Profile For Lobos A.

Hey guys, I've been told that the reimbursement is being handled. The person taking care of it has been out sick this week so I haven't had a chance to ask him if it's been sent out yet or not but the last I heard on Friday was that it was being sent.

On the contract I got some answers as to why they don't send it out beforehand. Because it is a very long and complex contract they do not want to overwhelm people with a big legal document without being there to explain everything to them when they look at it. I can see both sides to the argument, though, and I'm encouraging them to at least put together a more comprehensive summary contract so that people can see the contract in layman's terms before they head out to the office. I spoke with the new school manager about this and he is putting together a ton of information for various aspects of the school and for new drivers coming in and he really wants to put together better videos to explain the contract as well. The idea being that these videos would be available to anyone coming in so they could get the explanation before they get on a bus/plane/car. As I have the time I will try to put together a contract FAQ as well so that even if people aren't getting a copy of the contract they're at least getting the information IN the contract beforehand. I'll try to keep you guys updated as frequently as possible; I'm down to just an hour or two a day now so I don't have as much time to spend on responses as I did, but I will try my best.

Thanks again for all of the constructive feedback and suggestions. I've seen this company come a long way in improving not only their transparency but also the quality of the services they provide. I haven't always agreed with the content, tone, or manner of the posts here but there have been several gems throughout the pages of this thread that really have helped this company improve, so thank you to those who have contributed in its betterment.

Brett, if you want to shut down the thread I understand, but I'm hoping you might wait just a bit longer to see if Lobos will answer those 2 questions.

I'd be surprised if that response happens, if it hasn't happened already. Which is a shame.

I'm working on getting answers for you guys. I apologize for the slow responses on my part. I have very limited time to work on postings and things like that now. There IS an answer on the contract and reimbursement and I am trying to get it. As I said before, I'm primarily doing marketing consulting and analysis now and that is only part time now. I wasn't able to talk to the person I need to for very long today but I am going to try to get those answers this week.

Yes, sorry I meant "Charles" not Chris. I apologize for the slow responses here this week. I've been pretty swamped with other work and I'm transitioning to a more consultative role with Lobos' marketing and PR rather than direct involvement. I have relayed everything that's been happening here to the owner, I have spoken with other employees within the company who were involved with the situation, and I think I have a pretty good picture of what's been happening with everything. I can tell that this certainly isn't the horror story Charles is making it out to be, though I can sympathize with the frustration and disappointment of coming out to a job and then it not being something you're interested in and having to drive back home. I get it, that really sucks and I'm sorry you haven't been reimbursed yet. I'm doing what I can on my end to get things moving more quickly but unfortunately I personally have very little control over that. I can say that claiming this experience has given you PTSD or forced you to go looking for handouts is making you look a bit like an ambulance chaser here. I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm saying this to point out that you're not helping your case. The most you would be reimbursed is around $300 as that's the most expensive bus ticket we typically see (and it is made clear on the phone that if you drive yourself we will reimburse up to a bus ticket as long as you provide fuel receipts) so if $300 - $600 was going to break your bank then you were going to be in financial hardship no matter what happened as anywhere you go to work is probably not going to pay you for at least 2 weeks, some places 3.

Once again, I see a post that was not supportive of the anti-lobos tone was removed. It does appear that anyone that isn't Lobos that disagrees with the comments or the moderator of this forum gets their posts removed and anything that could possibly make someone that isn't Lobos look bad is swiftly removed as well. I am clearly involved in PR so I get it, but you can't do that and then claim to take a moral high ground of promoting only the truth. That may be one of your main goals, but you also have the goal of making yourself look good, which is understandable.

Obviously I want to make the company I work with look good, and more than that I want them to genuinely BE good as well. I've personally made great efforts to do so and, even though I have never had a lot of direct control over policies, contracts, etc. I've worked very hard to fix things that were obviously broken and clear up things that were unclear. Even now that I am working as a consultant I'm frequently urging courses of action that will make things better for everyone. That doesn't mean that these guys are Bond villains sitting in big office chairs sinisterly plotting the downfall of every aspiring CDL driver. Everyone who works at Lobos is genuinely trying to do a good job and provide a good service to the customers. While you may not like some of the decisions the business owners make the people that work in this office are genuine, hard working people. Things will constantly move forward and improve, students and drivers who come in months from now will have better systems and things than people right now; it's just the nature of growth and improvement.

