Frustrations With Werner Enterprises, I'm Finished With Them

also i sure did not ask to sit in that hotel all of those weeks. i should have jumped ship sooner but i didnt know where to go at the time.

The best company I ever worked for had me in a hotel for eight days one time waiting on my truck to be repaired in Albuquerque. Turns out the dealership couldn't get the parts anytime soon so my company finally put me on a bus to our terminal to get another truck. I put in six awesome years at that company, made a ton of money, and built a lifetime of great memories from the experiences. Now what if I had been impatient about it and quit, instead of working through the situation? Well if I had been the type of person to do that I would have found a new company and promptly quit that one too for some other dumb reason a month later. And then again with another a month later. Some drivers handle themselves this way for years and never get how any of this works.

i have zero interest in such a lonely, miserable life

More than anything, please just stop judging everyone and everything around you! Good grief, man. It's not a lonely, miserable life for most people. Truckers are famous complainers and you may be a rookie driver but you're like a 30 year veteran in the complaining and criticizing business. You haven't come across a single person or entity or situation from day one in this industry that you haven't thrown under the bus. We're gonna have you open your own business:

"AD356's Criticisms and Complaints" and your motto will be "Because Sometimes Everything Just Sucks."

See, you have this super negative attitude toward almost everything, and like all famous complainers you're drawn to others that are like you. So we can tell (it's painfully obvious) that from day one in this industry you've been hanging around with the "terminal rats" as we like to call em, the "truck stop lounge crowd", where it's a non-stop b*tching and moaning festival every minute of the day. In the short time you've been at our site you've managed to rifle off almost every last commandment there is in the "Truck Driver's Misinformation Bible". Your thoughts have been clouded with misinformation and your attitude has soured to the point that it's caustic. Unfortunately this is not at all uncommon, and it's exactly the kind of thing we try to prevent or repair if we can.

So hopefully you'll turn a page and start a new chapter in your career with a new and better version of yourself. Go into your next job with a better attitude, and like others have said it's best to do very little talking, very little judging, and a whole lot of listening, learning, and going with the flow until you understand how this industry works.

2 leave of absence, never actually got promoted to a solo driver, went through 2 trainers. You failed hard, you dun goofed everything.

You have so much pride and ego I wouldn't be surprised if you erect statues of yourself in your front yard. The writing's on the wall but you worship yourself so in your eyes you didn't fail. Listen, we dont hold it against you, none of us do not even a little bit. Trucking isnt for everyone. Its one of those careers that you either win big or lose big. You couldn't put me in a 9-5 desk job, I will fail it because its not for me and I wont be good at that.

Theres certain things in life I fail at and have failed at. Trucking was that to you yet you blind yourself to reality and think a small, local company will be your saving grace.

We all could have done something better in life. Its okay to step back and admit your faults and that you're not perfect. Sometimes the best way to fight self-love is to point the finger at ourselves.

first of all yes, i have heard that said about the big carriers constantly "starter companies", i have heard it so many times that i was believing it. the company i have chosen to go to is large enough to still have a decent amount of resources so hopefully i will avoid some of the problems the very small companies have. they are big enough use something called peoplenet which is similar to qualcom. as far as my leaves on absences, it is the pain of being separated from my family. i actually did pass everything at werner, i could still go back if i choose, i have not officially closed the door yet. i am on up to a 30 day leave right now. i decided to try and find something that perhaps would better fit my attempt at maintaining some form of family life. if i went back to werner i could get my truck assignment, however being on a dollar account i am afraid i have been set up for failure OR going to OTR which is something i flat out refuse to do. i dont know if you guys understand i tested out successfully, but i am very much afraid im gonna hit something if i stay on a dollar account. that dollar account very well might end my carrier, as you guys say chew me up and spit me out.

i stayed out 8 weeks, 6 weeks on the trainers truck, 2 weeks in the hotel. i went on a leave after i completed my time with that trainer. i didnt get off the truck until i was done. i feel i am woefully unprepared for a dollar account and OTR is not a good fit for my family situation.

if i had at least been able to go home to see my family a few times during training, i never would have gone on a leave.

let me repeat, i was promoted to solo driver, but i just see things arent going to pan out for success in the long run. i will NOT have an accident, i will not screw up my career, damage equipment, and i will not kill anyone.

