Western Express Contract

Topic 33763 | Page 1

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Arjun S.'s Comment
member avatar

Hi guys. i graduated from Trucking School in Dec 2023 and I am thinking about working at Western Express to get my training. So I have been reading online that Western Express has lied to people about the job regarding pay, contract, and what not. So i called them and asked if there is a mandatory one year contract to drive for them and i was told no because I am a new driver and not a driver with experience. Can anyone else verify this? I would hate to be lied to and travel all the way to nashville only to be told I have to sign a one year contract.

The reason why i am deciding to drive with them is because i have a speeding ticket and a seat belt ticket in 2022 and also because in 2019 I have a speeding ticket and careless driving ticket.

Old School's Comment
member avatar

Hello Arjun, and welcome to our forum!

I started my career at Western Express and did well there. Here's my advice. You honestly don't have a lot of options. You put yourself in this predicament. In your situation, the very best thing for you and your career is to stay where you start for one year. Trust me, that's not easy. Approximately 90% of rookie drivers can't seem to make that happen.

To me the contract might give you one more reason to hang in there. You have to realize you already sound like your looking for an escape route by trying to confirm worthless information you've found online. I'm being honest when I say that's not a good way to start when you're a total noob with little to no options.

Whether you sign a contract or not is completely unimportant right now. Whatever you do you need to have the resolve to kick it for one year with the one place willing to work with you. It's a no brainer. Go get started and do whatever they ask of you. They want professional drivers. You want a trucking career. Jump in with all the commitment you can muster.

Welcome to trucking!

NaeNaeInNC's Comment
member avatar

The contracts are in general, for drivers who went in without their CDL , so starting from zero.

At this point, you need to get as much time with a clean record between you, your incidents, and your driving start. Old School is correct, that with or without contract, you need to dig deep and stick it out with one company for at least a full year. Some people only manage to do so, BECAUSE they are bound by contract.

You are coming in, at a time where companies get to be extremely picky about who they take onboard. With what you have, I am a little surprised that WE gave you an offer. My advice is to buckle up, and knuckle it out to be the absolute best. Be early. Be safe. Be dependable. Those things are 100 percent in your own control, regardless of the name on the door.

As for online reviews, trucking is full of disgruntled drivers blaming everyone but themselves for their shortcomings. Ask yourself if that person is owning their responsibility for the things they are complaining about.

Be sure to read and understand everything they give you. Ask questions. Ask for things in writing.

Good luck!

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Arjun S.'s Comment
member avatar

Im not trying to find an escape route by wanting to know if there is a contract for new drivers. I actually think that this is a very important question and should be known prior to obtaining a job. I feel like you are being judgmental right out of the gate. If i were to say after driving with western express for one month “ oh my god I cant believe i am in a contract” or if upon arrival at orientation i say “ they never told me it was a contract until i got here” the responses on this forum would be “ you should have inquired or asked around” .

So I did ask WE and they said there is no contract for new drivers as long as I provide proof i went to an accredited school.

Hello Arjun, and welcome to our forum!

I started my career at Western Express and did well there. Here's my advice. You honestly don't have a lot of options. You put yourself in this predicament. In your situation, the very best thing for you and your career is to stay where you start for one year. Trust me, that's not easy. Approximately 90% of rookie drivers can't seem to make that happen.

To me the contract might give you one more reason to hang in there. You have to realize you already sound like your looking for an escape route by trying to confirm worthless information you've found online. I'm being honest when I say that's not a good way to start when you're a total noob with little to no options.

Whether you sign a contract or not is completely unimportant right now. Whatever you do you need to have the resolve to kick it for one year with the one place willing to work with you. It's a no brainer. Go get started and do whatever they ask of you. They want professional drivers. You want a trucking career. Jump in with all the commitment you can muster.

Welcome to trucking!

Stevo Reno's Comment
member avatar

i have a speeding ticket and a seat belt ticket in 2022 and also because in 2019 I have a speeding ticket and careless driving ticket.

Contract or not, don't matter when trying to get your feet in the door. Especially, right now during the current market situation, with trucking being a companies market, not drivers. Companies can be very picky, and seeing even experienced drivers are finding it hard at times, to find a new company to drive for.

This site, is called "Trucking Truth", for a reason, unlike all the BS you will find out there on the internet. It was created so people can get the REAL facts, not some BS spouted by disgruntled drivers, who messed up, or couldn't cut the mustard driving for anyone.

With those 2 tickets, I'd take a job with ANYONE willing to hire me right now. A 1 year contract is NOTHING, in the big scheme of things trucking, it flies by fast!

So no one is being judgemental, they're just giving you the cold hard truth as it were,wishing you very good luck with your quest to get into trucking !!

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Old School's Comment
member avatar

Hey Arjun, I apologize if I sound judgemental.

I was actually trying to help you understand something about becoming a truck driver. I failed.

Listen to yourself...

Im not trying to find an escape route
If i were to say after driving with western express for one month “ oh my god I cant believe i am in a contract”

These comments illustrate what I'm trying to help you understand. A contract might help you stay in the game. Why would I make such a ridiculous sounding claim? Almost every single rookie driver I know of has said at one month, "OMG, what have I got myself into?"

About five or six percent of those folks will fight through their emotions and frustrations going on to complete their first year. Some of them only manage it because they had a contractual obligation.

I can promise you'll seriously want to quit badly at 30 to 45 days. You'll be convinced Western Express is evil and the only solution you'll see is moving on. But wait... nobody will hire you. Then you are out of trucking.

Western Express is willing to take a huge risk on you when nobody else is. Show them some appreciation and bust your tail for them. One year is absolutely nothing, but your looking at it like it's an eternity.

I'm pretty sure you aren't grasping this still. I'm guessing I sound judgemental immediately following my apology for it. I honestly try hard to convey the kind of help people need in here. Sometimes it just doesn't work so well.

Western Express told you they weren't going to require a contract, but now you want to know if they lie to people. You're never going to feel you're getting a satisfactory answer.

I'm trying to help you understand your worrying about all the wrong stuff. You have to prove yourself in trucking. The company has nothing to prove. It's all on you. Truckers are not born, they are made. Trust me, the name on the truck has zero to do with how a trucker gets made. You are the one in control of the process.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

NaeNaeInNC's Comment
member avatar

Once again, OldSchool nailed it. So many people come into this industry thinking "ohhhhh I get to sightsee while working...." coming in woefully unprepared for the reality that truck driving is. I believe I stated that many people only survive their first year because they don't want to pay out that contract.

OS is right on about the 30-45 day mark too. It happened to me in both training, and when I went solo. I drug myself through it because I was literally out of options. I had bet everything on this career. Many others wash out because they go in with a "way out."

The reality is, driving is difficult. You will have days where you wonder why you do it, and others where you can't imagine doing anything else.

Western Express is taking a huge risk in offering you employment. That's why the pay "appears" to be lower. I encourage you to apply some critical thinking to those people saying that WE lied about pay, and I'm almost willing to bet the person was misunderstanding about when and how pay increases work, and how mileage is calculated.

If I went by "actual miles driven" then every one of my dispatched trips over the last 2.5 years has been a lie. However, it's not. It's in the way the companies calculate the miles as allowed by regulations. If I was ticked off and upset, I could rant and rave about "how this company lied to me about pay, and lied to me about miles driven blah blah blah......"(keep in mind, I am most DEF NOT saying that I was lied to.)

Stop listening to the terminal rats that failed at understanding their own value in the trucking industry. Your behind is the one in the seat. Your livelihood is on the line.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
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