What’s Your Opinion Of National Carriers?

I currently work for Freymiller. While they provide me with plenty of miles they pay is just not where it should be. I am a runner, I don’t turn down loads and have been late only twice in the 2 1/2 years I’ve been OTR. I have been looking into National Carrier’s for the past few months and they sound like a good fit. Unfortunately I know a lot of times recruiters tell you what you want to hear rather than the truth. My concern is if they would be able to keep me running. If anyone has any input on the company I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm not sure anybody here has worked for National. I've been on this forum a few years and can't recall any threads about them.

With your late loads did you communicate with dispatch? Typically it's not considered late unless you don't keep them updated with any delays.

I did communicate with my DM. Neither counted against me but I was late regardless of the situation. I was rescuing loads from other drivers that either had a family emergency or some other reason.

As far as I know..National Carriers runs National Beef out of Kansas... Given that they create their own freight I would think they could definitely keep you running.

"The Elite Fleet"

Just remember to never, ever go lease (which they offer).

I drove for national carriers for five years before becoming an O/O. At the time I left there was also a large change in management.

National carriers is owned by national beef. Beef loads are top priority and I have had to deadhead 500 miles for a beef load before. They have a terminal in Irving Texas and it is tiny with a few amenities. They drive Kenworth T680s. They Install inverters. They have APUs or in some cases kims(A type of auto start). If you are getting a beef load from Dodge city Kansas or Liberal Kansas you may get a reset waiting for your load. Miles is dependent on how you run, where are you live, and how you deal with the planners and fleet managers. On the weekend I would pick my own loads sometimes if I was in the terminal at Irving by talking to Richard Ross. I am one of those guys that does a 10 hour break and then gets moving, And communicates before I even take a load what issues may arrive based on pick up or delivery times.

Since Lauren, Al love, And a few other seniors there left, I don’t know how things go anymore.

Don’t lease from them, like has been said previously. They are not a lease purchase anyway(straight two-year lease with no equity built only)

The head of safety is a tiny little woman that goes back-and-forth between Texas and Kansas named Jill. She is also the head of safety for national beef and she’s not someone you want to lie to. The next in line for safety is John O. (A fair guy but strict)

One of their biggest benefits was at the time they paid well and they ran into Florida(possibly not a concern for you).

Deadhead:

To drive with an empty trailer. After delivering your load you will deadhead to a shipper to pick up your next load.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

Fleet Manager:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.