His type (rare) is the kind you'd want to KEEP!!! GOOD employees are hard to come by. You know what they say about a fool and his money.......and Kevin was their money.
After 6month with Werner, I left last week for the same reasons. Believe it or not I joined werner because of your videos. Keep it real bro 100%. Your videos are good. Keep it honest and stay safe out there.
$50k is ok for a single person with finances in order and no major payments. For anyone with a family or house and car payment it suck, especially for as much time spent away from home to make that much.
For how much you work and the sacrifices and danger we think it should be more!!! Our goal is to make 100K!!! We think it’s doable at Crete. We’ll see. 😃
When I started 10 years ago, I was with US Xpress, getting paid 24 cents a mile with very little miles. I quit after 2 months solo and started with a Flatbed carrier that started me at 36 cents and within 6 mo I was at 41 cents and received tarp pay. I now own my truck and have been through a few driving experiences, after you get a year or two of experience under your belt, start looking at smaller companies. If you're interested in owning a truck one day or wanting a business, then look for a 1099 company and get a good accountant, you'll thank me later.
@@emerydavis. lol! Despite the negatives, we actually think that Werner is a very good company to start with. Decent pay for rookies and lots of training. The simulator blow-out experience was invaluable preparation for the time Kevin had a real blowout. That could have gone very badly. But he was prepared because of the simulator training and kept us (and others) safe. Also, some dedicated accounts pay quite well. So congratulations on starting with Werner soon! Welcome to trucking!! And thanks for watching our video.
That was a very honest review. The good and the bad. No angry super trucker just documenting what you did not like and with examples. A level headed discussion. That is a great character trait. Very good. Time to move on to better things. Have a good day tomorrow and stay safe.
Shared your channel with my hubby. He enjoys it. He's been a OTR driver for 32yrs. Recently, within the past 1 1/2yrs he moved to a refrigerator company. It's been hard adjusting. He did have a lot of problems with pay and miles with prior company. Now we don't have problems we make great $ he's out 2 mo in 10dys. He has a 7yr plan for retirement. He is guaranteed 2500 a week. Hope your other company treats you better.
Wow! Sounds like he found a good situation!!! Happy for him!!! Though yes, probably a big adjustment for both of you!! Thanks for sending him our channel. Hope he enjoys our OTR travel videos. 😃
You give the most eloquent presentations I have heard in a long time. Not from just a truck driver, but overall. If more drivers pointed to facts as you just did, and not just complain about money. But explain how drivers are being abused and used by these carriers, maybe, just maybe some of these big companies would change their ways. I had similar issues with the mega carriers I drove for, including that company. My major issue was not so much the money, but the lack of communication. The lack of respect from the company. And the attitude by the Orientation people at the Georgia facility who acted as if they were doing you a favor by hiring you. Treat all of your employees with respect, productivity will increase and turnover will decrease. Good luck to you on your next position.
You do give a beautiful presentation. Your telling the truth and that’s important. It’s sad that for such a large company, drivers aren’t treated better. I just graduated and got my CDL a week ago. I went for an interview yesterday with a local company and I think I got it. I will find out in a day. I’m will to drive with someone for a week or 2 to feel comfortable. I just really don’t want to do OTR until I’m in my comfort zone. Yours is the first good review on Werner. The nightmare stories about the trainers are what deterred me. Like you said I don’t want to bounce around my first year or 2. Thank you again and best of luck to you!
Everything he is describing is EXACTLY what I experienced with Werner when I first started driving. I was with them my first year starting with the Family Dollar/Dollar Tree account for the first 6 months, then Western 11 for the next. He hit the nail right on the head. I have found that major carries will do this. The smaller companies are the best ones to work for. They are the ones that actually listen and do everything possible to keep us drivers comfortable.
Hello fellow ex-Werner driver. Yes..we are hearing this a lot from viewers, that they had the same experience with Werner. Glad you found a better situation with a smaller carrier. Kevin just completed his first year with Crete Carrier and we are very happy with them. There will be a review video soon. Thanks for watching! Stay safe! Have fun!
I will say that after watching your videos, I may consider coming to work for Crete if things go south where I am now. At the moment, I have not had anything negative to say about my company. We did however have a company wide pay reduction due to low freight costs, supply and demand. If it does come down to the wire where I have to make a change, Crete will be my first choice.
@@timmaydatrucka928 Wow! A pay reduction?!?! 😳 That’s tough. Sorry to hear it. Let’s hope it improves again. If you have questions about Crete please let us know.
Hey Kevin sorry werner lost a great driver and person, I currently work for them but plan on quitting this week because of all those reasons, good luck in the new company!
@@TheJoyofTrucking i went to JB Hunt for now, just wanna get my experience in so i can go to Walmart! How is the new company treating you? Saw the video on the new truck, nice!
Werner DID lose a great driver! I worked for Werner and was there for about the same length of time Kevin was. I Left before Kevin for a local Ltl job. I loved Werner!! It was a great experience! I left because, there is too much money to be made driving local and be home every night!
@@SuperCholo27i really would like to be with Walmart as well. The one thing I don’t understand is why Walmart wouldn’t want to train people out of school before they get bad habits. But I have no problem putting in my time and then applying.
Im a super new driver that will be starting my career with Werner in about a month or so. Im doing tons of research and I truly appreciate this so much. Thank you.
Congratulations!!!! Be sure to soak up all the learning you can. Do a blowout on the simulator. Avail yourself of their educational resources! Hope it goes well. We have LOTS of videos on the channel to help you at Werner and starting out. Check out the older videos and Werner playlists! Good luck!!!
I worked for Werner back in the early 90s for a couple of years. My experience was mostly positive. They got me my CDL and I stayed way longer than the required commitment period. I think inter-departmental communication was better back then, but they were a little smaller back then. I feel what really makes the difference is your Fleet Manager. I had a great one while I was 48 state and she got me all the miles I wanted and got me home when I needed to be there. I got a lot of great cross country runs and splitting loads was something that just happened occasionally. When I switched to southeastern regional, things started to deteriorate and that was tied to the Fleet Manager as well. I was supposed to be home every weekend, but their version of a weekend was unloading Saturday at 2AM and your next load being an 11PM delivery on Sunday 300 miles away. I wish you well with your new company and thanks for the videos!
You are absolutely right. The Fleet Manager has A LOT to do with it!! Thanks for watching. Hope you moved on to a good situation after your time with Werner. We are much happier at Crete. 😃
Werner is a great starter company for new drivers for your first year or two. If you are just starting out I really can't think of anything bad about Werner especially when it comes to their trucks and terminals which are in good shape compared to most. However if you are a good driver and want to work more than the bare minimum there are a lot of other companies that pay more and give you better loads. Mega carriers have a massive amount of overhead to pay for so they take .20 cents per mile off of drivers pay. These are great videos for new prospective drivers looking to get into the industry!
Thank you Jared!!! We agree! No regrets about starting with Werner. And some people get on good dedicated accounts. For us it was time to move on…with gratitude.
Kevin you made a excellent decision . I'm new driver just come out school and I went Werner because you review. I'm currently with a trainer. It's sad to see you treated that way.
We hope you have a great experience. We still think it’s a good company to start with. And some dedicated accounts are good. We wish you all the best!!! Let us know how it goes!!!
I have been driving for Werner for 2 years now. I agree with everything you said to include having to drive all over the place looking for an empty trailers. It sucks that we can’t just pick up a load without one but I understand that they want to have trailers available at the shippers. I just got called for a Tractor Supply dedicated account. Should be staring next week once I am done taking my 6 days of hometime saved.
My dad ran in the flatbed division of Werner for a few years in the early nineties and made a ton of miles. The reason he quit was because they didn't let their drivers have any home time until six weeks out. He got burned out really quick with them.
Wow!! Kudos to your dad!!! Six weeks out is really hard!!! And just not necessary!!! Especially with family at home!! Hope he found something that suited him better!!!
I was 3 days away from turning in my truck before anyone called me. Gave me the song and dance how valuable I was to the company. Why are you leaving blah blah blah. Werner was a good company to drive for but like every other company they have their issues. They would split loads after a few hundred miles and blame it on Net Ops. Never figured out who they were. I got fed up with it and one day I just kept driving and driving. Finally my fleet mgr called me and ask why I didn't drop the load. Just told him I didn't see the split lol. ( little white lie, ok maybe a big one) I was just fed up with short runs. The one thing I did like about being OTR was I got a lot of drop and hooks. The equipment was ok but seams like the brand new school drivers got the new trucks. I came with a lot of experience but in the last 12 years I was local hauling heavy equipment and my wife wanted to go to school and learn to drive. Well turns out she was scared to death of mountains. And she really only saw the east coast mountains, not the big rocky mountains. She would have died. Lol. Can't wait to see where you guys end up. Hopefully it a team driving operation.
Wow!! Thanks for sharing your experience!!! Your wife might have preferred a flat mid-western regional. 😃👍😆 Nope…still no team driving for us. Who would make the videos and chat with our dear subscribers?? 😉
Kevin you are 100% true. I spent 5 and a half years with Werner and went through all of that, you went through; with the exception of switching Terminals. Werner is a great training company; but know that if you join them, that is what you should expect. Unless they do "an about face" and change and fix all the issues that Kevin mentioned.
I worked at Werner in 2003. The last week I worked for these people I made a delivery from Atlanta to Chicago. Turned in the paperwork in the transflo envelope and dropped in the mail bin at the truckstop. Thats how this was done back then. Then later in week I had to get approval for a lumper. Sent in the appropriate messages over qualcomm and get authorization number and issue check. Well a week later I get my pay statement and low and behold no pay for Chicago load, and they deducted the $250 lumper fee from my pay. In total this was around $700 and in 2003 that was a good bit of money. They claimed they never got the paperwork for my load to Chicago and said the driver manager didnt approve the lumper lol.....To this day I've never received a dime of that money. I have been a cdl driver since 1998 and own my own equipment now and in 24 years I have never seen a more shitty company.
How are you going to sue your a thousand miles from home and flatass broke in a company that’s fire drivers to let somebody else have your truck . Nobody retired from WERNER except the family members . All companies cheat and rob drivers . No laws to stop it .
Wow! That sounds very crappy!!! Sorry they did you like that! Does not leave a good taste in your mouth. But…you moved along to becoming an o/o!!! And that’s awesome!!! Happy to hear you’ve had a good career so far!!! Thanks for riding with us. Bringing so much hard earned knowledge to our little community. :-))))
@@TheJoyofTrucking Nobody retires from Werner unless you related to the family and a bus ticket to orientation means your not related. They want you for 2 years then get out of here . There is no retirement in trucking that’s how corporations make billion no retirement or sick leave a million accidents won’t change them . They prey on the weak you saw that at orientation. Your there employee till they want you gone . Did they even pay for breakdown were you worth it to them .
@@williamzander4732 Yes. They do pay breakdown. Big big enough. And they do have some good accounts and drivers who stay bent years. But for our goals it was no longer a good fit.
@@TheJoyofTrucking my husband's truck was down for about 4 days and all he got was $75 a day for breakdown pay with Werner.. Pretty crappy if you ask me. Especially since it's THEIR truck that broke down. 😒
Back in 2019 I finished CDL school went straight to Werner for 5 months , got out and lease a truck with a small Company, one year after that I bought a truck. You are not typical, you got potential. good luck.
This was one of the most sensible/practical reviews of a trucking company I've seen on UA-cam. Appreciate the information and good luck in your future endeavors. Stay safe.