I wont take anything away from people that are willing or want to drive over the road , but im not in that crowd. my goals are being a safe driver, getting home as much as possible, and making a living wage. going to the dollar account very well might not be a safe choice for me, driving over the road is only going to get me home a couple days per month. choices, choices choices none of them are perfect.

i have been set up for failure

Another legendary verse from the "Truck Driver's Misinformation Bible"

i have been set up for failure

Another legendary verse from the "Truck Driver's Misinformation Bible"

i watched my brother in law work that dollar account as new driver. multiple accidents and backing accidents he sits around with no job. yes, i do have a bad vibe about the dollar account.

That being said, yes i do agree with allot of what is said here, i am perhaps too negative. i will say that if i thought i had to drive over the road i never would have went for my CDL. the thought of being away from family that long is not something that i would enjoy. im talking specifically of my wife and child.

i have been set up for failure

Another legendary verse from the "Truck Driver's Misinformation Bible"

What Brett says.

I still have yet to even put my foot in the door of a company, but one thing I do know. There is not a single company out there, that will set you up for failure. Why would they?

The place I work now, has a loading dock that is not easy for a straight truck to get in. But we have a US Foods driver with a 53' reefer come in once a week and nails it perfectly 9 out of 10 times. He got his start on a dollar account, but with US Express. He hated it, at first, but it grew on him. Now he chucks food, in what I assume are very similar conditions. But the one thing he did say, was that whenever he found himself in a bind, he could call his trainer, or his dispatcher (driver manager?) and since they knew the location, could talk him through it. His company was invested in helping him succeed, not fail. I can only assume that Werner is the same.

My ex"s uncle bashes werner, but he also wrecked 2 of their trucks, and one trailer, before they canned him, and he blames them for his wrecks, sheesh. My cousin in law LOVES Werner, driving mainly the up and down the Mississippi River states. Most of my in laws who drive, drive for bigger carriers.

You may have started off on the wrong foot, but it seems, to me, that your attitude has started to change in the right direction.

The advice you have been given, by Old School, Brett, and the other's here is priceless. Take it to heart, and use this reset button to head back into it with a better focus, and attitude. They may have slammed you, at first, but it was never intended to discourage you. Think of it as "Tough Love." EVERYONE here wants to see you succeed. They just had to knock the crap out of your brain, and get you off on a better foot. They even invested more time into you, than most who come in here like you did.

Good luck, and stay safe.

I also have allot of resentment and anger built up over things that have nothing to do with trucking. the last full time, non-trucking job i worked i worked for some very unsavory people. I am a former smoker and a current vaper. i was fired from my last milk receiver job for vaping outdoors. when i was initially there was no "tobacco" policy. i would go outside on my designated breaks and vape no questions, no problems. after about 4 months on the job, they informed me i would have to go to the car. so i did that no problem. after about 6 more months they changed it yet again to leave the property. they left me at the facility by myself every afternoon. i would load trucks, cip silos, separators, and trucks. yes i will admit i would go outside on break and vape when no one else was around. i got caught once, no written nor verbal warnings simply your fired (the day i came back from a week of vacation they met me in the parking lot with my locker contents). the policy was never in writting and a handbook was never issued. these people had harassed me months earlier and told me to seek "nicotine addiction" treatment (really dont know if such a thing exists). not only were they un-reasonable with their policies but they harassed me about my personal habits that have no effect on job performance. the general manager also thought it was OK to make dumb remarks about the lipton iced tea i was drinking, apparently it had too much sugar in it for his liking. not once but multiple times. the first few times i completely ignored his remark, i would say something like "thats nice you feel that way". i think the third time i told me boss that this jerk had to stop. eventually he apologized because he probably realized he might be heading for a lawsuit.

after loosing my job working for these nitwits, i realized that nearly all of the manufacturing jobs have been taken over by temp services. we probably have 30 or so of these organizations in our area. i have 10+ years of experience working in food manufacturing facilities. i have a raw milk receiver license, which is still current and i have ran a variety of packing and other types of manufacturing machinery. going to work for $12 per hour isnt going to pay bills and its not something im willing to do. if you work for a temp service you might as well burn your resume because now your experience is worth and means NOTHING. you wont make anymore then someone who has never worked in that type of environment.

after looking for another manufacturing job for a few months and coming to the realization that there wasnt anything worth working anymore, i thought about what i could get into that did not take years of college and MORE debt to get into that pays a living wage. somehow i came up with the conclusion that i should try truck driving, the state helped me get my CDL. i also like the idea that no one is going to fire me for vaping or smoking, and as long as your personal habits arent considered illegal or go against what is in the CDL manual you wont loose your job over something so stupid. you wont get harassed about things like that. if you want to drink a soda or vape no one is going to care.

so yes, i do have things i am bitter and resentful about but i have to somehow let them go.

