Complaint Review: WESTERN EXPRESS - Nashville Tennessee

okay a little truth goes a long way and truth with Western Express is clearly they are trying to reformulize their operations and safety record.  The drivers suffer for it, But with any company in the new scope of the CSA2010 rules and conduct many company's have had to change not for the driver but for the new rules and bylaws of trucking.

WARNING.... DO NOT SMOKE IN THE HOTEL AT ALL! EVEN IF YOUR IN A SMOKE ROOM ON ANY FLOOR.. WESTERN WILL FIRE YOU OR FINE YOU 350.00!  NO MATTER WHAT DO NOT SMOKE!  NO NOT DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. EVEN IF YOU PASSED ORIENTATION DO NOT DRINK AT THE HOTEL ASSIGNED BY WESTERN EXPRESS YOU WILL BE GOING HOME..  ORIENTATION LUNCH IS A CRAPPY SANDWICH CHIPS AND WATER!  THATS IT.. THERES A FOOD TRUCK PARKED OVER BY THE REPAIR SHOP. MAKE USE OF IT ON YOUR OWN BUCK..  PLEASE TAKE MONEY TO ORIENTATION.  THERE IS FREE SHUTTLES TO AND FROM THE HOTEL FROM 7AM TO 8PM.  AFTER HOURS THERE IS A SHUTTLE FOR GREYHOUND AND AIRPORT AS WELL.. WALMART RUNS AT 2000 FROM THE HOTEL DAILY.  NOTE: BE ON TIME FOR ORIENTATION THE DOOR CLOSES YOU WILL BE GOING HOME! NO EXCEPTIONS.  THERE IS NO TV'S OR ANYTHING TO DO AT THE TERMINALS IF YOU ARE SITTING FOR REPAIRS OR ON YOUR BREAK. YOU WILL SUFFER BECAUSE WE WILL NOT PROVIDE DRIVER ACCOMADATIONS LIKE LAUNDRY OR RELAXING LOUNGES. THE TERMINALS ARE CRAPPY UNFIT EVEN FOR A DOG.. HORRIBLE CONDITIONS. REMEMBER THEY STAFF WORK THERE AS WELL... ITS AWFUL FOR THEM.  THE OWNERS ARE RICH! DRIVERS ARE POOR..

I drove for Western Express just long enough to hop into a better company but this is what is to be expected when you go to Western Express.

You are just a means to an end.. Your a part of the unit you drive and theres 20 more who want your seat and wheel. so you are EXPENDABLE!  Make no mistake about that.

new equipment and autoshifters makes Western Express disirable for most smart drivers. 12 speeds and they go up mountains with 45K pretty well.  the new 2014 Volvos and Cascadias are set up pretty well. No slipseat. take your truck home with you. keep it clean it's brand new.  So you want to know what to expect..

your out 3-6 weeks with 1 day home per week out. Set your hometime a day or two early. be prepared to be away from your home area (WE means Western Express from now on).. WE hates drivers going by their home 20 becuase they stay home more then allowed.. dispatcher revenge is to be expected! stay home a day over your 1 day a week out and your out 2 weeks past your hometime next time.

Expect the worse to happen at shippers and recievers, They see WE late all the time but YOU got the preassign that day... But the load was to be loaded two to five days ago.. You will be looked upon as being late..

$500.00 deductuble.. for anything wrong with your equipment, accidents that are not your fault. If it is you bear the full weight of the cost.. take lot's pictures of your unit with the truck number and trailer numbers. Don't take this for granted WE wants your donation.... $500.00 is a lot of money when you drive for WE.

Low pay and watch your trips on being paid.. They forget and one week past the billing cycle you can see your money going into the pockets of WE.

Safety is on the warpath for logs and speed. their motto is the three S's. Seatbelts, Speed and Signs..  miss a sign speed you will be seeing safety review officer.. Seatbelt ticket your out of the truck forever.. So beware on the 3 S's.

be nasty to your DM.. Driver Manager.. expect ton's of lousy loads long wait periods and never going home.. until your quit... you will be ignored.. WE won't fire you unless something really bad happens or your not wearing your seatbelt even on terminal grounds. So you will be treated like dirt if you cuss your DM out..

You will not be going west bound in a dry van you will be going all over the USA in a flatbed..  you can get up to $45.00 for incedentials food money etc when you fuel.  WE hates giving a driver advances.. the 45.00 should be enough.