To address some of the other comments. Yes, a $10,000 termination fee is a pretty intimidating number, but when it's explained it makes a little more sense. First off, the easiest way to not pay that is to simply give 2 weeks notice that you're quitting. That's one of the easiest things in the world to do is pick up a phone and say hey this isn't for me, I'm out in 2 weeks. The other things to consider are that when someone quits without notice, that means the truck is sitting with either a single driver or no driver if it's a solo. So the company has to pay to retrieve the truck, get it to a driver or a driver to it, get hit with loss of payment or fees for late deliveries, especially if it's a team load, which means hurting relationships with brokers and shippers AND receivers, plus there could potentially be damages to the truck when someone with a grudge decides they're going to damage or vandalize the truck and/or trailer. All of those expenses add up pretty fast. So that amount is planning ahead for all of those potential expenses and/or losses of revenue (because if the truck makes no money or negative money then none of the companies get paid for their services, the driver doesn't get paid, and the companies end up eating any negative revenue to make it so the co-driver doesn't end up owing money instead of making money). So the $10,000 fee is there to cover that kind of scenario and getting out of the contract is incredibly easy so unless you're going into it with a plan to try and screw people over, it really shouldn't be that scary. You're welcome to disagree with that if you like, but that is my take on it and what's been explained to me about how the contract works in this area.

I'll post more next week as I've run out of time for today, but I will keep everyone updated on the situation and continue to point out what I think is mud slinging, exaggerations, or valid points (because despite all the drama there have been some valid points in this thread too which have improved the way Lobos operates).

I am still coordinating with the business owner to get this resolved and get all the facts on what happened with Chris on this end of things. I've alerted the business owners of the situation and I'm trying to get it resolved. We'll be in touch with Chris soon and I'll post more here if not this week then early next week. Sorry for the delay in responses, my time has been pretty limited this week.

I don't have time to address each and every person that has posted here so I will just say this.

I do not see where anything that has been said here or on the phone since the major website overhaul (which cleared up a lot of outdated and unclear information) has been contradictory, hard to understand, or anything else that's been said about us. Please show me where we are being inaccurate, untrue, hiding something, etc. All I see on this thread is name calling, stating what other companies do, hugely exaggerated claims, and borderline libelous statements. If you don't want to recommend our CDL training program or our owner operator services I am perfectly fine with that. Your endorsement or lack thereof is your own business. What I do take issue with is the constant name calling and exaggerated claims with no proof or verifiable examples of any wrong doing.

I saw someone mention seeing a paystub from someone. We don't issue employee paystubs as we don't employ these drivers. We send them statements which detail the rate the truck made for each type of load, dead head, etc. as well as all of the expenses (all of them) and deductions that might be made from things like personal advances or repair costs. So unless that's what you were looking at then that's not accurate information.

We make no attempt to hide the fact that there is a contract to sign and if you are not willing to sign the contract then you will need to make your own way home. If you're not prepared to do that and you can't afford to pay your own way back then PLEASE do not come out for orientation. If you like what our website says and what we go over on the phone, and you feel all your questions were addressed then by all means come on out and we'll get you setup with our system and you can make a lot of money assuming you apply yourself and utilize wise time management. If you have doubts, if you are unsure if you want to start out as an owner operator, if you'd rather sacrifice earning potential for a steady, flat rate with a big company then please do so and do not come out. We do not want people who are going to come out without being prepared and leave once they get here. That costs us money. We also don't want people to come out and feel forced into a contract and drive with a grudge as those guys do not perform well and usually end up costing us money as well.

Regarding the reimbursement issue, please tell me who told you we would not reimburse you unless you removed your comments. If that is something that happened then that is something I will bring to the business owners' attention and make sure it gets resolved. That is not something we do and not something I will let slide. You were told you would be reimbursed up to the cost of a bus ticket for coming out here so that is what we will do.