After watching your channel, I often wondered why you were going through some of the things you discussed but didnt want to ask about it because i didnt want to be "that guy". Excited to see your new adventures with the new company and rig. ✌
I have been watching your videos since before you actually started with Werner when you were doing orientation. I am at almost a year with Werner now and everything that you said from number 1 to 10 I have had happened to me and I agree with 100%. I am very much considering leaving Werner as well but I’m going to give them one more chance on a different account than over the road. If it does not go well I am definitely going to move on. Thank you for your videos good luck at Crete
Hey Kevin that video is definitely what is happening in every big company am in the same boat 5 months but my God is giving me the strength and patient i think you a real person,smart cause to start anywhere is good but build that experience like you did not many does it one ☝️ year is not easy i got much respect to you (no a crybaby those who cry and whine they still suck the bottle for years) and like it the way you take it in a very positive performance you are a trough soldier. Good luck on your new job be waiting for it cause i learning from every video i watch.
Thank you Marlon!!! Appreciate your kind words!!! What company are you with? Hang in there. With 6-12 months you’ll have mor options!!! 🙏😃💕 Happy that you are able to learn from our videos!!! Plus we hope to make you laugh too!
What you said is true, I wanted to stick it out for a year for personal pride. I have since got all my endorsements. This will make you MUCH more marketable. Since I got them and put my resume out there, phone is ringing off the hook! I knew I got shorted on pay and yes, payroll couldn't explain why. I asked my FM for it and he always came through. All companies will find a way to mess with pay. You have had great training on this at Werner.
Thanks Kevin for sharing your experiences and articulating the details. I really have a difficult time with number six, it would seem that with such a large company heavily laden with advanced technology throughout their information systems platform. You should have pre-planned loads already booked to you before you ever unload your current load. I am also with you regarding the split loads where they take a good run from you and split it with another driver or team. As you said, you are away from your home for extended periods for a reason, which is to maximize your miles paid. I really think the best opportunity out there is with companies such as NFI industries. They simply drive day cabs in a small geographic location for one or two clients, our home each day, and are very aware of their work schedule in advance. They have lots of opportunities across the country, and many of their drivers earn between 70 and 90,000 per year! If I were ever to move into a large class 8 semi, I would pursue that route.
Speaking of NFI, distribution is a really hard life. If you're young and just out of the military you may make it two or three years. If you wanna get the real money, go to Sysco. Sysco starts at 100 grand and they have phenomenal benefits, but your body will pay the price.
That's a stretch... having loads booked when you can't tell for sure if you are going to be available to make good on the appointments? That's risky business.
I definitely know what you mean with the Amazon thing. That's why I decided to get my CDL back and ditch Amazon... Congratulations and good luck on the new job
Nice video. The one thing that I can relate with the most, is having to chase your pay. Drivers, if you drive for someone that you have to chase your pay, find another carrier. Life is too short to chase your pay. There are more important things to pay attention to than chasing your pay.
If you wanted a load, but they took their time, its frustrating. But if you wanted to take a few hours for yourself, they were shoving it up your nose and deep. I liked to have a sense of some control. Took a while to teach our fleet manager thats how we wanted to roll.
you really hit the nail on the head with split loads.. it’s crazy to get a 16 mile load with no preassigned load afterwards gets you a little ticked off
I’m a current Werner driver & I’ve dealt with a lot of your situations as well. I also did my month in CDL school , my 18 days with a trainer & my 3 month to get experience to move to a home time account. I’m 4 months in with Werner,this company held my hand into the industry so I’ll check in 6 months to see how my experience is. Thanks for telling your experience so i can look out for certain scenarios. Stay safe!
the milage pay and down time waiting around is why i always say this indusrty needs to go to hourly pay so drivers don't get screwed waiting for the next load or to be loaded /unloaded plus breakdowns and such. my .02
Kevin, 100% agree with everything you said here. The other thing I’ve noticed about Werner is they don’t care to fix or make things right while working there, but boy oh boy when you say your leaving and actually leave all the sudden you get 20 phone calls about how can we make this right, what can we do to get you to stay, ect…. I said well if you took the time to do this beforehand I’d have consider staying, it’s a little late now.
My experience at Werner was EXACTLY what this guy says. 100% He is professional, articulate and unbias in his 10 points and they are all 100% true. In his number 10 reason he mentions the Lake City FL terminal. I had some major issue with that terminal as well.
Your a great guy Kevin! I've been watching you for awhile and have commented some. I had my own tractor way back. The way you explain things is outstanding. I wish I could find 10 guys like you, but that is very hard to do!! I would have a hell of a business going. I delt with places like you're talking about in this video. It's a big reason the countries in the shape it is!! Take care brother and keep rockin!!!!
This is such a good honest review! While I am in the beginning stages going towards getting my CDL, I’m keeping options open. So I truly appreciate it.
Thanks! Check our old videos and playlists. You’ll find lots of info on Werner. Despite the issues we still think it was a good place to start. Good luck on your journey!!! Let us know how it goes!!
the truck speed, the pre-assigned loads, the lack of miles definitely pushes a driver away. some things you mentioned in this video im currently going through this. its worse when they give you a load after 4 o’clock and you already burned your 14 hr clock waiting on a load
@@aitransportservicesllc584 70-72 and the only reason i say faster because you get those people who constantly go under the speed limit then speed up rinse and repeat, and slowing down isn’t always the safest thing so please dont preach that to me. also the slow passing of other trucks and cars. i dont need an open truck but a least a smart pass or a bump of 2mph
@@nicklong9985 Sure. Rule #1: It's always about the money. You have to make them think you are the best driver they have. Constituently remind them your on-time and early drop's. Having a new truck would help you do that. Rule #2: Stay away from terminals. Always being at a terminal makes you look lazy. The less they see you the better. Call them on the phone from the field making the company money....and don't let them forget that. Rule #3: If somethings screwed up, which is a given, fix it and let them know you fixed it. Rule #4: Train new people. It's the easiest gig you can do for Mo' money. Don't meet trainees at the terminal, meet them at a hotel. Terminals are bad places with truck drivers telling stories. Rule #5: Company needs more money, where is my load? ALWAYS SAY THAT. Rule #6 If you have issues, don't send messages, call on the phone and get names. Also applies to issues at shippers and receivers. Saying "some guy" or "the guy at the gate" NEVER get's you ahead. Rule #7 Find out where the company is busiest and move there. More loads. There's like 600 more.
@@nobull4414 that’s all good advice if you have managers that care and do their jobs, the problem is they are few and far between, so making your suggestions all fall apart. From the short time I’ve been in it about two years when you open your mouth about something it only gets worse from then on, not better because you are dealing with people who act like children.
Everything you said, I can vouch for. My husband works for Werner and all the issues you mentioned, he has had. He's been with them 6 months and is looking to find a better company. He's very unhappy with Werner. They definitely don't treat their drivers right.
Thanks for watching!! We totally understand. There are lots of options out there for him!!! Even at 6 months. We are very happy with our decision to move to Crete. It’s not perfect, as it is still trucking. 🤣😁🤣😃😆😂 But some issues are less and the miles and money are much better. Be sure to watch some of our recent videos. 😃
I started with Knight, and between the lack of transparency about pay, and the issues with my driver managers, I left after only a few months. I was on a dedicated account with them, which they originally told me payed out a $275 daily rate. After a few weeks and several paychecks coming up short of what I expected, I finally learned that it was payed out by the load, and not by the day, and each load had a different rate that I wasn’t allowed to know until it was completed and processed. My average weekly pay was under $1,000 GROSS. After taxes and healthcare, I often only ended up with around $600 net a week. Not even enough for my bills and family. Then the paychecks started showing up late. Loads not being processed before the weekly cutoff, or getting lost “in the system” I had enough, told them to shove it, and left. Now I’m with J.B. Hunt, and let me tell you, it’s a whole different ball game. Starting pay for the account I’m on, is $0.69/mile, starting, with minimum 3 months experience. Caps at $0.75/mile. Also had a $10,000 bonus for the account. It’s flatbed, which worried me, but it turns out I love running flatbed! They advertised the weekly average as $1,750 Gross, or about 90k a year. I was skeptical. I grossed $1,700 my very first week running solo. I’m on track to clear $95,000 my first year. Yeah it’s a big company, the truck is governed, and they’re strict about safety. But at least they actually pay a respectable rate. Every account at J.B. Hunt is different, and has a different mileage rate. If you consider working for them, check all of the available accounts in your hiring area, and find one with the pay you want. Also be sure to ask the recruiter if there’s any other accounts with the pay scale you want, they have ones that aren’t always advertised. They also won’t bullshit you about the work. They’ll tell you day one of the account is touch freight, or drop and hook, or whatever. You can tell them what you are or are not willing to do, and they’ll actually try and find an account to fit your preferences. Only other downside is the amenities in the trucks, they’re literally the cheapest model trucks out there. Cascadias and LT’s, with pretty much no extra options, just bare bones. But $90,000 a year, I’ll drive whatever they want me to💁🏼♂️
I remeber when we met in Fontana I expressed some discouragement about miles just from watching your videos and comparing it to other channels that I subscribe to. Most of the reasons Brother Kevin mentioned were noticable through the lense of your channel. I won't be going to Werner for all of those reasons. So, congratulations on your new venture!! I'm happy for y'all...
I just left Werner aswell and can vouch for everything you said! I thought werner was a good company until I got to my new company that actually shows that they care about their drivers.
Damn that’s crazy. As soon I got off school I started at .52c a mile doing flatbed. Which I think it’s good for no experience at all. I do an average of 2700-3400 depending on how you move and all that . At 1 year or 125k miles with the company you get .60c a mile plus .14c per diem base on the miles you did. I’m only doing this for a few years and find something to be local like tankers. Empty miles are paid the same as well.
The main reason I quit was because some of the dispatchers. They were so disrespectful. Crete talks to me like I am a person. There are no forced swapping loads either with Crete. At Werner, they get drivers to wake me up by surprise to take my load. You said the rest.
Everything stated in this video is true. Also, you now need appointments for maintenance, even for a team. Was told a day and a half wait to get in for maintenance. Of course every terminal has different wait times. Well done video, thank you for sharing your experience.
Sorry to hear that instead of things improving they seem to be getting worse. We heard they no longer allow PC. That’s terrible!!! Kevin is much happier now that he’s at Crete. Thanks for watching and commenting!
