[Toemoss]

Is USX the same as US fleet, I see trailer, after trailer being pulled by a red local Mack, out of the cedar river paper company, but I was not sure what a USX trailer looked like?

[Malaki86]

Is USX the same as US fleet, I see trailer, after trailer being pulled by a red local Mack, out of the cedar river paper company, but I was not sure what a USX trailer looked like?

No - different companies - USXpress runs Freightliner, Volvo's and a few Pete's. The trailers are white, with red/white lettering that says USXpress Enterprises.

Now - an update for my last week and a half.

Things have actually went pretty good since I got my truck last Wednesday. Here is a list of my trips:

Cleveland, OH to Wichita, KS
Arkansas City, KS to El Paso, TX
El Paso, TX to Dallas, TX (met a team to repower the load)
Fort Worth, TX to Dallas, TX (Rail load - made $70 for rail stop & short haul)
Carthage, TX to Atlanta, GA
Red Boiling Springs, TN to Hurricane, WV (met another driver to repower the load)

I ran a total of 4,200 miles on the hub - routed miles was about 4,100. Out of route miles was the trip from Hurricane, WV to Fairmont, WV for my hometime.

All in all, things were a lot better. I did do a little bit of sitting, however. The 1st 'wait' was in El Paso - the trailer didn't make it across the border the night before, and they didn't want to pay me detention to wait any longer. Picked up another pre-loaded trailer in the same drop lot and was off.
The 2nd 'wait' was in Dallas - There was simply no freight moving. Both the Flying J & T/A were packed at 1pm, and stayed that way until the next day. At least I got layover for it, however.
The 3rd 'wait' was in Atlanta - I think it's just normal for them to think that a driver wants to sit in the Petro for a day or so. Oh well, another layover pay, plus it let me get some hours back.
I also had a couple 'delay's' while waiting to repower the 2 loads. Both were from miscommunication/delays with dispatch.

When I got there to pick up my truck, the 1st thing they did was to try to put me in a 2001 Century. Well, that'd be fine, except in 1-2 months, I'd be back to turn the truck in because of the age. When I told them to get me a bus ticket back home, they magically found a 2004 Volvo. So far, it's undoubtedly the best truck I've ever driven. It is the smoothest & quietest ride I've experienced. Also has pretty good power. 67mph, but hey, better than 55 :wink: It was also extremely clean inside & out. The only problem I had with it was one of the drivers seat armrests fell off when I walked past it. Took about 5 minutes for them to repair it.

They also, for some reason, changed my dispatch in the middle of the week. Apparently they've moved all Xpress Direct to Chatanooga now. It would've been nice if they'd at least send a message telling the drivers this...

If things keep going the way they have the past 2 weeks, there won't be any problems and I can see myself there for awhile.

[Skullitor]

How are the Autoshifts in the mountains?I know there Automated Manuals.
Are they the new type without a clutch?

[willyworm]

Malaki86

I hope things stay good for you!
I ran around 2000-2300 miles a week for about 4 weeks and then they started the bull shit!

I have been waiting 4 weeks for 11 hrs of detention pay.

I have been empty moved 4 times (bobtail )and can't get paid for the moves, while looking for empty trailers.

Sit in Atlanta Ga. for 2 days, ran a 60 mile run that took 8.75 hrs do to traffic backup and general traffic problem around Atlanta.

The worst thing is the SLOW Dispatch, I wait 2-4 hrs for my load assignments. This passed week I got 1300 miles.

I sat in the a customers dock area after dropping a empty trailer and watch another truck come in and pickup the same trailer I drop after it was loaded, while I begged my FM for some miles.

I pulled that empty 200 miles for another driver the take it, and then I was sent to work US Gobal for the next day of local delivery.

I still had 6 hrs that I could have drove that day!

I ended the week with 24 hrs available

Things will have to change soon for me to be their very long!

Not sure how they can afford the truck lease! ........

I spoke with a driver that had been with them for 10 years and he said
that he left after he was stuck in Atlanta GA for 6 days and ran local all week. He got 500 miles in 6 days for the week!

THE FOOLS ARE IN CHARGE >>>>>>>>GOD HELP THE DRIVERS

[tubbez]

I have been on the dollar general account for 14 months. if money is the most important thing to you then this is where you want to be. my pay checks are usually between $1400 and $1800 a week but it is very hard work. you have to unload the trailers by hand and they r usually over 40k lbs. the backing you must do to get into most of these stores is insane and the chance of an accident is very high.you must be very very careful.i didn't think i would make it my first 3 weeks. i could hardly walk i was so sore.but if you can make it past this period it gets much easier.plus I'm now in the best shape of my life.if you live in OH,PA,NY, MI, or IN you can get home every weekend or more. I hated this job at first but love it now.there is no sitting in docks,all trailers are preloaded and you pick them all up at the DC in zanesville OH. there is also a $2500 sign on bonus. $500 a month for 5months

