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Experience With Werner

m_fumich

Member
I started with Werner straight out of CDL school. A lot of other companies pay better during training but it was ok. I had a real good trainer. The best part about Werner is that there is ALWAYS freight. Any day, any time. My 2nd biggest complaint is that my dispatcher wouldn't send me west of the Mississippi River or south of Kentucky unless I was headed for home time. i was in Watertown, NY and i asked for a load going south. My next pick-up was in Toledo going to Syracuse. I called and asked "what about some freight south?" They said "no problem. Your next load is going to Iowa." Since when is iowa in the south. The load after that did go to Baton Rouge but I got there a week before the receiver needed it. He had no place to put it. At the same time, Werner was pushing me to get it there as soon as I could. My biggest complaint is the pay. I was getting 26 cents a miles. Their pay scale tops out at 36 cents a mile and you've got to have 15 years to make that. The only good pay is to be a trainer. As a trainer you get paid for all the miles the truck rolls but it's at 2 cents a mile less than your solo rate. Also, refer drivers get 2 cents less across the board. Can you imaging being a 15 year driver getting 34 cents a mile? I did my training at Werner then moved on to better pay.
 
My husband went to Werner straight out of school too. They put him on a Dollar General account, after he specifically asked not to be put on it.. He too was making 26cents a mile.. They weren't paying lumpers so my husband had to unload the truck himself.. Have you ever saw how many boxes can fit on those trucks? Needless to say he finished his route and we found him a different company to go to.
 
Dollar General is actually one of the desired jobs to have with Werner. They now use Rolltainers. Rolltainers are racks filled with the boxes. They fit about 4 wide in the trailer. You just roll them to the lift gate and lower them to the ground then roll them into the store. No lifting involved. Since it gets unloaded at each store, lumpers aren't an option. I'm sure he got paid for the unloading but without rolltainers, that's a real pain and not worth the money. however, with the rolltainers, it's a sweet deal.
 
Dollar General is actually one of the desired jobs to have with Werner. They now use Rolltainers. Rolltainers are racks filled with the boxes. They fit about 4 wide in the trailer. You just roll them to the lift gate and lower them to the ground then roll them into the store. No lifting involved. Since it gets unloaded at each store, lumpers aren't an option. I'm sure he got paid for the unloading but without rolltainers, that's a real pain and not worth the money. however, with the rolltainers, it's a sweet deal.


BAHAHAHA LMAO.. I guess if you consider $10/ 1000 boxes "paid" then yea, they paid him.. When he was there, they didn't have Rolltainers. They had a ramp with wheels (whatever those are called) and he had to slide the boxes down the ramp and then put them on a pull cart.. TONS OF WORK.. Guess they finally upgraded some stuff.. He had to go to a chiropracter after 2 days of the DG.. He was only there 6.. just wasnt worth it.
 
BAHAHAHA LMAO.. I guess if you consider $10/ 1000 boxes "paid" then yea, they paid him.. When he was there, they didn't have Rolltainers. They had a ramp with wheels (whatever those are called) and he had to slide the boxes down the ramp and then put them on a pull cart.. TONS OF WORK.. Guess they finally upgraded some stuff.. He had to go to a chiropracter after 2 days of the DG.. He was only there 6.. just wasnt worth it.

You hit it right on the head, low pay per box, and how much will your back cost you down the road. A lifetime of pain for a very little gain right now.
 
I began my driving w/ Werner and enjoyed working w/ them. The trainers I had were o/o and showed how to look for things during PTIs that I did not know about.
Those two guys were patient and let me get plenty of backing experience so I could get it in on the first try w/o rubbing trailers.
The co personel I met and talked to, dispatchers included, were nice and knowledgeable. Maybe I got lucky. I never had problems getting loads and only once had mt over 25 miles. As for the equipment. I had a longnose Pete w/ 250k on it and it looked and ran like new. Only time I had a problem I was able to get it fixed in a T/A in a few hours.
The two problems I had were the low pay and the other drivers. I averaged out my pay and was working for 8.27 an hour the first month out solo. Not too good. As far as drivers, I met too many unhappy w/ the company and always complained about it and the equipment. They were just bitter people and you could tell. Those two reasons are why I no longer work there. Otherwise the company treated me well and I would go back if they raised the pay.
 
