Truck Driving Jobs

rking631 · #1 06-13-2007, 10:41 PM

We have agreed to attend the orientation and have looked at the website, but any other search brings us back to the same sites again and again. Does anyone here have any definite knowledge of the company? Are they trustworthy? Does anything they're site says have any truth to it?

flood · #2 06-13-2007, 11:04 PM

we been running team for over three years with usx. what would you like to know

jegzus · #3 06-14-2007, 12:49 AM

They have red automatic trucks and pull dry vans. :lol:

rking631 · #4 06-14-2007, 03:06 PM

How do they treat their drivers? How long does their training period last? What is their average starting pay for long-haul teams? Are the trucks in decent shape? Would we be assigned a truck or would we have to switch every trip?

Sealord · #5 06-14-2007, 08:49 PM

You can check 'em at safersys.org.

flood · #6 06-14-2007, 11:41 PM

Are they trustworthy?
this has never been an issue for us. thay have mess up my pay 2x and it was my fault (forgot to do the paper work right ) & when i called it was fixed on the next check. also usx doesn't think you should use YOUR money for much of anything, i only pay cat scale, and tolls in FL,KS, CA have toll cards for all the rest i have even turned in a hand written receit for a .35 toll and was paid back. we never have to pay lumpers thay do and if we need the truck or trailer fixed we just call and it gets done

How do they treat their drivers?
most drivers are happy but you will always find some that are never happy. (have seen some quit and 2 months later thay are back) we have been a team with usx for over three years and we are very happy.

What is their average starting pay for long-haul teams?
base team pay for new drivers the last time i checked was .40cpm for all miles if you both have has-mat you get .04cpm more paid each quarter and if you pull a has-mat load you .02cpm more so the base is .40cpm, .44cpm with has-mat, .46cpm pulling has-mat for new drivers. (you get better loads if you have has-mat) the avg team runs the co avg of 5000ml pre week. bad week 4500 real bad week 3800 good week 5700 better week 6200 great week 7200. most teams run about 240k per year. we run around 230k per year and all of it legal...!
we could run more if we wanted to but we are fine with this ( a little more us at home time)

all the trucks are "AUTO-SHIFT" not automatic. (their not the same thing)most are dry vans but thay do have a few very few reefers and some flat bed up in the NE and some roller bed van's (fedex/bax)

How long does their training period last?
training is 150hr behind the wheel or about three weeks IMO a little short when i did it it was 200hr.

Are the trucks in decent shape?
after you both finish training you will get an 2007/2008 truck. the volvo's have the biggest sleeper more room. (your trainer and her trainer will need to set it up so you both upgrade at the same place) other wise one of you will get the truck and have to get a load to pick up the other

Would we be assigned a truck or would we have to switch every trip?
almost all the new teams get NEW trucks but you will not get one with more than 75k, teams keep the truck until it has no more than 250k then thay will get a new one. in three years we have had 5 trucks 4 new 1 with 32k we have never put more than 160k on one truck this 07 volvo 780 has 144k right now and we don't want to give it this one up.

thay have always got us home when we wanted to (some times 1-2 days early) only one time did thay mess us up on home time (thanksgiving) i told them find us a load home or we were going to fly home...! 2hr later thay had us a load that del 30ml from the house. and thay say that if you want off for x-mass you will be home no matter what,, last year (with all the storms in the west) thay flew drivers home that wanted to go..!

now with all that said if you have a good FM life is good and if you have a bad one (and we do have some bad ones) life so not so good, if you get a bad one it is not that hard to change. ours is great, he's so good he covers for his boss when he's out and helps other's when needed so we are lucky in that. when i was solo the FM i had i hated, never a kind word to her or from her she was a real bit@! and she ran me 3000-3200 every week...!

ware are you going for orientation..?

hope that helps

Vegas · #7 06-15-2007, 01:12 PM

Anyone have insight/opinions about the Dollar General, Dollar Tree & Wal-Mart dedicated accounts US Xpress has. Do they allow teams on these runs & which/if any would you consider the best choice among the three? Also can someone explain the difference between the "auto-shift" trucks USX has & a typical automatic transmission?

flood · #8 06-15-2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegas

Anyone have insight/opinions about the Dollar General, Dollar Tree & Wal-Mart dedicated accounts US Xpress has. Do they allow teams on these runs & which/if any would you consider the best choice among the three? Also can someone explain the difference between the "auto-shift" trucks USX has & a typical automatic transmission?

dollar gen, are solo only runs at between 200ml & 350 with 1-4 stops each and return. most runs take 14hr + 10hr break and 4hr back. YOU hand unload each stopto the back of the trailer (most stores don't have loading docks) you park by the side door. you get stop pay for each stop & unload pay. i've done then didn't like it but for 1 trip 237ml i got $374.
dollar tree is about the same. not sure about wal-mart. we also have TJMAX and that is team only but you HAVE to stay out for 6 weeks at a time. some drivers like um some don't.

an automatic (like you have in a car) use a turque-converter with wet clutch's and alot of "soft" parts (the soft parts are the parts replaced in a rebuild) and has 2-6 speeds

an auto-shift (call auto-shift, freedomline, ultralshift or i-shift) is a standerd transmission (9,10,11,13,14,15 or 18 speed) with a standerd clutch or air clutch( no pedal ) with a computer and a air shifter. the computer floots the gears the same as you do you just don't have a shift lever. the computer does all the upshifting and ALL the downshifting automatic's DON"T downshift. (if you are driving your car at 55mph and slow to a stop you will notice that the transmission doesn't downshift) doing the same thing in a truck with an auto-shift you will feel it do each downshift.

also an automatic transmission waste 10-20% of your horsepower (that's way a car with a stick get better mpg than an auto)
an auto-shift (usx use 10speed auto-shift) get the same (or better)mpg as a standerd 10speed (the computer can be set for mpg or hp) and you can override it by going manual and up or down shifting as needed

also in manual it WILL NOT let you go to a gear the will over or under rev the motor not like a car that will let you be going down the road at 70mph and if you shift into 2nd.........!!! if you try it in an auto-shift all it will do is beep at you.

what is funny about the auto-shift is when it misses a shift (we all miss one now and then) it's funny to here the truck do a gear recovery rev, rev, rev click, to good side is you can always keep BOTH hands on the wheel and you don't have to try to turn at the corner looking at the cars and change gears at the same time. or the lite turns green as you are drinking you coffee and you have to set your cup down to shift.

i can driver both the wife can driver both but she had a dicie knee so she realy likes driving the auto better. at the end of the day driving an auto-shift you just feel better (more rested) i won't even go it to how nice it is in LA, Atlanta, Chicago, the NE..

rking631 · #9 06-17-2007, 02:20 AM

Thanks so much for your info, flood. You've put a lot of our fears and worries to rest.

evertruckerr · #10 06-17-2007, 11:59 PM

Keep one thing in mind when going with USXpress.

They have auto transmissions. You will be trained in one and I believe your CDL will specify AUTOMATIC Transmission only.

This will severely limit your options in the future should you decide to move on. And from what I've read on the boards, many USXpress drivers do just that.