[Skullitor]

Originally Posted by tubbez

I have been on the dollar general account for 14 months. if money is the most important thing to you then this is where you want to be. my pay checks are usually between $1400 and $1800 a week but it is very hard work. you have to unload the trailers by hand and they r usually over 40k lbs. the backing you must do to get into most of these stores is insane and the chance of an accident is very high.you must be very very careful.i didn't think i would make it my first 3 weeks. i could hardly walk i was so sore.but if you can make it past this period it gets much easier.plus I'm now in the best shape of my life.if you live in OH,PA,NY, MI, or IN you can get home every weekend or more. I hated this job at first but love it now.there is no sitting in docks,all trailers are preloaded and you pick them all up at the DC in zanesville OH. there is also a $2500 sign on bonus. $500 a month for 5months

The Dollar General account is the same weather You work for U.S.Exp. Werner,Schneider, Or J.B.Hunt.

[vcgray]

Hi guys,

I am new here at CAD. I would just like to say that I was employed by USX for the previous 2 yrs, and have enjoyed being there.
I too was like most newbies to USX, I found out I only had to put my foot down when it came to certain things.
Anyway, that is not why I am writing. I had my CDL suspended for 3 mths, 08/18/05 to 11/18/05, and turned in my truck as I would have to do. I let dispatch know of my upcoming demise, and was informed that when I was cleared and got the CDL back, they would in turn rehire me.
I called the recruiters for rehire and have been told now that I have to wait between 3 mths to a year before they will rehire me. so, I march on with my search to go back to work.
I have contacted over 35 different companies, all of which say if you have a suspension they wont hire you for at least 1 to 3 yrs.

Has anybody out there got any ideas as to how I might can bypass all this crap?

[willyworm]

Here is an up date on working for USX for a few months now.

I run Regional and was told that I would be off weekends.

USX's idea of a weekend is 32-36 hours between Saturday and Sunday evening. (Sometime)
I thought a weekend was Saturday and Sunday!

USX says they pay Detention pay at $12.50 Per-hour after 3 hours!
USX does NOT pay most of the time, and if they do it will be very Little if any.

I have set from 3 hours to 2.5 days on a load and USX paid a whole $30. for 2.5 days.

Your Fleet Manager (Dispatcher) will say they only approved X amount for that time! I asked Who are they! ( Nobody seems to know who they are!)

SAME OLD BULL SHIT JUST A DIFFERENCE FACE!

However! they tell you to send in the Macro for detention time.
SO THAT SO THEY CAN GET THEIR
MONEY (BUT YOU WON"T GET IT)

Loads over 900 miles, is only 0.25 cents a mile
That's if the load moves a total of 900 miles, not how far you pulled it.

Example: You pull one off the yard for 300 miles to the receiver, but the load had already been 701 miles (That includes deadhead miles for the load ) you will be paid 0.25 cents a mile.

The best miles that I have seen is 2100 one week. the average is about 1700 a week. working about 65-70 hours.
None the first part of the week, then balls to the wall to get home for the weekend.

If you could work at McDonald's that many hours you would make more!

I pulled into the terminal and tried to get some oil for the truck, and was told to drop the trailer and write it up and they would have to put it in the shop and have a tech do it.
I ask why the tech couldn't walk out to the fuel line a put in a gallon!
He said. Were not allow!

That's 45 minutes to an hours to put in a gallon of oil!

And I was not getting paid for any of that time!
I don't work for free! (Until I went to work for USX)
I'll just get oil on the road when I fuel.

The Idiots are in charge now!!

There are drivers that get more miles, but most are on a dedicated accounts.
As for Regional Drivers getting 3000 + plus a week!

I would ask for proof, show me your check stub and your Log book.
Because their sure as hell, not running a legal log book.

You do a lot of waiting and waiting, eating up your hours and then they want the load delivered earlier. ........RIGHT!

A Friend of my was Dispatched on a " So called" Hot load this pasted week. He had to be at the shipper's at 4:00 am and then ended up waiting for 14 hours for the product to be loaded. (FOR FREE)
Because he sure as Hell won't get paid! They will screw him out of it again

He is still waiting on 14 hours from 4 months ago!

It's getting real damn old!

And is the life at USX these past 3 months!