"I am a solo otr driver for...you don't know who". Nice hook. Love it. I became interested in this channel from one of your earlier videos where you did this examination of trucking--is the compensation worth it? I was delighted to find another trucker asking the same questions I have been asking for 22 years, since I first began trucking. Kudos. Werner. Full disclosure. I have known several people who worked for them. I lived in Springfield, Ohio. My son-in-law, in a life crisis, turned to truck driving (Werner) with a pregnant wife, my daughter, and two children. As a seasoned trucker, I gave him my top ten list--the "absolutely do not work for these people" list of mega carriers that I knew to be the worst--from horror stories of hundreds of drivers I have interacted with over the years. Truck drivers love doing one thing above all else--telling their stories and definitely compiling a master list of all the worst offenders in the industry. We veterans really do have the inside-scoop. Werner is right up there with the worst of the worst mega carriers, I am sorry to say. My son-in-law ignored my advice and picked Werner because it was three miles from home. He thought that was a perk. He worked there for ten months and could barely make it home once a month, even though he was on a dedicated Dollar General Account, which was supposed to be regional. He and my daughter were reduced to squalor by Werner over this time frame due to low pay, absence of break-down pay, and general nonsense. My son-in-law is a very hard worker; but he could not make it at Werner, despite his efforts. Sound familiar? My x-husband and I had to step in and help financially, as they quickly became homeless. I loaned them my car and they had to move into my x's house. They were so broke. Of course, this is antecdotal; but it is common for these mega carriers to treat their new drivers so inequitably that often drivers quickly find themselves in financial ruin. How is that? First, I will say that, for people like you and me, older people who do not have little mouths at home to feed, people with less obligations, people who might have better resources to begin with, we often are prepared to weather financial pitfalls that come with a job that is frankly, very unreliable to start. As you know, you have to go through weeks of unpaid training and then after school, be subjected to several more weeks of company training, where you are lucky to gross $400 or $500 weekly and then there are delays getting assigned equipment, unpaid breakdowns while breaking in new equipment, and adjustment period trying to learn the ropes solo and establish a rapport with a dispatcher or fleet manager. I like to refer to the first year of truck driving as bootcamp. They own you. You will go where and do what they say when they say and you will not be compenated a living wage. There will be weeks when things do not go well, where you might hardly get a paycheck at all and there will be periods where you will have to take a monetary advance from the company or go hungry. Everyone new-to-trucking has been through it. After that first year of bootcamp in trucking, if you did not get a speeding ticket and did not wreck, you are off to the races. You made it. Now, go and enjoy a great-paying job, if you are lucky to find a nice company. Getting back to the typical, majority of young people coming out of trucking school... I believe that most young families turn to trucking as last resort because most working class jobs in the US today do not pay a living wage and people hear rumors that trucking pays six figures. Not true for most trucking jobs. So, when most people go to trucking school and start training at that first job, they are already behind financially. Most are in dire need and of course, as you know, it takes many weeks to get behind that wheel solo and start earning. So, alot of new truckers find they are pretty desperate and in great financial need by the time they finally start really earning, only to discover they chose a company that not only pays around minimum wage, when you factor in the hours worked, but that is also out to cheat them at every turn, keep them trapped in a cycle of desperation, not really getting the good miles, not getting home to see the wife and kids, missing out on birthdays and such, and barely eeking out enough to keep bills paid back home, while going hungry and borrowing advances from the company. This is by design that these big companies do this to new drivers. It benefits the company two-fold. One, keeps labor costs down and two, keeps the drivers trapped, staying with the company longer. Why is that? Well, a driver may want to quit; but is far from home and does not have money to get home and also, the driver cannot afford to be unemployed for the several weeks it takes to procure the next trucking job, get to the geographic location, and go through more weeks of low-paid training and wait on equipment assignment. Not to mention it is very difficult to find a next trucking job, while away from home driving a truck, working fourteen hours a day or longer. A big problem here in the US is that trucking companies have lobbied the government to rig the rules in their favor, leaving the drivers all too often at their mercy. They by-pass or have exemptions from many labor laws and just short drivers regularly on pay at every turn. :( It is a problem industry-wide; but their are exceptions to this. LTL companies, for example, do a fantastic job compensating drivers for every minute worked. I worked for Estes and Old Dominion. Got paid for every single second of work performed quite literally. So, I respect and appreciate your story of the last year. I am glad you found some happy experiences amongst alot of unfair treatment and low compensation. I am so very happy you have been able to have your lovely partner along. It must be recognized that for most new truck drivers, they do not get to keep their loved-one in the truck by their side to soften the blows of how harshly these mega carriers treat their new drivers. Imagine being a new driver, going through all of this, all alone. It is brutal. And also, I would say that, when I weigh Werner, even against your own metrics of employer performance, Werner fails on all the most important metrics. Pay, miles, meeting the demands of an otr driver vs. a local or regional driver, equipment repair process, compensation for delays, such as repairs and waiting in a dock, competence of fleet manager and dispatch, and inter-departmental commmunication, which is paramount. I have a total of fifteen years. I have worked for nine companies. Sounds like a lot. I worked for one mega carrier. Two LTL companies. a few small companies, one local. A tanker company. I learned that if things aren't going well within the first three months, I am out. Pay, equipment, miles, driver/dispatcher relationship, company culture. These are my metrics in order of importance. As long as your driving record is squeaky clean, you can have a million trucking jobs and they'll just keep hiring you. Job longevity in trucking counts for nothing. We are bodies. The trucks are numbers. Once in a while, you get lucky and find a job where they actually see you and know you and care about you in trucking. I think this channel is great and a service to newbies. Keep up your great work. Here are a couple things to keep in mind. Ask your next fleet manager and your next dispatcher how many drivers they manage? That will tell you all you need to know. My company: seven dispatchers, 108 drivers all total. Every one of the dispatchers addresses me by my first name when I call in and they all know my face and where I live. Pretty personal. All best. Hope this new job is everything you hope it will be. Safe travels. And also, you really do a good job articulating your experience and your views in these videos and your co-pilot is delightful!
yehh soooo ?? u wrote a hugelong book.. what's yur company u at so great? What yur top 10 list of crappy truck companies u say u know been around so long . fill us all in... geeez smfh omg
Heidi!!!! So much good info in there!!! Thank you!!!! You need to write a book!!! Seriously!!! You have info, stories, and a passion for writing!!! Let’s go!!! A woman’s trailblazing career in trucking!!!!! 💕💕💕
Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope the trucking companies out there get the message. Good drivers like you should be well compensated and treated with respect.
You hit it right in the head. As you may know, I’m on a dedicated account with Werner, team driving with my brother. This is his last week with Werner before home time but I’m staying with Werner. Now he’s basically leaving mostly because of reason i believe # 8 or 9 on your list. A lot of sacrifice and not being home and then having to chase after your pay or that they cap miles because they pay zip code to code. Now I’ve always wanted to do OTR because I literally want to do the same you did basically, travel the whole country. Hearing not only from you but other Werner OTR drivers, basically having or stating most the same issues you did. That’s what’s holding me back from switching to OTR. In the meantime, I’m going to stay on the dedicated account. If can get get the miles o switch to another solo Werner account. Worst comes to worst; lll do the same and look elsewhere. Just wanted to share my story with you. Best of luck in your next job. Hope to continue seeing your trucking videos, I enjoy them.
You should consider team driving as owner operators with your brother man good money and full control of home time which is what I’m doing with my brother right now 3 yrs as owners never looked back
@@TheJoyofTrucking Well, it’s been a month. My bother left and stayed local (not with Werner). I stayed behind still on the 3M account as a solo driver. I’m on my first trip out, Currently, I’m on my 34 reset before getting a load home for HT. First solo trip could’ve been a whole lot better (mile wise) but I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. Gonna go home and come back full force. Hopefully, things get better then what they are now.
Your FM isn’t forgetting to add additional pay items on your check amigo, they’re intentionally leaving them off…don’t ever forget, you’re Planner or FM is also incentivize for performance. They strive for MAX out miles with lowest possible expenses…and driver pay is an expense they always want to minimize.
Love your "Haulinass" name...LOL!!!! As for the subject....We have definitely heard this from many viewers, but we'd really like to think that it's not true. But who knows. We know health insurance companies who have very bad intentional policies...so it's not impossible. Thanks for watching!!!
@@Sebastian81012 I don't know 100% but in 1 of his recent videos, he received a call while recording and the caller ID said "Crete Corporation" so I knew he was looking for another job. Whether he chose crete or not, I don't know but thats my reasoning for believing its crete.
Great video. I think I only watched a video of yours months back about the Hotel El Capitan Van Horn, TX. Fast forward a few months, I’m watching your videos cause I’ve thought of coming to Crete. Your reasons of leaving Werner, I think are the same gripes I’ve had with several companies. Lack of communication, guessing my pay check, sitting and waiting on the unknown next load, constantly swapping loads for no good reasons. I’ve been driving for seven years and it has been an experience. I’m approved to come over to Crete, I’m just doing my due diligence.
Hey there!! Thanks for watching our Van Horn video and this one. Be sure to check our channel for more videos about Crete. We have orientation vlogs and several reviews already. We are very happy with Kevin having moved to Crete. He’s making much better money. More miles. Less stress. No splitting the load unless he were to requests it because of issues with delivery time. Let us know if you have questions nor answered in our videos. And if you do decide Crete is a good fit for you, please be so kind and use our referral code: SLOKEV. 😃
@9:04 this is why it's not just better but very important for people to pay themselves so that they'll know how much they're making. If someone doesn't like what a company is paying them, they must go into business and work for themselves. They will make MUCH MORE MONEY working for themselves than working for a company. They can also have tax advantages by working for themselves. It's a WIN WIN situation at the end of the day. It's all worth it and very fulfilling. @14:15 I agree..why are they splitting so many runs? If Werner splits runs then they MUST pay drivers ALOT MORE MONEY for that specific run..it makes no sense for the driver but only for Werner. Drivers are just slaves with no say so when a company isn't paying the driver well.. If they driver is getting paid very well, then they're not considered being a slave. Great Video.
I know you said you didn’t want to do touch freight but even if you did that, they only have an extra $50 total. I got extra $50 total for unloading like 5 trailers a week. I was in training but I think it’s like that out of training too. So that’s not even worth it. Werner is a starter company for a reason.
Man this was a good review! Touched on lots of the day-to-day headache that I haven’t seen in other reviews but would absolutely drive me up a wall (the money your owed will be missing from your check but you can call and your boss will randomly throw money at you; you can just refuse to do a split load and maybe it won’t be a problem 🤯). Only critique: you did Werner instead of Swift where I’ll be starting 😂
Swift was actually our second choice as a starter company. Bonehead Trucker has single handedly managed to give them a ‘bad’ reputation. I’m sure they will have a lot of the same issues as Werner, but it’s a good place to start!!! And their Phoenix Terminal is NICE!!! Good luck!!! Let us know how it goes!!!
Hello Kevin, You look like Clint Eastwood a little bit. I've enjoyed listening to your one your journey. Thanks for keeping it honest. Good luck with your next Company.
Yes I left as well after 2 years. I’m still in debt with them of $5000 and mind you I went to Roadmaster school that cost me $8000. They don’t pay enough if you’re a single person.
@@tmo.48 so if you go to their school Roadmaster for your CDLs. You are basically in a contract with them $8000 and yes I needed a co signer. It been really tough. But now I’m down to $5,110. Mins you I’ve only had my CDLs 3 years. So yes it’s horrible
That’s terrible!!! So sorry!!! If you’re still driving for low pay find another company! If you can go to one with a sign on bonus that might knock it down fast. Or research other companies that have the type of account you’d want and pay well. With 3 years you can get jobs that pay 100,000. Good luck!!!!
TJT Thanks for the info. I was a pre-hire, I'll leave the reason out why nothing happened it's corrected but anyways this was very informative, and I will not bad mouth them they are a good company. again thanks
Yet another great video, Kevin and Tonya. My philosophy and plan for getting into truck driving is to have the understanding that the first year be something of a polished turd with decent pay. Go into this with the first company as nothing more than the one that gets you the CDL and experience for the next company. As I explained on your previous video, I'm either going with Roehl or Swift to get my CDL and first year. Next, it's on to either Averitt or Dot Foods (DTI). And once I get close to another 18 months with that I'll be looking at Walmart where I'll probably stay until retirement. It's going to depend though with the second company because I really like what Averitt and Dot are offering. And Dot has those blue trucks!
I've been saying for years now, that a sharp lawyer ought to do a class action law suit regarding that zip code to zip code scam. If I'm being paid by the mile and the company routinely doesn't pay all the miles, that just won't be upheld in a court of law. Like you said, imagine and hourly worker being told by his boss, um, well, I don't think I'm going to pay you for all your hours worked.
I got anxiety listening to this. I’m sorry to hear this. If you’re going to stick it out as a truck driver just get your experience three years and then try to find an old owner operator who else is on track to pay you from door to door that’s your best route
Yes! Too much can fall through the cracks if you don’t keep it written down and keep following up until you can check it off. It’s money earned and shouldn’t require chasing.
Thank you I’m finishing trucking school next month and Werner just came by and talked to us and said all this nice fancy stuff. Iv been in Security for 10 years and those companies do the same day something and do the opposite and not taking care of their employees and mess up the pay thanks for the review
Thanks for watching. We will say that even with all these reasons we feel it was a good company to start. And some of the dedicated accounts pay well. Good luck on your journey!!
I had these same issues with Werner but I never left until it was time for a lifestyle change, because I always assumed that I would have these same problems with any other company.
