Review Of Averitt Express

[MustangLX]

Just remembered this. An excerpt from a text I got Friday from a lady in Texas, whose husband I refered a while back.

>...It is still working out well for Chad. His checks have been averaging $950-1100 gross and has been home every week. He said it's hard work, but he enjoys it...<

Chad hired into the Dollar General fleet out of Ardmore, OK. He runs out of Lubbock, TX.

 

[Stogi]

Thanks for the input Mustang.

 

[ironhead3]

I live near an Averitt term. I was layed off making 60-70k now i am working for a local logistic co. for 34cpm. Home every other night. Its slip seat and bad ins. and half the income i am used to. But I used to do more work unload my own trailer. Averitt is hiring in Greer Sc. Star at 37 cpm top out at 41.5. I think they are getting a BMW contract of some sort. I am also thinking about car hauling. There are two companies hauling out of the BMW Plant in Greer Saying 68k-72k. I am going to make a move after christmas.I am not a job hopper i want to make the right move. I know Averitt will move you within the Co. to a better job.Wondering how long the wait is on ave.This terminal here has been here forever.Equipment looks great.When they say home on weekend, do they mean Fri-night to Sun. Or a good honest week end?Thank you for being willing to share. My job is very important to me.I really miss my last job. I even transferred to Norcross Ga to stay. But ayear later they layed off 85 more and I did not make it.Where I live I have a choice of Estes, Old Dom. And Avritt or car hauling. I wish you well. thanks again.

 

[MustangLX]

If you have an opportunity to make 68-72k a year I would recommend going for it.
The only ones making anywhere close to that here are the .46cpm shuttle drivers, but that position is being phased out.
Actually the job is still there, but has been reclassified at a lower rate(.415). It is now called combo, which is a catch all term allowing them to work a driver on the dock, in the city or line haul.

According to the Averitt/Careers web site, there are no openings in SC, but it may not be current.
It does say there are immediate openings for combo drivers in Lawrenceville.(They call it Norcross for some reason)

As far as weekends for TL regional driver, my experience was generally late Friday to late Sunday, occasionally leave Monday if I brought a short load home.
Come dragging in on Saturday sometimes. But I can honestly say I never missed a weekend in just over three years.

Moving into something else is mostly a matter of location. It took me three years to get this dedicated gig. And that was only because the guy over me in seniority declined, not wanting to go up north every week.
I haul parts for Mercedes-Benz, working four on/three off.

Unlike where you live, there is very little opportunity here as far as quality driving jobs. I live three miles from Averitt yard and plan on retiring here. Nearest Estes yard I could run out of is Atlanta, 140 miles.
Maybe find something in Columbia, but that's still 80 miles.

I like it here very much, but not going to bs you. I think you could do better with the other choices you mentioned.

 

[Road Dust]

If only you were my trainer

 

[2lilboots]

I would think Estes and ODFL would pay better.

 

[patriciajnsn]

Is Averitt and first fleet together??????????????I'm parked near an Averitt term waiting for my appt time and I see alot of first fleets go in there.

I live near an Averitt term. I was layed off making 60-70k now i am working for a local logistic co. for 34cpm. Home every other night. Its slip seat and bad ins. and half the income i am used to. But I used to do more work unload my own trailer. Averitt is hiring in Greer Sc. Star at 37 cpm top out at 41.5. I think they are getting a BMW contract of some sort. I am also thinking about car hauling. There are two companies hauling out of the BMW Plant in Greer Saying 68k-72k. I am going to make a move after christmas.I am not a job hopper i want to make the right move. I know Averitt will move you within the Co. to a better job.Wondering how long the wait is on ave.This terminal here has been here forever.Equipment looks great.When they say home on weekend, do they mean Fri-night to Sun. Or a good honest week end?Thank you for being willing to share. My job is very important to me.I really miss my last job. I even transferred to Norcross Ga to stay. But ayear later they layed off 85 more and I did not make it.Where I live I have a choice of Estes, Old Dom. And Avritt or car hauling. I wish you well. thanks again.

 

[MustangLX]

I would think Estes and ODFL would pay better.

They definitely do. That's why I told him what I did.
But I live in the sticks, and Averitt is the best I can do around here and I'm not commuting long distance.
And if I moved closer to a big city, what I spent on housing would balance out whatever more I earned.

