Knight Transportation, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

i dont expect to be alive by the time i would need to retire, so per diem will work for me as long as i get more back during the year in my checks. i just started with knight 2 weeks ago , so far so good. some small dispatch probs but i will take care of that soon.....

 

My (and most other driver's) gripe was how Knight 'strong-armed' newbies into going Per Diem. And, harrassed and dragged their feet to keep the regular co. drivers on it. By doing so, Knight saves paying the drivers 3 cents/mile (cuts base pay by 7 cents/mi and then gives back 4 cents/mile as non-taxed per diem), where Knight receives the benefit of and 'fooling' drivers by flashing immediate $ in their face. If they would pay the driver another 1 cent, and then pocket the other 2 cents as an incentive, it wouldnt seem so bad.

I hope that you dont get married and have kids if you plan on 'going' before a decent length of life!! At least save enough $$ til then for your family & friends to dispose of your body, so as not to be a burden on them!

(Not to be morbid, but as you get older, these thoughts arise in the minds of 'responsible folks.')

By your posted age of 38 YO, you dont sound like many of the younger drivers that I've met in their 20's who drive just enuf to go out and party after they get back---then go backout again to do the same cycle, never having any long-term savings (or life plan).

Whatever, I wish you the best in your driving endeavors..OD

 

I did not expect to learn that the bad reputation Knight Transportation has with drivers and others in our industry is well deserved.

I am not angry or bitter, but I am mad at myself for not listening to my wife and quit when all the stupidity began in December 2008. I can be stubborn. I wanted to make it to the end of the 90 day probationary period. [I have written this testimony in the narrative style for the ease of communicating the information].

On 11 March 2009 I was informed that I was “…not a good fit for Knight” by the alleged Safety Rep named David at the Gulfport, MS terminal. He cited that “he” decided to blame me for an oil pump breaking in December about 2 weeks after the tractor they gave me came out of the shop. If this was a legitimate reason to claim I was “not a good fit for Knight,” then I would have been told so in December.

I received the tractor the day after the so-called company orientation had concluded. I immediately informed them of the warning indications on the display of the 2006 Volvo 660. It also had missing or bad sensors which the shop manager and personnel stated they planned to order. The shop manager said I should run with it and there would be no problems. I know tractors and trucks. I was wary. However, I had no knowledge of Volvo’s and Knight Transportation knew that.

For the record, I did not break the oil pump.

I had no indication that there was any trouble at all. The oil level was fine. I had just added a half gallon earlier in the day. The motor stopped running on I-20 eastbound just before the I-285 split on the Westside of Atlanta on the Sunday evening before Christmas 2008. This was the night of record cold temperatures. After nearly freezing to death for 11 hours on the side of the interstate and after 3 days of layover, I was told the motor “was toast.” Imagine that! Bad maintenance practices caused a motor to burn up. However, I am the class A CDL holder so the company mantra is employed: “When in doubt (or to cover your butt), it’s the driver’s fault.”

This is NOT A JOKE! THIS IS WHAT THEY DO!!!

The tow tractor driver who eventually rescued me could see I was frozen to the bone. He told me to sit in his tractor. I sat in his cab to warm up (not freeze). My bones did not stop shaking until I was in a motel bed for 5 hours. Matt told me that “Knight does not like to pay breakdown pay” and he would not authorize it. Then why does Knight talk about their poor paying breakdown pay in their version of an orientation?

A driver who pays attention to what they are told is “not a good fit for Knight.”


I learned that Knight Transportation does not operate as a properly run trucking company. The maintenance departments don’t want to work on tractors from other terminals!!! I found out and also learned from all the senior drivers that the practice of company maintenance personnel is to make it difficult on drivers from other terminals to get routine or preventative maintenance completed at other company terminals. KNIGHT TRANSPORTATION MAINTENANCE FACILITIES do not want to work on tractors from other terminals!? A real trucking company would not do this to their drivers.

I tried to get some minor issues resolved to prevent complications in the future, however, Knight Transportation does not share this proper, common sense belief in regards to the safe operation of a motor vehicle. I believe in preventative maintenance. This has always been a wise attitude to have. However, it is frowned upon by Knight Transportation personnel. On a few occasions I was guilty of trying to obtain 10 minutes of maintenance time to prevent multiple hours of repair later. In my opinion, Knight Transportation is in violation the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (STAA). I guess I am not supposed to bother poorly paid mechanics on their 3 – hour coffee break!