Yes. Some of these issues are industry wide but to different degrees at different companies. And if you’re going to put up with some of it you might as well be getting better money. 😉 What lifestyle change did you do if we may ask?
@@TheJoyofTrucking I took a local P&D job with a FedEx Ground contractor. I'm enjoying it. I'm home daily and make just as much if not more. I used to do line haul for another FedEx partner, but got sick of driving at night and getting pulled into the California POE and being put OOS for petty stuff. If I ever choose to go OTR again, I'll likely go with Crete, as well. I considered it many times while at Werner, but I feared succumbing to greener grass syndrome.
One thing about Kevin, his math always be “MATHING” 😂 this man is spot on! Seems like a good starter company but def after 6 months to a year it’s important to go ahead and find a better opportunity. Thanks again Kevin for another GREAT and honest review.
Keven I must say you took too long to leave Werner I started with them 2 years ago and took me 3 months to leave them as a OTR driver you are right we should be running miles no OTR driver should be making under 1000 a week period much less 2400 miles a week when I left got with a company not even a mega company ran a dedicated route Texas to California and back just with that I averaged 3100 to 3300 a week without going all over country weekly average pay 1300 a week take home pay at 53 CPM there is companies out there that pay well you just have to do research I’m glad to hear you moved on was waiting for that day hated to see the mess you were going through you deserve better like a lot of us drivers do
Basically the same b.s for all of these mega carriers. I just left dart. I dealt with the exact same pay issue with them. My first week out my truck sat in the shop for 8 days. Be well and best wishes to you out on the road.
Wow, that's a lot of stress 😮 No wonder that so many people say that being a truck driver is being a dog. Very sad 😢 I get stressed out by just listening to your story. Ok, good for you. Sounds like you are a smart man. I kind of wonder what you for a living before you started to drive a truck and being a truck driver. Ok, good luck to you.
I worked for werner for 9months and I second everything he said. I spent about 7 weeks over 2 1/2 months in a hotel do to breakdown. I had to fight to get anew truck, and when I finally got one, it needed to go into the shop. Other than breakdown I had alot of unpaid downtime and in one week, I traveled less than 200 miles combined over 3 days and I was team driving. As a team we average almost %50 of our time waiting and unpaid. We felt like part time truck drivers despite spend over a month on the road each time we went out. We I decided to leave, they tried to force me to pick up a load on deliver it before turning in our truck, which needed to be in the shop for overheating issues, no license plate and a leaking tire. I told them I would take it to a shop if they wanted, but they refused to give me a answer and I eventually had to leave it at a speedco, and when I tried verifying they were receiving everything (elds, keys) they stopped answering my phone calls. I was never able to get them on the phone again. The only people I could get on the phone were not in a position to verify that they had received everything.
Why did you have to turn in your truck just to change home terminals?? I’m switching from Dallas, TX to Lake City, FL and I’m keeping the truck I’ve been in for the last 7 months.
Good question! We think it’s because Kevin wanted 2 weeks and they insisted he take a leave of absence. That’s probably why they took Kenny away from him. We wish you a good transition!
I drive with them right now and it’s been a year now, what you’re saying is absolutely true .. 3 weeks they told me to drop an empty in our drop and about 100miles then go another 180 miles to pick up another load but they forgot to pay me 😂 until now
Interesting video. I am not happy for you, but I enjoyed your content. I recently stopped driving for Werner. I drove their Power Only side. As a non Werner employee I picked up a lot of your split loads. Doesn't seem fair. Mainly, I did the load no one picked or bid on. Listening to your story makes me wonder how loads were assigned to Power Only? I made $1.90 a mile plus a fuel surcharge. I was averaging $2.60 a mile. But like you said, there was no structure to the pay. It seems easy enough. When I started with Werner I was told that 98% of the loads I'd get were Drop and Hook. Not sure how, but I became their 2% guy. All the loads ended up live on one end or the other. I had asked about Detention Pay? Was told they almost never have Detention because their trailers are always loaded and ready. After working their loads, I realized what they meant to say was, "We just don't pay Detention as promised!" If I was a minute late for pickup, I wouldn't qualify for Detention. Even if I was late because of them. I believe they went out of their way to make you late. True store, was in the News about six months ago. The CEO of Werner got indicted for tax evasion. Makes me think if they'll screw the Government, why not their employees? That's too bad. Werner was the makings of a great company. They just choose not to be.
Wow!!! Thanks for sharing your story with Werner! It is sad. There are many good things about the company. But some stuff is just not ok!!! What are you doing now?
@@TheJoyofTrucking you ever hear the phrase...be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. I had wished for a trailer. I fell into a sweet deal. Couldn't pass it up. I have been running loads off of the load boards. Truth be told, I made more money running Power Only. I'm looking at parking my trailer and going back to Power Only. The rates are horrible. Plus I now have a trailer payment and extra insurance. Good luck to you.
CRST does the same thing with Pay!!!! Everything you said about chasing the pay was what I dealt with at that company as well, if they don't pay you on time, they should make good on it right then when it's brought up, not put it on the next check.....
I agree with everything you’re saying. I work with W.E in the dollar tree account and it really sucks but one more month and I’ll be moving forward with another company.
Good for you!!! Get the experience and advance your career!!! Kevin is doing very well at Crete and is grateful he made a change. What company are you switching to?
Werner is just a training company anyway. It's not a career company imo..most just stay to get that solid year then move on to better opportunities and big $$.
@@nobull4414 Training companies..all the mega carriers..swift, werner, prime, c.r. England just a few. And that's great that they offer training to do that..but they also don't pay enough money once you gather experience. It's best to get the solid year with no accidents incidents etc and go into something like ltl where you can be home everyday and make 6 figures. After all, it's all about the money correct?
@@nobull4414 FedEx freight, saia, odfl, estes, pick one and ride with it. All virtually offer dock to driver training and will help you get CDL. First year you can make $60 to 70k easy. After that it's all 6 figure mostly. And plus be home with awesome benefits.
@@DG38594 not to mention all the BS that comes with ltl delivering to neighborhoods that no semi belong also while management tracking you're EVERY moment, counting every min it takes in between deliveries. Don't get me started on the dock workers loading up the trailers 🤣🤣
I started with Werner back in 1999 after truck driving school and started out at .24 cents a mile. After 2 years, I quit Werner and moved on. They are a good starter company to get experience. My biggest problem with Werner was that you get a good load, then 4 hours down the road, you get the red light on the dash, which meant an important message on the Qualcomm, and it would say driver needs home time, split the load at a certain location and you would swap loads with the other driver so they can go home. Back in those days, you could read the Qualcomm while driving. It didn't read the message to you on the speaker, but not long after that, only team drivers could use the Qualcomm while driving. I went back to Werner a few years later and quit again for a better job. I would never go back to Werner again. Out of all the companies I've worked for, Crete has been the best company. I'm going on 4 years now here at Crete and I love it here. My asset manager is the best.
Yes!!! That was one of Kevin’s biggest frustrations!!! Get excited about a longer run, do all the trip planning, and boom, split…take it away. 🤦♀️ 4 years at Crete! Nice! Please come say hello if you see us somewhere!
@@TheJoyofTrucking Actually I saw the two of you at the Road Ranger (old dixie truck stop in McLean IL the other day. I didn't realize that was Kevin fueling up next to me. I parked after fueling and I saw the Crete truck park and who gets out is Kevin. I saw him walking across the parking lot to go inside. I should have said hi to the two of you. Next time I will 🙂
i wonder if anybody at werner listened to the reasons he quit; he wasnt rude, he didnt curse out werner, he seems like a good employee to keep.
His type (rare) is the kind you'd want to KEEP!!! GOOD employees are hard to come by. You know what they say about a fool and his money.......and Kevin was their money.
@@tmo.48 Thank you so much for that compliment!! :-)
Thank you Gerry!!!
They know. They hear it everyday
After 6month with Werner, I left last week for the same reasons. Believe it or not I joined werner because of your videos. Keep it real bro 100%. Your videos are good. Keep it honest and stay safe out there.
$50k is ok for a single person with finances in order and no major payments. For anyone with a family or house and car payment it suck, especially for as much time spent away from home to make that much.
Yep. For trucking of this nature I'm thinking minimum $75k.
@@willmann30 $100k should be the minimum.
For how much you work and the sacrifices and danger we think it should be more!!! Our goal is to make 100K!!! We think it’s doable at Crete. We’ll see. 😃
@@TheJoyofTrucking we meaningg go are you driving team?
50k is chump change, slave pay for what we do out here.
When I started 10 years ago, I was with US Xpress, getting paid 24 cents a mile with very little miles. I quit after 2 months solo and started with a Flatbed carrier that started me at 36 cents and within 6 mo I was at 41 cents and received tarp pay. I now own my truck and have been through a few driving experiences, after you get a year or two of experience under your belt, start looking at smaller companies. If you're interested in owning a truck one day or wanting a business, then look for a 1099 company and get a good accountant, you'll thank me later.
Thanks!!!! Happy it worked out so well for you!!!!
They did the same shit to me. A little higher cents per mile.. But no miles
@@nofxn40s ☹️😣🙁
Werner sounds like an ass of a company. 😅 luckily I’m starting training there on the 4th of October lol
@@emerydavis. lol! Despite the negatives, we actually think that Werner is a very good company to start with. Decent pay for rookies and lots of training. The simulator blow-out experience was invaluable preparation for the time Kevin had a real blowout. That could have gone very badly. But he was prepared because of the simulator training and kept us (and others) safe. Also, some dedicated accounts pay quite well. So congratulations on starting with Werner soon! Welcome to trucking!! And thanks for watching our video.
That was a very honest review. The good and the bad. No angry super trucker just documenting what you did not like and with examples. A level headed discussion. That is a great character trait. Very good. Time to move on to better things. Have a good day tomorrow and stay safe.
😃👍
Shared your channel with my hubby. He enjoys it. He's been a OTR driver for 32yrs.
Recently, within the past 1 1/2yrs he moved to a refrigerator company.
It's been hard adjusting.
He did have a lot of problems with pay and miles with prior company.
Now we don't have problems we make great $ he's out 2 mo in 10dys.
He has a 7yr plan for retirement. He is guaranteed 2500 a week.
Hope your other company treats you better.
Wow! Sounds like he found a good situation!!! Happy for him!!! Though yes, probably a big adjustment for both of you!! Thanks for sending him our channel. Hope he enjoys our OTR travel videos. 😃
You give the most eloquent presentations I have heard in a long time. Not from just a truck driver, but overall.
If more drivers pointed to facts as you just did, and not just complain about money. But explain how drivers are being abused and used by these carriers, maybe, just maybe some of these big companies would change their ways.
I had similar issues with the mega carriers I drove for, including that company. My major issue was not so much the money, but the lack of communication. The lack of respect from the company. And the attitude by the Orientation people at the Georgia facility who acted as if they were doing you a favor by hiring you.
Treat all of your employees with respect, productivity will increase and turnover will decrease.
Good luck to you on your next position.
Thank you so much!!!!
You do give a beautiful presentation. Your telling the truth and that’s important. It’s sad that for such a large company, drivers aren’t treated better. I just graduated and got my CDL a week ago. I went for an interview yesterday with a local company and I think I got it. I will find out in a day. I’m will to drive with someone for a week or 2 to feel comfortable. I just really don’t want to do OTR until I’m in my comfort zone. Yours is the first good review on Werner. The nightmare stories about the trainers are what deterred me. Like you said I don’t want to bounce around my first year or 2. Thank you again and best of luck to you!
Everything he is describing is EXACTLY what I experienced with Werner when I first started driving. I was with them my first year starting with the Family Dollar/Dollar Tree account for the first 6 months, then Western 11 for the next. He hit the nail right on the head. I have found that major carries will do this. The smaller companies are the best ones to work for. They are the ones that actually listen and do everything possible to keep us drivers comfortable.