@Pat M.: I understand what you're trying to spin here, but your analogy is severely flawed. It's the income and expenses of the -truck- not all expenses of all businesses providing services to the owner operator. So the things that come out of the truck profit are things that relate to the actual truck and operations. If you spend $500 in fuel then that comes out of the profit, if you wreck the truck and have to pay a $1,000 deductible then that comes out of the profit. If you drive well and maximize your time and haul a lot of loads and get $6,000 worth of revenue for the truck then that adds to your truck profit. It's really that simple.

@Paul W.: yes indeed things were pretty unclear and our website was pretty awful when I first took on handling the online presence for Lobos. It took a while but I eventually was able to build something better and more informative, some of the changes even came from suggestions here. Now the site is informative, clear, and consistent. I also revamped the recruiting process for Lobos and more checks and disclaimers were put in place before purchasing travel for new students and drivers. We lose money when people come out to the office and then decide to leave, so it's not in our best interests to be misleading. I appreciate the kind words re: myself, I truly am trying to make sure everything is presented clearly and concisely while dealing with the mud slinging.

@Errol V.: By your own statement you just disproved your claim. UMCC does indeed exist as you just said it is an incorporated business entity. Just because it doesn't have an online presence does not mean it doesn't exist. The UMCC is not a consumer facing business and does not do it's own recruiting or advertising so it has no need for a website. That is part of what Lobos does.

@Brett A.: I would think name calling would be a bit beneath the owner and moderator of a forum like this. I see you took down your post, and I am glad to see that, but the fact that it was posted at all is rather unprofessional. It's not the first time I've seen that happen here too. Time and time again I see this forum being more about slinging mud than clearing things up. When you sling mud it's pretty hard to get a clear picture of anything.

The 25% for the first 6 weeks and 50% after that is old information. This was changed a while back to be just a flat 50% of the net profit for everyone. This means that after the truck rental, fuel, etc. you get the total amount of pay which is split between the two team drivers. If you have a $3,000 repair then that would mean you've probably messed up pretty bad and damaged the truck. However, that doesn't mean that you owe $3,000 right that moment. Part of being a member of the United Motor Carrier Cooperative is the ability to spread expenses like that out. They have a service called Fleet Protect that allows drivers to take big expenses like that and pay them off over time. Again, if it is something you do to damage the truck (e.g. it is your fault) then you're responsible for the expense, but if it is something that is regular maintenance, a defect, etc. then Direct Lease covers that cost. So to put that in a nutshell, if you don't wreck the truck then you have nothing to worry about.

Regarding the $6,500 tuition for the school, there is not a time limit on that. It should only take about 6 months to pay that off with the vocation payment program we have set up but if it takes longer you don't get slapped with a fee. There is an early termination fee if you skip out on your commitment, but that's not a late repayment fee. As long as you continue working with the four companies until the tuition is paid then you are not charged any penalty. The tuition can be paid through the vocation payment program, through cash, or through a third party lender. I really don't see how requiring someone to pay for their tuition is unreasonable. As for early termination fees for drivers, as long as you finish your initial 6 weeks and give 2 weeks notice of termination there is no penalty. We only charge fees when people breach their contract and we give people a very easy way to back out of the contract if they decide it's not for them.

For being called Trucker "Truth" there's been a lot of incorrect statements made about our program even since we've cleared up our website and made information more accessible via our website and youtube. All of the information about our system is on our website and youtube videos. Again, we are very clear in our pre-travel conversations that we only cover travel here, not travel home, we are clear that there is a contract to be signed, the minimum time you have to drive as a CDL driver, how to properly cancel the contract, etc. This system is not for everyone but for those who are willing to work hard it can be very rewarding. You get out of this what you put into it.

Regarding reimbursements for travel, please call in so that we can get the information we need to reimburse you. Saying "Reimburse me now" on a public forum does not give us any information we need to get the money to you. We can't send you money through this forum.

For those asking for information on how the four companies work together to provide all the services an owner operator needs, you can review our orientation videos here: https://youtu.be/t1qQawAfdaY?list=PLsaxzwdIP6h4DnlUfItlPYXTcs__UvtIk These are public videos, accessible to anyone, via Youtube.

