Anyone familiar with Fastenal?

I have never worked for them,....But they used to have a "store" that shared a parking lot with a company I used to drive for...

I used to see there driver come in in the morning to unload,.Usually around 4 am or so when I was heading out to work,...There driver really seeded to like his job....They haul there own stuff so he had a keys to get into his stops at night so he didn't have to wait.......

I thought it sounded like a pretty good gig,.........

 

they sell a lot of cool stuff.

 

I drove for Fastenal for a total of 3 months. Youre not far from OHUB I see so you're in the right area. I ran out of the Jessup PA hub myself. Unless you can get into linehaul, I would stay away. The pay ($2000/month plus $.07/mile off the odo and $4/stop when I left) comes out to about $700 to $800 a week but its not really all that great when you consider the amount of work. Our routes were typically 6 to 10 stops and 400 to 600 miles total. You come in about 11pm and it takes usually all of 12 to 14 hours or more to finish a route. You deliver in the middle of the night in sometimes questionable neighborhoods on the street with no assistance (unless you're training a new guy). Some of the branches have docks (but not all) and the ones that have no dock and no forklift are a real picnic! And they only allow you 15 minutes per stop, but it can take half an hour or more if there's a lot of pieces or things are buried. Each route has a set of keys and directions in a book, as well as the alarm code, since more than likely you will be delivering when no one is around. Unless you are running late or someone burglarizes the store! (yes it has happened to me but they were gone by the time I got there.) And god forbid you trip the alarm because the only key you have is for the back door and the alarm pad is way up in the manager's office and you have to grope around in the dark to find it! Management where I worked was fairly incompetent and through research I've found that to be the case companywide. They also try to force drivers to drive in the absolute worst weather and because of the length and number of stops going over hours is fairly routine. If you're looking for local work, I'd look elsewhere. And their "cool stuff" is usually overpriced.

 

what kind of trucks do they drive? strait or semi?

 

They have a lot of straight trucks for the store delivery routes, some of them are on trailers, though. Most of the trailers are used for linehaul.

 

Fastenal started in my home town and if they have a bad reputatuin for trying to dip and dodge payiing employees anything. The owner is a multi millionaire and won't even tip when he gets a haircut; just gives you an idea on what kind of company they are. I worked in the warehouse a few years ago working 50 hours a week and yet they refused to give me "full time" status just so they wouldn't have to pay bennies. I dunno, maybe they treat their drivers better.... but I doubt it.

 

In response to posts, conditions are fairly accurate but opinions are not:

- Pay scale starts about 42k with experience, and goes up yearly to a cap of around 64-65k, depending upon performance and your own ability to remain a limited liability (many companies willing to fire you after one accident.)

-Driver responsibilities: 6-10+ stops, 450-600 miles/12-14 hrs a night, very physical work but do-able. We have a bunch of drivers 50+ yrs old (including myself) and we regard it as great exercise, some nights harder than others, but no big deal. If you want to be a 'steering wheel holder' then look elsewhere. We (Fastenal) are delivery drivers, the same as drivers out there every night keeping stores stocked with food, fuel, and other commodities. In a way we are the underappreciated guys that keep things rolling. It is what it is.

-The majority of our stores have alarm pads where the driver enters. If not then the alarm pad is in front of the store. So what?! The ONLY time you would be looking for it is the very first time you run the route.

-Yes, we run in bad weather but so does the entire trucking industry. If you are afraid of running in bad weather find another occupation.

-Fastenal now uses e-logs. Along with a recent audit and the suggestions they gave, we are compliant with the law. There are plenty of driver complaints but having come from several commercial carriers, Fastenal is far above what you will have with other carriers.

-Corporate practices; whether it's the perception of 'incompetence' or how the owner tips barbers, this is crap. Just do your job. If you buy into hearsay or have problems with some supervisory staff then you are sure to face problems wherever you go.
I've been a Fastenal driver four years now and am not going anywhere else. I've had more jobs than I have fingers, to include managerial, supervisory, and academic. Finally doing what I love to do, even if it is challenging. Sure, it can be tough sometimes but balances out with positives on the other side. More or less it depends upon your perspective. Driving a truck is not for wimps.
Regarding the company, Fastenal gives priority to those already in the company who want to move up. We like to 'hire within'. Given that, you often deal with people who are still learning either their position and/or professional practices of managers. This may be trying for some but you gotta look at the bigger picture, it just makes sense.

Email me for info that I didn't mention if you are looking at Fastenal.

Steve

 

So, 800 a week for 12 to 14 hrs a day? Is that a 5 day work week? Doesn't sound great for what you described as "very physical work". Maybe I'm wrong.

 

Ok first of all we all know this thread was resurrected by a drive-by post. And the previous comment is correct about $800 a week for very physical work for 12 to 14 hour days being a poor deal.

As far as driving in crappy weather,as I am fond of saying lately, we are not supplying
.50 caliber ammunition to the 8th Air Force. Your tools and screws and nuts and whatnot are not so ###### important that we need to be driving around in blizzard conditions (Valentine's Day 2007) when the possibility of being stranded (or worse) is very real. I don't mind driving in bad weather but there comes a time when it is absolutely pointless to do so. The "captain of the ship" principle applies and I will not argue with anyone whether its the traffic manager or the owner of the company about unsafe road conditions. I will quit if necessary. And that is just what I did.