WE pays 20.000 for life insurance free to drivers.. up to 100.000.000 on your tab..

WE has changed a lot since 2013.. They hire real Law enforcement Officers who know the DOT rules backwards and forward.. Once you leave orientation the door is pretty much closed.. This company does not have an open door policy.  They say they do in orientation but after that everything goes with the DM first.. They get annoyed if you disturbed them.

The DM"s and Upper level management. has perks a driver will never use or see.. Gym is fantastic.. But not for the drivers. Drivers are a dime a dozen to this company. 20 want your seat everyday. expect very little even at the main terminal in Nashville. WE used to have A BUFFET but they are getting to be penny pinching and you will starve as there is no free dinner.. the Hotel provides a somewhat meger attempt at serving a breakfast. walk over to Mc'Donalds right next door.

Expect to be HASSELED by the Night Duty Security Guard,..  He will raze you with a billion personal questions,. where are you going, why are you out of your room. Where did you go?  see there is a strip joint nearby "DO NOT GO THERE" you will be FIRED on the spot.. at anytime.. even when your off duty BEWARE its OFF Limits to all WE employees and drivers. 

Many drivers will be like weird WE hires strippers for many of their positions. these women are beautiful volumptous and sexy.. many don't wear much.  don't try to date or pick them up.. put moves on them.. WE IS GIVING THEM A BREAK WHERE MANY COMPANIES WOULD NOT. These Ladys are well dressed but sexy dressed.  you will see their asses and sometimes much more.  Be respectful,  or you'll be out of a job.  WE is doing these Ladys something great.. Look them in the eyes only they deserve your respect.

gripes about WE would be low pay and not being much more then a part of the equipment.  Lousy terminals and no showers, crudy toilets and broken or plastic seats to sit. a couch that I would not allow my dog to sit on and no open door policy.  hard to get hometime and worse of all.. your load is late before you where preassigned.  Thats the kicker.. your the one the shipper mocks about why are YOU late???? well sir, My f*king DM/company just gave me this load! I got here as soon as I was dispatched.  you will get used to this.. fast..

Cracks in the system and double check the address you are given 3 ways. call the shipper reciever, check your own way of routing and don't trust the Quailcomm to nav you right.  It's not always right. so double check it. buy a truck map! not a 4 wheeler map..

Expect many states to treat you like scum crimminal because you drive for WE.  WE lost the privilage of the bypass weigh stations prepass because of their awful safety csa score... mmmm THE DRIVERS MADE THAT!  Yes WE has a dark side if needed but the drivers are to blame 80% and truth some should not have been hired..

WE will send messages from safety that says... Great Job drivers no roll overs last 4 days.  comical to me and any professional driver however the truth is WE has accidents every day.. some are horrific.  to counter that they hired Law Enforcement officers to run the Orientation.  Mike US Marshal. you better listen to him State troopers have to.. Mike knows it inside and out. ask questions because on the weekends he's out there rolling down the interstates in his crusier. The head of safety is the head of Tennessee State Police!  many under cover cops work and drive at WE.  They are everywhere..

So you still want to drive for WE... its like any large corporation these days.. The rules have changed the companies and therefore you are different then 2 years ago in any company you drive for.. all have had to change.  my expeirence in various companies is pretty much the gripes are the same. it all depends on what you want.. when your hometime is important and you have safe clean new equipment. BTY WE trailers are horrible because the drivers mistreat them doing sthings they shouldn't be doing. and not doing things they should be.  But they are crappy. The tractors are brand new auto shifters. The volvo's are awesome power.  even with 45K they move out faster then you can shift.  not like the earlier types of automatics. these are smart and powerful.

So 1 week out 1 day home..  Northeast NYC and Boston. NJ Philly ETC. your going to do mostly one day pick up same day delivary even 400 miles away you have to get on it and stay on it. the load was suppose to be picked up 2 days ago.. Your out of time before you started. $500.00 deductables. even if the accident wasn't your fault and you where not ticketed for it. POP.. 500 out of your pocket.  horrible conditions at the terminals.  WE will haul loads many companies will not.  No hazmat loads. and sometimes you will be asked to do something illegal. remember dispatchers revenge haaa haaaaaa haaaaa haaaa they wring their little hands in glee..

BUT ITS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER COMPANY!!!!!!  YOUR DESPENSIBLE!!!