After completing my tractor trailer driving school (which cost over $6,000 I was pre-hired by several trucking companies, including Werner Enterprises. Since Werner had a terminal in my hometown, and they did have smooth talking recruters, I waited for two months for orientation.
I was assigned a trainer within a couple of days. His name was James Brittle. I informed him that I hadn't been inside a truck for over two months so I proberly would be abit rusty at first, and the transmission in his truck I had never driven. After a crash course I was on the road. Every mistake I made (mostly shifting) I was cussed out, called a stupid M.F. Etc. I found out that his last student he had went to the restroom at a reststop and he through his bags out and left him high and dry. He said that he had just gotten married and he was off for two weeks and the only reason he took on a student was he needed the miles.
A students pay is pretty slim, and aren't allowed to bring anything but clothes, and sleeping gear. Most truck stops give free showers for every 50gals of fuel you purchase. Sometimes you may get 3 or 4 vouchers. If not you paid 5 bucks a shot. He told me that his vouchers were his vouchers and he didn't share. Food, showers and smokes were costing more than I was making.
I was a nervous wreck the whole time I was driving as long as he was awake. The company policy was that a student was not allowed to drive after midnight the fist month. After a week, I drove thru Colorado with a trailer load of beer for 10hrs. The qualcom didn't care, the trainer didn't care, and werner didn't care. The bottom line was getting the miles.
While in Kansas city Mo, I recieved a qualcom saying there was a family emergency (my Father had a stroke) And yes, I was left at the next truck stop, with not enough money to get home. I called dispatch to see if out of the 10,000 trucks owned by werner there was one going towards Florida. I was told they had no way of knowing. Yea Right. I emailed the company about my experence and to date have never got a response. My DAC shows a quit, and now I am an asst. Mgr. At a Family Dollar. My dreams of driving the big trucks are gone. THANKS WERNER
PHIL
Lakeland, Florida
0 comments