Hello fellow ex-Werner driver. Yes..we are hearing this a lot from viewers, that they had the same experience with Werner. Glad you found a better situation with a smaller carrier. Kevin just completed his first year with Crete Carrier and we are very happy with them. There will be a review video soon. Thanks for watching! Stay safe! Have fun!
I will say that after watching your videos, I may consider coming to work for Crete if things go south where I am now. At the moment, I have not had anything negative to say about my company. We did however have a company wide pay reduction due to low freight costs, supply and demand. If it does come down to the wire where I have to make a change, Crete will be my first choice.
@@timmaydatrucka928 Wow! A pay reduction?!?! 😳 That’s tough. Sorry to hear it. Let’s hope it improves again. If you have questions about Crete please let us know.
I will, most definitely
Been on the dollar tree account for 9 months now. That I hit over a year I’m going tankers
Hey Kevin sorry werner lost a great driver and person, I currently work for them but plan on quitting this week because of all those reasons, good luck in the new company!
Hey there! Yes it’s unfortunate that these issues contribute to the high turn over rate. Where did you decide to go?
@@TheJoyofTrucking i went to JB Hunt for now, just wanna get my experience in so i can go to Walmart! How is the new company treating you? Saw the video on the new truck, nice!
Werner DID lose a great driver! I worked for Werner and was there for about the same length of time Kevin was. I Left before Kevin for a local Ltl job. I loved Werner!! It was a great experience! I left because, there is too much money to be made driving local and be home every night!
@@treyfeeley2519 facts
@@SuperCholo27i really would like to be with Walmart as well. The one thing I don’t understand is why Walmart wouldn’t want to train people out of school before they get bad habits. But I have no problem putting in my time and then applying.
Good review about some of the negative things new drivers have to put up with when working for the mega carriers, not just Werner.
👍
I love how you’re so professional on explaining things
Thank you!!!!
Im a super new driver that will be starting my career with Werner in about a month or so. Im doing tons of research and I truly appreciate this so much. Thank you.
Congratulations!!!! Be sure to soak up all the learning you can. Do a blowout on the simulator. Avail yourself of their educational resources! Hope it goes well. We have LOTS of videos on the channel to help you at Werner and starting out. Check out the older videos and Werner playlists! Good luck!!!
R u still with Werner?
I worked for Werner back in the early 90s for a couple of years. My experience was mostly positive. They got me my CDL and I stayed way longer than the required commitment period. I think inter-departmental communication was better back then, but they were a little smaller back then. I feel what really makes the difference is your Fleet Manager. I had a great one while I was 48 state and she got me all the miles I wanted and got me home when I needed to be there. I got a lot of great cross country runs and splitting loads was something that just happened occasionally. When I switched to southeastern regional, things started to deteriorate and that was tied to the Fleet Manager as well. I was supposed to be home every weekend, but their version of a weekend was unloading Saturday at 2AM and your next load being an 11PM delivery on Sunday 300 miles away. I wish you well with your new company and thanks for the videos!
You are absolutely right. The Fleet Manager has A LOT to do with it!! Thanks for watching. Hope you moved on to a good situation after your time with Werner. We are much happier at Crete. 😃
Werner is a great starter company for new drivers for your first year or two. If you are just starting out I really can't think of anything bad about Werner especially when it comes to their trucks and terminals which are in good shape compared to most. However if you are a good driver and want to work more than the bare minimum there are a lot of other companies that pay more and give you better loads. Mega carriers have a massive amount of overhead to pay for so they take .20 cents per mile off of drivers pay. These are great videos for new prospective drivers looking to get into the industry!
Thank you Jared!!! We agree! No regrets about starting with Werner. And some people get on good dedicated accounts. For us it was time to move on…with gratitude.
Kevin you made a excellent decision . I'm new driver just come out school and I went Werner because you review. I'm currently with a trainer. It's sad to see you treated that way.
We hope you have a great experience. We still think it’s a good company to start with. And some dedicated accounts are good. We wish you all the best!!! Let us know how it goes!!!
How is it now?? How’s the training are Werner Sibi make good money ??
I have been driving for Werner for 2 years now. I agree with everything you said to include having to drive all over the place looking for an empty trailers. It sucks that we can’t just pick up a load without one but I understand that they want to have trailers available at the shippers. I just got called for a Tractor Supply dedicated account. Should be staring next week once I am done taking my 6 days of hometime saved.
Thanks for your comment. Yes. A lot of frustrations! Hopeful this new account will do well for you!! Thanks for watching!
I've been at CR England for 13 months. Same experience. Thank for sharing yours. 👍 Be safe and good luck!
Thanks! You too! And keep watching the videos. We'll let you know how it's going at Crete. 😀
My dad ran in the flatbed division of Werner for a few years in the early nineties and made a ton of miles. The reason he quit was because they didn't let their drivers have any home time until six weeks out. He got burned out really quick with them.
Wow!! Kudos to your dad!!! Six weeks out is really hard!!! And just not necessary!!! Especially with family at home!! Hope he found something that suited him better!!!
Guys can't thank you enough for basically making a road map for succes in trucking.
Enjoy the content and production quality. Be safe
Thank you so much!!! We are happy to share what we learn!!!
I was 3 days away from turning in my truck before anyone called me. Gave me the song and dance how valuable I was to the company. Why are you leaving blah blah blah. Werner was a good company to drive for but like every other company they have their issues. They would split loads after a few hundred miles and blame it on Net Ops. Never figured out who they were. I got fed up with it and one day I just kept driving and driving. Finally my fleet mgr called me and ask why I didn't drop the load. Just told him I didn't see the split lol. ( little white lie, ok maybe a big one) I was just fed up with short runs. The one thing I did like about being OTR was I got a lot of drop and hooks. The equipment was ok but seams like the brand new school drivers got the new trucks. I came with a lot of experience but in the last 12 years I was local hauling heavy equipment and my wife wanted to go to school and learn to drive. Well turns out she was scared to death of mountains. And she really only saw the east coast mountains, not the big rocky mountains. She would have died. Lol.
Can't wait to see where you guys end up. Hopefully it a team driving operation.
Wow!! Thanks for sharing your experience!!! Your wife might have preferred a flat mid-western regional. 😃👍😆
Nope…still no team driving for us. Who would make the videos and chat with our dear subscribers?? 😉
Kevin you are 100% true. I spent 5 and a half years with Werner and went through all of that, you went through; with the exception of switching Terminals. Werner is a great training company; but know that if you join them, that is what you should expect. Unless they do "an about face" and change and fix all the issues that Kevin mentioned.
Yes. We are very glad Kevin started with them. But then it was time to move on. Now he’s making 50% more money with less stress. 😃
@@TheJoyofTrucking yaaaaaaaay!
No "great training company" writes up 100% fake accident/damage reports against workers for giving 2 weeks notice... but Werner does.
I worked at Werner in 2003. The last week I worked for these people I made a delivery from Atlanta to Chicago. Turned in the paperwork in the transflo envelope and dropped in the mail bin at the truckstop. Thats how this was done back then. Then later in week I had to get approval for a lumper. Sent in the appropriate messages over qualcomm and get authorization number and issue check. Well a week later I get my pay statement and low and behold no pay for Chicago load, and they deducted the $250 lumper fee from my pay. In total this was around $700 and in 2003 that was a good bit of money. They claimed they never got the paperwork for my load to Chicago and said the driver manager didnt approve the lumper lol.....To this day I've never received a dime of that money. I have been a cdl driver since 1998 and own my own equipment now and in 24 years I have never seen a more shitty company.
How are you going to sue your a thousand miles from home and flatass broke in a company that’s fire drivers to let somebody else have your truck . Nobody retired from WERNER except the family members . All companies cheat and rob drivers . No laws to stop
it .
Wow! That sounds very crappy!!! Sorry they did you like that! Does not leave a good taste in your mouth. But…you moved along to becoming an o/o!!! And that’s awesome!!! Happy to hear you’ve had a good career so far!!! Thanks for riding with us. Bringing so much hard earned knowledge to our little community. :-))))
@@TheJoyofTrucking Nobody retires from Werner unless you related to the family and a bus ticket to orientation means your not related. They want you for 2 years then get out of here . There is no retirement in trucking that’s how corporations make billion
no retirement or sick leave a million accidents
won’t change them . They prey on the weak
you saw that at orientation. Your there employee till they want you gone . Did they even pay for breakdown were you worth it to
them .
@@williamzander4732 Yes. They do pay breakdown. Big big enough. And they do have some good accounts and drivers who stay bent years. But for our goals it was no longer a good fit.
@@TheJoyofTrucking my husband's truck was down for about 4 days and all he got was $75 a day for breakdown pay with Werner.. Pretty crappy if you ask me. Especially since it's THEIR truck that broke down. 😒
Back in 2019 I finished CDL school went straight to Werner for 5 months , got out and lease a truck with a small Company, one year after that I bought a truck. You are not typical, you got potential. good luck.
Good for you!!!! Awesome!!! Hope with the present challenges you continue to do well!!! Thanks for watching and your encouraging words!!
Perfect advisor to drivers
It's good that you're not trashing the company and getting your point being heard
Thanks!! :-))
This was one of the most sensible/practical reviews of a trucking company I've seen on UA-cam. Appreciate the information and good luck in your future endeavors. Stay safe.
Thank you so much!!!
After watching your channel, I often wondered why you were going through some of the things you discussed but didnt want to ask about it because i didnt want to be "that guy". Excited to see your new adventures with the new company and rig. ✌
Thank you so much!!!
Sounds like you did it right. Learned the ropes, gave them a solid year👍
Thanks!!!
I have been watching your videos since before you actually started with Werner when you were doing orientation. I am at almost a year with Werner now and everything that you said from number 1 to 10 I have had happened to me and I agree with 100%. I am very much considering leaving Werner as well but I’m going to give them one more chance on a different account than over the road. If it does not go well I am definitely going to move on. Thank you for your videos good luck at Crete
Thank you!!!! Thanks for being in this journey with us!!! Quite literally!!! Sorry we never met at a terminal. Hopefully down the road!!!
Hey Kevin that video is definitely what is happening in every big company am in the same boat 5 months but my God is giving me the strength and patient i think you a real person,smart cause to start anywhere is good but build that experience like you did not many does it one ☝️ year is not easy i got much respect to you (no a crybaby those who cry and whine they still suck the bottle for years) and like it the way you take it in a very positive performance you are a trough soldier. Good luck on your new job be waiting for it cause i learning from every video i watch.
Thank you Marlon!!! Appreciate your kind words!!! What company are you with? Hang in there. With 6-12 months you’ll have mor options!!! 🙏😃💕 Happy that you are able to learn from our videos!!! Plus we hope to make you laugh too!
Well presented and with style , can’t wait to see what company your working at now and how it goes .
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What you said is true, I wanted to stick it out for a year for personal pride. I have since got all my endorsements. This will make you MUCH more marketable. Since I got them and put my resume out there, phone is ringing off the hook! I knew I got shorted on pay and yes, payroll couldn't explain why. I asked my FM for it and he always came through. All companies will find a way to mess with pay. You have had great training on this at Werner.
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Is that tanker and hazmat??
@@coldfusion5153 Yes it is! Doubles and triples too!
Thanks Kevin for sharing your experiences and articulating the details. I really have a difficult time with number six, it would seem that with such a large company heavily laden with advanced technology throughout their information systems platform. You should have pre-planned loads already booked to you before you ever unload your current load.
I am also with you regarding the split loads where they take a good run from you and split it with another driver or team. As you said, you are away from your home for extended periods for a reason, which is to maximize your miles paid.
