Tell Me!

Tell me something good or bad . Knight , Marten, or Kllm, after talking and talking to these companies, I have decided down to three they have accepted my application and of course wanting an answer but I can’t decide? !?!?

Personally I'd stay away from KLLM. That is just my opinion, and it is only based on the fact that most of their drivers are lease operators. I just don't think it is a good model for the driver's sake. Other than that, I have no knowledge of their operation.

I have been driving for Knight many years now. They have always been super good to me, but they won't even let me compliment them without them turning it around and insisting that I have been super good to them. So... it goes back to what I have always taught in here. You will write your own story out here.

Other than seeing their trucks on occasion, I am not familiar with Marten.

Donna, you will make your own success at any of those companies. Poor PackRat didn't have near the kind of experience at Knight as I did, and it was no fault of his own. He tried like crazy to make it work, but for some reason it just wasn't coming together for him like it did for me. Sometimes when we are dealing with these bigger companies, we are affected by our own terminal's performance. There's a lot to this career, but you already know all that. I am dispatched out of the Gulfport, MS terminal , and if you could get on with that terminal I would definitely say give it a shot and start working like crazy to establish yourself as a top driver.

Our son has been driving for Marten since late March and says he loves it. Drove for CR England before that for 8 months. He drives refer on a dedicated fleet mostly between California and Utah but some further north. He originally reported to a regional manager but a DM got hired for his fleet and she treats him with lots of respect. He is on a schedule of 12 days on and 2 days off and was asked once to run 2 days longer and he agreed, but they have always booked his time off when he has requested. Some weeks he doesn't get many miles because of long layovers but his minimum weekly pay has been bumped up to $1425 and he is presently being paid 61 CPM. He really likes his Kenworth T680, much better ride than a Cascadia he drove at CRE. He has an APU and inverter, bought his own fridge. His dog is his companion, under 25 pounds.

Good luck!

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

Dm:

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.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

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.

Personally I'd go Martin they have the best looking equipment. And I don't just mean appearance wise.

A few years ago KLLM was talking with my dad and one of his vendors about overhauling their maintenance department and at the last second pulled the plug. That has left a poor taste in my mouth when it comes to them and how they view maintenance.

Well, I would highly recommend Crete/Shaffer.

I don't have experience with the other companies, but I think as OS said, it's what we make of them. That being said, I've had a great experience with Knight. I've detailed a lot of it here Knight training and squire school. which is from the first day of school through my last load under 30k solo trading miles. Pay is good, the people have been great to work with and very flexible. Great equipment (my truck is a 2020 Kenworth T680) and overall not having a corporate vibe if that makes sense.

Notwithstanding, I'm sure whichever company you go with will be a win.

I don't think that this is important enough to sway your decision but in the newsletter Michael received from Marten yesterday they state that they are the only major carrier to pay drivers "inclement weather pay", stating they would rather pay drivers to stay safe and not drive in bad weather that is unsafe.

I don't know how common breakdown pay is. On Michael's second week with Marten his transmission went bad and he only worked 1.5 days and was paid his guaranteed weekly pay. His former team driver at CR England left there a couple of months ago because his engine threw a rod. CRE put him up in a hotel for two nights but then would not return his calls and he rented a car and flew home and quit. They agreed to pay for his car rental and flight and tried to get him to come back but he still didn't get paid for lost work. When Michael drove with him they also had transmission problems once and they didn't get paid for lost work then either, but that was only a day or so.

in the newsletter Michael received from Marten yesterday they state that they are the only major carrier to pay drivers "inclement weather pay",

Not so. I've driven for more than a few carriers that pay drivers forced to park it for Mother Nature.

Donna M., this is Splitter. I'm only responding because of your situation & to tell you that I'm pulling for you. My order sister wasn't as lucky as you. Her left arm still shakes & her left side get "heavy" when she's stressing out.

I worked for Knight for 3 months but it didn't work out. My last days consisted of recovering a busted up truck that needed a whole weekend & $30 of cleaning products to make it livable. Then recovering a stolen trailer that was so frustrating that I didn't make my 01 appt & had to wait for next day to be loaded. All because they didn't pay recovery company before I got there. Nevermind how filthy it was inside.

They're terminals are run independently of one another. No scales except the one in Phoenix, no washouts allowed at most & this crazy rule that you need to have a trailer to go thru shop even tho you're only working on the truck. Finding empties can be a huge issue too.

I wanted to stay regional but the safety rep in FL kept going on about not making money as a regional driver. After I left, my FM offered me a publix regional gig but I'm back at Prime & doing much better.

Marten is hit & miss too. Some drivers love it while others rant. I'd look at Walmart, some smaller regional guys like Robert Bearden Industries, Epes, JB Hunt, etc. Even as a yard jockey! The most important thing I'd say is for you to find a work/life balance that doesn't require you to be OTR for weeks on end.

Congrats in quitting cigarettes & all the best on your healing. God bless!

Our son has been driving for Marten since late March and says he loves it. Drove for CR England before that for 8 months. He drives refer on a dedicated fleet mostly between California and Utah but some further north. He originally reported to a regional manager but a DM got hired for his fleet and she treats him with lots of respect. He is on a schedule of 12 days on and 2 days off and was asked once to run 2 days longer and he agreed, but they have always booked his time off when he has requested. Some weeks he doesn't get many miles because of long layovers but his minimum weekly pay has been bumped up to $1425 and he is presently being paid 61 CPM. He really likes his Kenworth T680, much better ride than a Cascadia he drove at CRE. He has an APU and inverter, bought his own fridge. His dog is his companion, under 25 pounds.

Good luck!

Is he working out of the Jurupa Valley terminal? I live close to the Jurupa terminal and am thinking about applying with Marten. I would prefer dry van. Are most of his loads D&H?

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.

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

Dm:

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.

Dry Van:

A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

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.