A conscientious driver is “NOT a good fit for Knight.”

So, I ended up doing what everyone else does and finding another way to fix the problems. Many drivers work with someone else who has experience with the minor problem and get it repaired. This is a great way to get a job done and is one of the most time-honored methods of repair in our industry. It saves money and we learn to do more repairs. Knight Transportation probably doesn’t care to know that many loads each month are on-time because the driver’s do their own minor repair work to keep things moving only to be on layover several days after they safely deliver.

Let’s get back to David, the alleged Safety Rep in Gulfport, MS.

The other poor excuse he cited as his reason I was “…not a good fit for Knight” was because I idled the tractor when it was 34 degrees and lower outside and / or inside the cab of my well maintained Volvo. Knight tractors will NOT idle until the outside temperature is 34 degrees. If a human being is cold at night or is sweating from heat, they don’t sleep well or at all. Since Knight hires human beings to work as drivers, they must hire robots to be managers. They are confused as to why we humans require heat or cool air to regulate our body temperature. (Typically, robots can operate from minus 20 degrees to plus 120 degrees Fahrenheit). If this was a legitimate reason to claim I was “not a good fit for Knight,” then I would have been told so in December.

Human beings are “not a good fit for Knight.”

Knight drivers are constantly informed via telephone or QualComm satellite that they will be terminated if they idle the tractor to stop from freezing or to prevent heat stroke. I admit it. I AM GUILTY! I chose to burn a few gallons of fuel to save my life. I must be punished! If I was dumb enough to not do the normal thing and idle the tractor, I would be dead or in the hospital. Knight is the kind of company that would send my widow a bill for supposedly having the interior professionally cleaned (by the under paid Knight Transportation maintenance personnel).

David also tossed in a BS item that also is untrue. I was “…not a good fit for Knight” for allegedly having a late load. My dispatcher in Gulfport, MS named Matt was intent on getting home for the weekend and did not pay attention to our conversation. I first informed him that I had been “on duty” this particular since 6 AM that morning and only had 4 hours left to work. I eventually received the load information a little after closing time in Gulfport, MS.

Matt sent me another “BS” message claiming he wanted to confirm my ability to deliver the load. He never asked on the phone, but needed to ‘…cover his butt.’ All he told me was to go to the shipper and he would send the load information while I was en route. Since Matt sent the load information well after I left, there were no safe places to exit the interstate. I responded as soon as I joined in a long line of tractors trying to get their loads and get out of the Atlanta metro area late on a Friday afternoon. Matt was NOT at the terminal to receive my response which would cause him to stay and reschedule the delivery. He left after sending a supposedly important message!!! If this was a legitimate reason to claim I was “not a good fit for Knight,” then I would have been told so in December.

Knight Transportation drivers forbidden to pull over to the side of the road to read any messages.

Apparently, drivers must remind dispatchers of basic mathematics. 6 AM + 14 hours = 8PM. (It seems they have not been told about the new 14 hour rule)! Matt’s claim to fame is he likes to use the QualComm system to refer to conversations which NEVER took place via the telephone. It would seem that more fraudulent information is transmitted via satellite than by telephone each day.

IT’S AGAINST KNIGHT COMPANY POLICY TO DO THE RIGHT (NORMAL) THING.

Remember the Knight Transportation mantra: “When in doubt (or to cover your butt), it’s the driver’s fault.”

An honest person is “not a good fit for Knight.”

Knight owes me for 3 layovers in Atlanta, GA in December 2008 and another 14 layovers from January – March 2009 for a total of 17 layovers and for the 11 hours I nearly froze to death on I-20. The most common practice at KNIGHT TRANSPORTATION is their failure to pay drivers earned layovers (a measly $48 per day), breakdown pay (only $5 per hour, up to $100), unloading pay and any other pay not related to the load.

Knight Transportation also owes me pay for 2 loads: the 3rd one (from December 2008) and the last one (from March 2009). Load numbers: 6839491 and 6961727.

The total amount of earned pay Knight owes me for my 17 layovers and load pay is about $1,000.


