How come every company is on the crap list?
 

It seems like every company you find on here is talked down on so why do drivers keep on driving and swithcing companys if it never gets better?

They think the grass is greener. The they get there and find the grass hasn't been watered in a long time.

Seriously, a lot of drivers look at those truck stop magazines with the flashy ads from different companies. Often they don't do enough research and switch companies on impulse.

Don't forget that there are alot of worthless drivers out there that used to drive for a good company. These same drivers blame the entire world for their misfortunes,make excuses for everything and usually hate everything and everybody.

Walmart and UPS aint talked down on here :wink:

I was wondering the same thing.

I see the people that are the most vocal on the internet be it about their jobs or their cars or whatever are the disgruntaled masses.

UPS has the worst drivers on the road.

I have hired both UPS drivers and Walmart drivers when I was hiring for JB. They werent happy there. You will find unhappy drivers and happy drivers at all companies.
Ive said this before, but I will repeat it again. In all the years recruiting and talking to 1000s of 1000s of drivers about their employers, the company Ive talked to the most happy drivers at was Swift. Of course they are the largest....but they have A LOT of happy drivers there. Also they get the most complaints

Ok I'm still new at all of this but correct me if I'm wrong, the true story looks like they do make money and they do get miles and they mess up the perfect job because of there own doing and I've some here say they can work McDonalds 60 hours and make more money then they are now, so why dont they take that McDonalds job and be home with there family?

Maybe the box trucks , surely not the doubles or triples drivers .

how come every company
 

Not all transportation company's are bad mouthed on this forum. two I have noticed that are not are Poly Trucking Co. of Grand Priarie, Tx. & Don Hummer Trucking Inc. of Oxford, Ia. and the only true non-forced dispatch trucking companies that exist as far as I know. When you spend 25 to 30 years of your life living on the road Sleeping in someones truck & Listening to someones Drivel the Green grass might be your own front yard & the Adventure just might be sleeping in your own bed. :wink: :idea:

I just looked at Poly trucking and they pay hub miles! Too bad Im a newbie. Although in 13 months I wont be

I do not recall ever hearing anything bad about my company Superior Carriers. They know how to treat their drivers.

It all depends where you come from. After I was sick and tired of OTR and ready to quit trucking all together, I send ONE Resume to a local trucking company, home every day. I got offered linehaul, night from MO-FRI. Best job I ever had. But all the guys working here are disgusted what a BAD company we work for. They complain about the tiniest things. They NEVER parked at a shipper for 6 or 10 hours without pay. They dont know bad truckstop food and showers. I could go on but you get the point. They just dont understand how I can come to work smiling, even after 7 months in this job. Well, thats what 3 years OTR did to me. It took 3 years to see, the big OTR companies are pretty much all the SAME. IF you dont like the one you drive for, look for something else jobwise. It most likely will be the SAME in the next company when you switch, after you lost benefits and pay.

That about sums it up to a 'T'.

And let me guess, you just happen to be recruiting for....Swift.

Yeah. he used to be a recruiter for JB but now he recruits for a couple different companies, one of them is Swift however. As long as I've been on CAD the sheep man has always been honest and knowledge about the things he says. He is not going to BS somebody. Sure a couple of the people he has recruited were unhappy when they got their but thats the case in any job transfer in the world. The grass always seems greener on the other side.

yeah, I once knew a kindergarten teacher--- she always said she enjoyed working with the little one's the most--- they were always the happiest and easiest to deal with.

yeah...it's funny I find this tread tonight.. this afternoon I was standing around(in shower line) waiting for a shower and started talking to this Willis Shaw driver-- we were both waiting there for 45minutes for a shower. And
he said he was unhappy-- only getting 2000 miles a week at .32 cpm. And only making $600.00 a week.
I was getting a little discouraged myself as I have better things to do with my
TIME than stand around WAITING....then it occured to me....If I wasn't driving a truck.....I could be HOME taking my shower....and if I wasn't DRIVING a truck-- I wouldn't be on a 2100 mile load that doesn't final out until Saturday-- thus depriving me of a REGULAR pay check.( Saturday is 1day past Payroll cutoff)

So! Just how valuable is a WEEK'S WORTH OF LIFE?

Drivers would be much happier IF companies would GUARENTEE some amount of money for a full weeks worth of putting up with ALL the CRAP.

Instead of just taking advantage of all the FREE LABOR and extra duty work we put in---and is expected of us as Professionals.
I mean we are not only drivers, but Security Guards, Load Babysitters, Actual Babysitters(Driver Trainers), part time mechanics, we're expected to help load/unload, make phone calls to customers(like O/O), and pull cash out of our own pocket(sometimes) to finance this Operation. And when there's no freight.....we're expected to just set quietly and starve while the company waits for the phone to ring. Or to find just that load that
pays .10cents more per mile.

