Complaint Review: Falcon Transport - Youngstown Ohio

As a CDL driver, that's part of the cost of keeping your qualifications to work, just like going to the DMV to renew your license itself. Go to the doctor of your choice and make your best deal. You will own that card and can take it with you to any job that you want. Some trucking companies may pay for it, especially if you're already employed with them, or front you the money to take it, but they're not required to. It is unethical and usually illegal for companies to charge you for the other various "background checks" or drug tests that they wish to perform, even if required by DOT. That's because the results of those tests don't belong to you and can't be transferred.

My husband signed up to work with Falcon right out of driving school. They told us he would make about $35,000 the first year. It was true. He would be home most weekends, true. He would be home for most major Holidays, True he was home for all of them. He now has worked for them for 16 months and is making about $900-$1200 a week (It's summer so the pay is better) and we figure to make about $42,000/year. We have never had to pay out of pocket for his dot or drug screen. The company takes care of it. My husband also has taken advantage of 1 hotel room a week on a few ocasions, but usually would rather not waste time finding one. He does use the daily free shower. The health care is a good price (drivers insurance is free!!). The few expenses he has had to pay for over the week (tolls once in awhile when going out west) are paid as soon as he returns. Every time I have called payroll or personal (my husband refuses to talk on cell while driving)they have been courtesy and helpful to me. All in all it is a great company to work for. Sure beats the dead end retail job and the really junkie prison guard job he had before. He is gone all week, but heworked 80 hours a week at 2 jobs before making less than now. So we see him more now. He is home 2 days every week, unless he choices otherwise.