All new drivers get the feeling working at Knight Transportation will not be pleasant during the orientation. This is where they give us answers to quizzes just handed out. Then they collect the quizzes and give drivers another quiz to fill in the answers. This continues for 3 days! This is how they claim new drivers ‘should know’ about something they can’t remember. They feign interest in our welfare and provide absolutely NO TRAINING. Orientation at Knight Transportation is nothing more than company policies and politics. Period.

No actual education exists about any subject. Actual subjects in an actual orientation would include basic maintenance of the company tractors, trailers and other equipment used in performing the possible duties as a driver for the company. Company policies and politics normally take about an hour to cover, not 3 days! Paperwork for a driver to receive their non-load pay (detention, layover, breakdown, etc.) is among a list of many items to be taught at a trucking company. (No paperwork exists to get drivers paid at Knight Transportation for non-load pay)!!! Their earned pay simply vaporizes!

Drivers probably earn millions of dollars in unpaid income each year which are never accounted for properly. Therefore, no Federal Income Tax is withheld. Pretty slick operation, don’t you think?

It is the consensus of the drivers and former drivers of Knight Transportation that the underlying issue is centered on money, what else? There are two main points: long haul pay and insurance benefits.

Before I started to work with Knight Transportation, the company lowered the pay rate from $.38/mile to $.36/mile. In January 2009, the company again lowered the rate to $.33/mile. Knight Transportation also likes to rid themselves of higher paid drivers to save on insurance benefits. They know my wife has a few medical issues and I know they didn’t want to potentially pay for any bills. Although I can’t prove it, it is common knowledge after drivers get out into the system.

My benefits (which I qualified for after 90 days of employment), would have started on 1 April 2009. I heard the same problem or similar repeated by many drivers from other terminals. It is one of the main reasons they quit working for Knight Transportation. The other reasons are: not being paid for all their layovers, not being paid for detention, not being paid for breakdowns and other reasons. Do you see a money pattern here? By using any available justification as a reason to get rid of someone at a higher pay rate, Knight Transportation will save the few extra pennies per mile and medical admin cost to add to their reputation as a Fortune 200 Company.

This must be how Knight Transportation is able to maintain their all important status as a “Fortune 200 Company.”

For the record, I never quit and David the Safety Rep never said I was fired. David simply stated that in his opinion, I was “…not a good fit for Knight” and he stopped talking. They just took my load from me and would not give me another one.

My 93 days of hell working for a ‘wonderful company’ is an experience I could have done without.

 

I think one posting of this was enough.

 

Hell hath no fury like a driver 'Super-scorned!'

Well, you made 90 days, which means BTW, that you dont have to pay $200-300 for your orientation & hotel bill!! Less than, the would dock your last paycheck.

BTW, Volvo drivers can over-ride the temp-range idle limit if an emergency (ahem) by pouring ice over the sensor (open hood, is at bottom of hood in the middle). I had to do since sensors go out-of-calib/bad and cant get truck to idle more than a couple minutes in below freezing or above 85 deg temps!!

**Came across a newbie Knight driver who was sweating and almost passed out at a truck stop in Coachella, CA in the summer because his truck wouldnt idle more than a couple of mins---he kept tapping the brake/accelerator to momentarily override, and as a result was not getting any sleep in his sleeper, so eventually quit and almost passed out in the heat---I had to call 911 since near heat stroke!!!!!!!!! Sad............

 

Welcome to the club. The stories are the same, only the people are different. No matter how great we drivers are, it does not matter.
The company will do whatever they want. We are only a steering wheel holders. Come to accept it, or it will own you.
I was/am from the terminal of Lakeland. I ran illegall I could do no wrong. Wanted to take a break on a load that didn't deliver until three days later (500mi). They said no, and that if I didn't take it down that I could mt out the truck and go home for a break. Ok great! One month later I'm still sitting at home, not fired but not working. I have sent e-mails for pay on layovers and detention that I let slide in the past. Of course no answer. Oh well time to go to the Labor Board. All the messages about them getting me to run illegal runs and make illegal logs are going to the http://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/HomePage.asp All the evidence and many messages are in the Q-Comm and I have all the dates.
Don't know how they are going to fire me since I have not been there for a month, but I'm sure they will find a way. Or they may put some crap on my Dac record.
Thats the least I can do, no matter that is't not going to change a thing. May be after some pattern, not!
I'm am doing my part , please do yours by doing the same. Accross state lines will hurt them the worst.

