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USA Truck Ripoff Doesn't Keep Their Promises Van Buren Arkansas
Hey All,
I agree with the previous reports about the trashy company of USA Truck, Inc. The Inc. means stinks with this company. They recruite approx. 100 people PER WEEK! They have orientation for three days and then you are suppose to get with a trainer. NOT HAPPENING. The company blamed the drug testing company, stating that they were waiting on our drug tests to come back before were assigned to a trainer. I looked on the board and noticed they only had 6 trainers available.
USA Truck housed us an extra day at a dump that was so nasty that I slept up right, on top of the bed. There wasn't a phone or alarm clock and the lamp was electrical taped together. The tv had no remote and would only turn on by the door.I don't think the Meador's Motel of Oma, Arkansas could pass state board inspection if their life depended on it. The carpets were nasty, no chair of any kind to sit in, no mircrowave or frig., not to mention the prostitutes hanging in the doorways telling their small children to get back into their room.
We all returned to the terminal the next morning and waited some more. It was afternoon, around 2:00, before we were assigned a trainee's manager,who proceeds to tell us that they don't have enough trainers available so that we'd have to spent home. I agreed to have either male or female trainer, hoping that it would speed up the process...DIDN'T HAPPEN. We were all sent home...some as far away as Buffalo, NY. Fortunately, I drove to Van Buren, and went home. I called in like the manager told me to, only to find out that USA Truck still didn't have a trainer available for me. After two weeks at home, I called the trainee manager and told her that I went with another company since they did't have enough trainers. The next day, the USA Truck Recruiter, Andrea, calls and wants to talk about what happened, according to her message on my answering machine. I never returned her call. It doesn't deserve a return call.
I kept looking around for a company that would take a recent grad. who prefers flatbed/heavy hauls/special permits. I'm not going with a big van company. I learn that the hard way.I found a company that would take me and I'll be leaving this Saturday on a bus to FT.DODGE, IA to SMX:) This is a good reputable company that doesn't have any rip-off reports. I've heard and read only good things about this company. I'll return and let you know how it all goes.
Take it from me...especially newbies in the industry. Bigger doesn't mean better. The bigger the transport company is, the more money and power they have, and they can do as they want, when, and how they want. Most of the big boy companies will promise you the moon to get you there, only to do with you as they want. They're in the money making business, not necessarily the trucking business. For example:When a company requires you to turn your load around that is more than half way to the destination, for tailer maintance, something is wrong. USA Truck has done this, therefore making the load extremely late and who gets the blame for that:)
A lot of the bigger companies will say: be safe, be careful, be legal, be thoughtful, etc. during orientation. But in the real world, most of the big boy companies will not allow for that AFTER you are already assigned a truck and load assignment. You've already made your investment with your CDL and you've invested your time with the company, only to find that you're either going to have to remain with the company that expects the opposite of what was told during orientation, or leave. If you leave, there you go again...another orientation, loss of wages, go through more training sessions, and your student loans...not to mention your other bills are starting to become delinquent. The big companies know where you stand financially and believe me, the majority of them take FULL advantage of it. They know that most newbies are there because they need money, more training,you're cheap and lets not forget, expendible, since the job market is flooded.
My suggestion is: Do your reseach. It pays off. If you find a reputatable company, go it and stay put. Don't be jumping off onto another company only to start over. Be tough and stick it out and resolve your issues with the company if its at all possible, for at least a year, before making another move.
Prospective Students/Students Attending Driving School. Don't sign anything that obligates you to ANY company. Use your labtop, if you have one with you, and research the company first. Go home and research companies before you make your decision. Don't jump at the first opportunity. Remember, its your career and reputation, and your life and the life of others on the road, and your money. You've made your investment with your time, money and efforts to get your CDL. Why take the chance/risk of not researching, only to come to find out that you've been had? Don't go there. Trucking schools are in the business of making money, not necessarily training. Just because they may offer job assistance, doesn't make it so. Don't be in a hurry to sign anything at school concerning loans and applications to companies. Schools are paid from big companies to send X amount of students their way. So, beware of all of these facts. If you've already signed on with a company, after you researched? No problem. Call them up and tell them that you went with another company, period. You don't owe them any explaination actually but be nice, all the same. Recruiters, Sales People or Cons? Whatever you want to call them, are paid a salary + commission folks. The more they can suck into the company's headquarters for orientation, the more money they get:)
All of us need to be careful when it comes to the trucking industry. Be on your toes at all times. Don't get stupid and stay away from the drugs/alcohol. Over 70% of all truckers who are fired is because of drugs/alcohol. Just don't do it. If feel you have to do your dope or drink...by all means, stay home. The highways and interstates are crowded enough with unsafe, inexperienced drivers let alone someone who is intoxicated.
