Tyson- My Review Through My Experience

Been with Tyson little over a month. I will hit some of the main points with a some explanation but put the points into a list style of post and if I miss something feel free to ask.

Tyson is NOT a trucking company. They are 100% a service company (the trucking side of Tyson). We service Tyson plants and cold storage DC's with products to fill their orders. Basically you drive all the time. A lot of night time driving. I mean a lot! I drive more nights shifts than day. And since most of our plants are not near the big cities I spend alot of time of two lane roads. You will run a lot of 8/2 split sleeper berth to make the loads on time.

Lay over pay is $85 dollars per 24 hours if you happen to be sitting 24 hours waiting on a load. Only happened once. The plants were upgrading their computer systems ,all at once, and the production lines got behind.

Since we mainly haul our own products we have freight year around and that is not likely to change. Even if your poor and broke chicken is cheap and you will buy it but Tyson also does ALOT of pork and beef also. People have to eat year around.

Tyson trucks are not owned. They are all lease trucks. No company drivers do not lease them. The company does. Per the lease agreement Tyson must maintain them as if they own them. This means if there is a problem it gets fixed ASAP. If on the road or at a terminal with a shop if there is an issue all they say is OK and fix it. Which leads me to the next part.

If your truck has to go into the shop for repairs and its going to be down a few days you either get into another company truck until your truck is ready to go or they rent a truck for you until your truck is ready to go. Yes this means a little bit of slip seating but only till your truck if fixed and your ready to roll again. Basically no sitting around for a week waiting on a repair. You keep rolling and turning miles.

You are assigned a truck and its yours. You can't take the trucks home.They have to remain parked at a terminal on your home time. In this regard its best to live close to a plant so you don't have to drive far to get home. I live 18 miles from the Pine Bluff Ar plant so its no big deal.

Home time is 1 day for every 6 days you are out ,just like every company out there, but have no problem giving you an extra day or two if something comes up while you are at home.

No pets of any kind. No getting around this since we go to our own plants a lot security will know if you have an animal of the truck. If you have a pet on the truck you will have to find your own way home. Remember a lot of our plants are in the middle of no where so it will be a long walk back to town. Don't blame Tyson since every driver knows this from the first day they are hired with Tyson.

The truck are automatics and they have APU's. Depending on the brand of truck its either 10 speed or 12 speeds. For me it took a while to get use to the autos and I like them. Sure I still like a manual transmission but since I spend a lot of times on back roads the autos are nice. Lets not mention traffic. The automatic transmissions are KING in traffic.

100% reefer trailers. Though you will sometimes backhaul dry freight like spices and the like to plants. And the best part....all of our loads are heavy. 43,000 on average. I love the heavy freight. I REALLY hate the wind.

Everyone I have dealt with at Tyson is easy to get along with. The dispatchers are just a phone call away and you can speak with them face to face. They are limited to only 40 drivers per dispatcher. Some fleets have less. Everyone is in one building in Springdale, AR and every department is truly open door and available to talk to if they are there. Monthly safety meetings are held at Western Sizzler which the company pays for so it's great to attend those if you are near a terminal that has a safety meeting that month.

Surprisingly enough most of our shops are very driver friendly. If it's broke they fix it. Simple as that.

The jury is still out on Tyson. So far I like it. Feel free to ask questions if there is something I missed or if you have a specific questions speak up.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

Sleeper Berth:

The portion of the tractor behind the seats which acts as the "living space" for the driver. It generally contains a bed (or bunk beds), cabinets, lights, temperature control knobs, and 12 volt plugs for power.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Dispatcher:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

What did you do with your pooch? Glad you're liking it. How's it been running solo? Do you miss having your brother with you?

Not sure if this was covered, didn't remember it when reading your first post, but is Tyson a company that a new driver can get on with? For any new drivers out there that'd like to know.

If you have a pet on the truck you will have to find your own way home. Remember a lot of our plants are in the middle of nowhere so it will be a long walk back to town.

So if you're gonna bring a doggie make sure you bring a leash and some good sneakers. You're gonna be going for at least one really long walk.

Not sure if this was covered, didn't remember it when reading your first post, but is Tyson a company that a new driver can get on with? For any new drivers out there that'd like to know.

The following are the requirements for driving for Tyson Foods:

~ Must have a valid Class “A” Commercial Driver’s License in your state of residence

~ Age 23 or older with nine (9) months verifiable OTR driving experience in a tractor/trailer combination vehicle within the last 12 months

~ Must be able to pass a D.O.T. Physical Examination and Drug Screening as outlined in the D.O.T Regulations

~ Must be able to pass a road test

~ Must live in defined hiring area

~ Must be willing to park at designated parking area

~ Must be at (12) twelve points or less on the Tyson Driver Evaluations System as pertains to accidents, incidents and moving violations

~ Must not have a DUI or DWI conviction in a commercial motor vehicle

~ Must not have a DUI or DWI conviction in a personal vehicle in the last (8) eight years

~ Must not have tested positive on a D.O.T. Drug or Alcohol test in the past (3) three years

~ Must live in defined hiring area

Tyson Foods hires OTR drivers as needed in the shaded areas:

Not sure if this was covered, didn't remember it when reading your first post, but is Tyson a company that a new driver can get on with? For any new drivers out there that'd like to know.

Tyson Foods accepts students who graduate from a certified truck driving school. Tyson Foods offers tuition reimbursement up to a certain amount, and once hired, you will train one on one with a Tyson certified driver trainer. This is a great opportunity to join the Tyson Foods team and start your career. Tyson Foods' entry level pay is among the best in the industry. Starting pay is .39 per mile after training. Trainee pay package is $400 per week during training. Once trained, you will fall into the normal pay package depending on experience.

What did you do with your pooch? Glad you're liking it. How's it been running solo? Do you miss having your brother with you?

Running solo is kind of boring really. I liked always having someone there to talk to and to help out with backing and the like. Able to split the work load so to speak. Had to leave the puppy at home with my brother.

My brother went and started driving dump trucks at home. He is finding out really fast that a local driving job is just as hard as and OTR one. Sometimes tougher cause you do not have a logbook limiting your hours. So its 10 to 15 hours a day of driving locally.

Anchorman beat me to it. But yes a new driver can get on with Tyson.

How long is their company training?