[navguy05]

If you like short runs, lots of sitting waiting for loads, beat up equipment with lots of problems, 60 mph trucks that wont climb a hill over 35, these are the people for you. They tell you when and where and how much to fuel, if you deviate, no fuel bonus. If you don't make 6.7mpg or better a month, no bonus. They use combination tarps with 5ft drops instead of lumber and steel tarps. They're too small for a lumber load and too big for a coil. On a typical lumber load, you have to turn the tarps sideways and use all 4 that they issue you to cover it. But dont worry, they'll show you how to do that at the end of orientation. OH, and you only get $18 to tarp a load. Their little fuel mileage nazi, Jayson, in Birmingham is a treat. When I did my road test with him, the first thing he says is "forget whatever you think you know about driving a truck, I'm gonna show how to drive." And learn to shift your truck between 1000-1300 rpm every gear or you get nasty grams on qualcomm about "watch your speeding and shifting". And pretty much anybody that doesn't like you or you have a disagreement with, can send you home. I don't know about all the dispatchers, but mine was always "waiting on the sales department, I'll get back to you." I have a 100mph dispatcher with a 60mph truck, if you know what I mean. When you get unloaded first thing in the morning and have to sit and wait till 3 or 4 or 5 pm to get your next load, it's hard make any money. I've worked there a month and half and haven't made a paycheck over $500 yet and thats with living in the truck 1 to 3 weeks at a time. Come Thursday or Friday there's "no freight moving up by your house right now." I called my dispatcher and the ops coordinator and told them that I'm turning my truck in today because i couldn't live and support my wife and two kids on $350 a week. I was told "if you want to quit that's ok, we don't care, but we need you to pick up this load and bring it to yard with the truck or it'll damage your DAC from now on." My truck's going back empty. They've already cut off my fuel card so I hope there's enough fuel to get it there or I'll have to call them and tell them on the side of what road it's sitting. I've run into some other former Boyd drivers who've had similar stories, but this, of course, is just my personal experience. Feel free to PM me for any additional information.

[BanditsCousin]

If you can get it in writing about picking up the final load, then I'd do it, especially if they gave you a free pass out of the deal. BOL in your hunt for a better quality/paying job.

[Double R]

Boyd Brothers is still in business? I haven't seen their trucks in a long time.

[1catfish]

Originally Posted by navguy05

If you like short runs, lots of sitting waiting for loads, beat up equipment with lots of problems, 60 mph trucks that wont climb a hill over 35, these are the people for you. They tell you when and where and how much to fuel, if you deviate, no fuel bonus. If you don't make 6.7mpg or better a month, no bonus. They use combination tarps with 5ft drops instead of lumber and steel tarps. They're too small for a lumber load and too big for a coil. On a typical lumber load, you have to turn the tarps sideways and use all 4 that they issue you to cover it. But dont worry, they'll show you how to do that at the end of orientation. OH, and you only get $18 to tarp a load. Their little fuel mileage nazi, Jayson, in Birmingham is a treat. When I did my road test with him, the first thing he says is "forget whatever you think you know about driving a truck, I'm gonna show how to drive." And learn to shift your truck between 1000-1300 rpm every gear or you get nasty grams on qualcomm about "watch your speeding and shifting". And pretty much anybody that doesn't like you or you have a disagreement with, can send you home. I don't know about all the dispatchers, but mine was always "waiting on the sales department, I'll get back to you." I have a 100mph dispatcher with a 60mph truck, if you know what I mean. When you get unloaded first thing in the morning and have to sit and wait till 3 or 4 or 5 pm to get your next load, it's hard make any money. I've worked there a month and half and haven't made a paycheck over $500 yet and thats with living in the truck 1 to 3 weeks at a time. Come Thursday or Friday there's "no freight moving up by your house right now." I called my dispatcher and the ops coordinator and told them that I'm turning my truck in today because i couldn't live and support my wife and two kids on $350 a week. I was told "if you want to quit that's ok, we don't care, but we need you to pick up this load and bring it to yard with the truck or it'll damage your DAC from now on." My truck's going back empty. They've already cut off my fuel card so I hope there's enough fuel to get it there or I'll have to call them and tell them on the side of what road it's sitting. I've run into some other former Boyd drivers who've had similar stories, but this, of course, is just my personal experience. Feel free to PM me for any additional information.

don't pickup the load,for one your working for free,and there going to trash your dac anyway. just because you get it all in writing,there gonna do what they want.

