I agreed to go to work with Werner after my recruiter promised me I could drive a flatbed. I was adamant about this and she assured me once I completed training, I would be assigned a flatbed. At orientation I was first told you would have to wait longer for a flatbed, you should just take first available. My response was "no, I was promised flatbeds, that is what I want". The day after orientation a trainer showed up to pick me up in a box van. It was a truck on a dedicated Dollar General account in the southeast region. I at first was going to refuse it, but my wife suggested take it and get your training done, which i did. I stayed on the truck for two weeks, working 18-20 hours a day driving and unloading (Werner says trainees do not have to unload, but who is not gonna help there trainer). Werner gets many more deliveries and loads under this "training" system for next to nothing in wages. I called as instructed to veryify my tuition reimbursement had been set up. I then found that it was set up at $100. At orientation in Lakeland Fl., we were told to give all our loan info that Werner would pay up to $100 toward tuition unless you had a signed letter from your school or recruiter. I had/have this letter, which is on Werner letter head and says it is a "Werner employment acceptance form". It is signed and dated on 12/23/08 and witnessed by the school I attended (Roadmasters, Jacksonville, Fl.) It states I am entitled to $125 tuition reimbursment. Upon calling "Robin" back at Werner I was informed in a very rude way that contract is meaningless that Werner changed that policy in Jan. Of 09'. I stated mine is signed 12/23/08, she said "it doesn't matter that form is not ours". It is on there paper, there letter head with all there information and promises and she said it's not there's. I called Stacy at the Lakeland terminal to verify this and she stated she knew nothing of any changes. Robins boss "Kristin" called me about the problem and was just as rude and accused me of swearing at Robin, which i did not do. She said she would get back to me on the matter and that was 2/9/09 and I have heard nothing. Werner's training program is a program for which they can run a truck many more miles, and carry many more loads for next to nothing in pay, all under the pretense of "training". At orientation they give you two thin slices of pizza and nothing to drink for lunch. They put you in a hotel sometimes for weeks and treat you as common criminals. I got off the truck the day I found this out. I am fortunate, I have a long career in sales and have gone back to it, but many in this do not and must be subjected to this sad company. You may eventually get your training through Werner, but it will come at a price of hours and labor that a normal business could not get away with due to labor laws.
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