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Averitt | What is Shuttle driving like at Averitt?

evinkay said:
I think I would too.

I have another job lined up at Old Dominion for P&D but that's a whole different animal. Shuttle is much more my style. OD is probably the top company in LTL but I think I would be a lot less stressed and a whole lot happier at Averitt. It's not all about the money to me.

I'm stunned that the two companies I have wanted to work for most have offered me excellent jobs fresh out of school. I am agonizing over this decision.
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Take it from me. I left Averitt for OD after 23+ years. Pay is top notch, benefits are better and cheaper. Actually there is less stress and nit picking here at OD. Averitt talks family oriented, OD performs. Favorite word at Averitt is "Associate". I was told my first week at OD, "associates work at Walmart, family members work at OD" Top pay for city in the south is $27.40 and top pay for Line-haul is $.6518 plus drop, hook and fuel pay. You could switch to line-haul when an opening comes up. Get your foot in the door. Don't pass up a great opportunity and waste 23 years like I did.
 
OVR20SHTLClub said:
Take it from me. I left Averitt for OD after 23+ years. Get your foot in the door. Don't pass up a great opportunity and waste 23 years like I did.
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Damn... That's some very much appreciated straight talk...

I am scheduled to attend Averitt orientation the week of April 30. I will be able to get a glimpse inside Averitt before making a decision. I told OD that I would give them an answer by May 3 or 4 which was as long as I could stall them. In other words, I'll have the offer from Averitt on May 3 or 4 after orientation with a few hours to finally make up my damn mind. Worse yet my current employer that I've been driving with for 8 years really wants me to stay.

Since when did I become so popular?

Oh yeah, right after I got my Class A...
 
Yet another former A team associate who has found greener grass. It's out there, sadly it took ovr20shtlclub 23 years to decide. The cool thing us is we have found out from some that they have made a mistake. We will hire you back and if it is within a year of departure you will gain all your vacation and seniority back,or company length of service, after the first year, minus the year you returned, just as if you never quit. That is a sweet guarantee right there! It's a big decision, but I knew as a kid straight out of high school that Averitt would be my last job, and 29.5 years later I couldn't be more happy.
 
Iceman said:
It's a big decision, but I knew as a kid straight out of high school that Averitt would be my last job, and 29.5 years later I couldn't be more happy.
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It really comes down to the job that I will be doing more than anything else. The shuttle run at Averitt with the two layovers is ideal for me. It's the kind of thing I could happily do until I'm 80, Lord willing.

I'm burned out on P&D from 25+ years doing deliveries in the city and the driving around Milwaukee here has gotten downright insane. I honestly don't know if I can mentally take it anymore.
 
OVR20SHTLClub said:
Actually there is less stress and nit picking here at OD.
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OVR20, could you elaborate a bit on this? I can't picture from the outside what could be stressful about Shuttle.

I know from other threads that you run linehaul. It's the city guys at OD that get slammed - and they look it.
 
evinkay said:
OVR20, could you elaborate a bit on this? I can't picture from the outside what could be stressful about Shuttle.

I know from other threads that you run linehaul. It's the city guys at OD that get slammed - and they look it.
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There's not much stress in physically doing the job.

It's hooking to your trailer 30-15 minutes before your departure time (as customary), only to find 2 slick tires and the ABS system inoperative and being grilled the following morning by leadership on why you missed your dispatch and drive time on your first leg. All the while there is no accountability to the driver who previously pulled the trailer and did not perform a post-trip.

It's the front-line leader scrutinizing your beard every night, stating "it looks like it's 5/8 on an inch. You know our policy states 1/2 inch. All the while certain person have a ZZ Top beard, wear Dallas Cowboy flat brimmed hats turned sideways and diamond earrings with no accountability.

It's going to the shop and getting cussed out for standing sheepishly in the doorway, only to be told we only fix inoperable cruise controls and A/C's during PM's and your truck has 29,000 miles until service.

And ect, ect, ect... Nit picking the frivolous things and not concentrating on LTL freight basics.
 
