gonna go knock on his/her door and get the scoop.

That's my Barr-Nunn personal observation - 15 years of verifiable weekends and Holidays at home.

Takes a lot more than reliable hometime to make a good company.

mbadriver · Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 357 Location: I94 Exit 69

Really fried your brain coming up with that retort.

Karnajj wrote: mbadriver wrote: Since 1993 a Barr-Nunn driver down the road from me has had his rig parked EVERY Friday. I don't know the guy/gal and have never spoke to the person. But, it amazes me that EVERY weekend (and Holiday) for the last FIFTEEN years he/she has been home. It is a Barr-Nunn truck not a lease truck or IC. I thought I was getting home early yesterday (around 1600), sure enough his rig was already parked. I smiled to myself and thought no way can Barr-Nunn be a bad company. One of these days I am gonna go knock on his/her door and get the scoop.

That's my Barr-Nunn personal observation - 15 years of verifiable weekends and Holidays at home.

Takes a lot more than reliable hometime to make a good company.

ALKELE · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 44 Location: Indiana

Yes, they do get you home for your hometime. I have been home a day early a couple of times. But, I have been talking to a number of drivers who are either looking elsewhere or are getting nervous. Too many changes lately and none of them benefit the driver, only benefits Barr-Nunn.

I talked to a driver who lives in NY state a little over a week ago. He told me that about 2 weeks before, the company told him that he and all drivers living in NY state had 30 days to find a new job because the company was laying off all NY state drivers. He said he was told that it was because Barr-Nunn didn't have enough freight in NY state and that fuel prices were too high. Actually sounds like they need to get the guy/gal who is supposed to getting loads in NY and rip them a new one. Get rid of good drivers and keep the sales staff that can't get loads? Makes sense to me.

Don't know how true this one is, but I talked to an O/O who was telling me that a company driver he knows is leaving Barr-Nunn because he has already been at 2 different companies that went under totally. These 2 companies had the same person in charge, and now this person is one of the top people at Barr-Nunn. So, he (the driver) is figuring on getting out early instead of being blindsided.

Same O/O told me that he is only getting 2000 miles per week and every now and then gets 2500 miles. Said that every O/O he has talked to is telling him the same thing. Also, Barr-Nunn is revoking the Fuel Guarantee and replacing it with a 2 cents per mile increase. Said he would be losing about $700 per month on that. He said he felt that Barr-Nunn was trying to get rid of O/O's. Didn't want to tell him that I have been getting 2800-3500 miles a week lately.

Hopefully Barr-Nunn makes some positive changes soon and we can get them posted up here.

BTW, did anyone catch that thing about Schneider going to be dropping their trucks down to 60 MPH?

Twilight Flyer · Joined: 13 Nov 2002 Posts: 5785

Quote: BTW, did anyone catch that thing about Schneider going to be dropping their trucks down to 60 MPH?

They already did just a short time ago. There was a story over on Layover about it being part of their attempt to be the largest and most environmentally friendly trucking company out there. Makes you wonder if Al Gore is on the board of directors.

:roll:

whatsmynameagain · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 41

ALKELE wrote: Yes, they do get you home for your hometime. I have been home a day early a couple of times. But, I have been talking to a number of drivers who are either looking elsewhere or are getting nervous. Too many changes lately and none of them benefit the driver, only benefits Barr-Nunn.

I talked to a driver who lives in NY state a little over a week ago. He told me that about 2 weeks before, the company told him that he and all drivers living in NY state had 30 days to find a new job because the company was laying off all NY state drivers. He said he was told that it was because Barr-Nunn didn't have enough freight in NY state and that fuel prices were too high. Actually sounds like they need to get the guy/gal who is supposed to getting loads in NY and rip them a new one. Get rid of good drivers and keep the sales staff that can't get loads? Makes sense to me.

Don't know how true this one is, but I talked to an O/O who was telling me that a company driver he knows is leaving Barr-Nunn because he has already been at 2 different companies that went under totally. These 2 companies had the same person in charge, and now this person is one of the top people at Barr-Nunn. So, he (the driver) is figuring on getting out early instead of being blindsided.

Same O/O told me that he is only getting 2000 miles per week and every now and then gets 2500 miles. Said that every O/O he has talked to is telling him the same thing. Also, Barr-Nunn is revoking the Fuel Guarantee and replacing it with a 2 cents per mile increase. Said he would be losing about $700 per month on that. He said he felt that Barr-Nunn was trying to get rid of O/O's. Didn't want to tell him that I have been getting 2800-3500 miles a week lately.

Hopefully Barr-Nunn makes some positive changes soon and we can get them posted up here.

BTW, did anyone catch that thing about Schneider going to be dropping their trucks down to 60 MPH?

I know about the guy you are speaking of that is mostly running the company and I have heard from another long timer at the company the same things about failure following the guy around.
And i also got bitten first hand with the new 34 hour layover policy this week. Sat for 34 hours but after subtracting the time for the deadhead miles it only came to 31 or so without a load. No pay for me. Its such a lovely new system that I know they had the best interest of the drivers in mind when they came up with it.

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