Everyone...be safe out there and God bless each of ya:)
Lori
Norman, Arkansas
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
New Driver TN
Jasper,Tennessee,
United States of America
TO TEN YEAR VET
#6UPDATE Employee
Mon, July 12, 2010
I am an employee of USA Truck also and I will have to say I don't agree with everything that this employee says but I can understand.
Larryvw87
stevens,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
for all the want to be drivers
#6UPDATE Employee
Fri, January 08, 2010
First off let me state this fact to you very very clear. The reason you came to USA Truck Inc to get a job was because no one else wanted to take the chances on you driving their truck and you had no other options as far as a job. Second off you choose to go to the C1 truck driving school for the simple fact that you didn;t have the money to pay someone to help you get your CDL out of your pocket. The other thing that you all think of about truck driving is this rosie picture of making lots of money right away without having to take your bumps. Can you tell me of a job that you start off king of the crop? Come on are you that dumb? The other thing is what company that has any common sense give some rookie a brand new truck so they can go out and reck or trash it? I have been here at USA for 10 years. 9 of them being a company driver and 1 of them being an owner operator. I hear all the complaints you say about this and that and all the other stories people fabricate to make themself look good and the company look bad. Heck you are probably doing that for the company you work for now. The fact of the matter is if you got nothing better to do than sit and complain about everything, you live a dull boring life and are miserable. Or is it that no one wants to hear you blab your jaws. Be honest your a truck driver or a driver soon to be and your finding yourself melting into the mold of the typical driver who sits around driver lounges and tries to one up another driver and tell them you told your boss this and that and you drove 900 miles none stop just to go to a truck stop to kick some 400 pound drivers butt because he told you your retarded. Welcome to the real world folks if your that much of a cry baby we don't need you out here GO HOME!
lancer247
charlotte,North Carolina,
United States of America
orientation or interview from h***
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, December 18, 2009
Orientation is nothing more than an interview. Granted they make you drive over 500 miles for the interview the more people they can "discourage" during the waiting process the better. Would you go to an interview to McDonald's if they told you it was going to cost you 200 or more dollars to sit around for 2-3 weeks for a "maybe we will hire you but we are actually waiting for you just to leave so we can charge you $200?" The Meaders Hotel is horrible. I stayed there too. I had to clean my room and luckily i brought a sleeping bag with me, which i slept in for almost 2 weeks. Talk about a scam though. $200 x 20 a week = $4000 x 52 = $20800 dollars. That is only if they get 1040 people to leave that year or during orientation. That's for a company that has an average retention rate of 6% for 1 year. Add in their "deal" with the trucking schools and that is one heck of a scam. Not to mention that all their "expenses" are tax-deductible.
Jason
Russellville,Kentucky,
U.S.A.
Well......................
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, June 27, 2009
Well, driver, I agree with one simple fact and that fact is that USA Truck has stated before that they don't have enough trainers. The simple reason is a lot of good drivers moved on to bigger and better pay. Now the motel, I stayed there twice, once before during orientation and after I completed training. I never did see any hookers at all. and i always had an alarm clock and a wake-up call from the staff every morning. And all the carpets and lamps and stuff in the rooms was ok, but not a 5 star motel, to say the least. But since you did leave before you started training, They do and can bill you for sleeping in their motel, and doing all their paperwork during orientation. USA Truck has said it on the phone and during orientation that if you leave on your own before orientation or training is completed, you will be held responsible for the charges that they forked over to get you there and spent time to deal with the paperwork......Sorry to say that, but that is the simple fact of the life of USA Truck and other big trcking companies like them
Lori
Norman,Arkansas,
U.S.A.
USA Truck, Inc. of Van Buren, Arkansas
#6Author of original report
Sat, November 11, 2006
Here's an update from my experience with USA Truck, Inc. They still stink, folks. I just recevd. a bill from them for $200.00 for my orientation this week 11/10/06 which was suppose to be paid. Isn't that sweet:)Beware about the big boy companies like I stated previously, and drive safely.