Yes, I recruit for swift as well as now about 17 other companies. We just picked up a bunch of new ones today. I have no problem recruiting for Swift at all. In fact I couldnt be more happy working with them. I find the people in the corporate office very friendly, professional and Swift is very easy to hire for. Here is what I love about Swift. They take new drivers, they train well...they will take a driver who has been out of a truck for a long time. I have an endless supply of drivers who want to drive for them. They pay me a really big commission and the most important thing. Swift actually looks really good on a driver resume. When the driver gets a little experience and wants to change jobs, it will be really easy for me to find him another job with that on his resume.
As far as me saying "Ive heard more happy drivers at swift than any other company" If you think I was saying that just to recruit. If you want to take the time to go back through my posts, you will see that I have said it many times, back when I wasnt recruiting for them and working for their competition, JB.

Everyone loves to complain about something; I like running for the company I drive for, but it's also one of the ones that regularly gets complained about on this board, so hey, whatever works for you.

The trucking industry is like a bucket with a big hole in the bottom, or like a black hole in the center of the galaxy--- eventually everyone gets sucked down the vortex. The further from the event horizon you are-- the happier you are... but like the post before states--we all love to complain about the 'big hole' we're circling around. If companies don't want to listen to the actual complaints....which they don't( they just pay lip service to solving the driver turnover problem) then We will continue to make noise and point out the reasons we're unhappy and why we're looking else where for a solution.

whats the big deal about the load not paying till next week? You'll still get paid for it. As far as waiting I know that sucks but it seems that happens more with the reefers that dry van may be time to switch to Crete?
And help load and unload for free?? whats the saying oh yeah Not me Not now!! I make very few call to customers and only when it will benifit me such as will you take load early?
Waiting for a load?? make a pest of yourself, after awhile they'll find something for you just to get rid of you. Try it it works :D

My friend Doug was sitting at the Wilmer Texas terminal all day yesterday waiting for a load. He called back at 1500hrs and he had made it down to number 77 on the list. At 1530 he got a qualcom that they were done for the day and to call back in the morning.....

The grumpy old man who taught me to drive stated it very clearly
during the training..

"The only time you matter to a trucking company is if you f@#k up"

:wink:

They say freight ususally begins to pick back up in March...

Does it matter? It's just a numbers game...Swift has the most drivers, period. Therefore they have the most happy drivers and the most disgruntled drivers.

Reb

He recruits for a few of them ...I've come to understand you need to realize the recruiter is just doin a job ...like anyone ... be smart but if your guarded and going to take "everything " personal ...you'll create your own "bad" situation ...its a trade ...Ive taken a list from these guys on the "interview and job search " thread ....stick to those questions and make sure you know what all the terms mean and youll do okay I think

I think alot of Newbies like myself dont want to look stupid ...but every "dumb Question" i have asked is inevitably answered here ...and only makes me smarter in the end ...so theres my .02


Shawn

Re: How come every company is on the crap list?
 

All the companies are trashed on here because truck drivers by and large are a whiny bunch. Seriously.

Find one crying about his company how how good it "used to be" and call him on it. Ask him why he doesn't leave the industry if things suck so bad. Chances are, he'll just hem and haw around the question and find someone else to whine at. This reaction leads me to suspect two possibilities:

1. The driver is too much of a coward to affect change

2. The driver isn't really unhappy and simply whines for the sake of whining.

Both are equally plausible.

hey zipy46??? They told you the freight will pick up in march??? Sure, it will pick up SOME DAY. Last year I was told at Shaffer that NEXT MONTH freight will pick up again. They told this to me till JULY, when i finally brought my truck back to the terminal and told them where they can put it.

Re: How come every company is on the crap list?
 

What a bunch of sh!t!
Everyones situation is different, Sometimes you have to find you niche.
Just because your willing to settle for one thing doesn't mean the other guy has the same needs.
A big part of it when one is new at the OTR thing is unfortunatly there heads are filled with promises of money and home.
NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO LIVE IT 24-7
My advice for new drivers is to do your reasearch before you leap. It is true these companys are one thing but driving schools also have there aggressive recruiting tactics to. Know what your getting into.
If you are willing to survive it can be a great way to make a living.

I think you misunderstand me. My gripe isn't with those who try it, hate it, and move on. My gripe is with those go piss and moan for years and years and years about how they hate it and DON'T go on to something that they may like better.