im currently a "team driver" for werner and i must say they suck!!!i had 2 trainers my first one didnt train at all wouldnt let me drive the truck and my 2nd one wouldnt let me back up!!so i didnt fell confident enough when i got out there that i decided to team. our pay is 13 cents per mile. we are on team werner and average between 150-1000 miles a trip.mainly its around 350miles and alot of live loads or unloads. then if thats not bad enough they havent been giving us paychecks!!they owe me a 500 dollar bonus check and another 1200 for joining as a team. oh and my dispatcher doesnt know how to do his job, hes always trying to pressure us to drive in unsafe conditions.like when we went through the snow storm on i80 we seen at least 20 jack knifes and i couldnt see the road anymore. and another werner truck almost crashed in front of me going up a mountain and barely saved the truck from going off the edge..lets just say it would have been a long drop. met up with him a few miles down the road and found out he was a newbie (2nd day driving) and his trainer was asleep in the back and he wasnt anticipating the 60 mph winds he was driving through.
 
.13 per mile? I realize this is a tea operation but still, that is horrible pay!
 
none that i know of but usually its a good idea to go slow. my truck would start sliding around 15 mph in some places.and while i was driving slow many idiots thought nothing of it went flying by and many of them ended up jack knifed a few miles up.
 
Firecracker...
Your team Werner and you are only doing that many miles? dang. My husband and i are also Team Werner and we get 7000+ a week. Seldom are they live load and unload. I would say close to 97% are drop and hook. You stated you are still waiting on your 500 bonus. I gather that is your completion of training bonus ( i was trained by hubby). Once you send in that peice of paper the gave you when you tested out and you complete the next load you should have it on your next check. As for the team bonus. Once you have been team for 90 days you get the first 1200 I honestly cant remember if it is split or not, seeing hubbies and my check go to same account. I do hope you are having a better time now. I think alot of it has to do with your dispatcher. We love ours.
whitedove40
 
none that i know of but usually its a good idea to go slow. my truck would start sliding around 15 mph in some places.and while i was driving slow many idiots thought nothing of it went flying by and many of them ended up jack knifed a few miles up.

its actually quite funny you say about the trucks jacknifing up the road.

i had seen this happen myself. and if they were not jack knifed, they were rolled over in the median or in one of the shoulders.


this goes to show EVERYONE, the outright stupidity of the drivers and their over-confidence in thier driving abilities.

mind you now, that there could have been, and i'm sure there was, a 4 wheeler somehow involved with those wrecks as well.

the 4 wheelers could have spun out, the truck drivers being stupid, then truing to avoid the 4 wheelers, lose traction themselves.

frankly, as i pass the wrecks, i give them the "finger"........rude, crude, or being an @sshole myself....?? YOU BET, AND IN SPADES. and i DO NOT STOP TO HELP.............i keep "chugging along"...........

those drivers that passed me would biotch at me on the radio.

i was driving at what speed I FELT COMFORTABLE WITH. NO ONE TELLS ME HOW TO DRIVE MY TRUCK......

if they were so "professional" and "experienced", they would have gone much slower themselves...........
 
Hey Werner people beware of some very shady information I got first hand from a trainer truck the other day.
This trainer has been with the company for while, based out of the Lithia Springs, GA terminal, I was out of hours as were he and his student, so as we were all hanging out at a Flyin Hook down south watchin TV early last week his student tells me this scary story.
This trainer and student were laid over at the Petro on I-285 Exit 12 in Atlanta a day or two before the tornado hit as they tell it, the both of them invited a lizard into the truck, the student says the trainer was doing coke and have a wild 'ol time with this hooker late into that morning, the student was unhappy because he could not sleep was uncomfortable and left the truck to hang inside the Petro until 4ish in the morning.
Now it gets scary, I guess they were dispatched to the terminal to grab a split load, upon their arrival they were told to report to the saftey office, the trainer sent the student in to see what was up, they told the student they needed to see his trainer immediately, as he said they told him don't pass go, tell him to report here immediately.
Yup, the dude was given a DOT drug test, as the student tells it this guy was very nervous about what was about to go down. Later that night the trainer fessed up that he thought he was going to be OK because he laid $400 on the desk where the paperwork fro the test was sitting, he said an older dude that administered the test did not say a word and grabbed the dough and put it in his shirt pocket, if this happened we should all take heed, this guy in charge of collecting that sample pulled some very shady and seriously illegal dealings with a federally mandated drug test.
They said they got out of town a day before the tornado hit Atlanta, it had been several days since the test, the student said his trainer was bragging that morning that saftey would have contacted him if he was in trouble, and how he got away with it, he paid off a DOT drug screener in Atlanta,
I been thinking about this real hard, I am very disturbed that some innocent driver may have had a sample switched out, or some administrative jerk is pocketing money, and fixing tests in exchange for risking an alcohol or drug related fatality that will put another black mark on this industry.
I called the main saftey office in Omaha and told the lady that answered the phone, after I explained my concerns and requested she have someone check out the details of those that were tested around that time, she was interested in the information, but when she asked , I refused to give my name not wanting to get involved with such a mess. I can only hope some innocent driver has not been victimized by this dasterdly deciet on behalf of a messed up fellow truck driver out to save his own skin. I hope that lady in Omaha passed on the info, I just ain't gonna get myself in some jam over illegal government rules. Am I wrong to not get involved?
Be aware of your surroundings, I really believed this student, he had no reason to lie about anything, and you could tell he was scared being with this trainer.
Take this as a lesson, one can't be to careful if chosen for a random, be sure all procedures are followed to the max, and if possible go right out and have another test done at a nuetral site........SCARY STUFF KIDS!!!!
 
