Got Prehired By Stevens Transport

I'm averaging around 10,000 miles per month.......and use up as much of my driving clock as I can manage, every day when I do have miles

You still have plenty of time available on your logbook to turn quite a few more miles if you can get dispatch to hand them over. If you're staying out 5 - 6 weeks at a time you should be averaging right at 3,000 miles per week when you're running. Even with the time off you should be able to get in the range of 12,000 miles per month. Make sure you make all of your appointments on time, squeeze every minute you can out of that logbook, and keep lobbying dispatch for more miles. Let em know that 2,500 per week isn't enough anymore with the experience and performance you've shown to date.

In fact, since Stevens does pay less per mile than a lot of companies I would let them know in the most professional and genuine way that they're putting you in a spot where you're almost going to have to leave to look for greener pastures once your contract is up if they're not going to pay you more per mile and you're only averaging 2,500 miles per week to boot. You might have to be the squeaky wheel a little bit to get them to ratchet up the miles.

Yes they do pay much less than other company sponser programs. For example; Prime pays $700/wk for training pay vs $350 that Stevens pays. They start you with 40cpm vs 26cpm that Stevens pays.

I have a school start date and a prehire from Stevens but nothing is set in stone. I will be doing some more research in the upcoming weeks before signing on for anything.

I've heard good things about ST training and equipment, but for a man with bills and resonsibilites, they're pay rate doesnt look like its going to cut it for me.

Heh. I get squeaky with them very regularly. The average Stevens Transport driver only drives about 70% of the miles I do. I have managed two 12,000 mile months. My first four months were in the 8000-9000 mile range

I don't have a contract with Stevens, because I got a grant for my school, so I can leave whenever I want. After one year is up, I will be having that conversation with Stevens, for certain, both for CPM , and for miles.

That all sounds excellent. If they're getting your miles up around 12,000 per month then they're doing their job. Now you have to keep doing an amazing job by turning every mile you can and making all of your appointments on time. When you hit that one year mark they'll be more than happy to sit down with you for a little while and see if they can accommodate you well enough to keep you around. You're getting great miles now it sounds like and they have excellent equipment. If they could get your pay up to something that's at least competitive you'll be in great shape.

It's even possible that I might stay with Stevens if they raise my pay to 46+ CPM after my 1 year anniversary, but I doubt they will. They are a training company. It is their business model to train drivers, have them work cheap for a half year to a year, then wave goodbye as the experienced drivers go get better paying jobs.

Hey Bob, You've been around here long enough to know better than to make a statement like that. That is your OPINION! You know what they say about opinions.

Not an opinion. Stevens training staff will even tell you that. Stevens Transport's business model is to operate as a training school. They do attempt to keep some of the better drivers because they need trainers, but they expect to lose most drivers that they train. Most through the same attrition as other companies, because the drivers either can't or won't do the job, but the drivers that do well and stay in the business leave Stevens fairly quickly as well, when they are able, seeking greener pastures.

Stevens drivers with good records can easily find new jobs because other companies respect the Stevens training program.

It's even possible that I might stay with Stevens if they raise my pay to 46+ CPM after my 1 year anniversary, but I doubt they will. They are a training company. It is their business model to train drivers, have them work cheap for a half year to a year, then wave goodbye as the experienced drivers go get better paying jobs.

Hey Bob, You've been around here long enough to know better than to make a statement like that. That is your OPINION! You know what they say about opinions.

Not an opinion. Stevens training staff will even tell you that. Stevens Transport's business model is to operate as a training school. They do attempt to keep some of the better drivers because they need trainers, but they expect to lose most drivers that they train. Most through the same attrition as other companies, because the drivers either can't or won't do the job, but the drivers that do well and stay in the business leave Stevens fairly quickly as well, when they are able, seeking greener pastures.

Stevens drivers with good records can easily find new jobs because other companies respect the Stevens training program.

Ok Bob, You're right. I will quit responding to any more of your posts. I'm sure I am not the first person to pose this question to you. "Is there ANYTHING that you do not know EVERYTHING about?"

but the drivers that do well and stay in the business leave Stevens fairly quickly as well

Doesn't Stevens have a long list of million mile drivers? Of course they do. All major companies do.

Here's the thing about keeping experienced drivers around - many of them aren't worth keeping. Most drivers think that once they get that magical one year of OTR in then they've paid their dues. They no longer want to do the dirty work or really put in that monumental effort they did that first year. They don't want to haul shorter runs or go to the Northeast or drive at night or drive a used truck. They want a new truck with long runs to Texas and California and Florida. They want a few extra days off anytime they go home and a brand new truck each year. They want higher mileage pay and they feel they should be able to refuse loads on a regular basis.

So a lot of companies don't bother paying a lot more for experienced drivers. It's not often worth it. A driver with 6 months experience will do the job just as well as a driver with 10 years experience 95% of the time. Plus the new guy won't scream and cry and pout because he has an older truck or has to take a shorter run to the Northeast once in a while.

Margins are super tight in this industry and shippers aren't going to pay more because your company is sending them an experienced driver. So if you want a company to pay you better wages for your experience then you have to continue to demonstrate to them that you're going to make it worth the extra money they're paying you. You're going to work as hard as you ever did, you'll run whatever loads they give you, and you're going to be safe and reliable all the time. Under those circumstances a company is happy to pay a little more for an experienced driver. But no one is going to shell out a pile of extra cash to an experienced driver unless they're worth the extra money.

It's even possible that I might stay with Stevens if they raise my pay to 46+ CPM after my 1 year anniversary, but I doubt they will. They are a training company. It is their business model to train drivers, have them work cheap for a half year to a year, then wave goodbye as the experienced drivers go get better paying jobs.

Hey Bob, You've been around here long enough to know better than to make a statement like that. That is your OPINION! You know what they say about opinions.

Not an opinion. Stevens training staff will even tell you that. Stevens Transport's business model is to operate as a training school. They do attempt to keep some of the better drivers because they need trainers, but they expect to lose most drivers that they train. Most through the same attrition as other companies, because the drivers either can't or won't do the job, but the drivers that do well and stay in the business leave Stevens fairly quickly as well, when they are able, seeking greener pastures.

Stevens drivers with good records can easily find new jobs because other companies respect the Stevens training program.

Ok Bob, You're right. I will quit responding to any more of your posts. I'm sure I am not the first person to pose this question to you. "Is there ANYTHING that you do not know EVERYTHING about?"

There are plenty of things that I don't know, but one thing that I do know is that you should always defend yourself when you believe you are right. If that offends you, then I am sorry.

Flew down to Tampa and enrolled in Tampa Truck Driving School. In order for the school to take me I had to have a prehire from one of the affiliated companies that they work with.

Since I have a squeaky clean backround and driving history my recruiter told me that I qualify for Stevens. I got on the phone with Stevens while they ran my criminal and driving record and was told that i was all clear and "Welcome Aboard".

I have to go in to get my physical and drug test and so long as all is clear I start school on 1/9. School is 3 weeks and upon graduation I go out to Dallas Texas for orientation at Stevens.

If anyone has any knowledge or feedback on the company I'd greatly appreciate it.

Who did you end up signing with?