I know that OTR trucking isn't for everyone. If someone is just miserable doing it, that someone should find something more suited to him or her. Otherwise, shut the heck up. I don't have pity for those who refuse to improve their situations.

Since I been doing this freight usually slows around December

and starts to return around March....maybe things are different

this time around...who knows (?)

The economy seems to be in the crapper

I was quite happy at UPS. I owe pretty much everything I have including my very decent retirement pay to the company. For that I will always be grateful. Did I like it every day, 100% of the time ? No. No job, no matter where it is or for who or what company is perfect. I had very crappy days at Brown where I hated it and was ready to bail. But somehow, I always tried to see that proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel". And in most cases, it DID get better. UPS has it's issues, like any other large company, and it's detractors and suck-ups, just like everywhere else. In the end, it's what YOU make of it. Anyway, that's my little spiel on that subject. And to the poster that stated that "UPS has terrible drivers" (see above) either prove it or stop engaging in hyperbole and speculation. UPS does not tolerate or condone unsafe driving at any time. They have an excellent safety record with the FMCSA. Perhaps you saw a package car driver running a little fast on his 60th stop of the day...Been there done that...

Re: How come every company is on the crap list?
 

or maybe; that CDL is all he has
or maybe; all he has is a CDL and a High School Diploma
the HSD doesn't get you very far these days...and we all know just "how far" a CDL gets you-----
until recently( internet age) continuing your education while out here driving a rig, busting your rear to make ends meet, was impossible.

also hard to look for "other" employment options while away from home- and unable to do those appointment interviews....just like WHY truck drivers have always suffered from poor health & teeth-- hard to get home for those "scheduled" doctors appointments + historically waking up in the middle of no where with no bathroom facilites( and not enjoying brushing your teeth from a dixie cup with no mirror--- and having to "put er in the wind" got to go...go... go.... that Dispatcher made an appointment--and you can't be late.

These days there's also a "new breed" of "hobby" truckers out here-- complaining too.... and changing the industry--- these drivers are retired from other fields and are just looking to get away from the old lady and see the sights---- and this sometimes comes into conflict with Corporate Trucking profit seeking and THEY complain, or worse the company starts catering to them and making all the delivery schedules with extra days on the run(because many of these hobby drivers only willing to run 200miles a day) and the rest of us suffer.( and complain).

The average life span of a trucker is only about 57 yrs

i love my job. do i have some issues? yes. but i deal with them and go on loving my job. have i always been this way? no. there were some companies that i worked for and i got a bad attitude about something andi could not let it go. but then one day i was thinking...i have worked for x amount of companies in x amount of years. i think maybe i am the problem,not the company. one could say i have done some growing up. do otr companies suck, some of them...not all of them. there are alot more out there than what we see on these forums. do not be afraid to take alot of time to find a new job. i have been looking around for another company for about 2 months now, and i actually just found one on friday that might meet my needs, but still in no hurry.

Yeah well that's because of life style. Eating greasy truckstop food, smoking, no exercise.....go shopping at Wal-Mart more and get some healthy foods, park on the other side of the truck stop and walk more at least it's a start and you might become 60. :wink:

Whats wrong with dying at 57??? So you just get out without using social security, leaving more money for the wellfare people who sit on their butt till they ''retire''! :x :x :x

The only drivers I saw leave UPS in the 27 years I was there were the retirees and the ones that were discharged for multiple accidents, substance abuse, or stealing time (continuely screwing off instead of doing the job).

i cant stand listening to drivers belly aching on how bad some company is.. i have been with the same company since i started this business 2 yrs ago.. is this a perfect company, heck no, but i am one of the smart ones who know the grass isnt always greener on the other side. they treat me well here and i have only seen small signs of a freight shortage, but when i am up in the terminal thats all i hear is guys complaining they arent getting the miles! this week i a have 2500 miles and would have more but i am sitting at home cause of this darn weather! they find ways to keep me moving if i want to run and get me home every time i have needed to be.. i am not a kiss butt and nowhere near a perfect driver, have had a few incidents in these 2 yrs. but i have tried to keep a good attitude and look for the light at the end of the tunnel when things werent going as i felt they should. i make .355 cents per mile, 2 wks vac, and got a good dispatcher who really takes care of me... could i make more cpm elsewhere, without a doubt.. but these guys work for me.. truck drivers are some of the biggest complainers i have ever met! oh ya, and i do a lot of stuff for free and dont get paid for all the work i do, but i guess thats part of the job... someday soon i hope i can get into a company where everything i do i get paid for, but i will do that when the time is right.. and theres no way in he@@ ur gonna make 53k a yr at mcdonalds, or anywhere around here in ohio without a college education.. this is by far the most money i have ever made also.. just my 2 cents.