Lack of respect and support for lower level leadership. Policy/procedure/Core Value inconsistencies.
The driver experience is promoted, yet during my tenure of just over 5 years, I didn't feel that lower-level management was respected and valued, nor were the Core Values of Integrity and Respect followed in particular. I had felt much disrespect and being talked down to from various members of upper management across the two divisions I worked in, so to me, this appeared to be the culture. I didn’t feel it appropriate nor professional for one Manager to yell me at me in public out the blue when I had been put in the middle of a startup and things were missed without this manager spending what I felt to be almost no time with me to cover procedures, expectations, etc.; Neither for a member of senior leadership to be yelling at me at the top of his lungs, from what I felt, over some email which I didn’t understand what he was talking about, nor for a different senior leadership member to tell me I’m not a team player without knowing any of my prior contributions and accomplishments, and also telling me my only recognition is my paycheck. I’ve felt the overall support of lower level managers to be very lacking as well. Once a Driver Associate stood up and threatened me during a meeting when my manager at the time was present. When I raised the issue afterward, I was quite disappointed when my manager at that time denied seeing it, even though he sat right next to the Driver Associate and had actually intervened at that moment. I've also had Driver Associates swear at me an
ProsBenefits. Various opportunities at HQ in Green Bay.
ConsLack of teamwork in the culture. Upper Leadership lacking basic social skills.
2.0
Over the Road Truck Driver | Shrewsbury, MA | Mar 31, 2019
Good to start. Not worth staying more than 6mo.
So where to begin... I’m going to break this down into Pros and Cons, with Cons up front and Pros following.
Cons:
1. Do not trust what your recruiter says. I was hired to drive Ana berate of 3,400 miles a week, and make $62,000 to $75,000 a year. In reality, I drive 2,000 miles at most and am on track to make $44,000 a year. This ties into cons 2 and 3 below.
2. Extremely low mileage. You will be driving almost exclusively short loads. I was hired to drive Over The Road (OTR) but I am stuck working almost exclusively regional. My average load is 172mi. With the time it takes to hook up and get loaded/unloaded, it’s almost not worth it for me. Driving straight down the road for 10 hours would earn me $250. Driving these little loads and waiting around amounts to An average of $65. Usually that will be all you’re going to complete in one day, so your possible pay and your actual pay will be vastly different.
3. Misusing OTR Drivers. Most OTR drivers that I’ve ever talked to in major companies, or as owner-operators, run between 600 to 1,200mi per load. As an OTR driver for Schneider you will NOT be making these miles. What they don’t tell you is that you are in reality a regional driver withthe possibility of doing OTR runs.
4. Equipment. Schneider National runs the Freightliner Cascadia. It is governed at 63mph (which will slow your miles and therefore reduce the money you make.) The trucks are equipped with the Meritor Wabco OnGuard system (which will be
ProsSafety Culture, Military Friendly, Rookie Friendly, Decent Benefits, somewhat flexible home time
ConsLOW miles per load, lots of down time, limited or no support form dispatch office, no truck amenities, OnGuard System
..and I'm already angry.
I came to Schneider with 1 year of driving experience. I missed my window to take the experienced driver course so they stuck me in with new drivers and I can honestly say there are some things this company does that drives me absolutely bonkers.
First: They NEED to overhaul some of their training curricula and make sure that instructors are talking to each other to stay organized. There were days when three instructors would give you different marching orders. Other training irritations included things like...this "workflow" thing. These are numbers that load planners and drivers can do hand in hand. There's NO reason a driver should have to do what feels like two hours of paperwork and all for an availability number after we also have to deal with the stresses of the road. Anyone with access to a trucker's Qualcomm can see exactly how many hours they have and what they're doing and where they are. Having people do some of that work internally would help raise morale, I think AND shed confusion AND prevent “service failures” which I think is veiled language for “we’re not actually serious about bonuses and we’re just waiting for you to screw one little thing up with all this convoluted paperwork.”
