USA Truck, Inc. - Van Buren, Ar.

when i quit usa truck in 2005 it took them like 2 months b-4 i could get my escrow back. they told me that they needed to keep it so long that way they wanted to make sure that i didnt owe them any money! and if you dont live close to one of their terminals than you wont see home very much. i live in west virginia and everytime i wanted to come home i always dropped a load in vandalia,oh and dead headed home. they told me that i live to far away to pay for me to dead head home so they wasnt gonna pay me for it.at least that is what my dispatcher said. they give me a start inside the trucking world but i hope i dont have to go back to them. make sure all you rookies keep track of your toll receipts and weigh tickets when i quit they owed me like $20 which aint much but it should matter if it was even a $1............ but thats just my rant and advice, for anyone who wants to listen

 

ok first of all I'm really starting to get frustrated with all this crap. It seems like everybody has something to ##### about. I really would like to freaking know if there are any good companies out there? I'm sure they all have there ups and downs. As for USA Truck I actually went through there training program and it sucked ### my trainer was a rookie he only been driving for 1 year solo. I mean what the hell can he actually teach? He was also black and racist as hell. I really think USA Truck is a decent company if you have the Experiance and know how to talk to your fleet managers properly as for the hometime its usually company policy to put in for it 14 days in advance.

 

Thanks roaring i start the C1 class on Monday already been pre approved for USA

 

let me tell you something - when i was doing research last year about getting started there was nothing on this site about usa truck inc. at any rate i took my chances,i had no other choice. i applied at swift,schiender and usa.. usa called back the next day - on a saturday afternoon,nonetheless. i passed the all the written test,which suprised them as most people miss certain part on the log test.. oh,and their road test is ######,1/2 truck route and a NON truck route- go figure. i left directly after i did that one..
the companys got one the highest turn-over rates in the industry.
while i was in driving school,i made friends with pretty much everyone there,as most of us were going to be heading off to usa truck. out of the 10 of us..2 people stayed on with them. those of us that left are doin really well and the others that stayed are doing good also. their ratio is about 2 out of 10 which explains why they take so many in..
if you do leave they mark it on your dac report and keep all money for the 'orientation' (which includes the lodging) - with that said,the next co. that you go to will be understanding,as most other companies are seeing that you left usa truck - hence the high turnovers. look at it like this,we all have to start somewhere and every co. does have their ups/downs - i just did agree or like the company policies - (i felt like a million bucks the day i quit and left van butt*#@&#37.
just a fyi,you are financed through westpark : they will help you get a job if you do end up leaving usa.
good luck to you.




one more thing : dont let your trainer take a crap in the truck ! (i am not kidding)

 

hey everyone USA truck has offered to put me thru school. this is what they offered me. i will give you an exact copy of what i asked them and what they told me. here it goes. it is kinda long so bare with it.


How long will I be out each trip? Min 14 days average of each load 900 miles
Pay per week training? 375
Where do most trips go?(General areas/states) Central to east 90%
Normal amount of pickups and drops? 70% drop and hook
Extra pay for drops?
Pay during layovers? After 24hrs
How does payback of loan work? 45/week payroll deducted interest free
Does it work like payoffs? yes
Term of work contract? No contract will pay loan back no matter what. Stays interest free
Pay per mile after training? 0.28
Average miles per week once solo? 25-2800
90% no touch cargo? Lumpers paid
Lumper pay for cargo I have to touch? 15/hour
Where do I fuel? Comes across qualcom
Truck governed? 65mph
Logs on computer? Paper logs
Freepass on weigh stations? 90% have it
Bobtail pay? Once dispatched I’m getting paid
Dead heading pay? paid Free? Max miles?
Hub miles/actual miles? Use rand mcnally
Average days off after being out for so many days? 4days a month
How do I pay tolls? Paid tolls
Do I have to use my cell phone when dealing with loads? Quall Com
Can I put cb radio/tv/ect in truck? Yes no microwave
Directions to dropoff/pickup with bills? Quallcom
What % of loads require an appointment? Given plenty of time…
Everything in writing? ???
Allow idleing while sleeping/or on layovers? yes


what do ya'll think? this is just what the recruter in my area said. being out and about for days on end won't bother me. only thing that bothers me is the low miles they are promising me. they are promising 25-2800/week. but that don't add up. if i drive an average of 55 mph and i get 10hrs drivin time that is 550/day which is round 3800 a week. can anyone explain this?

 

ok you have to be new at this ball game because you are not factorying in the layover for loading and unloading for lumpers. and then u have to factor in going through major cities like chicago and new york city (yes they go through their my first load was to long island new york with usa) and atlanta, then u have to factor in the back ups and accidents that slow you down,eating,showering,scaling loads,fueling, and all the other fun little things that i have forgotten........... please someone help me if they can........... usa was my first trucking company,now i am a local drive hauling tanker in west virginia..........the miles i stayed around the 3000 mark but most of the time i would run around 2 log books though, but that was in 2004-2005 area a lot has changed with these companys though....but everyone has to have a start in business...just make sure you do plenty of research before you jump into any company..just a truckers warning good luck

 

i am new to it. i have wanted to get into this for a long time but just now got started. what are some of the things i have to worry about? i know i have to figure in all that stuff that is what i thought was the problem. there is a couple companies locally i want to drive for but they want OTR experience and this is the only company i have found that i haven't heard alot of bad stuff about that is willing to give me a start plus pay for my schooling. because the money for school is hard to come up wiht up front... thanks for any comments/opinions/suggestions btw, i live in the atlanta area just so ya'll know. if ya'll have any suggestions as to trucking companies in this area i would greatly appreciate it. what do you mean 2 log books? i'm kinda confused.

 

not a problem everyone has 2 start somewhere. when i was a newbie with usa truck my dispatcher called via phone and asked me to run a load( i told him i didnt have no hours to do it and he said that i could make extra money doing this.)i said how? so he taught me to run a second log book (which is illegal and dangerous) to get the loads where they need to be.......when i first started it was all about the money.....but i found out that money isnt everything in this world.. home time is nice and a family life is even better but this was my experience...if they give you a start or any company will give you a start good or bad its a start. get your experience and move onto a different better company.... but that is just my opinion

 

that is what i wanna do. just get my start and then go to a better company. i'm lookin strongly towards TMC but i'm not set yet. idk if i'm brave enuff to run 2 logs. really don't want to lose license for doin something like that...

 

Running 2 logs for a dispatcher or any other reason is not advisable. If someone were to be injured or killed when you are doing this, YOU not the dispatcher will go to jail.

NO Load is worth running this way.