I really think the best opportunity out there is with companies such as NFI industries. They simply drive day cabs in a small geographic location for one or two clients, our home each day, and are very aware of their work schedule in advance. They have lots of opportunities across the country, and many of their drivers earn between 70 and 90,000 per year! If I were ever to move into a large class 8 semi, I would pursue that route.
Speaking of NFI, distribution is a really hard life. If you're young and just out of the military you may make it two or three years. If you wanna get the real money, go to Sysco. Sysco starts at 100 grand and they have phenomenal benefits, but your body will pay the price.
Thank you!!! Appreciate your thoughts!!
That's a stretch... having loads booked when you can't tell for sure if you are going to be available to make good on the appointments? That's risky business.
I have been watching from the beginning. Glad to see you make a change for the better.
Thank you!!! And thanks for traveling with us since the start!!! Good to have you along with us!
I definitely know what you mean with the Amazon thing. That's why I decided to get my CDL back and ditch Amazon... Congratulations and good luck on the new job
Thanks! Good luck to you!! See you out here!
Nice video. The one thing that I can relate with the most, is having to chase your pay. Drivers, if you drive for someone that you have to chase your pay, find another carrier. Life is too short to chase your pay. There are more important things to pay attention to than chasing your pay.
We agree!!! It should be reliable and not require chasing!!
If you wanted a load, but they took their time, its frustrating. But if you wanted to take a few hours for yourself, they were shoving it up your nose and deep. I liked to have a sense of some control. Took a while to teach our fleet manager thats how we wanted to roll.
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you really hit the nail on the head with split loads.. it’s crazy to get a 16 mile load with no preassigned load afterwards gets you a little ticked off
👍👍👍yup!!!
I’m a current Werner driver & I’ve dealt with a lot of your situations as well. I also did my month in CDL school , my 18 days with a trainer & my 3 month to get experience to move to a home time account. I’m 4 months in with Werner,this company held my hand into the industry so I’ll check in 6 months to see how my experience is. Thanks for telling your experience so i can look out for certain scenarios. Stay safe!
I'm at JB Hunt. And they pay good compared to werner when I compared the companies coming out of school
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the milage pay and down time waiting around is why i always say this indusrty needs to go to hourly pay so drivers don't get screwed waiting for the next load or to be loaded /unloaded plus breakdowns and such. my .02
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Kevin, 100% agree with everything you said here. The other thing I’ve noticed about Werner is they don’t care to fix or make things right while working there, but boy oh boy when you say your leaving and actually leave all the sudden you get 20 phone calls about how can we make this right, what can we do to get you to stay, ect…. I said well if you took the time to do this beforehand I’d have consider staying, it’s a little late now.
Well said!!!
You are so right Todd. Werner did that when my husband told them he was leaving. "What can we do to make you stay?" Too little, too late.
My experience at Werner was EXACTLY what this guy says. 100% He is professional, articulate and unbias in his 10 points and they are all 100% true. In his number 10 reason he mentions the Lake City FL terminal. I had some major issue with that terminal as well.
You are spot on!! Everything you said is true. The sad thing is Werner just doesn’t care.
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Your a great guy Kevin! I've been watching you for awhile and have commented some. I had my own tractor way back. The way you explain things is outstanding. I wish I could find 10 guys like you, but that is very hard to do!! I would have a hell of a business going. I delt with places like you're talking about in this video. It's a big reason the countries in the shape it is!! Take care brother and keep rockin!!!!
Thank you so much!!! Appreciate your kind words!!!
This is such a good honest review! While I am in the beginning stages going towards getting my CDL, I’m keeping options open. So I truly appreciate it.
Thanks! Check our old videos and playlists. You’ll find lots of info on Werner. Despite the issues we still think it was a good place to start. Good luck on your journey!!! Let us know how it goes!!
@@TheJoyofTrucking will do, thank you!
Your a good dude, the longer I watch this the madder I get. Can't believe you lasted a year. Hope the new company takes care of you.
Wow everything you said sounds identical to the reasons why I left my old company. You will find something good 👍
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Thanks for a great review! Like I said, no company is perfect. Can't wait to hear about your new company.
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the truck speed, the pre-assigned loads, the lack of miles definitely pushes a driver away. some things you mentioned in this video im currently going through this. its worse when they give you a load after 4 o’clock and you already burned your 14 hr clock waiting on a load
How fast you wanna go? I don’t work for Werner but I can see they run about 68-69 mph that’s decent
@@aitransportservicesllc584 70-72 and the only reason i say faster because you get those people who constantly go under the speed limit then speed up rinse and repeat, and slowing down isn’t always the safest thing so please dont preach that to me. also the slow passing of other trucks and cars. i dont need an open truck but a least a smart pass or a bump of 2mph
Yes…lots of issues!! Appreciate you watching and commenting!!! Good luck!!!
The bottom line is most of the company’s take advantage of you then mistreat you to boot.
I have 32 years in the game, all companies will take advantage of you, you have to learn how to play the game.
@@nobull4414 well why don’t you explain how the game is played? When they hold all the cards.
@@nicklong9985 Sure.
Rule #1: It's always about the money. You have to make them think you are the best driver they have. Constituently remind them your on-time and early drop's. Having a new truck would help you do that.
Rule #2: Stay away from terminals. Always being at a terminal makes you look lazy. The less they see you the better. Call them on the phone from the field making the company money....and don't let them forget that.
Rule #3: If somethings screwed up, which is a given, fix it and let them know you fixed it.
Rule #4: Train new people. It's the easiest gig you can do for Mo' money. Don't meet trainees at the terminal, meet them at a hotel. Terminals are bad places with truck drivers telling stories.
Rule #5: Company needs more money, where is my load? ALWAYS SAY THAT.
Rule #6 If you have issues, don't send messages, call on the phone and get names. Also applies to issues at shippers and receivers. Saying "some guy" or "the guy at the gate" NEVER get's you ahead.
Rule #7 Find out where the company is busiest and move there. More loads.
There's like 600 more.
@@nobull4414 that’s all good advice if you have managers that care and do their jobs, the problem is they are few and far between, so making your suggestions all fall apart. From the short time I’ve been in it about two years when you open your mouth about something it only gets worse from then on, not better because you are dealing with people who act like children.
@@nobull4414 Well done!!
Everything you said, I can vouch for. My husband works for Werner and all the issues you mentioned, he has had. He's been with them 6 months and is looking to find a better company. He's very unhappy with Werner. They definitely don't treat their drivers right.
Thanks for watching!! We totally understand. There are lots of options out there for him!!! Even at 6 months. We are very happy with our decision to move to Crete. It’s not perfect, as it is still trucking. 🤣😁🤣😃😆😂 But some issues are less and the miles and money are much better. Be sure to watch some of our recent videos. 😃
I started with Knight, and between the lack of transparency about pay, and the issues with my driver managers, I left after only a few months.
I was on a dedicated account with them, which they originally told me payed out a $275 daily rate. After a few weeks and several paychecks coming up short of what I expected, I finally learned that it was payed out by the load, and not by the day, and each load had a different rate that I wasn’t allowed to know until it was completed and processed.
My average weekly pay was under $1,000 GROSS. After taxes and healthcare, I often only ended up with around $600 net a week. Not even enough for my bills and family.
Then the paychecks started showing up late. Loads not being processed before the weekly cutoff, or getting lost “in the system”
I had enough, told them to shove it, and left.
Now I’m with J.B. Hunt, and let me tell you, it’s a whole different ball game.
Starting pay for the account I’m on, is $0.69/mile, starting, with minimum 3 months experience. Caps at $0.75/mile. Also had a $10,000 bonus for the account. It’s flatbed, which worried me, but it turns out I love running flatbed!
They advertised the weekly average as $1,750 Gross, or about 90k a year. I was skeptical. I grossed $1,700 my very first week running solo. I’m on track to clear $95,000 my first year.
Yeah it’s a big company, the truck is governed, and they’re strict about safety. But at least they actually pay a respectable rate.
Every account at J.B. Hunt is different, and has a different mileage rate. If you consider working for them, check all of the available accounts in your hiring area, and find one with the pay you want. Also be sure to ask the recruiter if there’s any other accounts with the pay scale you want, they have ones that aren’t always advertised. They also won’t bullshit you about the work. They’ll tell you day one of the account is touch freight, or drop and hook, or whatever. You can tell them what you are or are not willing to do, and they’ll actually try and find an account to fit your preferences.
Only other downside is the amenities in the trucks, they’re literally the cheapest model trucks out there. Cascadias and LT’s, with pretty much no extra options, just bare bones. But $90,000 a year, I’ll drive whatever they want me to💁🏼♂️
Sorry things were bad for you with Knight! But sounds like you landed in a sweet situation!!! Happy for you!!! Thanks for sharing the details!!!
I remeber when we met in Fontana I expressed some discouragement about miles just from watching your videos and comparing it to other channels that I subscribe to. Most of the reasons Brother Kevin mentioned were noticable through the lense of your channel. I won't be going to Werner for all of those reasons. So, congratulations on your new venture!! I'm happy for y'all...
Very good points and glad you used Kevin's info to go in another direction.
@@jimb3541 Indeed...
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I just left Werner aswell and can vouch for everything you said! I thought werner was a good company until I got to my new company that actually shows that they care about their drivers.
Happy you found another company that works well for you!!!! And thanks fir watching our channel!! Who do you drive for now?
What company is that ??
Damn that’s crazy. As soon I got off school I started at .52c a mile doing flatbed. Which I think it’s good for no experience at all. I do an average of 2700-3400 depending on how you move and all that . At 1 year or 125k miles with the company you get .60c a mile plus .14c per diem base on the miles you did. I’m only doing this for a few years and find something to be local like tankers. Empty miles are paid the same as well.
YOU hit the JACKPOT!!!!! Happy for you!!!! Which company?
@@lonewolftrucker3955 yessir
@@lonewolftrucker3955 oh shit ! Really? I’m trying to remember!!!
@@lonewolftrucker3955 im trying to remember. Cause at Greenspan from Texas I was heading to Atlanta . I know at I have picked up in Winchester VA.
Literally everything you said is 1000 percent true im missing 700 miles from one check im behind you
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The main reason I quit was because some of the dispatchers. They were so disrespectful. Crete talks to me like I am a person. There are no forced swapping loads either with Crete. At Werner, they get drivers to wake me up by surprise to take my load. You said the rest.
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Being held over at a shipper is called detention pay it starts usually after two hours anything over 12 hours is layover pay
Yup...That's how it should be...Actually detention should start immediately in our opinion. :-)))
Once you get another year of experience you should consider becoming an owner operator if these fuel prices go down
One big mystical "if".
Thank you!!!
Everything stated in this video is true. Also, you now need appointments for maintenance, even for a team. Was told a day and a half wait to get in for maintenance. Of course every terminal has different wait times. Well done video, thank you for sharing your experience.
Sorry to hear that instead of things improving they seem to be getting worse. We heard they no longer allow PC. That’s terrible!!! Kevin is much happier now that he’s at Crete. Thanks for watching and commenting!
"I am a solo otr driver for...you don't know who". Nice hook. Love it. I became interested in this channel from one of your earlier videos where you did this examination of trucking--is the compensation worth it? I was delighted to find another trucker asking the same questions I have been asking for 22 years, since I first began trucking. Kudos.
Werner. Full disclosure. I have known several people who worked for them. I lived in Springfield, Ohio. My son-in-law, in a life crisis, turned to truck driving (Werner) with a pregnant wife, my daughter, and two children. As a seasoned trucker, I gave him my top ten list--the "absolutely do not work for these people" list of mega carriers that I knew to be the worst--from horror stories of hundreds of drivers I have interacted with over the years. Truck drivers love doing one thing above all else--telling their stories and definitely compiling a master list of all the worst offenders in the industry. We veterans really do have the inside-scoop.