 

Looks like you're screwed!

I was fortunate to start working at Knight 7 yrs ago when they were a driver's company (about 800 trucks). They grew, went big business ala Swift, and the driver turn-over rate soared. Think they are well over 4000 trucks presently---been a year since I drove for them.

They dont say so, but they would prefer drivers with 2 yrs or less experience! Why? Cause those driver dont know crappy treatment and will accept it and stay on. Drivers with experience 5+ years have been around, know crap when they see it, and wont put up with it! BTW, when I 1st hired on, they preferred experienced drivers and had an industry low accident/incident rate, and most of the drivers that I met there had been with Knight 7+ years!! Not now.....when I left, I didnt recognize any of the drivers out of my terminal from he time when I hired on.

And, Yes, Knight is notorious for screwing with your DAC at the drop of a hat. Mine was and is 'clean' (as far as I know?!), because I didnt lose my cool: never complained in front of anybody but my DM (who have a vested interest in their drivers since they need reliable ones to help them out of trouble and do special favors, which was quite often), and I left 'gracefully,' even tho I was very dis-enchanted with their whole attitude and operation.

Oh yeah, in those 6 yrs of driving with them, I went thru at least 12 DM's and 5 Safety ppl!

Also, to give an indication of their desperation for drivers and the revolving door for weekly orientation/hiring, the min experience when I hired was 1 yr with a clean record---then became 6 mos, and now is 4 mos.

I survived those 6 yrs by 'playing the game,' as well as being reliable, incident free, not turning down crappy loads but making deals with them if I carried them for 'good' loads next, and being mature and not letting them push me around---most of the ppl in the offices are young and fear 'their father' types...

Also, Qcom msgs dont mean anything---they usually 'fall out' of the system in about 3-4 weeks. The driver is pretty much defenseless, and fighting Knight is like fighting city hall. They have a huge staff of lawyers on payroll to eat you up.

I have no good advice to give you for your next move, other than give a formal notice of termination and beat them to the punch---they will still most likely mess with your DAC........

 

When I started not that long ago, I was feeling pretty OK about working at Knight. Not anymore. I talked to a guy who was driving my old OLD truck which I turned in because of major safety issues (5th wheel not grabbing the kingpin too much slop in it) and it still wasn't fixed. Every major issue that I had written up 8 months ago still hadn't been repaired.

I do not like lip service on safety. Now I'm dealing with a tractor that somebody has used the sleeper as their piss-bottle and forgot to use a bottle.

 

White Horse is absolutely correct. Dead-On, in fact. If for some reason you weren't able to pay attention to all the lies and back door deals at Knight, then your head was in the wrong place!!! OPEN YOUR EYES!!!

Knight routinely cheats the IRS out of millions of dollars in taxes by NOT PAYING THE DRIVERS THE MONEY OWED TO THEM!!!

If you are happy there, then you are the kind of driver who won't stand up for yourself or question anything. You deserve to work for Knight.

Per Diem is a royal screw job for You!!!

Here's why. First, Knight steals 2 cents per mile from you for no reason. Next, your taxable income decreases. Short term, it sounds OK. However, your Social Security check is BASED UPON YOUR TAXABLE INCOME!!! Every per diem paycheck you get lowers your SS check in the future. Got a question? Ask the SS Administration.... they will tell you the same thing.

 

I guess my last post wasn't needed. I didn't see the rest of the posts. Good to see that there are plenty of drivers that will stand up for other drivers. Funny, I also had a Volvo lose an oil pump. I found out that there was a problem with oil pumps going bad in the ISX's. Also another word about per diem. (Didn't J.B. Hunt get in trouble with the IRS when they were doing this and telling drivers they were actually getting .40 a mile)? When the company lowers your pay per mile and calls it per diem (a food allowance) they don't have to pay as much payroll tax. Also they get to take the per diem (food allowance) deduction instead of you. Not a good thing. When I asked them in orientation, to show me a comparason example of how much I could make with or without per diem, the speaker got mad and walked out of the room.