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Post by Sojourner on Jan 7, 2004 22:05:51 GMT -5
I'm going to be graduating soon and the three above seem attractive - any comments or experience about any/all of them.
US Xpress, Gainey Transport or Roehl -
Thanks!
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Post by Arcflash on Jan 19, 2004 11:32:55 GMT -5
I drive for Roehl. Overall I have to say that I am very happy with them. There are good things and bad things about any company but I have to say that the good definately outweighs the bad here.
One thing I can say is that training is hard. There is no way around it, you just have to bite the bullet and suffer through it the best you can. Learn as much as possible and try to have some fun. I had a blast through training because I had a fantastic trainer. Not only was he a good driver and teacher, but he was a cool dude. I made a good friend out there, and talk to him on the phone pretty much every day.
The down side is pay, you're doing the job but for very little money. It's $55 a day through the first phase, and $65 a day through the second. They are restructuring training now to do away with phase 2, so I am not sure what training pay will be like. It kind of smacks you where it hurts when your trainer gets a $900 paycheck and you get $205 or something.
Anyways, if you have any company specific questions just lemme know.
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Post by glennw on Jan 20, 2004 0:58:01 GMT -5
I went for a look-see to the Gainey terminal in Minneapolis (Eagan, actually) and I saw two things that troubled me. The person who I was supposed to see was out of town, and the second one in line was covering the phones, so a driver/trainer who was there from another terminal was asked to show me around. Through the course of our conversation, he told me that, though he was in Minneapolis, his logs still showed him in Pennsylvania. He also said that he was going to pick up a load and drive it 700 miles yet that day. I looked at him and said "you can't do that legally". He said "I thought you were a driver". I said "I'm going to be" He said "Then you better forget that word 'legal'". Later, the lady at the front desk mentioned that she had to schedule a safety meeting. This same driver/trainer told her to just take a piece of paper, write "safety meeting" across the top, date it and put it in the drivers' room for them to sign. There's your safety meeting.
That was not the sort of company I wanted to work for.
Glenn
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Post by kc8yhk on Jan 21, 2004 18:04:24 GMT -5
LOL
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Post by truckertom on Jan 21, 2004 22:50:21 GMT -5
Glen
Here is problem with driving illegal; soon it is going to cost you a weeks pay if you get caught. And in the long run it is going to cheapen the pay for truckers overall. If this outfit is encouraging you to run two log books, if their trainers are encouraging you to break rules.......RUN!
And this is coming from a 27 veteran that has run two logbooks, violated speed limits and have not a dammed thing to show for it. How much of my good driving record am I willing to sacrifice for the company? If the trainers are trying to show you what "Big Men" they are, what would it be like to spend a few weeks in a truck with them? 24-7?
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Post by kaptankarl on Jan 23, 2004 10:17:24 GMT -5
Well, I just got done with Gainey after five weeks of training and three weeks solo. I didn't experience anything like what you described, glennw, but it wouldn't really shock me. No, what happened to me is that I still haven't been paid anything for that fifth week I was out with my trainer. Our safety man here in GR, who is responsible for the orientation, etc. told me that it would be a one week hold between my last orientation check and my first real mileage check-- well, it took them three weeks to pay me anything on my mileage, they still refuse to pay me my $50 per diem from while I was out with my trainer...even though I have logbook pages and receipts that prove my point. I quit them just the other day because they aren't paying me anything on time or accurately, and my family can't handle the stress it is putting on our lives. Now, they tell me that I will have to wait yet another week before they will mail me a paycheck for the other 4300 miles that they still owe me for (plus tolls,etc.) I would hate to be one to say don't go here or don't go there, but I really have to warn y'all away from this place... GTS has apparently grown so quickly that they are too beaureaucratically top-heavy to gives their drivers' families the security they deserve. I have another offer from NTB's local terminal which I will be going to here in a few weeks... Just be careful who you trust, and remember that the first job or the fastest job you can fill isn't always the best one.
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Post by kaptankarl on Jan 23, 2004 10:25:51 GMT -5
One final thing on GTS... and that is just that the company isn't entirely bad... they do pay well, when they do pay you... and for the most part, the DM's are very good at what they do. I met a lot of other GTS drivers out there and they all seem to be great guys and gals It's just that the TEXT have laden this co. with policies that destroy a man's ability to make life decent or secure for his children, and that is the only thing i am working for
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