I'm blessed to work at a center with a great shop and excellent mechanics. My truck will be 5 years old in September and I bet it hasn't been out of service at my start time 6 times. Two of those were for service being performed. I ran local for 7 years in downtown Ktown with a 53' or sometimes a 48' and though I loved interacting with customers, I bumped into a lot of stuff and nearly ran out of points. Shuttle to me is the graviest thing I can imagine.Averitt allows more than enough time to make your turn and safety will back you up if you ever decide conditions are unsafe. Solitude is there is you wish, chat lines are there to converse all night with colleagues if you wish, or as I chose to listen to Spirit filled preachers from across this land via podcasts. That paired with uplifting music makes my nights so enjoyable.
 
evinkay said:
Damn... That's some very much appreciated straight talk...

I am scheduled to attend Averitt orientation the week of April 30. I will be able to get a glimpse inside Averitt before making a decision. I told OD that I would give them an answer by May 3 or 4 which was as long as I could stall them. In other words, I'll have the offer from Averitt on May 3 or 4 after orientation with a few hours to finally make up my damn mind. Worse yet my current employer that I've been driving with for 8 years really wants me to stay.

Since when did I become so popular?

Oh yeah, right after I got my Class A...
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Hold on there sparky, there is alot more to being a professional truck driver than holding a steering wheel and getting a big paycheck.. You are a rookie and you have a lot to learn, first and foremost how to be a safe driver and not doing anything stupid... About being popular, I wouldn't put too much thought into that because with the way the economy is right now most companies are hiring anyone with a pulse. 10 years ago you would have been riding in a Swift truck for a few years before any LTL even looked your way.
Good luck where ever you choose to go...
 
So many great opportunities right now to start into trucking ! May I suggest you stalk some local industrial parks or maybe some lunchtime spots where the local driver eats and ask an OD driver how city life is like. In always open to answer questions line that. The world if trucking is at your service, and you are a blessed man to have two industry leaders interested in you.
 
Jeff said:
10 years ago you would have been riding in a Swift truck for a few years before any LTL even looked your way.
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Horrors!

Jeff said:
You are a rookie and you have a lot to learn, first and foremost how to be a safe driver and not doing anything stupid...
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I'm taking the attitude that my first year is just a continuation of my schooling, but the truck is my instructor now. Yesterday it gave me some tips on how to free stuck tandems.

I know the learning never really stops. The initial frustrations followed by the "a-ha!" moments are some of the most satisfying parts of the job.
 
I loved my Volvo trucks although I had one sweet International Pro Star...Freightliner was crap from the first one to the last...I had one in the early 90’s that was a bucket of bolts...
 
Do Shuttle runs ever get cancelled?

Could a senior driver's run get cancelled and then the bottom driver get bumped off of his run so it could be given to the senior driver?
 
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evinkay said:
Do Shuttle runs ever get cancelled?

Could a senior driver's run get cancelled and then the bottom driver get bumped off of his run so it could be given to the senior driver?
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Yes, but if someone is under you you can do the same. Again I have heard from a good friend that lays over up there that they are always crazy busy.
 
Iceman said:
The cool thing us is we have found out from some that they have made a mistake. We will hire you back and if it is within a year of departure you will gain all your vacation and seniority back,or company length of service, after the first year, minus the year you returned, just as if you never quit.
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I work in a Svs Ctr that probably has more drivers than any other and i must say, when a driver quits he doesn’t come back. We have a couple that left back in the 90s and came back , but nothing in the last 10 years. The part about being rehired and not losing your time, you only keep the time for vacation and award purposes, which makes coming back easier, but you still go back to the bottom. No one comes here from another LTL company, especially if he has options.
 
rnsgn said:
I work in a Svs Ctr that probably has more drivers than any other and i must say, when a driver quits he doesn’t come back. We have a couple that left back in the 90s and came back , but nothing in the last 10 years. The part about being rehired and not losing your time, you only keep the time for vacation and award purposes, which makes coming back easier, but you still go back to the bottom. No one comes here from another LTL company, especially if he has options.
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Wrong, bottom for a year and then right where you left off that is straight from HR.
 
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