Frustrated With My Company!!

Not all large companies are managed the way you described. I'm not saying jump now, but if you're considering a change in October I'd start contacting companies now to learn what opportunities are available and what's required.

If you're still in southwest Alabama, I highly recommend Schneider dry van division. I'm from Pensacola and spent my first two years working out of the Nashville Operating Center. Everything SNI promised was what I experienced. Zero pay problems. Donna Collins was my DBL & THE BEST. I'd go back in a heartbeat if the situation were right. I only left because I landed a position with a southeast regional company (requires experience).

You can look on Schneiderjobs.com, put in your zip code and see what's available.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

Patricia, I have been waiting to hear how you were doing. My trainer at CFI got his CDL through CRE. He left them after 9 months and came to CFI. He had nothing good to say about them. Almost everything you said he said. They do not care about their drivers. I have heard this many times. Many drivers stay with CRE because they believe it's like that everywhere. You may have to tough it out three more months. Don't be afraid to test the waters. Good luck.

I've been with CRE for a year now, and something very important tied to just about everything you mentioned is your DM. It sounds like yours is horrible! I've been there, my first DM in Phase II was quite similar. Getting anything you needed was like pulling teeth, and when you'd finally get agreement on what was needed, she'd 'forget' and you'd be back to square one.

Going through that put me in quite a similar position you're in now. I wasn't making money, the reason we're out here, and that was unacceptable. Thankfully, shortly before my Phase II Lead time was to be over I got pulled into Western Regional and with a new DM who is AMAZING. It makes all the difference! If I need to be somewhere, I know he'll get me there. If I have to do some little shuttle run, he'll throw some bonus money at me. Shop pay is a bit difficult as it requires his boss's approval, but he's quite persistent. My little change in DM took me from counting the days until I was off contract, to being willing to stick around to get experience(not forever, their mileage pay is still sub-par...). One thing I'd say regarding break downs and layovers is get to learn the policy until you can actually cite it, because I'm willing to bet they're stiffing you. Things like layover get the DM's in some serious trouble, especially with their new emphasis on keeping trucks moving, so it's not at all uncommon for them to try and take advantage and fight when it comes to that. Policy is quite clear on it, and the Driver Advocates can get you info on policies if you email them.

Nothing I can say can help with afterhours, aside from avoid dealing with them whenever possible. I'll stick an example of why, for laughs mostly, at the bottom, but they simply are the worst. I'll humor them, and obviously if they give specific directions ya gotta follow it, but if they tell you to do something that you don't already know, research it. For AR's and such, they have bosses too, who are generally more reasonable. Ask to talk to one of them if you're in a fee situation like that.

--------------------------------------------- Okay, so my afterhours dispatch story...

I was running through Texas during one of those 'hey, it's starting to drizzle... AND NOW IT'S FLOODING' weather events, and was asked to swap loads. The load I was getting was a brownie point earner, uncomfortably tight schedule and California, but I needed to get a good reputation so I happily accepted. We make the swap, and I can tell the other driver doesn't have a clue what he's doing. He'd had the load for several hundred miles already and asked if I knew how to slide the tandems , which set off alarm bells obviously.

So I go to scale and I'm over. Fifth wheel all the way forward, and weights are something like 11,500, 34,050, 34,000 (something similar to that, anyway), so as good as I can get. I let after hours know, and they have be slide around a few times, send me 'educational materials' on Cali's 40' rule, and all that. I humor them, slide it around and show them how it's not working -- obviously -- and then things get really good. I have pictures of the QC message because it was just so... so beautiful. They ask me to drain the air from my drives, refill them, and re-weigh. Not sliding anything, just drain and refill the air.

Yes, you read that correctly. There is someone who works in the trucking industry, albeit in an office that really thought changing air in tires will affect how heavy something is.