[chain binder]

I have driven flatbeds for a few years.Freight is slow in the flatbed area.I can tell you are upset,but don't quite under a load or do anything that will go on your DAC,unless you don't want to drive anymore for a reputable company.You are at their mercy until you get the truck back to the terminal.Have you tried to talk to anyone in managment, go over your fleet manager head,and talk to someone higher up.Jobs are getting harder to come by.Alot of companies tell you where to fuel and how much to get it is called fuel management.Hope you the best.

[navguy05]

Ok, just got my last pay stub from these "jems". Not only did I not draw anything for the last two loads I hauled for them, They charged me $818 for taking their truck back to the terminal. Said it was $2 a mile for 409 out of route miles. I asked my ex-dispatcher about this, he said "you should've brought that last load to the yard, then quit."

I said "so I could have a quit under load on my DAC?"

his response "oh no man, it don't work like dat."

my response "If I'd have known you were going to charge me that, you would've found that POS in a cornfield somewhere. Thank you, have a nice day."

I did what I said I would, brought the truck back in better condition than when I picked it up (at least it was clean upon turn-in), with all the assigned equipment, at the time and place I said I would. I did have the mechanic that I turned it into sign that everything was turned in and in good working order with the time and date and make copies for me and the terminal.

As far as I'm concerned, this is company is just another bottom feeder, somewhere well below Swift, JB, Werner and Schneider (whose trucks will all pass a Boyd truck, by the way). I wish them the worst of luck and hope how soon they loose their authority to operate in the US. Flatbedders BEWARE this company, they WILL starve you and your family and make you go broke.

[jagerbomber3.0]

Most other people i have spoken with or known that drove for these guys had pretty decent things to say. As far as being starved out right now, thats almost all bigger flatbed companies right now. I left Western Express flatbed earlier this year and they were in the same sahpe freight wise. I have a friend driving for TMC right now and he isnt running hard all of the time either and he says when he is running hard he still isnt making much because the rates are low and he is on the percentage pay. It's tough all over in trucking and especially in flatbed with housing,construction and automotive in the toilet. Sorry you had a bad time and you got your pay wrecked from returning the truck, but i gotta say, if you bounce on over to any of the other big companies right now you are probably in store for much of the same story. I know it's frustrating as all hell, i have been through it as well.

[BanditsCousin]

Should've taken the load like they told you to. As far as $2/mi, that's insane. With flatbed rates for commodities in this market, ask them if they get that for, let's say, lumber. If they do charge that, they still have to pay a driver too! They shafted you.

But, again, should've taken the final load.

[navguy05]

Why take load have way to the destination and quit with it on my trailer? To me, that's definitly "quit under load". Maybe I'm wrong, but it's ok. I'm not going to argue the right or wrong of not picking up that final load. I did call the broker for the load and told them that I wouldn't be able to pick it up after all. That I was getting shafted by Boyd Bros and I didnt work for them anymore. They said that's been happening alot lately with this "company".

I'm just putting out my bad personal experience with a lousy "family run, family oriented" company. The only family they're worried about is the BOYD family.

I did hear about 2 almost back to back roll overs when I turned my truck in. Luckily neither driver was hurt. Would like to hear more about them, if they really happened and what not. If they, did, I hope Boyd's safe stat scores are deeply affected.

[jagerbomber3.0]

Originally Posted by BanditsCousin

Should've taken the load like they told you to. As far as $2/mi, that's insane. With flatbed rates for commodities in this market, ask them if they get that for, let's say, lumber. If they do charge that, they still have to pay a driver too! They shafted you.

But, again, should've taken the final load.

$2 a mile seems steep but every company i have driven for has stated an outrageous number like that for truck recovery or un-authorized miles. That is one of the first cases of actually being charged for it that I have heard though. I can almost promise you that somewhere during orientation Navguy signed a paper stating that he agreed to these charges whether he realized it or not. Almost all of the big companies have this in the fine print somewhere if not right out in big bold print on an individual form. Not saying I agree with it in every case but just saying I am willing to bet you signed a paper saying it was ok.