Werner is right up there with the worst of the worst mega carriers, I am sorry to say. My son-in-law ignored my advice and picked Werner because it was three miles from home. He thought that was a perk. He worked there for ten months and could barely make it home once a month, even though he was on a dedicated Dollar General Account, which was supposed to be regional. He and my daughter were reduced to squalor by Werner over this time frame due to low pay, absence of break-down pay, and general nonsense. My son-in-law is a very hard worker; but he could not make it at Werner, despite his efforts. Sound familiar? My x-husband and I had to step in and help financially, as they quickly became homeless. I loaned them my car and they had to move into my x's house. They were so broke.
Of course, this is antecdotal; but it is common for these mega carriers to treat their new drivers so inequitably that often drivers quickly find themselves in financial ruin. How is that? First, I will say that, for people like you and me, older people who do not have little mouths at home to feed, people with less obligations, people who might have better resources to begin with, we often are prepared to weather financial pitfalls that come with a job that is frankly, very unreliable to start. As you know, you have to go through weeks of unpaid training and then after school, be subjected to several more weeks of company training, where you are lucky to gross $400 or $500 weekly and then there are delays getting assigned equipment, unpaid breakdowns while breaking in new equipment, and adjustment period trying to learn the ropes solo and establish a rapport with a dispatcher or fleet manager.
I like to refer to the first year of truck driving as bootcamp. They own you. You will go where and do what they say when they say and you will not be compenated a living wage. There will be weeks when things do not go well, where you might hardly get a paycheck at all and there will be periods where you will have to take a monetary advance from the company or go hungry. Everyone new-to-trucking has been through it. After that first year of bootcamp in trucking, if you did not get a speeding ticket and did not wreck, you are off to the races. You made it. Now, go and enjoy a great-paying job, if you are lucky to find a nice company.
Getting back to the typical, majority of young people coming out of trucking school... I believe that most young families turn to trucking as last resort because most working class jobs in the US today do not pay a living wage and people hear rumors that trucking pays six figures. Not true for most trucking jobs. So, when most people go to trucking school and start training at that first job, they are already behind financially. Most are in dire need and of course, as you know, it takes many weeks to get behind that wheel solo and start earning. So, alot of new truckers find they are pretty desperate and in great financial need by the time they finally start really earning, only to discover they chose a company that not only pays around minimum wage, when you factor in the hours worked, but that is also out to cheat them at every turn, keep them trapped in a cycle of desperation, not really getting the good miles, not getting home to see the wife and kids, missing out on birthdays and such, and barely eeking out enough to keep bills paid back home, while going hungry and borrowing advances from the company.
This is by design that these big companies do this to new drivers. It benefits the company two-fold. One, keeps labor costs down and two, keeps the drivers trapped, staying with the company longer. Why is that? Well, a driver may want to quit; but is far from home and does not have money to get home and also, the driver cannot afford to be unemployed for the several weeks it takes to procure the next trucking job, get to the geographic location, and go through more weeks of low-paid training and wait on equipment assignment. Not to mention it is very difficult to find a next trucking job, while away from home driving a truck, working fourteen hours a day or longer.
A big problem here in the US is that trucking companies have lobbied the government to rig the rules in their favor, leaving the drivers all too often at their mercy. They by-pass or have exemptions from many labor laws and just short drivers regularly on pay at every turn. :( It is a problem industry-wide; but their are exceptions to this. LTL companies, for example, do a fantastic job compensating drivers for every minute worked. I worked for Estes and Old Dominion. Got paid for every single second of work performed quite literally.
So, I respect and appreciate your story of the last year. I am glad you found some happy experiences amongst alot of unfair treatment and low compensation. I am so very happy you have been able to have your lovely partner along. It must be recognized that for most new truck drivers, they do not get to keep their loved-one in the truck by their side to soften the blows of how harshly these mega carriers treat their new drivers. Imagine being a new driver, going through all of this, all alone. It is brutal. And also, I would say that, when I weigh Werner, even against your own metrics of employer performance, Werner fails on all the most important metrics. Pay, miles, meeting the demands of an otr driver vs. a local or regional driver, equipment repair process, compensation for delays, such as repairs and waiting in a dock, competence of fleet manager and dispatch, and inter-departmental commmunication, which is paramount.
I have a total of fifteen years. I have worked for nine companies. Sounds like a lot. I worked for one mega carrier. Two LTL companies. a few small companies, one local. A tanker company. I learned that if things aren't going well within the first three months, I am out. Pay, equipment, miles, driver/dispatcher relationship, company culture. These are my metrics in order of importance. As long as your driving record is squeaky clean, you can have a million trucking jobs and they'll just keep hiring you. Job longevity in trucking counts for nothing. We are bodies. The trucks are numbers. Once in a while, you get lucky and find a job where they actually see you and know you and care about you in trucking.
I think this channel is great and a service to newbies. Keep up your great work. Here are a couple things to keep in mind. Ask your next fleet manager and your next dispatcher how many drivers they manage? That will tell you all you need to know. My company: seven dispatchers, 108 drivers all total. Every one of the dispatchers addresses me by my first name when I call in and they all know my face and where I live. Pretty personal.
All best. Hope this new job is everything you hope it will be. Safe travels. And also, you really do a good job articulating your experience and your views in these videos and your co-pilot is delightful!
LOTS of gems in your comment!!!♡☆♡
yehh soooo ?? u wrote a hugelong book.. what's yur company u at so great?
What yur top 10 list of crappy truck companies u say u know been around so long . fill us all in... geeez smfh omg
Heidi!!!! So much good info in there!!! Thank you!!!! You need to write a book!!! Seriously!!! You have info, stories, and a passion for writing!!! Let’s go!!! A woman’s trailblazing career in trucking!!!!! 💕💕💕
Thanks for the info.. besides Werner who else is crappy
Thanks!
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If you have hazmat then I recommend hauling propane/ butane gas it pays good, i was making 950$ a week 05-08, and you are home alot
Thanks!!!
950. Week for working from 5am to 8’pm??
Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope the trucking companies out there get the message. Good drivers like you should be well compensated and treated with respect.
You hit it right in the head. As you may know, I’m on a dedicated account with Werner, team driving with my brother. This is his last week with Werner before home time but I’m staying with Werner. Now he’s basically leaving mostly because of reason i believe # 8 or 9 on your list. A lot of sacrifice and not being home and then having to chase after your pay or that they cap miles because they pay zip code to code.
Now I’ve always wanted to do OTR because I literally want to do the same you did basically, travel the whole country. Hearing not only from you but other Werner OTR drivers, basically having or stating most the same issues you did. That’s what’s holding me back from switching to OTR.
In the meantime, I’m going to stay on the dedicated account. If can get get the miles o switch to another solo Werner account. Worst comes to worst; lll do the same and look elsewhere. Just wanted to share my story with you.
Best of luck in your next job. Hope to continue seeing your trucking videos, I enjoy them.
One cargo in Orlando Florida pays .60 to .70 cpm for team driving
You should consider team driving as owner operators with your brother man good money and full control of home time which is what I’m doing with my brother right now 3 yrs as owners never looked back
@@aitransportservicesllc584
I did team driving and was mentoring new drivers at one cargo
Hey there!!! Thanks for sharing the details of your story!!!! How has it developed since?
@@TheJoyofTrucking Well, it’s been a month. My bother left and stayed local (not with Werner). I stayed behind still on the 3M account as a solo driver. I’m on my first trip out, Currently, I’m on my 34 reset before getting a load home for HT. First solo trip could’ve been a whole lot better (mile wise) but I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. Gonna go home and come back full force. Hopefully, things get better then what they are now.
Your FM isn’t forgetting to add additional pay items on your check amigo, they’re intentionally leaving them off…don’t ever forget, you’re Planner or FM is also incentivize for performance. They strive for MAX out miles with lowest possible expenses…and driver pay is an expense they always want to minimize.
Love your "Haulinass" name...LOL!!!! As for the subject....We have definitely heard this from many viewers, but we'd really like to think that it's not true. But who knows. We know health insurance companies who have very bad intentional policies...so it's not impossible. Thanks for watching!!!
I hope you are enjoying your time at Crete as your new company!
How you know he’s at Crete when he never mentioned where he went??
@@Sebastian81012 I don't know 100% but in 1 of his recent videos, he received a call while recording and the caller ID said "Crete Corporation" so I knew he was looking for another job. Whether he chose crete or not, I don't know but thats my reasoning for believing its crete.
Wow!!! Gotta be careful what I film!! Lol!!! And how fun…in the meantime you’ve met in person!!!
I've been with Werner for 8 yrs. You were on point with a lot of issues. It definitely depends on your fleet mgr. Wish you all the best.
Thanks, you too!!! 🤗
Nice job Kevin ...im glad you left Werner ...you deserve better...looking forward to new adventures and hopefully a shiny new truck 🤣🤣☝️👊💪👍
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Great video. I think I only watched a video of yours months back about the Hotel El Capitan Van Horn, TX. Fast forward a few months, I’m watching your videos cause I’ve thought of coming to Crete. Your reasons of leaving Werner, I think are the same gripes I’ve had with several companies. Lack of communication, guessing my pay check, sitting and waiting on the unknown next load, constantly swapping loads for no good reasons. I’ve been driving for seven years and it has been an experience. I’m approved to come over to Crete, I’m just doing my due diligence.
Hey there!! Thanks for watching our Van Horn video and this one. Be sure to check our channel for more videos about Crete. We have orientation vlogs and several reviews already. We are very happy with Kevin having moved to Crete. He’s making much better money. More miles. Less stress. No splitting the load unless he were to requests it because of issues with delivery time. Let us know if you have questions nor answered in our videos. And if you do decide Crete is a good fit for you, please be so kind and use our referral code: SLOKEV. 😃
You are spot on, #1, money. #2, miles.
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@9:04 this is why it's not just better but very important for people to pay themselves so that they'll know how much they're making.
If someone doesn't like what a company is paying them, they must go into business and work for themselves. They will make MUCH MORE MONEY working for themselves than working for a company.
They can also have tax advantages by working for themselves. It's a WIN WIN situation at the end of the day. It's all worth it and very fulfilling.
@14:15
I agree..why are they splitting so many runs? If Werner splits runs then they MUST pay drivers ALOT MORE MONEY for that specific run..it makes no sense for the driver but only for Werner. Drivers are just slaves with no say so when a company isn't paying the driver well.. If they driver is getting paid very well, then they're not considered being a slave.
Great Video.
I know you said you didn’t want to do touch freight but even if you did that, they only have an extra $50 total. I got extra $50 total for unloading like 5 trailers a week. I was in training but I think it’s like that out of training too. So that’s not even worth it. Werner is a starter company for a reason.
Same as me when I was in training last year
Thanks!! Depending on how tough the unloading is it could be viewed as a benefit for physical fitness. 😁😆😉
Man this was a good review! Touched on lots of the day-to-day headache that I haven’t seen in other reviews but would absolutely drive me up a wall (the money your owed will be missing from your check but you can call and your boss will randomly throw money at you; you can just refuse to do a split load and maybe it won’t be a problem 🤯).
Only critique: you did Werner instead of Swift where I’ll be starting 😂
Swift is a good company to start. They really upped their game and I would have been happy if I could have started there.
@@tmo.48 I start there Monday. Thanks for the words of encouragement 👍
@@TomAZ1984 Swift is not a bad company to work for. Just document everything that you do there. It will save you a TON of headaches! 👍
@@re4477 thanks
Swift was actually our second choice as a starter company. Bonehead Trucker has single handedly managed to give them a ‘bad’ reputation. I’m sure they will have a lot of the same issues as Werner, but it’s a good place to start!!! And their Phoenix Terminal is NICE!!! Good luck!!! Let us know how it goes!!!
Hello Kevin, You look like Clint Eastwood a little bit. I've enjoyed listening to your one your journey. Thanks for keeping it honest. Good luck with your next Company.