The address is 1922 West 200 North, 140 S, Lindon, UT 84042. It's actually setup in Google to show the address if you search for us, the only problem is that they messed up on the name so it shows up when searching for Lobos Driving Academy instead of Lobos Interstate Services which is our actual name.

Here is our entire FAQ's page from our website: Do you have automatics or manuals?

Most of the trucks we work with are automatics.

Do you use paper or electronic logs?

We currently use paper logs

What happens if I don’t like my co-driver?

We do our best to place drivers together that we feel have a high probability of getting along and working well as a team, however, sometimes disagreements and issues can arise. We encourage our drivers to try to work things out but, in the event that you and your co-driver cannot work well together as a team, despite your best efforts, we will work on getting you both new co-drivers as quickly as is feasible.

What does a percent of the profit of the truck mean?

We take the total revenue of the truck, minus the truck’s expenses such as fuel, etc. and get the profit of the truck. The driver then makes 25% – 75% of that number depending on if they are an introductory, senior, or training driver.

What do you mean by owner operator?

We place most of our drivers with owner operators as co-drivers or set the driver up as an owner operator themselves. This means you will have your own, legal entity company that you own and drive for. However, our system is unique in that we handle all the hassles of setting up and maintaining that company for you. You worry about operating the truck, we take care of the rest!

How and when do I get paid?

Your settlement will be paid each week via an EFS card which is essentially an ATM card. You can use this card as an ATM card or setup direct deposit to your bank account through the card company.

Can I bring my spouse/pet/etc. with me on the truck?

No, unfortunately with a team driving arrangement there is not room for more people or pets in the truck. For solo drivers it may be an option but approval will be decided based on the situation and insurance requirements.

Do I have to sign a contract?

Yes you will have to sign a contract to work with our system. There will be contracts with Lobos as well as our sister companies Arrowhead and United Motor Carrier Cooperative. This covers your safety/compliance, dispatch, billing, factoring, accounting, and business services.

What if I want to stop working with you guys?

We require a minimum of 6 weeks working with us before a break of contract is allowed, however, after that time you can end the contract as long as at least 2 weeks notice is given. So, for example, you can drive for 6 weeks, then let us know before your 2 weeks home time that you do not wish to continue. This will ensure you do not incur an early termination fee and gives us time to make arrangements to replace you in the truck.

Will I really be able to make $1,200+ if I’m paying for all these services?

Yes, the income ranges quoted on the website are based on what you can expect to make AFTER expenses such as fuel, cost of services for dispatch, truck lease, etc.

Is this driving for a company or is it just O/O?

While it is an owner operator setup, the services we offer through Lobos and our sister companies combines many of the benefits you would see as a company driver with the income opportunities of an owner operator.

What if I get in an accident? How is that handled?

You are responsible for your actions behind the wheel, however, the trucks are insured and you will be working under your own LLC so your liability is limited. It would be much the same as if you were to get into an accident in your own car or a car you rent/lease. You will be responsible for deductibles but insurance is there to cover the rest.

I hope this answers some questions; I will post more information again when I have more time.

Just to touch on this briefly...

Regarding the man the poster took home, he had to leave due to ineligibility for a CDL through the DMV at the time. We wished him the best and he worked out a deal with the poster to get a ride home. Lobos was not involved with that at all.

Regarding reimbursing travel, we offer to purchase a bus ticket for travelers or we will reimburse up to the price of a bus ticket if the traveler wishes to fly or drive themselves out. The reimbursement is typically placed on their paycard which is issued shortly after the paperwork is completed (which includes the contract). That being said, it is difficult to reimburse someone via any method when they leave before you can do so. As of this posting, Lobos has no information on how to reimburse the poster other than perhaps mailing out a check to the address he gave on his paperwork. If the poster would like to contact us then perhaps we could do some other method.

As for being the worst experience of his life, I am a little confused. If driving over the interstate from New Hampshire to Utah, reading a contract and then going back on the road is the worst experience of his life, I think driving a semi over the road may not be the best life choice for this gentleman.