I am an employee of Falcon Transport. Below is our response to the report filed, claiming Falcon Transport charges driver applicants fees to work for the company. The rebuttal addresses specific points that were included in the report. RESPONSE: Even though it may have seemed that you were being placed on the back burner, it may in fact have been the amount of time it took for the company to run the necessary background checks before the application process was completed. This is a standard procedure, and like every other trucking company, it may take a few days for the results to be processed and for the applicant to be notified. Also, the company cannot run a background check until the driver gives us permission to do so. Falcon Transport absolutely is NOT one of those companies that charges drivers fees for drug screens. As for driver physicals, it is company policy that new drivers have at least six months left on their physical. If the driver's physical is not up-to-date, he/she has the option to pay a fee to renew it on their own, or visit our clinic and have the fee deducted from their first paycheck. This policy is put into place in order to ensure that only qualified drivers are being hired. Hiring qualified drivers is important to Falcon and it is part of what makes them a reputable company. ORIGINAL POST: Temporary service agencies are notorious for only paying their employees $8.00/hour per assignment, but charging employees over $30 for Drug Screens/Background Checks just to go to EACH assignment, meaning for each assignment they send you on, you 'pay them' fees for going there! RESPONSE: It's not fair to compare Temporary Service Agencies to the trucking industry. The employees that work for these agencies work from 9-5 and are being paid by the hour, unlike truck drivers who are paid to be out on the road hauling freight five to six days a week. This industry is not meant for everyone. ORIGINAL POST: I will proceed to tell you the truth: Within your first to second year, you are lucky to 'AVERAGE' around $300-$350/week, driving 70 hours a week to achieve this! RESPONSE: This may be the case for other trucking companies. However, Falcon van, OTR and dedicated drivers that are willing to work five to six nights a week, have the opportunity to make anywhere between $650-$850 per week. Drivers are expected to drive a minimum of 2,400 miles a week. At $.30 a mile, this averages out to be $720 a week. Keep in mind that there are drivers that have been working for Falcon for 15 plus years that make well over that average amount per week. ORIGINAL POSTS: And if you, the grad, DO get hired by those few companies, you will make not even minimum wage to train for a few weeks, often times with a nutcase trainer, who don't know how to function around people, and then when you are finished, you make very cruddy mileage pay, usually between 26-28 cents per mile. You will live completely out of your truck OTR for 1-2 years, give up everything else, since you will be lucky to have enough to afford your meals and showers. Unless you run truck daily with loads offered, you will not be able to fuel up truck for at least $60 and get your FREE shower points: So expect to pay at least $9.00/hour per shower, unless you clean yourself the free way, which is via sink baths. RESPONSE: Mileage pay at other trucking companies may fall somewhere between $.26 and $.28 per mile. However, Falcon van drivers receive $.30 a mile, and the pay scale for flatbed drivers is based on a percentage. The company also offers their drivers one free shower a day with or without the purchase of fuel, and pays for a motel once a week. For those that want to be truck drivers and are willing to be out on the road, Falcon provides new hires with the opportunity to average approximately $35,000 a year. ORIGINAL POSTS: Since these trucking companies KNOW there's very few chances a newer driver can choose from, they exploit their applicants to the max, then wonder why their turnover is EXTREME, lucky if same drivers stay no more than a few weeks or months at a time. I am done with OTR driving, as now when all the carriers cry how they can't find drivers, they need to look in the mirror at THEMSELVES and see WHY people don't drive very long for them or don't even want to work for them: Paying your own 'fees' upfront to get a job isn't the answer, while these trucking cos., even if they pay for you to have Physical; etc., they pay so very low in mileage pay, that a truck driver can't afford remaining in the profession any more than a few months! RESPONSE: From October to February 2008, there were close to 90 drivers that celebrated anywhere from their 1st to 25th anniversary with Falcon. Obviously these drivers believe in the company enough to extend their commitment, dedication and support. ORIGINAL POSTS: even though it's not set in stone in me actually being hired---I would have had to travel 6 hours one-way to Gary, IN for their Orientation, not knowing if I was really hired or not, but still them wanting me to pay for my own Physical; etc. I have looked into the very large trucking cos. that are known to hire students and believe me, they have hardly anything to offer: Some of these carriers will LIE to get you to their Orientation, saying you will be paid for your time there, then turn around and decide for what ever excuse, they are not going to compensate you for your time there. Here's what they offer new drivers: $75 FIRST WEEK, then when out with a trainer, $450/week (better than a lot of other carriers hiring new drivers, as most only offer $250-$350/week). RESPONSE: Please understand that truck driver orientation is equivalent to the standard interview process. Its sole purpose is to interview the driver and assess his/her skills. Falcon covers all expenses to and from Gary, IN, a motel room, and provides the drivers with a $20 allowance per day for meals. In other words, Falcon PAYS YOU to evaluate whether or not you are qualified to work for the company. ORIGINAL POSTS: So with Falcon Transport and other carriers hiring newbies, they KNOW they can take perfect advantage of newer drivers, even though those same drivers are already in the 'Financial Broke Zone' paying the high tuition to attend a trucking school and then having spent a few hundred dollars getting his/her CDL! Other carriers take it to next extreme: Making you, the applicant, find your own bus ticket home, when you are over 100 miles from where you live, even though they first had you ride Greyhound up there. RESPONSE: It is possible that other trucking companies take advantage of the newbies, but Falcon Transport is not one of those companies. Falcon is honest with their drivers; so on the first day of orientation, the drivers are given a crash course on the real world of trucking. The drivers are asked if they can handle being away from home five to six nights a week. If not, we pay for their way home. Also, keep in mind that the company offers their drivers tuition reimbursement. The driver can earn $150 a month, up to $8000 towards tuition. ORIGINAL POST: And if you, the grad, DO get hired by those few companies, you will make not even minimum wage to train for a few weeks, often times with a nutcase trainer, who don't know how to function around people. RESPONSE: Falcon takes all of the necessary steps to ensure that trainees are being trained by our BEST, most qualified drivers. Our trainers must have a minimum of one year experience, a clean driving record (no accidents, log or moving violations, etc.). The trainers are also required to take a general knowledge test, attend a trainer program and are taught how to handle trainees and deal with conflict. Falcon gives each trainer a trainer guidebook and makes sure that they are managed and monitored through continuous process improvement. In the end, it is the trainees' responsibility to evaluate the trainer's performance in order to ensure a quality OTR training experience. Falcon's professionals review these evaluations and speak with the trainers about how they can improve or acknowledge their trainees for outstanding performance. ORIGINAL POST: Some of these trucking companies hiring out of the schools only want to pay their 'trainees' 18 cents a mile, as usually, you are lucky to get 2,000 miles a week, due to extra slow freight nowadays! RESPONSE: I agree that $.18 a mile is a very low wage. However, Falcon's trainees are paid well over $.18 a mile. Falcon requires its trainees to drive a minimum of 80 hours during their OTR portion of training. This is an average of 1,000 miles a week. Keep in mind that training is necessary for all new drivers because the initial school they attend teaches them how to pass the CDL, not how to drive a truck. The trainees are paid $450 a week and are given the training they need to become successful drivers. Each trainee works an average of 45 hours a week. However, a trainee is responsible for driving only a few hours a day at first, which increases until they can drive a total of 11 hours a day. As you can see, Falcon's trainees are not taken advantage of, and are well compensated for their contributions to the company. ORIGINAL POST: 20-something cents per mile was what truck drivers made back in 1970 for average mileage pay, while cost of living was way lower than it is now! RESPONSE: It's not fair to compare the trucking industry today to the industry in 1970. In the seventies, the industry was much different, not to mention the type of equipment that was available. The drivers were paid less because the cost of living was much lower and trucks were not as accommodating as they are today. Truck drivers in the seventies did not have air conditioning, cell phones or QUALCOMMs. Not to mention a night in their truck consisted of sleeping on a board lying across two seats! Falcon pays their drivers $.30 a mile, which is significantly higher than the truck driving wage in the seventies and more than most trucking companies. * Falcon DOES NOT take advantage of their drivers. The company prides itself on offering drivers realistic expectations. Falcon is a fair and honest company that treats their drivers with the respect they deserve. Furthermore, the company has the capability to provide each of their drivers with the confidence and the skills they need in order to be successful. Falcon Transport Co. 4944 Belmont Ave. Youngstown, OH 44505 Toll Free: 1-800-935-4452 www.falcontransport.com