 

[MustangLX]

Is Averitt and first fleet together??????????????I'm parked near an Averitt term waiting for my appt time and I see alot of first fleets go in there.

They are related somehow(I think owned by the same guy), but we don't interchange freight or trailers with them.

 

[ironhead3]

I think Averitt is going to get a BMW contract here in Greenville/Greer. I was talking to a Merc/Benz Avritt driver at Montaplast in Frankfort KY.

 

[cristyb]

O.K. here it is..... My husband has been with AE for 3 months. I realize he is still in the probation period. Can he request a new dispatcher while he is still on probation? His dispatcher has no sense whatsoever. I won't say which terminal he works out of, but he sent my husband a load that would not get him home for the holidays and my husband turned him down. So the dispatcher said he would find him something else. So my husband sat in his truck all day and all night waiting and NOTHING. The next morning he contacted his dispatcher and asked if he had anything for him yet and the dispatcher responed back with "aren't you on that load I sent you yesterday"? and my husband told him he turned it down and the dispatcher told him he had to take it anyway. So..... he didn't make it home for the holiday. This is just not right. I think they need to get rid of this idiot. They need to do what they say they will do, but everything they tell you is a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tn. Truckers Wife]

O.K. here it is..... My husband has been with AE for 3 months. I realize he is still in the probation period. Can he request a new dispatcher while he is still on probation? His dispatcher has no sense whatsoever. I won't say which terminal he works out of, but he sent my husband a load that would not get him home for the holidays and my husband turned him down. So the dispatcher said he would find him something else. So my husband sat in his truck all day and all night waiting and NOTHING. The next morning he contacted his dispatcher and asked if he had anything for him yet and the dispatcher responed back with "aren't you on that load I sent you yesterday"? and my husband told him he turned it down and the dispatcher told him he had to take it anyway. So..... he didn't make it home for the holiday. This is just not right. I think they need to get rid of this idiot. They need to do what they say they will do, but everything they tell you is a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cristyb, I really hate to tell you this but this is the way things work.....If you don't do EXACTLY what they want you to do then it's punishment time.....It dosen't matter if your a company driver or a owner operator....I know I've seen it happen over and over and over again no matter where you work....They know they have you right where they want you.....I know it sucks..My husband is an o/o and he quit the last company that he worked for over 8 years because they were TRYING to force him to take looser loads and when he refused they left him sitting home for a week....When they offered him a load a week later, it was the same load.....
We've been in this business for over 16 years, he's been a company driver and an o/o and he's had MANY dispatchers and it's all the same no matter where you go...

Sorry your husband didn't make it home for the holidays....

 

[cristyb]

So in other words what you're saying is this idiot dispatcher did this on purpose by making him take the load after turning it down? And all the time knowing he was sitting in his truck all day and all night waiting for another load? Does the company know these dispatchers are doing this? Can my husband request another dispatcher even though he is still on probation. Does your husband work for this company?

 

[Tn. Truckers Wife]

So in other words what you're saying is this idiot dispatcher did this on purpose by making him take the load after turning it down? And all the time knowing he was sitting in his truck all day and all night waiting for another load? Does the company know these dispatchers are doing this? Can my husband request another dispatcher even though he is still on probation. Does your husband work for this company?

That's exactly what I'm saying...It was done intentionally because he refused a load....When you refuse a load you WILL be punished....It is done this way throughout the industry and not just at Averitt..

My husband owns his truck and is not a company driver...

These companies get a kick back from the government for every driver they train and put on the road so the company really dosen't care if a driver stays or moves on....
My stepson spent $5,000 to get his cdl....He hired on at Averitt and went out a few times with a trainer...When he took his final test with the trainer he told the trainer that he was not ready to be on his own and the trainer agreed...The trainer sent paperwork to Averitt stating that he was NOT READY to be on his own...They sent him out anyway....A few weeks later he was pulling the truck and trailer on a scale at night and didn't get the back tires ligned up on the scale and the trailer slipped off and broke in half...They fired him IMMEDIATELY.....That ended his truck driving career and cost him $5,000.