I also have allot of resentment and anger built up over things that have nothing to do with trucking. the last full time, non-trucking job i worked i worked for some very unsavory people. I am a former smoker and a current vaper. i was fired from my last milk receiver job for vaping outdoors. when i was initially there was no "tobacco" policy. i would go outside on my designated breaks and vape no questions, no problems. after about 4 months on the job, they informed me i would have to go to the car. so i did that no problem. after about 6 more months they changed it yet again to leave the property. they left me at the facility by myself every afternoon. i would load trucks, cip silos, separators, and trucks. yes i will admit i would go outside on break and vape when no one else was around. i got caught once, no written nor verbal warnings simply your fired (the day i came back from a week of vacation they met me in the parking lot with my locker contents). the policy was never in writting and a handbook was never issued. these people had harassed me months earlier and told me to seek "nicotine addiction" treatment (really dont know if such a thing exists). not only were they un-reasonable with their policies but they harassed me about my personal habits that have no effect on job performance. the general manager also thought it was OK to make dumb remarks about the lipton iced tea i was drinking, apparently it had too much sugar in it for his liking. not once but multiple times. the first few times i completely ignored his remark, i would say something like "thats nice you feel that way". i think the third time i told me boss that this jerk had to stop. eventually he apologized because he probably realized he might be heading for a lawsuit.

after loosing my job working for these nitwits, i realized that nearly all of the manufacturing jobs have been taken over by temp services. we probably have 30 or so of these organizations in our area. i have 10+ years of experience working in food manufacturing facilities. i have a raw milk receiver license, which is still current and i have ran a variety of packing and other types of manufacturing machinery. going to work for $12 per hour isnt going to pay bills and its not something im willing to do. if you work for a temp service you might as well burn your resume because now your experience is worth and means NOTHING. you wont make anymore then someone who has never worked in that type of environment.

after looking for another manufacturing job for a few months and coming to the realization that there wasnt anything worth working anymore, i thought about what i could get into that did not take years of college and MORE debt to get into that pays a living wage. somehow i came up with the conclusion that i should try truck driving, the state helped me get my CDL. i also like the idea that no one is going to fire me for vaping or smoking, and as long as your personal habits arent considered illegal or go against what is in the CDL manual you wont loose your job over something so stupid. you wont get harassed about things like that. if you want to drink a soda or vape no one is going to care.

so yes, i do have things i am bitter and resentful about but i have to somehow let them go.

Open your Bible. God bless you sir.

Hallo everybody.And hi to you AD356.Today is my first day in school.I completely understand your anger and frustration with Werner.I feel like it is me 12 months ago when I started to think about trucking.But I didn't have enough information,didn't know about this forum,not knowing anybody who could help me make final step.Then,after discovering this forum I have spent 6 months of reading,working full time and taking care of my family.I feel the pain because I'm married with 4y old child.And this was me year ago.Trying to find as much as I could about trucking.I have an idea from reading what it is all about,but not knowing, how this change will turn out.I had same goals as you:local job,home every day,get paid fairly,work for small company.But spending last 3-4 month reading this forum,asking few questions,studying CDL make me realized,it is going to be long run,before I can learn and find job that fits my lifestyle and family.I'm not here to tell you what you did or didn't do wrong.Members of this forum and truckers who spend years driving have right to tell you what they think.They all been there.We have to start from the bottom,get experiences.It will take 6-12 months before we can do some changed.Only few of us will get lucky and find something locally.So good luck to you and I'm glad you share your experience with Werner here.I have pre-hire letters from Schneider,Werner,Swift.Now I know,it is very hard to get job locally.Spend 2 days,calling 35-40 companies.So I know,I will be choosing one of the big carriers. I know I won't start with Dollar account, not because of your comment, but because I will listen to the experienced drivers who knows how hard these accounts are. Good luck,be safe there...I'm about to start new career today.Thanks

Bottom line(s); come here BEFORE you choose a company and most "smaller" carriers won't hire you straight outa CDL school. And NOT ALL "mega carriers" are the same. Sheesh!