Lol!!!! That’s a BIG compliment!!!!! Thank you!!!
Yes I left as well after 2 years. I’m still in debt with them of $5000 and mind you I went to Roadmaster school that cost me $8000. They don’t pay enough if you’re a single person.
Did you go lease? How? $5000 is horrible 😢
@@tmo.48 so if you go to their school Roadmaster for your CDLs. You are basically in a contract with them $8000 and yes I needed a co signer. It been really tough. But now I’m down to $5,110. Mins you I’ve only had my CDLs 3 years. So yes it’s horrible
@@janashabaker9379 The best to you.
@@tmo.48 thank you 🙏
That’s terrible!!! So sorry!!! If you’re still driving for low pay find another company! If you can go to one with a sign on bonus that might knock it down fast. Or research other companies that have the type of account you’d want and pay well. With 3 years you can get jobs that pay 100,000. Good luck!!!!
TJT Thanks for the info. I was a pre-hire, I'll leave the reason out why nothing happened it's corrected but anyways this was very informative, and I will not bad mouth them they are a good company. again thanks
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Yet another great video, Kevin and Tonya. My philosophy and plan for getting into truck driving is to have the understanding that the first year be something of a polished turd with decent pay. Go into this with the first company as nothing more than the one that gets you the CDL and experience for the next company.
As I explained on your previous video, I'm either going with Roehl or Swift to get my CDL and first year. Next, it's on to either Averitt or Dot Foods (DTI). And once I get close to another 18 months with that I'll be looking at Walmart where I'll probably stay until retirement. It's going to depend though with the second company because I really like what Averitt and Dot are offering. And Dot has those blue trucks!
Sounds like a great plan!!!! Best of luck!!! Let us know how your journey develops!!
I agree with the pay assessment. Werner depends on students primarily. Many companies pay more than Werner.
Yup...
Great rants in this video. Way to go Kevin🔥
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Ive been at Werner for 5 yrs now. Everything your saying is 100% true
Yup! Glad you can relate! There are many pros as well, but…for Kevin it was time to move on.
I've been saying for years now, that a sharp lawyer ought to do a class action law suit regarding that zip code to zip code scam. If I'm being paid by the mile and the company routinely doesn't pay all the miles, that just won't be upheld in a court of law. Like you said, imagine and hourly worker being told by his boss, um, well, I don't think I'm going to pay you for all your hours worked.
My old company worked 4. Did zip code to zip code....👎.....well what about the inside miles...no comment from them....
Yes. It’s not fair to drivers and ended up becoming a real thorn in Kevin’s side!!!
@@Hydrostream1972 the answer I always get is, well that's industry standard.
I got anxiety listening to this. I’m sorry to hear this. If you’re going to stick it out as a truck driver just get your experience three years and then try to find an old owner operator who else is on track to pay you from door to door that’s your best route
Or become one!! 😁😁😁😉
It's very difficult and stressful to try and chase your pay out on the road while you're dealing with everything else we have to put up with.
Yes! Too much can fall through the cracks if you don’t keep it written down and keep following up until you can check it off. It’s money earned and shouldn’t require chasing.
Thank you I’m finishing trucking school next month and Werner just came by and talked to us and said all this nice fancy stuff. Iv been in Security for 10 years and those companies do the same day something and do the opposite and not taking care of their employees and mess up the pay thanks for the review
Thanks for watching. We will say that even with all these reasons we feel it was a good company to start. And some of the dedicated accounts pay well. Good luck on your journey!!
I had these same issues with Werner but I never left until it was time for a lifestyle change, because I always assumed that I would have these same problems with any other company.
Which is probably true amongst major carriers.
Yes. Some of these issues are industry wide but to different degrees at different companies. And if you’re going to put up with some of it you might as well be getting better money. 😉 What lifestyle change did you do if we may ask?
@@TheJoyofTrucking I took a local P&D job with a FedEx Ground contractor. I'm enjoying it. I'm home daily and make just as much if not more. I used to do line haul for another FedEx partner, but got sick of driving at night and getting pulled into the California POE and being put OOS for petty stuff.
If I ever choose to go OTR again, I'll likely go with Crete, as well. I considered it many times while at Werner, but I feared succumbing to greener grass syndrome.
One thing about Kevin, his math always be “MATHING” 😂 this man is spot on! Seems like a good starter company but def after 6 months to a year it’s important to go ahead and find a better opportunity. Thanks again Kevin for another GREAT and honest review.
Keven I must say you took too long to leave Werner I started with them 2 years ago and took me 3 months to leave them as a OTR driver you are right we should be running miles no OTR driver should be making under 1000 a week period much less 2400 miles a week when I left got with a company not even a mega company ran a dedicated route Texas to California and back just with that I averaged 3100 to 3300 a week without going all over country weekly average pay 1300 a week take home pay at 53 CPM there is companies out there that pay well you just have to do research I’m glad to hear you moved on was waiting for that day hated to see the mess you were going through you deserve better like a lot of us drivers do
Thank you do much!!!
Basically the same b.s for all of these mega carriers. I just left dart. I dealt with the exact same pay issue with them. My first week out my truck sat in the shop for 8 days. Be well and best wishes to you out on the road.
😳😳😳 Who do you drive for now?
I'm about to start us express carrier in las Vagas, .70 cpm
That’s awesome!! Congratulations!!
Wow, that's a lot of stress 😮 No wonder that so many people say that being a truck driver is being a dog. Very sad 😢 I get stressed out by just listening to your story. Ok, good for you. Sounds like you are a smart man. I kind of wonder what you for a living before you started to drive a truck and being a truck driver. Ok, good luck to you.
Keep us updated. Thanks
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I worked for werner for 9months and I second everything he said. I spent about 7 weeks over 2 1/2 months in a hotel do to breakdown. I had to fight to get anew truck, and when I finally got one, it needed to go into the shop. Other than breakdown I had alot of unpaid downtime and in one week, I traveled less than 200 miles combined over 3 days and I was team driving. As a team we average almost %50 of our time waiting and unpaid. We felt like part time truck drivers despite spend over a month on the road each time we went out. We I decided to leave, they tried to force me to pick up a load on deliver it before turning in our truck, which needed to be in the shop for overheating issues, no license plate and a leaking tire. I told them I would take it to a shop if they wanted, but they refused to give me a answer and I eventually had to leave it at a speedco, and when I tried verifying they were receiving everything (elds, keys) they stopped answering my phone calls. I was never able to get them on the phone again. The only people I could get on the phone were not in a position to verify that they had received everything.
Holy cow!!! Sounds like a terrible experience!!! So sorry! Hope you found a good company now!!! Kevin is very happy at Crete.
Why did you have to turn in your truck just to change home terminals??
I’m switching from Dallas, TX to Lake City, FL and I’m keeping the truck I’ve been in for the last 7 months.
Good question! We think it’s because Kevin wanted 2 weeks and they insisted he take a leave of absence. That’s probably why they took Kenny away from him.
We wish you a good transition!
I drive with them right now and it’s been a year now, what you’re saying is absolutely true .. 3 weeks they told me to drop an empty in our drop and about 100miles then go another 180 miles to pick up another load but they forgot to pay me 😂 until now
Interesting video. I am not happy for you, but I enjoyed your content.
I recently stopped driving for Werner. I drove their Power Only side. As a non Werner employee I picked up a lot of your split loads. Doesn't seem fair.
Mainly, I did the load no one picked or bid on. Listening to your story makes me wonder how loads were assigned to Power Only?
I made $1.90 a mile plus a fuel surcharge. I was averaging $2.60 a mile. But like you said, there was no structure to the pay. It seems easy enough.
When I started with Werner I was told that 98% of the loads I'd get were Drop and Hook. Not sure how, but I became their 2% guy. All the loads ended up live on one end or the other.
I had asked about Detention Pay? Was told they almost never have Detention because their trailers are always loaded and ready.
After working their loads, I realized what they meant to say was, "We just don't pay Detention as promised!"
If I was a minute late for pickup, I wouldn't qualify for Detention. Even if I was late because of them. I believe they went out of their way to make you late.
True store, was in the News about six months ago. The CEO of Werner got indicted for tax evasion. Makes me think if they'll screw the Government, why not their employees?
That's too bad. Werner was the makings of a great company. They just choose not to be.
Wow!!! Thanks for sharing your story with Werner! It is sad. There are many good things about the company. But some stuff is just not ok!!! What are you doing now?
@@TheJoyofTrucking you ever hear the phrase...be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
I had wished for a trailer. I fell into a sweet deal. Couldn't pass it up. I have been running loads off of the load boards.
Truth be told, I made more money running Power Only. I'm looking at parking my trailer and going back to Power Only.
The rates are horrible. Plus I now have a trailer payment and extra insurance.
Good luck to you.
@@MadMax-pt3yk Best of luck with whichever choice you make!! And thanks for watching!!!
CRST does the same thing with Pay!!!! Everything you said about chasing the pay was what I dealt with at that company as well, if they don't pay you on time, they should make good on it right then when it's brought up, not put it on the next check.....
Yrs!!! Sorry you had to deal with the same crap!
I think the fact you were hired as an over the road driver and somehow ended up as a regional driver, that was bad. Corrupt, comes to mind.
Definitely not what we wanted to do or thought we’d be doing!!!
I agree with everything you’re saying. I work with W.E in the dollar tree account and it really sucks but one more month and I’ll be moving forward with another company.
Good for you!!! Get the experience and advance your career!!! Kevin is doing very well at Crete and is grateful he made a change. What company are you switching to?
Werner is just a training company anyway. It's not a career company imo..most just stay to get that solid year then move on to better opportunities and big $$.
Perhaps you can elaborate on a training company versus career company and name some names.
@@nobull4414 Training companies..all the mega carriers..swift, werner, prime, c.r. England just a few. And that's great that they offer training to do that..but they also don't pay enough money once you gather experience. It's best to get the solid year with no accidents incidents etc and go into something like ltl where you can be home everyday and make 6 figures. After all, it's all about the money correct?
@@DG38594 Everybody is getting into the training game. Please tell me the ltl company that pays $100k?
@@nobull4414 FedEx freight, saia, odfl, estes, pick one and ride with it. All virtually offer dock to driver training and will help you get CDL. First year you can make $60 to 70k easy. After that it's all 6 figure mostly. And plus be home with awesome benefits.
@@DG38594 not to mention all the BS that comes with ltl delivering to neighborhoods that no semi belong also while management tracking you're EVERY moment, counting every min it takes in between deliveries. Don't get me started on the dock workers loading up the trailers 🤣🤣
I started with Werner back in 1999 after truck driving school and started out at .24 cents a mile. After 2 years, I quit Werner and moved on. They are a good starter company to get experience. My biggest problem with Werner was that you get a good load, then 4 hours down the road, you get the red light on the dash, which meant an important message on the Qualcomm, and it would say driver needs home time, split the load at a certain location and you would swap loads with the other driver so they can go home. Back in those days, you could read the Qualcomm while driving. It didn't read the message to you on the speaker, but not long after that, only team drivers could use the Qualcomm while driving. I went back to Werner a few years later and quit again for a better job. I would never go back to Werner again. Out of all the companies I've worked for, Crete has been the best company. I'm going on 4 years now here at Crete and I love it here. My asset manager is the best.
Yes!!! That was one of Kevin’s biggest frustrations!!! Get excited about a longer run, do all the trip planning, and boom, split…take it away. 🤦♀️
4 years at Crete! Nice! Please come say hello if you see us somewhere!
@@TheJoyofTrucking Actually I saw the two of you at the Road Ranger (old dixie truck stop in McLean IL the other day. I didn't realize that was Kevin fueling up next to me. I parked after fueling and I saw the Crete truck park and who gets out is Kevin. I saw him walking across the parking lot to go inside. I should have said hi to the two of you. Next time I will 🙂