 

[cristyb]

No they lie..... my husband sometimes gets home late sat. and has to leave out again on sun. He has a sorry dispatcher that sends him loads that make it impossible for him to get home for holidays. Friday is supposed to be a holiday for all AE drivers, but the idiot dispatcher sent him a load that will not get him home.

 

[MustangLX]

His dispatcher may have wanted him to pick up that load so it would be covered. After it was picked up, he may have planned to send him a "load change", advising him where to drop it, then send him home with another load or an empty trailer.
Maybe he just didn't take the time to explain everything.
It was a mistake to just not pick up the load. Even though he refused it(which we are not allowed to do), unless he recieved a "disregard load assignment" message, he was still on it.
I have never known any of our drivers to be deliberately held out, especially on a holiday. If the fleet manager is that bad, there is number on the card they gave him. It is the "open line". But in this situation, after refusing a load, he is not in a good position to argue.

 

[patriciajnsn]

That's too bad.Unfortunately your husband is going to find idiot dispatchers no matter where he goes and especially with big companies that only know you by your trk number instead of your voice.How long of a notice did husband give his dispatcher that he wanted to be home for the holidays????????????????? Next time no matter who it is where he goes,keep reminding dispatcher habout hometime,daily if you have to.Dispatchers are so scatterbrain most the time.I don't think requesting a new dispatcher will do any good.Only thing different about him is his name and voice.They're all pretty much the same.Maybe he can try talking to someone higher up the next time he gets routed to a terminal.I think I would so just maybe he will get a stern talking to and this won't happen anymore in the future with other drivers.I think that was VERY WRONG of him not to get hubby home for the holidays.How often does he get home????????????But mustang has a point,it could have been lack of communication.Trucking companies are very well known for that,they like keeping the drivers in the dark.

O.K. here it is..... My husband has been with AE for 3 months. I realize he is still in the probation period. Can he request a new dispatcher while he is still on probation? His dispatcher has no sense whatsoever. I won't say which terminal he works out of, but he sent my husband a load that would not get him home for the holidays and my husband turned him down. So the dispatcher said he would find him something else. So my husband sat in his truck all day and all night waiting and NOTHING. The next morning he contacted his dispatcher and asked if he had anything for him yet and the dispatcher responed back with "aren't you on that load I sent you yesterday"? and my husband told him he turned it down and the dispatcher told him he had to take it anyway. So..... he didn't make it home for the holiday. This is just not right. I think they need to get rid of this idiot. They need to do what they say they will do, but everything they tell you is a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Trucker&#039;s Honey]

Dallas Terminal?

O.K. here it is..... My husband has been with AE for 3 months. I realize he is still in the probation period. Can he request a new dispatcher while he is still on probation? His dispatcher has no sense whatsoever. I won't say which terminal he works out of, but he sent my husband a load that would not get him home for the holidays and my husband turned him down. So the dispatcher said he would find him something else. So my husband sat in his truck all day and all night waiting and NOTHING. The next morning he contacted his dispatcher and asked if he had anything for him yet and the dispatcher responed back with "aren't you on that load I sent you yesterday"? and my husband told him he turned it down and the dispatcher told him he had to take it anyway. So..... he didn't make it home for the holiday. This is just not right. I think they need to get rid of this idiot. They need to do what they say they will do, but everything they tell you is a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It wasn't the Dallas Terminal was it? My hubby is training on that account.

 

[RAGMAN]

Wow nothing new on or about Averitt in over 2 years... does this company really suck.. im seriously thinking of going there as i need refresher training (which they pay for according to their website) plus they are like 5 minutes from my house..
anyone work there currently? does this place really suck or is it just typically bs like all other companies where you have good days and bad.. ?? any info would be seriously appreciated.

 

[Tim]

Wow nothing new on or about Averitt in over 2 years... does this company really suck.. im seriously thinking of going there as i need refresher training (which they pay for according to their website) plus they are like 5 minutes from my house..
anyone work there currently? does this place really suck or is it just typically bs like all other companies where you have good days and bad.. ?? any info would be seriously appreciated.

Stay out of the flatbed side of Averitt. They aint got there act together in flatbeding no matter what they claim. But I've never really heard anything bad about the van side.
I have a friend that works for them in the office down in Tn but we've never talk about trucking, more about racing.