I called the main saftey office in Omaha and told the lady that answered the phone, after I explained my concerns and requested she have someone check out the details of those that were tested around that time, she was interested in the information, but when she asked , I refused to give my name not wanting to get involved with such a mess. I can only hope some innocent driver has not been victimized by this dasterdly deciet on behalf of a messed up fellow truck driver out to save his own skin. I hope that lady in Omaha passed on the info, I just ain't gonna get myself in some jam over illegal government rules. Am I wrong to not get involved?


i BOLDED & underlined your remarks/question

yes, you were wrong not to get furthur involved, and here's why.....

on the back of most trailers there is an 800 number....right....??

when people call in that number to complain, very often they are asked for a name and return phone number WHICH IS CONFIDENTIAL.....

by giving your name and number, you "QUALIFY" your complaint, its not then considered a "crank call"...........which ticked-off girl friends or wives will do to their men. it's not a "crank call" from some road-rage driver, trying to "get even" with the driver...

you know, you WERE ALREADY INVOLVED when you spoke to those drivers. you were involved when you made to call to Omaha..............

but, frankly, i don't believe any of what you say, because you are telling us what happened is "hear-say".........you have NO PROOF of what actually happened.

by you not "qualifing" that phone call, it fell on deaf ears as just another "crank-call"...............

i would suggest that (since you claim to be on strike, and probably doing nothing important), to call Werner again, appologize for your indiscrestion, and "qualify" that previous phone call.....

otherwise, why warn us or anyone else about what happened...??

as i for one, do not believe a word you said.............
 
[/b][/i][/u]

i BOLDED & underlined your remarks/question

yes, you were wrong not to get furthur involved, and here's why.....

on the back of most trailers there is an 800 number....right....??

when people call in that number to complain, very often they are asked for a name and return phone number WHICH IS CONFIDENTIAL.....

by giving your name and number, you "QUALIFY" your complaint, its not then considered a "crank call"...........which ticked-off girl friends or wives will do to their men. it's not a "crank call" from some road-rage driver, trying to "get even" with the driver...

you know, you WERE ALREADY INVOLVED when you spoke to those drivers. you were involved when you made to call to Omaha..............

but, frankly, i don't believe any of what you say, because you are telling us what happened is "hear-say".........you have NO PROOF of what actually happened.

by you not "qualifing" that phone call, it fell on deaf ears as just another "crank-call"...............

i would suggest that (since you claim to be on strike, and probably doing nothing important), to call Werner again, appologize for your indiscrestion, and "qualify" that previous phone call.....

otherwise, why warn us or anyone else about what happened...??

as i for one, do not believe a word you said.............

