Knight Transportation.............Can't Do it.....

Nope.

I even had a 'ship out' date to orientation and all. However, I read me some many pages here on TTR--and I am now enlightened.

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Like the classic Michael Singletary Rant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB5-yJM3vJc

fast forward to about the 0:50 mark




After reading threads by Smaggs, Overdrive, DNA Mach, Seawind, Dale L, RizenPhoenix, hostage, and now finally TruckerNick, I just have to quote the former Chicago Bear :

"Can I win with them...?" translation: Can I last six months at Kinght through all their crap...???!!?

"Can't Do It!"

"I want winners!" translation: Companies where I may win and have better working conditions and pay than that of a slave in a rice patty in China

"I want people that want to win!" translation: I want to win! I want trucking companies that will also let me win and not win solely at my expense.


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To Knight's Credit, I approve and like

- no team driving while training, allegedly
- no shoving a 'fleece-purchase' down one's throat ala CRE [Crush your Rubles Eternally] and TransScam
- daily pay option - when pay is accurate and arrives
- recruiter seemed not to fib to me
- approved me in hours, not months like pumpkin Schnotzer, whom still has not given me a yay or nay
- terminal near my abode
- no forced dispatch---so a couple posters have said, but I have my doubts
- if dropping a T-Call, one gets paid the mileage to roughly the drop area (minus out-of-route miles) per the recruiter


To My Detriment, off the top of my head, in relative order, I dislike

- gypping drivers out of pay/reimbursements
- terminals not treating drivers/fixing trucks from other terminals unless treating them with contempt or neglect respectively
- long, unpaid, fishing expeditions to find a trailer--I mean, seriously...serviceable dry vans can be had for $3k where I am at
- after about five questions, the recruiter put me on as one who reads TTR and she was no longer friendly


- that per-diem bull-ship and sliding mileage pay scale - I would rather a set per mileage regardless of length of haul, but for short runs, just slip the driver $40-60 in 'bump-the-dock' pay
- Fontana, CA and everything California pretty much
- Idle Limiter with no APU - Knight is not alone in this; we can thank CRE for being the trail blazer regarding installing idle limiters I believe
- poor or the absence of competent pre-planning

- disregarding home time requests
- hassling by DMs to get back to work while on break/home/re-start time
- short haul freight as percentage of total hauled freight seems to be too high
- performing 'favors' that never seem to be returned in kind
- paid mileage is by HHG Zips and not Practical - should shave 15-20% off what one should be paid I suspect

- "sitting duck' policy - I mean puhleeeeasee....
- not paying for truck washes - I mean, really---how petty
- if picking-up a T-Call, one will only receive mileage i.e. mileage pay likely for a local run
- no realistic chance to achieve any bonuses
- calculating routes through mountains and side roads instead of practical routes on interstates - again, Knight is not alone in this practice


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The top three quotes I have read in a Knight Thread are, in reverse order:


Honorable Mention #2, the "101 Ways to leave an MT" posts also in the "Knight Transportation Thread"

Honorable Mention #1, Trucker Dave 1970 referring to his time with Knight as being in a penitentiary.



#4 -

Why indeed...


#3 - Upon Rizen being out 42 days and then Knight wanting him to go back out within 24 hours of being home:

Awesome.


#2 - Responing to my questions to another member in the "Knight Transportation" thread:

Beautiful.


And the winner is....

#1 -

Classic.

 

Thank You, as do I believe I am making the proper call. There is no way I would have the patience not to say "Fudge This" after just one day with some of what I read on TTR.

I have an application in to a National Company that is not one of the run-of-the-mill bottom-feeders i.e. no Swiped, URScrewedland, Shcheister, UBHunted, Warnyou-er, etc. Their equipment is not rated as fabulous per some posters on TTR and the pay would be modest except for newbies like me -- about $700 weekly.

It is a dedicated run that takes five days yet stays between the mountain ranges and thus also leaving out NYC and LA. Home 48 hours on the weekends so I may yet be able to garden a bit this summer. If this fails, I may just go ahead and drive straight truck for an expediter company near O'hare Airport.

 

Agreed. However, I believe equally, or more so, that I can also do a lot better.

Thank You.

Incidentally, I filled out the application for the open position with YRC for the Chicago Heights location---another TTR member with a Teamsters Avatar helped me a bit with the process.

 

Thank You.

I guess i need to set the record straight as another has assumed I worked for Knight.

I just have two-weeks experience with a fly-by-night ma & pa outfit, and that was going on 50 days ago. I am currently without a company i.e. unemployed. For the record, any Knight tractors and trailers I have seen in the past couple months looked clean, sleek, fresh paint, and modern.