[SlowMotion]

After being with US Xpress now for almost 2 years I can honestly say what Willyworm is saying is true. USX has really went down hill in the last year. I've actually put in my 2 weeks notice after the stunt they pulled on Friday. I was do to be home on Saturday, they got me a load going to St Louis that delivered Friday night at 8pm than I was suppost to deadhead home. Well on the way to St. Louis they sent me a Preplan to pick up a load at 9:30 Friday night in St Louis and take it to Atlanta. So I sent my Dispatcher a message and told him I had hometime this weekend and to please take it off me. He said he'd take care of it, well about 4 hours later he asks me if I could pick the load up and they would repower it off me there in St Louis, so I agreed to help them out. Later they told me they had a driver in Memphis that was coming to repower the load, well I guess he ran out of hours or something so he said. Than he says he has another driver that had a load that delivered at Walmart DC which is on the way home. So I agreed that would be fine and to let me know where to meet the driver. Well I got unloaded and asked where the other driver was so I had an idea of how long it would be. He tells me the repower driver is in Tunnel Hill, GA and has no idea on ETA to St louis. Well I get over to FedEx to pick up this other load and for anyone that doesn't know FedEx schedules your delivery appointment at 45mph from the time you get loaded. Which means most of them are priority overnight loads. At this point I'm already as mad as can be cause I know whats happening. So I ask him where he wants me to take this load, he says "as far as you can". I had 1 hour left to drive so I took it across the river to the truck stop. They finally got another truck to repower it sometime Saturday evening thats how long I sat on it cause I refused to take it another mile. I later found out from another dispatcher who I'm very good friends with that he was just lieing to me about the repower cause I was the only one in the area to cover the load. And you know I would of had no proplem helping them out if they would of just come out and told me the truth but most of the dispatchers at USX feel its better to just lie to the driver. You know I think most drivers in that situation would of been willing to help the company out if they would of just come out and told them what was going on at the start. Sorry for such a long story, these types of things don't happen everyday here at USX but they do happen quiet often.

[willyworm]

I had put in for hometime for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
I drop a load Tuesday morning and was waiting all day for a dispatch.
At 9:00 pm Tuesday evening I received a pre-assignment and a dispatch for a load going forward home the next day, however the dispatch said clearly
said "NO VOLVO" 45912 lbs.

I told dispatch that the load was too heavy and that I could not haul it.
She said pick it up and weight it!

I picked up the load and weight it, I was 1160 lbs over on the drives and no room to move it.

Dispatch said take take it back to the shipper and had it reworked.
So, I hauled it back 35 miles to the shipper and told them that it was to heavy.

Shipper, "Said sorry but we said no Volvo's and USX keeps sending them !
And refused to adjust the load!

I StatCom the message to dispatch
The advice that dumb a%^ had was to run around the scales!
I told her "NO" It illegal! (Fine for 1160 lbs is $1200.00 )

and called the Safety Department! ...That's a joke!

So dispatch said they would Repower the load with a Freightliner at the shippers
Stand by!
22 hours later and (Thanksgiving day) I told Dispatch I was low on fuel and needed some food and went to the truck stop. (before the Scales)

The Repower never did show up, he was 200 miles away in Dayton Ohio
and would have had to drive within 35 miles of me, to get there!
I honestly believe he never was dispatched.

The next day (Friday) they got the load reworked so I could haul it.

I sent in the Macro for Detention Time. (What a joke that is)

Guess what good old USX paid me for the 2.5 days and missing Thanksgiving with the Family?? $30.00
That it! $30.00 and they wonder why they can't keep Drivers!

And it is happening more and more.
A few weeks ago my paid check was $174.00 for the week
I was out of hours, during some side work for USX and guess what ?
They didn't know how to pay me for it.

After calling, and sending good old MAX Fuller a message, 3 weeks later I got part of it.

I'm luck in a way, my children has grown up and gone.

I was in a Truck Stop last week and was talking to another driver

The man had a wife and 3 kids at home.
But had only been getting 1100 to 1500 miles a week for the past few weeks and then he got a over-weight ticket for $250.00 for 180 lbs over on the tandems.

He said that really didn't have the extra money to weigh the load
but sure wish he had!
He told me that scale master gave him a couple of chances to axle the load but he could not get it axled out.

Needless to say he losted he grub stake for a couple of weeks.
And looked as if he had not eat l in a while.

I seen him in the restaurant later he had a glass of water and was counting change to see if he could afford a bowl of soup.
He didn't know that I was there until I walk over and sat down and started BS'ing with him. I didn't let him know that I seen him, and over hear him talking to the waiter.

I ordered and then told the waiter to bring the other driver the same
and put it on my tab.
I can't sat and watch a person go hungry.

From the conversation I found out that his miles are so low as of late that he can't send money home and eat proper on the road and the over weight fine didn't help either.
said that he was OTR and has been with USX for 3 years.

And they can't understand why Driver don't stay with them.

What you want to bet, that good Old Uncle Sam is kicking them some money per- head for hiring students.

Why else would a Company want a 130% turnover rate ???

20 year ago I worked for a trucking company that was getting $1500 per student if they worked for 1 day!
(What would that be today???)
And they would make life rough enough that you would quit in a few weeks!

Sure make a guy wonder ????