Ya, these forums usually produce a negative reply 90% of the time, I would not have taken the time to call these people, nor the time to post.
Do I care if you believe me? NOPE
Am I sure that what this studnet was telling me was true? NOPE
I have just had a gut feeling that something is wrong with this picture, you have a right to your opinion, I have sent a letter to the DOT regarding this incident in hopes they will investigate.
You are right about heresay, so I apologize if you are offended in any way, I stand by my post, this subject is closed from any further reaction or response to critics opinions on what I should or should not have done.
 
i am not offended by your post, more so however that you dodn't "qualify" the phone call to Ohmaha. if you had at least done that, you would have gained "accountability" for your actions and to start a real investigation, thusly preventing any major disaster on the highways.

and you have "been around a while", so you know what's trye and what isn't. a full incvestigation would have concluded the results of the "qualified" information needed to proceed.
 
im currently a "team driver" for werner and i must say they suck!!!i had 2 trainers my first one didnt train at all wouldnt let me drive the truck and my 2nd one wouldnt let me back up!!so i didnt fell confident enough when i got out there that i decided to team. our pay is 13 cents per mile. we are on team werner and average between 150-1000 miles a trip.mainly its around 350miles and alot of live loads or unloads. then if thats not bad enough they havent been giving us paychecks!!they owe me a 500 dollar bonus check and another 1200 for joining as a team. oh and my dispatcher doesnt know how to do his job, hes always trying to pressure us to drive in unsafe conditions.like when we went through the snow storm on i80 we seen at least 20 jack knifes and i couldnt see the road anymore. and another werner truck almost crashed in front of me going up a mountain and barely saved the truck from going off the edge..lets just say it would have been a long drop. met up with him a few miles down the road and found out he was a newbie (2nd day driving) and his trainer was asleep in the back and he wasnt anticipating the 60 mph winds he was driving through.
THATS WHY I SAY **** THESE MAJOR COMPANIES. YOUR JUST A NUMBER TO THEM!
 
Hey Werner people beware of some very shady information I got first hand from a trainer truck the other day.
This trainer has been with the company for while, based out of the Lithia Springs, GA terminal, I was out of hours as were he and his student, so as we were all hanging out at a Flyin Hook down south watchin TV early last week his student tells me this scary story.
This trainer and student were laid over at the Petro on I-285 Exit 12 in Atlanta a day or two before the tornado hit as they tell it, the both of them invited a lizard into the truck, the student says the trainer was doing coke and have a wild 'ol time with this hooker late into that morning, the student was unhappy because he could not sleep was uncomfortable and left the truck to hang inside the Petro until 4ish in the morning.
Now it gets scary, I guess they were dispatched to the terminal to grab a split load, upon their arrival they were told to report to the saftey office, the trainer sent the student in to see what was up, they told the student they needed to see his trainer immediately, as he said they told him don't pass go, tell him to report here immediately.
Yup, the dude was given a DOT drug test, as the student tells it this guy was very nervous about what was about to go down. Later that night the trainer fessed up that he thought he was going to be OK because he laid $400 on the desk where the paperwork fro the test was sitting, he said an older dude that administered the test did not say a word and grabbed the dough and put it in his shirt pocket, if this happened we should all take heed, this guy in charge of collecting that sample pulled some very shady and seriously illegal dealings with a federally mandated drug test.
They said they got out of town a day before the tornado hit Atlanta, it had been several days since the test, the student said his trainer was bragging that morning that saftey would have contacted him if he was in trouble, and how he got away with it, he paid off a DOT drug screener in Atlanta,
I been thinking about this real hard, I am very disturbed that some innocent driver may have had a sample switched out, or some administrative jerk is pocketing money, and fixing tests in exchange for risking an alcohol or drug related fatality that will put another black mark on this industry.
I called the main saftey office in Omaha and told the lady that answered the phone, after I explained my concerns and requested she have someone check out the details of those that were tested around that time, she was interested in the information, but when she asked , I refused to give my name not wanting to get involved with such a mess. I can only hope some innocent driver has not been victimized by this dasterdly deciet on behalf of a messed up fellow truck driver out to save his own skin. I hope that lady in Omaha passed on the info, I just ain't gonna get myself in some jam over illegal government rules. Am I wrong to not get involved?
Be aware of your surroundings, I really believed this student, he had no reason to lie about anything, and you could tell he was scared being with this trainer.
Take this as a lesson, one can't be to careful if chosen for a random, be sure all procedures are followed to the max, and if possible go right out and have another test done at a nuetral site........SCARY STUFF KIDS!!!!
WELL I WOULDN"T PUT THIS STUFF PAST PEOPLE BUT AS FOR YOUR STORY, I BELIEVE YOU SAID IT BEST WHEN YOU SAID (I HEARD IT FROM A STUDENT).
 

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