Western Express Questions

I just got out of driving school and trying to make the right choices in a company. I just spoke with a western express recruiter and they are offering a position in the flatbed division running the east coast. Online reviews swing wildly both ways so have no idea what to believe, Ive never been a job hopper and dont want to start now.

I just got out of driving school and trying to make the right choices in a company.

Hello John, and welcome to Trucking Truth!

First let me tell you that I started my career at Western Express as a flat-bed driver. I had a great experience and built a solid foundation for my trucking career while there. As you have discovered, not everyone had that same experience. The problem is that the reviews swing wildly from telling you they don't even pay minimum wage and treat their drivers like slaves to others like myself who learned a lot and were treated extremely well. Think about that. Those reviews really don't tell you anything about the company itself. There is no way that the company has a schizophrenic condition and therefore wakes up each day carrying out a different personality trait so they can torment their drivers.

When you see all these wildly varying opinions on a trucking company you have to realize that what you are seeing is a report on the drivers themselves. Western Express is known for being much less selective about who they choose. They will give just about anyone a chance to prove themselves worthy of the job. That's how trucking works no matter where you start. We prove ourselves worthy of being given the responsibilities required to be a successful truck driver. Unfortunately many people have unrealistic expectations about trucking. They think the name on the truck is what makes them successful or not. That is total hogwash. The drivers themselves create their own destiny in this business, and part of that destiny is the kind of money they earn.

I had drivers at Western Express complain to me vehemently about how they were getting cheated, and never could get more than 1,800 miles per week dispatched to them. It never made sense to me when I was easily doing over 3,000 miles per week. It always ended up that I would ask them a few simple questions and then the truth would come out. They were refusing loads they didn't like or they were refusing to work weekends and on and on. I teach people that when you are reading these reviews of just about any trucking company you have to realize you are reading reviews of the drivers themselves. That is sort of the filter you have to keep in your mind when you read those things. Remember you are probably reading something from someone who failed miserably at trucking and they want to find anyone but themselves to lay the blame on.

Now, one more thing. Don't limit yourself to just one company. if you want to drive flat bed, there are plenty of great flat-bed operations out there. Put out as many applications as you can. You just may find something that fits you better than the others. Keep looking, but don't allow those crazy reviews to tarnish your expectations about trucking. You are the captain of your own ship out here in this ocean of misinformation. There is so much bogus stuff online about trucking that it leaves new drivers very confused. Let me tell you how you make this stuff work for you. Do a great job at it. That is all it takes. Trucking companies all have their core group of committed dedicated drivers who regularly get things accomplished out here. Those are the folks who are really doing well at this. Those drivers are too busy to write silly reviews. It's always the lazy ones who can't seem to get anything accomplished who waste their time writing those dumb reviews. That's why the reviews are so bad. You want to be a Top Tier Driver. That's how you succeed at this. That name on the truck has little indication of how you will do as a trucker. Here's an article that might help you understand how to keep yourself satisfied and content as a truck driver in this day of misinformation and confusion.

What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver

Hi, John. I assume you have your CDL already. We have some WE veterans here. I just want to say they must online company "reviews" are posted by the people who lost their job either through their misunderstanding it their own wrong preconceptions.

Here is a place to look:

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

I just got out of driving school and trying to make the right choices in a company. I just spoke with a western express recruiter and they are offering a position in the flatbed division running the east coast. Online reviews swing wildly both ways so have no idea what to believe, Ive never been a job hopper and dont want to start now.

You can't go wrong with our own 'quick app' either~!!

Apply For Paid CDL Training

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

Best wishes, good sir~

~ Anne ~