The Heyl Truck Lines Experience

I have worked for Heyl now for a little over a month. I'm still learning a little bit about how the company works, but I'll do my best to describe what I've experienced so far.

I went to orientation in Zephyrhills, FL with one other driver. So far it's been a nice company to work for. The drivers all seem happy. Zephyrhills is their busiest and biggest terminal.

The pay: good, starting at 35 cpm, the bonuses (fuel, safety, longevity, sign-on...) are easily attainable and can add a pretty big chunk to your paycheck. My worst week so far was 2700 miles, the best was about 3500 miles.

The equipment: Very nice. You don't see many Heyl trucks or trailers with damage of any kind. The maintenance could not be better. If there is a minor problem, they send you to a terminal and the problem is fixed right away. I haven't had any major breakdowns yet, so I dont know about that. While you are on your home time, they take your truck into the shop and inspect it, and fix any problems you have reported or found. The fleet consists of mostly of Volvos and Freightshaker Cascadia's. They also have International Prostar's, FL Columbia's, and Century's. All are manual trannys governed at 65 and they all have APU's. The recruiter may tell you they all have inverters, and that is not true. They have started equipping the trucks with electronic logs, and safety tells me that should be completed in the next 6 months or so.

The home time: 7-10 days out, 2 at home, but it is trucking, so you might not get home exactly when you want, but so far I've been home early each time. If you want to make more money, stay out longer.

Dispatch: Courteous, and they don't baby sit you. They are reasonable and they actually have brains that work. Everyone in safety, dispatch, etc that I have met so far has been a truck driver in the past.

My main complaints and concerns:
-Dispatch is not available 24/7. They are out of the office for 7 hours on sat and sun, and work 7-6 on weekdays.
-The directions they give just plain suck. Call the shipper or receiver or you will end up on some unlined back road or residential neighborhood.
-Too much time for the loads. On my last 2 runs (1800 miles and 1600 miles) I had enough time to do a 34-hour reset before my delivery.
-Lumpers, lumpers, lumpers. You will be able to write comchecks in your sleep.
-They do not pay for a hotel during orientation. This didn't really bother me, I just found it kindof odd. They don't pay you for orientation either.
-the "sign on bonus of $1500" is not fully paid until you have been there 1 year. Don't rely on a $500 boost to your first paycheck.

 

I have worked for Heyl now for a little over a month. I'm still learning a little bit about how the company works, but I'll do my best to describe what I've experienced so far.

I went to orientation in Zephyrhills, FL with one other driver. So far it's been a nice company to work for. The drivers all seem happy. Zephyrhills is their busiest and biggest terminal.

The pay: good, starting at 35 cpm, the bonuses (fuel, safety, longevity, sign-on...) are easily attainable and can add a pretty big chunk to your paycheck. My worst week so far was 2700 miles, the best was about 3500 miles.

The equipment: Very nice. You don't see many Heyl trucks or trailers with damage of any kind. The maintenance could not be better. If there is a minor problem, they send you to a terminal and the problem is fixed right away. I haven't had any major breakdowns yet, so I dont know about that. While you are on your home time, they take your truck into the shop and inspect it, and fix any problems you have reported or found. The fleet consists of mostly of Volvos and Freightshaker Cascadia's. They also have International Prostar's, FL Columbia's, and Century's. All are manual trannys governed at 65 and they all have APU's. The recruiter may tell you they all have inverters, and that is not true. They have started equipping the trucks with electronic logs, and safety tells me that should be completed in the next 6 months or so.

The home time: 7-10 days out, 2 at home, but it is trucking, so you might not get home exactly when you want, but so far I've been home early each time. If you want to make more money, stay out longer.

Dispatch: Courteous, and they don't baby sit you. They are reasonable and they actually have brains that work. Everyone in safety, dispatch, etc that I have met so far has been a truck driver in the past.

My main complaints and concerns:
-Dispatch is not available 24/7. They are out of the office for 7 hours on sat and sun, and work 7-6 on weekdays.
-The directions they give just plain suck. Call the shipper or receiver or you will end up on some unlined back road or residential neighborhood.
-Too much time for the loads. On my last 2 runs (1800 miles and 1600 miles) I had enough time to do a 34-hour reset before my delivery.
-Lumpers, lumpers, lumpers. You will be able to write comchecks in your sleep.
-They do not pay for a hotel during orientation. This didn't really bother me, I just found it kindof odd. They don't pay you for orientation either.
-the "sign on bonus of $1500" is not fully paid until you have been there 1 year. Don't rely on a $500 boost to your first paycheck.

 

Barracuda I think you started the week before me. The other guy in orientation had over 20 yrs experience.

Your APU issues seem to be isolated, my rigmaster has been running very well. I went into the office in Akron yesterday and told them I was interested in getting into the elog test group. They offered me a brand new truck, so if you are interested in something newer, it might be worth a try. I told them they would have to drag me kicking and screaming outta my Volvo with 170k miles on it.

Something I forgot to say. Before they bring you to orientation, you are completely checked out, your drug test has come back negative, and all you have to do is sit through orientation. Other companies (Werner, US Xpress, etc.) have orientation classes of 30+ and only hire about half. That doesn't seem to happen here.

 

Sounds like a solid place that cares about their drivers. Thanks for the posts.

 

Barracuda: Did U attend orientation in IA or FL?

Thank You!!!!

 

Hi to you Heyl drivers. This company seems pretty good from what I've been reading here; and I'm thinking about making a change from where I am now if things don't get markedly better. I live in the Chicago area (SW subs) with almost 14 years behind the wheel...and wondering if they hire drivers from around here. Also do they offer dedicated accounts/lanes? Starting to look around now and am just curious. Thanks for the time and drive safe out there.

 

I may be interested in looking at Heyl. Can any of you Heyl drivers answer a couple questions for me please?

1. I can not live in a Volvo. I'm actually allergic to something in the material they use in the sleeper - believe it or not. Any idea what they'd say if I said I couldn't accept a Volvo? (I know I could ask them directly but I'd like to hear from some of the drivers and get their opinion)

2. Does everyone start at .35/mile no matter how much experience they have?

Thanks gang.