Knight sounds like a good company but there web site is abit low on information about pay and requirements. The one driver I talked to like working for them for the most part.

Yeah, the company web site is a bit bare when it comes to information.

Last I knew Knight requires 4-6 months of experience minimum. Starting pay is somewhere around a base of 34 cpm regardless of experience. You do get extra mileage pay for shorter trips, up to around 40 cpm for the really short ones, though I do not remember the exact break down.

When I was there starting pay was 32 cpm base, but with a good dispatcher and a good relationship with that dispatcher it was still quite possible to bring home close to $1000 per week with decent miles, detention pay, etc.

The biggest thing about Knight is to learn how THEY want things done and to do it that way. They operate a little different than a lot of other companies and if you do not follow their procedures you will end up screwing yourself out of money.

The single biggest money gripe I heard from drivers there was about the detention pay. I ran into many drivers who said they never got it, but after talking to them it was easy to see why. They never sent in the detention message on the qualcomm. Something that takes about 10 seconds to do. Knight tells you that if after 45 minutes beyond your appointment time you are still not loaded or unloaded to send in that message. That is all you have to do and then when the detention pay time kicks in you start getting paid. Well for $10 or $12 an hour (I don't recall what company drivers were paid for detention) I for one made real sure to send that message in. It was well worth the 10 seconds, and at the time detention kicked in after something like 2 hours, not the 4 hours most companies make you wait before getting anything.

Now that is not to say I used it often as most load were drop and hook, but there were certainly times.

Thanks for the info. They do seem to drive nice trucks that are not too old. I don't see anything but Volvos around here.

Knight is in the process, and has been for quite some time, of phasing out the Freightliners. It is up to each terminal manager if he wants to order Volvos or Pete's for his drivers. Most all terminal manager order the Volvos for dry van operations. A few will order in Pete's as a reward for drivers who have been with the company for a long time and if that driver wants one.

Least ways that was what was going on with the trucks when I was there a year and a half ago.

And the trucks are on a 3-4 year trade in cycle.

Just got my new truck 3 months ago. A 2008 Volvo :D

As far as the equipment goes.
I have not found any company stuff better then Knight.
I'am on my second brand new volvo (took the plastic off the seats new).
only had my last one for 134,000 miles.
The trailers are also in pretty good shape, In over two years I would say I have only run into mabey a dozen trailers that did not release the sliders on the first pull.
My top complaint's with Knight are
1. slow truck speed I'am at 68.
2. to much time spent looking for an m/t trailer
But after some time you learn where to look, and you can get local pay for doing it.
3. Having to watch payroll like a hawk.
They will get it right and take care of any problem's, but having to watch it that close is a pain.
But all in all. the good still far outway's the bad.

Does Knight pay for lumpers?

How are the benefits, do you take your truck home or leave it at a terminal?

Knight does sound pretty good.

Does Knight have many ternminals in/around NC? And do they just run you all 48 if you don't care where you run, or do you have to pick a region to run in? I was thinking someone said something like each terminal runs a certain region, but I may be mistaken.

Yes Knight pays for lumpers and prefers you use them over unloading a truck yourself.

I never had any insurance through Knight (was covered by the wife's plan) so I can no tell you anything about that.

Yes you take the truck home with you. If you live near a terminal you can of course park it there for your home time.


They have a full service terminal in Charlotte.

You can run all 48 if you wish to.

And yes each terminal does control a certain area of the country in that they are responsible for taking care of the customers in that area and are responsible for all loads that originate in that area. Each terminal though works together to provide freight for the drivers regardless of what terminal that driver is out of.

You are assigned a dispatcher from you home terminal and the people at your home terminal is pretty much all you will ever deal with with the exception of the maintence shops.

dollar, earlier you had problems with your first dispatcher and got another. How hard that to do?