[BigAl9393]

Does anybody know anything good or bad about this company? Thanks in advance for any info.

[Jumbo]

I see that most of the trucks they have traded only have the c-12 cats @380 h.p. in them. A little underpowered.

[yoopr]

Originally Posted by Jumbo

I see that most of the trucks they have traded only have the c-12 cats @380 h.p. in them. A little underpowered.

Hey Jumbo-Keep your head down-Tornado warning

[Jumbo]

Only by us till, well, 10 minutes ago.

[emerlin]

They came in to recruit in our CDL class. I was really turned off by their business-speak. "Mission statements," "win-win stratigies" and, "synergy" make me wonder whether the company is more interested in stock prices than business.

I'm sure they aren't a bad company to work for, and they even have an LTL division with a terminal in my town, but I don't know if I could get past the "atmosphere."

[*anonymous*]

Magnum's newer trucks (05 or 06 - 07) are all Peterbilt 387s and have C13 engines. Company trucks are governed back at 67 MPH from the former 72 MPH. A typical load will be, on average, 30-44,000 lbs. If running SE to the Carolinas, etc. gathering enough to get up mountains is challenging. For these loads, the trucks are underpowered.

Magnum runs mostly reefer freight, with an occasional dry load. They do a lot of IL, TX, OK, NC, GA, that area. Western runs are rare, though they have happened.

As a new driver, I believe the pay rate for the first 6 months is .27 cpm + .01 cpm "tuition reimbursement". If you are a CDL school graduate, unless they have changed this practice, they will not tell you until you're partway through orientation and they put the paper in front of you that you are required to sign a contract guaranteeing them a year of service. If you quit before the year, you will owe them, I believe, $1,200 to $1,500. I can't recall if it's pro-rated. The premise is the "extra" penny per mile in pay. This is regardless if you paid for the schooling out of your own pocket or had it financed.

Magnum has a 2-3 hour detention window, depending on the account. The detention pay rate after this window is $15/hour. You will be required to request it from the dispatcher as it is not automatically added, and watch your payroll sheets to make sure it was paid. They do have a habit of attempting to weasel out of paying detention/layover on a dispatch level. They have dispatch in charge of posting these extras to your run.

Magnum's layover pay, based on a 24 hour wait for a reload, etc., is $30 per 24 hour period. This also must be requested from the dispatcher and again, watch your payroll sheets.

Extra stops, beyond your initial pickup and delivery, are paid at $20 per stop. One particular account is $25 a stop. Again, watch your payroll sheets.

Practical miles are paid based on PC Miler. It is a good idea to know someone, or have this program yourself so you can check the paid miles you're given. It has been an issue where paid miles are shorted.

Due to the nature of reefer freight and the scheduling, you will find that you spend a lot of time in loading & unloading. Some of the runs are scheduled so tight that they cannot be legally logged. Watch for this and catch them on it right away so things can be rescheduled if needed. Be warned that many of the food warehouse facilities will treat you less than favorably, though some are good.

Time off is to be submitted 7 days in advance of when you want to be home. If you want to be sent home, for example, on the 8th, they figure they have until 11:59 PM on the 8th to get you there. You would have to ask for this on the 1st in order for it to be approved. Be warned that they have tried saying that the day they send you home counts as a day off. If you don't get your full 36 hours off, etc., don't stand for that. You receive 1.5 days off for 7 days out, 3 days off for 12 days out, and 4 days off for 20+ days out. Do not expect to be home on weekends or necessarily home every week, regardless of what you are told in recruiting. The recruiters don't know about much of what they speak.

The bonus program pays an extra 3 or 3.5 cpm for meeting the following criteria: (and is paid on a monthly basis)

A) Running 10,000 miles or over each month.
B) Having no safety violations (critical logbook errors, speeding tickets, preventable accidents)
C) Paperwork must be received in the office within 8 days of the day of delivery to receive the bonus
D) No service failures (being late for an appointment)

The bonus is then adjusted from there on a percentage based on both idle time and your monthly MPG average.

In December of 2006, about 27% of the listed LTD company drivers made bonus. This number varies a little month to month. The most common factor in not receiving the bonus is lack of making 10,000 miles.

Dispatch has no former drivers. They are mostly younger college kids. Dispatch and account managing are combined, the dispatchers handle the accounts and any issues that arise. Speaking truthfully, as a result of this they are overwhelmed and communication is really a problem with Magnum. It will come out of your pocket if you are not aggressive in going after what you should be rightfully paid. It has happened that you can sit empty for hours, having sent multiple emails, and not be acknowleged. The same with detention/layover requests.

Dispatch is there from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday thru Friday, and 2 dispatchers are in the office on Saturday until Noon. If you have an emergency, they have an after-hours cell number, but it had better be an emergency if you call it.

All in all, Magnum has the potential to be a good company but they have some bugs they need to work out, and some ethics and honesty practices that need to be changed. The equipment is mostly decent. If you are a student out of a CDL school and pass your training period (you can be failed) you will be placed into an older truck initially. I believe likely an 03 would be the oldest in the fleet, this will have a Super 10 transmission in it.

If you decide to drive for Magnum, I would highly recommend a good mapping program (PC Miler if you can afford it to check the given paid miles), set up so you can figure out quickly how long it will take to do the run to be sure it's scheduled accordingly. There is one account that is notorious for short-scheduling. If you don't catch this, the blame will be put back on the driver for not catching it. If using a mapping program, remember that what looks good on paper is NOT real life. For example, you won't breeze through Chicago at 4 or 5 PM. Nor 5 AM for that matter. Dispatch has no idea of what the drivers do, or of the variable circumstances they drive in. Double-check everything, keep good records, and stand up for yourself. If you have legitimate pay coming and they're waffling on it, GO after it. They tend to try and pull more stunts with the new drivers who don't know any better yet. Be respectful but firm. Don't allow yourself to be bullied. I hope this information helps, good luck to you.

[shusta111]

Much has changed with Magnum, pay and benefits!
I encourage anyone who reads this considering Magnum to give us a call! 1-855-9Magnum