We recruit from all over the country and often our ad campaigns will run in certain regions for one week, then onto a different region the next week. We advertise through Craigslist, Indeed, Google, and other avenues so we reach a pretty wide demographic of people. We are one of the few places that will work with drivers who have little to no experience and with drivers who have a past criminal record so we also reach that group of people. Whether someone is from the east coast, the west coast, or anywhere in between or if they have thousands in the bank or pennies, it doesn't really impact us. We bring people out here to conduct business with us and if they decide to not follow through on that, then we wish them the best of luck and our business is concluded. We are very clear before we purchase a bus ticket or tell someone to drive out that we will only cover travel to the office and if they choose not to move forward then they will be responsible for their travel home. That's not a hidden "gotcha" clause or anything like that. We are happy to pay for someone to travel out and work with us but if they decide not to work with us then our business is done and we're not obligated to spend money on that person for anything. We are happy to give them a ride to the bus station or public transit system which will take them directly to the airport, but we're not going to pay for someone who is not doing business with us.

I would avoid this place altogether. This place sucks and in my opinion is a scam. I got to Lobo last week and did not sign the contract. I have 2 and 1/2 months of driving experience and I could have ruined my life signing that piece of **** 51 page contract that they hardly went over. The guy next to me signed it and I asked if he read all of it. I have to be carefull what I say on here because Lobo could sue me.

On Wednesday I left the building and took a 73 year old man home who was there for CDL training. He wanted to leave. He had no way to get home and thankfully i had my car and my taxes were returned to my bank the day i left. I drove my own car there and asked if I could get my travel reimbursments back. It hasn't happened yet. I spent approx $120.00 in fuel driving out and $110.00 in hotels.

Going to Lobo was the worst experience of my life. It might be yours too. At one point when I was low on cash before my taxes were returned I was close to signing it. What options did I have? Lobo wouldn't give me gas money to get back. From what it seems they take students who live a very long ways from SLC. I'm from New Hampshire, the man I drove home lives in Kentucky. Three other people I met were from new york, mississippi, and Kentucky. I belive i met a driver from north carolina. Doesn't that seem odd? To me it seems like they like taking people who need money fast and live a long ways away so backing out would be a $200-300 bus ticket or possible $500-1000 flight. Lobo... why didn't I meet any students or drivers from Utah or Idaho? There is a million things I want to say but I'm guessing your a pro af suing people. I'll use my words carefully Lobo.

If you do happen to look over the 51 page contract, i would advise you to have an attorney present. Do not skip anything and even if you don't have a dime to your name being homeless might be better than being with .......

Message to Lobo... where the **** is my travel reimbursement money? What do you have to say for the hardship you cause for many people? Why did I have to drive a 73 year old man home? What would have happened if he was left stranded? Why didnt you reiminbuse him in the office? What the heck are you? In my opinion things like you shouldn't exist and your a complete ****ing joke. I hope you go away and disappear.

I still want my travel reimbursements.

So here's a question? Given the amount of conversations on here regarding lease purchase opportunities and the high rate of failure. What does your company do specifically to ensure the success of your lease operators? I know companies like Schneider and Dart actually offer classes to help L/O understand and manage their business to put them on a path to success.

On the lease length I'd have to get an answer from our sister company on how exactly that end of it works to give you specific details, but I do know that, assuming the school debt is paid in full, you can give 2 weeks notice of termination of the contract and that will allow you to exit the contract without any penalty. You're not stuck in a long-term lease or anything like that. Our payment plan is based on how much the graduate makes each week so the payments scale with their settlements (this is to ensure that if there is a bad week the graduate isn't stuck with a huge payment without much income for that week), but if a student is driving well and applying themselves they should be able to pay back the school within 5 - 8 months.

On ensuring success, we are always looking for ways to help our guys succeed. We don't have formalized classes for guys that are not performing well, but that is something we're looking into. As of right now, we do try to help those guys out, though. We bring them back through our office so that we can sit with them and go over anything they're just not understanding or that they need help with. We also try to match up drivers based on the need of the truck. So, if we know we have a guy that is not growing and performing as well as he should, we try to get a stronger driver in with him so they can learn good habits from their co-driver and hopefully catch on with what they need to do to succeed.