I ended up getting everything slid back to where I'd had it, barely over, taking a bonus and a written statement they'd cover any fines a DOT officer with a bee up their butt might give for 50lbs over, and ran with it. I wish I'd stuck to my guns rather than agreeing to run with it, though it went fine, but at least I got a good story out of it. Afterhours is horrible!

It sounds like it's time for you to move on. We all want to honor our commitments and stay with our first company for a year but sometimes the writing is on the wall. There are way better companies out there so don't settle for a bad one. I stayed with my first company for 3 months, it wasn't what I thought it would be so I moved on and I'm a 1000 times happier.

Man, this thread started out so well...

Then it went down hill without even using the Jake brakes!

Man, this thread started out so well...

Then it went down hill without even using the Jake brakes!

It's really hard to get through to people that you don't just quit your company every time there's a problem, you learn how to work through it. People spend years out there chasing their tails looking for that mythical "perfect company" where the freight flows like wine, everyone treats you like you're a celebrity, and the trucks never break down.

Oh, you mean everything isn't perfect??? Quit!

:: 3 months later::

Quit again!

::6 months later::

Quit again!

The best company I ever worked for fired me for something that wasn't my fault at all, then hired me back. I changed dispatchers three different times over the years. I changed divisions three different times. I spent God knows how many days waiting on repairs, including a stretch of 8 days one time because a dealership kept lying about the parts coming in. I went through probably 10 different trucks in 6 years.

And they're still one of the best companies out there. And if I was working there today I'd be pushing for more freight, waiting on my truck to be repaired sometimes, and talking to management about policy changes from time to time.

That's truckin, people! That's how it is. I don't care where you work, you're going to have to learn how their system works, get to know the right people, prove yourself, act like a professional, and learn to work through problems from time to time.

Sometimes I think the worst thing for most people's career is the fact they know they can get a different job tomorrow. If people would hunker down and learn how to get somewhere within their own company they'd be a lot happier and make a whole lot more money. You just can't get anyone to sit still long enough to get through the tough part and get to the good part.

For anyone who knows a little about the ocean, you'll notice the sunset always looks beautiful from the beach. But when you first head out into the swells, the waves in the shallow waters are treacherous! They will pound you in the face and fill your lungs and beat you into the sand. You have to fight through them with everything you have and it's a hell of a difficult time. It seems like it will never get better. But once you get past the shallows, the water mellows out considerably and then you can sail off into that beautiful sunset you saw from the beach.

Most people in trucking see that beautiful sunset, head out into the surf with their first company, immediately decide they're at the wrong beach cuz "this beach sucks", and they move a mile down to a different beach, which also sucks, then a different beach, which also sucks. Then finally, at some point they decide to stick it out long enough to make it past the surf to the smooth sailing and they go, "See! I knew those other beaches sucked! I finally found the right beach!"

For those of you who are just agreeing with all the trash you've "heard" about C.R. England, you might just want to take a Look At This.

What Brett is trying to point out to you is evident from the accomplishments of these very fine drivers. They stuck it out, and learned how to work within the system that C.R. England has in place. It works the same way at any company. Heck, I am treated like royalty and doing very well at Knight, but I can find a hundred drivers in about a five minute search on the internet that claim Knight "doesn't care about their drivers." It's a shame that we truck drivers just believe anything bad that we hear about a company without trying to figure out how to make our careers work. A successful driver is a diligent person who knows that there is way more to being successful at this than just switching companies each time we have an issue. Issues have to be worked through, that is how you move forward out here. You always want to focus on moving forward, not just moving on.

Some days can be frustrating at any company. It sounds like maybe a new dispatcher might help. I love my dispatcher, however his wife just had a baby so he's been off. The person who is supposed to be covering me.. never talked to them because I can't reach​ this person by phone or even get a response on the QC.. Doesn't send preplans.. just awful. I've told them my dispatcher can't have called anymore children or take any days off again. I can't wait till my dispatcher returns because I'm dyin!! It'll improve.. come on Monday.