Frustrations With Werner Enterprises, I'm Finished With Them

As usual Old School is full of wisdom and keen understanding. Yet somehow he is still folding frozen tarps in a snowstorm.

That was a good one Patrick!

This thread needed a little levity inserted in it - you got a good chuckle out of me, for sure!

There are already things that i like. Wednesday i drive my own personal vehicle to the terminal location. i drive my own personal car to get the drug test and physical done. they are going to give me a room at a microtel for Wednesday and Thursday night. i will be at wadhams from wendsday till friday. Thursday and Friday are orientation, smith systems, and classroom. Friday afternoon i will meet with a dispatcher and he will make the arrangements for a trainer, i will go home friday afternoon after the arrangements are made. Monday i get picked up by a trainer and i drive Monday thru Friday, i was told i will go home for the weekend and resume the next week with the trainer. i cant say how transparent they are being with me BUT so far i like

1. being able to have my own car. one of the things i really hated about allentown was being placed in that hotel for two weeks with no transportation. we were told we were unable to bring a car. kind of like being in a prison, i had no way to go anywhere to do something as simple as going to get something to eat. i was captive to restaurants in the area and paying the absurd delivery fees every-time i had to eat.

2. not having to have a roomate. they told me i will get a single room and not have to share my living quarters.

3. having the training arrangements made before i leave friday. it seems organized

4. dont know how accurate it is but if i am really going home on the weekends during training that's a huge plus.

5. they told me that they only have 4 trainers and they vet them heavily. apparently these are guys that have been driving a long time and are well seasoned, good trainers.

Good luck man, I hope it all goes well for ya! It's certainly not the most common path to take into this business, but some have managed it. Just focus on not hitting anything. That is going to be critical to making it through your first year in a Northeast regional position. An accident on your record with no OTR experience is going to really bite you when trying to find employment again.

You are always welcome here, we will not lie to you, and we've pretty much collectively seen it all. There are several of us in here who drive the Northeast regularly. We will help you if we can.

Started with Werner in 1999. Had a trainer that was only interested in telling "sea stories" (USMC). Had to pummel him with "look, dummy, I don't give a d--- about your former career, how about giving me some insight into what I can expect when pulling into fuel stops, pickup and delivery locations, and maybe even some (God forbid) DRIVING Tips". No matter what I said he always returned to what he did and how he did it in the service. Short story...I survived, made it through training, got my own truck and moved on. His training was "running team with a student". Even used to show me his paycheck numbers for each week. Once again, I could've cared less. My job was to soak up something, anything related to OTR trucking. I did. Mostly on my own. Still trucking to this day, it's just with my own truck and leased to a great little company; Moral of the story...Yep, there are a bunch of egotistical jerks out here; take it one day at a time, try to learn, no matter how insignificant it may be, something. Good luck.

trai

I guess all i can say is i will go with wadhams and stick it for a while, really make an attempt to make it all work. working as a milk receiver i met allot of truck drivers, some of which is still am in communication with. shall i ignoredid their advice? i have a tendency to ask questions to someone who i know has been through it all, and these are people that i personally know. all i can say is i will go to wadhams stick it out for a year and see if it works out. if i cant do it, then i will bow out of the industry and come to the conclusion that its not for me. at this point i like what a hear and i have to give it the benefit of the doubt. if i don't succeed i fear with the crappy paying jobs that are otherwise available i very well might be doomed for failure and loosing my home. $480 per week before taxes isnt enough to buy toilet paper to wipe my rear end. i have to at least try.