Second: At several points, I felt like Schneider is flatly trying to hold my hand and micro-manage every aspect of what we do when there is a very clear reality we have to deal with on the road. Common sense is policy and they hold it over your he
ProsGood place to start if you've been out of the industry for a while
Another one of the big companies that pay company drivers by the mile, which equals low pay for the drivers and bigger profits for the company. During orientation in Dallas you are put into a hotel in which you have to share a room with another driver. At the beginning of orientation you are sold the moon and the stars and told angels will be your co-pilot, Given goodies like a shiny bright vest, and a nice laminated map (which you will need because the gps is forever going out) then once you hit the road reality strikes. Daily battles with traffic in large cities, pulling a 53ft trailer in places that were not meant for a vehicle that big, tight parking and trying to make your delivery on time makes for a long 14hr day.Orientation lasts 3 days for experienced drivers and on the 4th day you should have a tractor assignment , if you are lucky there will be one available at the terminal if not you have to travel to another location to pick one up. My roommate was sent home via greyhound because he did not pass his road test, end of that story. The truck I was assigned was reaching the 600,000 mile mark and not in best shape but I dealt with the issues that came up and had them repaired because its "your" license on the line if DOT inspects you. Oh yes, and dont forget you cannot idle the engine for long so it gets pretty hot in the summer in the sleeper. My assigned driver leader didn't have a clue as to what was going on when I "did" reach him. If I sent a message via computer
ProsShowers at the terminal, great driver trainers who do their best, other co-drivers who help
ConsBe fair and Pay drivers by the hour, looking for empty trailers, no home time
When I first began working for Watkins I thought the job would be fairly easy once I got the hang of it. I have always wanted to work in an office so I was ambitious to get started as well as work through and struggles that I had. In the beginning the work was easy and the hours were not too long. I felt as if my management was understanding as well as compassionate. After spending the time that I did at Watkins I now have a new view on working in an office environment as well as how to associate with future co-workers. Before I turned in my two week resignation my work load as well as my responsibilities became too much for the hours that I was working. On a typical day I would file the things that were already entered in the computer, make sure that anything new was printed out and ready to be put into the computer. I answered the phones when the receptionist was on a break or lunch. I also took care of the phones when there were more coming in than the receptionist could take. I trained the new employees about procedures as well as the most efficient way to get things done. Most of my co-workers were not much help in ensuring that things were done in a timely manner. I had only one other co-worker that was a lot of help. I learned some great team working skills during the hours that I did work with this co-worker. From my standpoint the management was awful. There were things that management should have taken care of or dealt with that were left unresolved. Management also
Dedicated account is good, but Management is prone to OTR thinking instead of Dedicated runs thinking.
I have heard many company drivers say that they have had problems with some pay issues, others dislike the micromanagement by supervisors who have no idea what it is like to work/drive under all the technology Schneider has in their trucks. Maintenance shop managers have admitted it is for insurance and liability legal issues, but the technology is problematic for drivers and productivity.
Schneider lists Respect for everyone always as one of it's Pillars, but it is desperately lacking in their whole culture. Like McDonald's, they seem to budget for a high turnover rate. Their business model is a constant rotation of drivers leaving for better jobs elsewhere and a constant influx of employees who have never driven before who Schneider puts through a training course, so many of their new hires have no previous experience and are sold ideas about the company in training that are not true.
In their initial training Schneider badmouths many other companies and parts of the trucking industry, like LTL, as if Schneider is the very best company out there. It may take a new driver many months to realize they have been misled before they decide to stick it out or move on to another, better company.
I chose Schneider because of a local Dedicated account that they have, and at best it is good, but when they change their account managers everything gets turned upside down, and that has happened twice in 3 years. They put their drivers under unnecessary stress daily, a
Was a husband/wife team driver with this company.
We recruited 5 experienced drivers in 4 months, never saw a dime of bonus. Company always claimed "the referral wasn't in our records" even though I entered them through their referral web page (where they tell you to).
Tuition reimbursement is a joke. We submitted our documentation as they asked during orientation. It disappeared. We submitted it again by fax, it was "never received". Never saw a dime.
We got reimbursed only half of the receipts for expenditures that we claimed, because they claimed the "receipts were illegible". I offered to hand deliver them and they still refused to pay.
When you call in to your DBL (Driver Manager), you sit on the phone for 45 minutes just to get through to someone (most likely not your own DBL) who doesn't care about any concern unless it's you updating them on something to do with your shipment being delivered on time.
Had been out 4 weeks straight and had approved time at home scheduled on several occasions, they send you a shipment for the day you are supposed to be home so that you waste your entire first day. They did NOT extend our home time to compensate.
We had a serious family emergency (ironically that coincided with time at home anyway), still was given a shipment and told if we didn't deliver it we wouldn't have a job. I ended up having to threaten them to leave their truck at the truck stop in order to get us home to the hospital. Still didn't
ProsFree Showers at terminals, Good starting pay, Newer trucks, Decent Benefits
ConsMediocre and inconsistent miles, Sit on hold for long periods waiting to talk to someone, impersonal, unappreciative, and uncaring Driver Managers, forced dispatch.
