K&B TRANSPORTATION (S. SIOUX CITY, IA)

I started at K&B Transportation in 2014 in December and resigned in October of 2015. I intended to get around to writing a review as this is a smaller company so it's difficult to find up-to-date information on them from drivers. Here it is:

Pros:

- They got me home when I needed to be. They will do 5 load switches (T-calls, repowers, w/e) to get you home if needed. This is a double-edged sword as you will be screwed out of miles yourself to help other drivers get home. Being in GA, I usually got a T-called load to Tennessee then got a load from Tyson to get me home

- The guaranteed weekly salary of $1100 was nice. It has it's drawbacks though, and I will mention them later.

- Trailers were usually in good shape.

- Atmosphere at the yard is pretty laid back. The guys joke and laugh and whatnot. It was a decent and low-stress office environment when I went to the yard.

Cons

- Whatever CPM they tell you that you're being paid, deduct 4 cpm from it. I'm not sure how it's legal, but the CPM rate that K&B tells you that you will be paid includes the 4 cents per Diem they force you to take. Dishonest right off of the bat. Don't believe me? Ask them. Better yet, look at your pay stub. Current K&B drivers reading this need to look into it too.

- If you cannot deal with micromanagement, this is NOT. THE. PLACE. FOR. YOU. I'm talking constant nagging, waking you up 14 hours before appt time when you're 4 hours away. If you don't pickup, they will send someone from the truckstop to come outside and knock on your door. Why do you need all of this rest, you may be asking? Well...

- K&B has absolutely no respect for your need to get sleep. They will push you to start logging a 10 hour break as soon as you get to a receiver. They don't even bother asking if you've actually gotten any sleep, they will simply tell you to "Line 5- Off Duty" Drive to the nearest truckstop and finish your break, then get rolling. You will rarely get to simply sleep in at a receiver as K&B's customers are typically very slow, but if you let them take their time and don't go inside and check on the loads, you will sit even longer.

- Zero Detention pay. None.

- They short you on miles. Part of the benefit for K&B in offering the weekly guarantee is that they can cheat you on miles. K&B claims that the guarantee is based on 2500 miles, however you will often drive more than 2500 miles and not get the credit. It is not uncommon to drive roughly 150-200 free miles for K&B in any given week, as each load will require you to drive roughly 40-60 free miles. They claim this is because they pay you for the miles they charge the customer, and the customer pays them for the absolute shortest distance, even counting roads we can't get on.

- They have no regard for your safety. You will be pushed to drive in dangerous weather. K&B would rather you drive 35MPH on ice than stop. These were the words of the supervisor. First name started with a "J" for the ex-drivers reading this. Yep. "Hey, at last you're still moving toward the customer, right?". They apparently didn't learn their lesson after having to change their name from "Western Livestock" to "K&B Transportation" after one of their drivers killed an entire family a few years back.

- If you're quitting because you've just had it, don't quit until you return the truck to their yard. If you quit anywhere else, they will simply send someone to get the truck, charge you for abandonment and put it on your DAC. I offered to bring the truck back to the yard and formally resign. They did the above to me. Unfortunately for them, there was also a $500 overweight ticket signed to K&B in the truck as well, from a load I was given off of a T-Call. Had I gotten to the yard, they would have known about the ticket. So yeah, in trying to screw me, they ended up screwing themselves.


Conclusion: If you're dead set on K&B, ask them about the CPM. Ask if it includes per diem. Try to get it in writing for a possible lawsuit down the line.

 

K&B's pay system is as follows:

They offer a weekly guarantee based on 2500 miles. However, if you drive over 2500 mies (which you will do often) they then convert to mileage pay and pay you the sum of that instead. The issue is that they send you loads that have you driving 750 miles to a customer but only want to give you credit for 690-710. If you do drive 40-50 free miles within 3-4 loads a week, this is where you get the 150-200 free miles per week figure. .41 x 200 = $82.00

82 x 4 = $328.00

That's a car note.

If you want to pay me a flat salary, then do so. Just be honest about it. Don't tell me you'll pay me the practical miles if I drive over 2500 but cheat me out of miles every week to keep me at the minimum guarantee.


Hopefully this clears up my earlier post regarding the pay structure.

~Peace all and save driving~