The pay package with wadhams rist division isnt bad 1,800-2,500 miles per week -35.5 cpm to start -38.5 cpm after 90 days -41.5 cpm after 180 days -44.5 cpm after 1 year plus 200-300 per week for things like pre/post trip inspection pay. they pay 1/2 hour for pre/post trip per day. most companies that i know of do not pay for post and pre trip inspections. its not huge $$, but its required therefore you should get paid for it. my trainer with werner didn't even do a daily pre and post trip. his idea of a pretrip was putting it into the qualcom and sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for the clock to tick down.

this company is also more aligned with my goals. 1 year after starting with them i can transfer over to the milk or fuel division and be home every day. i will also be able to keep all of my seniority, time, paid vacations, and personal days (yes they offer those).

do you guys at least think a regional no touch freight is a better fit then a dollar account for a new driver? if you had to pick one or the other?

do you guys at least think a regional no touch freight is a better fit then a dollar account for a new driver? if you had to pick one or the other?

Definitely, but it isn't going to be a cake walk. You still have got a big challenge ahead of you.

I would certainly recommend this over a dollar store account. The problems in the Northeast are that so many of the towns that you'll be delivering to were established in the 1700's! There are places that I deliver to that there is seriously no way that you should be trying to put a 70 plus feet long vehicle into. The towns were laid out during the days of horse and buggy transportation. Hamden, Connecticut comes to mind for me. I go there regularly, and I get butterflies in my stomach still when I start approaching the town. There are turns that I have to make where I have to position my tractor literally inches from a building in front of me and my trailer an inch or two from a power pole behind me just to make a turn, and that is only if I can force my way through sufficiently to make the crazy drivers there get out of my way while making the turn.

You will get an education. Pay attention and learn as much as you can from your trainer. They should be full of tips for handling the area.

You're going to find out or figure out that the only thing that really changes from company to company is the phone number. Try to hang with a company, any company, any driving situation, for one year. Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. Keep your personal peeves, expectations, promised deals, broken promises, and opinions of companies to yourself. Muster up to the task, stay safe, and commit to the moment. Good luck.

The pay package with wadhams rist division isnt bad 1,800-2,500 miles per week -35.5 cpm to start -38.5 cpm after 90 days -41.5 cpm after 180 days -44.5 cpm after 1 year plus 200-300 per week for things like pre/post trip inspection pay. they pay 1/2 hour for pre/post trip per day. most companies that i know of do not pay for post and pre trip inspections. its not huge $$, but its required therefore you should get paid for it. my trainer with werner didn't even do a daily pre and post trip. his idea of a pretrip was putting it into the qualcom and sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for the clock to tick down.

this company is also more aligned with my goals. 1 year after starting with them i can transfer over to the milk or fuel division and be home every day. i will also be able to keep all of my seniority, time, paid vacations, and personal days (yes they offer those).

do you guys at least think a regional no touch freight is a better fit then a dollar account for a new driver? if you had to pick one or the other?

I have been lurking here for a while, but this one made me sign up to reply. Buddy, you've gotten some real good advice here but you just keep yammering on about how you hope it turns out. No one here can tell you how this Wadhams company is going to work out for you.

Stop talking and start listening. You need to drive for a while and learn something. Good luck with your new job.

If dollar accounts are something that as a generalization is not good for a new driver, why do they place so many new drivers into that role? is the worst part worrying about both unloading and driving, and it ends up just being too much for a new guy to handle?

Ad, I hope everything works out for ya. I spent hours researching the industry and talking to drivers ( I was a truck mechanic ) and thought I had it all figured out so I took the plunge and enrolled in swifts driving academy. Like you, my world turned upside once I was actually out on the road. Left my debit card at a truck stop, missed my brothers graduation and even dropped my pillow in bird doodoo walking around the swift terminal in Memphis. All these little things added up and I bailed after a few months with the assumption finding a local job would be easy lol. I found a job with a equipment rental company and ate some crow for a bit working in the yard and driving a class b truck. Got promoted a few months ago to a semi driver finally. These opportunities do exist for rookies but it requires hard work and a good attitude. It's good money and I'm home every night just long enough to shower and eat before bed time but not a day goes by that I don't regret not finishing out the year with swift. there's a good chance you'll feel the same way about Werner one day. Good luck to you sir!