Nah-I have 2 years under my belt-did my first year with Schneider, then made the switch to SRT for a year-now I am with the company I plan to stay with a while.

 

I worked for Arrow about a year ago and I wasn't impressed with the miles. I did a lot of log " LAUNDERING" to even get close to 3000 mi. I heard things have changed since then but, I would ask a driver at a t/s somewhere before I made a decision. Ask about the garage, and if it still takes 2-3 days to get through for inspection!

 

Thanks... I'd heard miles were difficult to come by at Arrow, but I haven't heard anything current about them. They pay pretty well, especially for a regional gig. But that's pretty meaningless if you have to sit around a lot waiting for a load.

 

I'm an Arrow Driver. Finished with my first year and I'm ready to give them back the keys to their truck.

Previous driver wrote:
Arrow has plenty of miles. Residential freight? What?? We haul a LOT of different things ... from hay and Peat Moss to steel, pipes (lots of pipes), and aluminum rods.

Arrow makes a lot of its money with new drivers. The newer you are, the less they have to pay you for a load. But I've seen some smart young drivers who aren't afraid of work make some really good money with Arrow. They learned Arrow's system .... which is Regional, "Local" (picking up a local load and tarping and chaining it), OTR, Heavy Haul, and of course, Lease Option. (The Lease Option sucks ... but if you know how to run it and work the "political side of it, you can make paper.)

I came to Arrow as a new driver. I needed training to be "real." Arrow taught me that. Flatbeding can be some dangerous driving ... and they taught me how to keep that skateboard on the road (wheel-side up) and how to do my job. That's the good side. If you look at them like that, you won't have anything to complain about. They'll teach you some high quality loading and securing techniques. You won't have any problems getting a job with another flatbed company after Arrow.

Now ... lets get real about the "other side" ... I'm quiting because:

In short, I'm not sure if Arrow is all that different from most other companies these days. They're working us like servants and the have no respect for anyone they feel is dumb enough to work for them. They'll pretend they do ... but actions speak much louder than words.

I'm tired. Real tired. Time to find one of those vans that pay by the hour.

 

Thanks for the info, K9. I was wondering if an Arrow driver would step up and tell us how it is. I appreciate your candor. Sorry it's not working out for you.

 

I work for them, do you have any questions some hasn't already answered?

I left for a while and ran into some problems coming back, but made it back after several weeks. I have been getting a lot of miles since then hauling everything you can think of.

The fleet is getting old- a lot of 04 fls with 400,00-500,000 miles and 06 kws with around 300,000 miles. And they sold around 50 of the 06 kws I heard.

They sent out a message a few weeks ago that they had worked out an agreement from a finance company and were going to replace the entire fleet within 5 years. No details about how many each year.

 

Thanks for the info. I'd be interested in your take on K9's post. I like the idea of keeping in shape with a flatbed, but I'm not crazy about giving away labor @ $5/hr. How often do you get home?

 

I worked for Arrow in 2005. They hired me straight out of school. They had a very comprehensive training program. I spent a month on the road with my trainer. I felt confident by the time they issued me a truck. My DM seemed to be a nice enough guy. My 1st load went fine. It went downhill fast after that. My DM essentially put me on ignore mode. I'd get oversized loads with no permits. I usually had to wait a couple of days before I received the permits. My truck blew the hose on my turbo. My DM told the repair shop to fix it with duct tape. Of course it didn't hold and I crawled back to the truck stop at 20 mph. I had to tarp every load. Rocks, pipes, coiled wire, valmount poles, wood, hay, flagstone......They use tarping as a selling point to the customers. It could take 2 days to get checked though Arrows maintenance terminal in Tulsa. There drivers facility in Tulsa was absolutely disgusting. I hope it's changed. The showers had mold on the walls/floors. I made a delivery of hay just north of LA and decided I had enough. I told my DM I was taking the truck to Arrow terminal in Fontana Ca. I completed all the required paperwork, took pictures of the tractor and trailer and left. A month later I received a letter from Arrow stating I abandoned the truck and equipment was missing. I sent them a copy of their paperwork and pictures of all the equipment. I never heard anything else from them.

 

A not-so-favorable picture of Arrow is beginning to take shape. Anyone have anything good to say about this company?

 

There are a lot of drivers who love Arrow. A lot of people love flatbeds period. You're just hearing from some people who are tired. Real tired. Arrow ain't no joke. Don't go if you can't work.

They say the first year of almost any kind of driving sucks. But Arrow really is having some kind of upper management change. The new president is starting to look like Sneadly Whiplash to me. I think the new second in command is some guy from Swift. (Catching my drift ...)

The new terminal in Phoenix is supposedly across the street from the Swift yard. Rumors are that Arrow is playing with the wrong company ... one wrong move and "Arrow" is going to be gobbled up by Mega-Swift.