Schneider does not follow their core values at all. Their primary value is Safety First and Always and they could care less about safety. They won't replace tires until the metal belt is literally poking through the tire and even then it is difficult to get tires changed. They care more about freight than they do about the safety of their drivers and on more than one occasion they have tried to force dispatch me to cover their mistakes. I honestly don't know how they stay in business in the bulk industry with just how unorganized they are. AT LEAST 50% of the time the trailer I need is missing or still dirty or in the shop and still in need of repair. I lose between 2-3 hours daily trying to hunt down trailers, waiting for paperwork, waiting on hold, etc. All of these hours are unpaid. They do not pay all the miles, they still go off that stupid mover miles system which isn't so bad when you are OTR but it is HORRIBLE for local drivers. ANY delivery to Houston they pay 0 miles for. I've driven as far as 35 miles and not paid a cent for miles because they consider it Houston to Houston. I am one of the lucky few that have a great dispatcher which is the only reason I have stayed this long. Getting reimbursed for stuff is a nightmare and it's very difficult to get exception pay. Even when they approve exception pay it doesn't show up on your check and you have to spend weeks reminding them and usually you just don't get it. They just wait til you quit asking about it. They have
Drivers are a number, NOT valued & treated like they are ignorant & stupid!!
I worked for the Watkins Shepherd division and LOVED my manager & dispatcher. I also LOVED that division. BUT...
Schneider owns them and THAT is what made the job
Miserable!!
1. 5 weeks LATE on my bonus! ( they kept finding little excuses)
2. CONSTANTLY messing with my pay!!!
3. They WILL put you through a sleep test and will NOT tell you before you start working there...
A. They will make you schedule about a week AFTER you start.
B. You WILL be FORCED to sign a weekly deduct pay form BEFORE YOU TAKE TEST for total amount of $1500!!!!! or.....you are FIRED!!!!
C. This is BEFORE YOUR INSURANCE HAS KICKED IN!!
D. Also BEFORE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO QUIT and NOT OWE them a ton of money for any schooling, flights and orientation!!!
E. So your choice is sign the sheet to owe the $1500 if you fail the sleep test (which MAJORITY of people FAIL)
or OWE SCHNEIDER ALL THAT MONEY from orientation!!!!
F. IF you FAIL that sleep test.....YOU ARE NOW DIAGNOSED WITH SLEEP APNEA and will ALWAYS have to wear that horrid mask EVERY NIGHT FOR ....ANY....OTR JOB YOU WORK AT!!!!!!! Or....you will be OUT OF A JOB....PERIOD!!!!!
G. That sleep test is ...NOT... DOT MANDATORY!!!!!
H. Schneider just wants to COVER THEIR BUTT if an accident happens !!!
4. You will also constantly be doing different video training. These videos talk to you like you are a a 3rd grader! Things like:
In a sing
Pros
You can set times for when you want to drive
The pay is actually very poor but compared to the industry one of the better paying places.
The equipment is decent to poor except for trailers almost all of them have problems with the landing gear crank and at least one bad tire on 50% of the trailers most looks like the trailers been in a warzone a few times. Which sometimes is absolutely hilarious. Sometimes I used to sit and wonder how did that hole happen or damage occur how's it possible in reality?
Cons
Unless you have 2% body fat apparently their DOT doctors requires you to take a eugen1cs body mass test and force you to take a sleep study test which I was told most if not everyone fails seems like a money making eugen1cs test scam to me its disgusting a eugen1cs body mass index is a basic requirement for, "safety". You're required to buy certain safety shoes obviously another money making sc4m. So 50 bucks for their approved safety boots and after you fail the eugen1c sleep study test you'll pay about $1,000 at least for the sleep mask someones probably rolling around in that cash.
How do you know if the sleep study test is a false postive? How do you know the sleep test could expose you to who knows what? It was commonly accepted baby powder was safe now theyve found out that isnt the case. You dont know quit being a victim pay the $1k for the equipment and expose yourself like a guinea pig is a disgusting stupid mentality.
If you're otr forget abo
Questions And Answers about Schneider
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Schneider a better place to work?
Asked Nov 21, 2016
Better pay and maybe bump trucks up to at least 68. And better communication the cherwel is bogus half the time we're waiting to long for response. But definitely most definitely raise the pay and no earning curves
Answered Jan 10, 2021
Better starting wages and more sick time.
Answered Nov 3, 2020
What is the interview process like at Schneider?
Asked Jun 15, 2016
None really.
Answered Jun 14, 2020
Can you walk and can you see
Answered Sep 20, 2019
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at Schneider?
Asked Jun 22, 2017
Do not believe your recruiter. You will make between 800-1000 for 70 hours of work.That is 14.28/hr on the high end and away from home for 3-4 weeks at a time.
Answered Aug 3, 2020
Have a heartbeat and a valid license.
Answered Apr 10, 2020
How long does it take to get hired from start to finish at Schneider? What are the steps along the way?
Asked Jul 23, 2016
Well the training period for tanker drivers is about 3 weeks.. with experience.
Answered Sep 8, 2020
About a month in my case but I am sure could be as little as a week.
Answered Sep 5, 2020
How are the working hours at Schneider?
Asked Jun 16, 2016
14 hour days are too long.
Answered Oct 19, 2020
Working hours are good. I love driviong tankers...pickups and deliveries are in the daytime.. very little night driving.
