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Stevens Transport
The Stevens Transport family cares about our employees. As one of the nation’s premier employers, we pride ourselves in promoting a people-oriented, positive work environment. And, we’ve never had a single layoff in our nearly thirty year history, so our employees rest easy knowing their job is secure. Because we want to keep our employees healthy and happy, we provide an outstanding benefits package to employees and their families.
10 Customer Reviews of “Stevens Transport”
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Stevens Transport Review by thunderbird63, August 16, 2011
Stay far away fron Steven’s Transportation . If you want to give up your legal rights go to steven’s . They have removed themselves from state run workers compensation and have a self insured position . If you have a complaint you must file with their board as they REQUIRE you to sign a document that you will not litigate anything but follow their boards rulings . I left on the final day of orientation after i was told to sign a voluntary document or leave . So much for voluntary as it was demanded and required to complete orientation . In other words give up yor legals rights to litigate issues . It you are hurt you MUST go to Dallas ,Texas and see only yheir doctors and stay in the shit hole motel that they put you in for the entire time you are injured or seeing doctors . That must have eyes on you every day or they don’t pay for your injury . You can not sue them as you have signed away your rights to litigate any actions .Anyone with a legal or business ownership background can see the screwing you a taking .
Stevens Transport Review by Stevens Emoyee, June 11, 2011
I’ve been here at Stevens from April to June as a trainee, they are really great. Trainers are great also but just like any human have tempers. They paid my bus ticket home and back for free, I didn’t have to repay it. It’s a great company to join, you just have to be up for it and not to hope its a sit on if butt and let everything else do it for you type of job. I’m 25 and married and have 2 kids, trying to get home does suck but yet do you expect to have a load waiting for you to get home, no, because every truck driver is rolling so of course its gonna not be there for you. Get over it. Once your year is over go get another job. Atleast you have a cdl and experience. Go be a garbage truck driver or a port a john driver.
Stevens Transport Review by calmsea, July 8, 2010
I find it difficult to continually read all of the negative and remain silent. Here are some comments based on my experience as a company driver with them.
Stevens is by far the most safety minded company on the road. Facts follow:
Their training is the longest and toughest. Yes, you will drive until you are blue in the face, but it will be legally and safely….you are training to be a truck driver. There are good and bad trainers. It is getting better. They do NOT go “dumb and dumber” any more.
Yes, the truck is slow. You don’t need to go fast….plan your trips and time..you will deliver on time and safely.
No, you don’t get a jake for six months. Some say that is not safe. Stevens drivers are trained to operate the rig safely in mountains, etc..without it. All professional drivers need to know how to operate safely in all conditions without a jake. Also, is makes you increase your following distance by more than 8 (safe again). You will be tortured on the cb by drivers when going down mountains in a safe and slow manner. You can take a mountain too slow every time…you can only take it too fast once.
No you don’t get cruise for six months. Again safety. But I sure was glad to get mine when the time came!
Stevens mandates safe and legal driving. Your logs will be audited and verified against the trucks computer data down loaded when you return to the terminal.
If you feel unsafe, shutdown and notify safety. They back you 100%. No driving on ice…mandatory shut down. We carry chains in winter, but as a company we do NOT chain up. Stevens feels if the weather is bad enough for chains, it is not safe to operate.
Never asked to run illegally….Was always reminded to be safe. Shut down due to icy conditions….Dispatcher’s comments: “No load is worth your life…thanks for being safe…we will get the load there when conditions permit a safe delivery.”
The terminal…I challenge any truck driver who has seen Stevens complex to tell me about a cleaner, more efficient complex. Some data here:
Driver’s lounge, cleaned daily by staff….Yes, at times it needs more attention, alot of drivers keep it nice when there. Clean showers, free coffee, free (yes free) laundry, bunk room, free ice for drivers coolers. Free haircuts from local cosmetology students in the lounge. Free driver’s storage.
Courtesy car (free) to use to make walmart runs and take care of personal business while on the yard.
Equipment…by far, top of the line, well maintained equipment. Had some maintenance issues on road (all of you will…flat tires, etc..). You will never be stranded waiting on approval for maintenance, etc….You will be fixed and rolling. Stevens pays for you to wash your truck and encourages that you do so.
Drivers. They have good and bad. All companies do. Listen to and surround yourself with the professional drivers (both Stevens and Alliance). They will do anything to help you and make your life with Stevens great (in Dallas and while on the road).
Pay is low…they all are. If you run and are a professional driver…you will get the miles. They have to run you at least 2k a week to operate their trucks at a profit. They want all drivers to have a minimum of 8K per month.
There are times when you will sit and wait for a load (welcome to the business). I never sat in one spot for more than 24 hours without a load assignment.
I was financially strapped and needed to relocate my household goods from GA. Stevens gave me the time off, loaned me the bus ticket $ to GA to get my car, loaned me the gas money to drive my belongings back to Dallas and extra $ to eat while doing all this. Yes, it was a LOAN THAT I HAD TO PAY BACK, but they made sure I was taken care of. I never went hungry on the road as they have a very liberal pay advance policy. You will learn, but AVOID PAY ADVANCES. That money has to be paid back on your next check. You will learn how to save money while on the road.
Stevens never lied to me about the cost of training. They remind you on your first day of training that you pay for the school, hotel, etc. You are given a detailed lists of all costs, up front. They will provide you this list before you get to school if you ask.
The lodging is not the pits. It is not the Hilton, but the hotel is clean and transportation is provided to the terminal. You are loaned $70.00 per week for food.
You will be fed at the terminal during training….some lunches and dinners will be provided during the long days of training…The food was really quite good.
Yes, there were days of bad communications. Yes, there were some pay issues (all corrected immediately when brought to the attention of the appropriate dept). Yes, there were loads assigned that were not possible (just get under it and get it moving), but it was always fixed.
The administrative staff was always friendly and all about the driver. Stevens ensures you have every tool you need to do your job. My counselor was fabulous….You have one of these assigned. Called during the week, just to make sure life was good, etc….Always there if I needed some admin help, etc.
The rules…..a ton of them. Refer is tough….Temp checks, sensitive loads, live loads, repowers…..it is the business. Play by Stevens rules and you will go far there. Read the driver’s manual and live by it and you will be fine. If you are not safe, you will not last at Stevens.
Did I have issues with some of the DMs. Sure. You will too, anywhere. Anything open communication could not take care of….Nope. Ever on hold a long time….Sure. You will be on hold some too…Did I ever get great loads…more than I was on hold or had communication issues for sure!
Run legal, run hard, be professional, communicate, help your DM when they need a short load run or a multi-drop load taken. Never say no to a load. You will run more miles than you can handle. ALWAYS SAY NO TO ANYTHING THAT IS NOT SAFE, you will be backed by Safety 100%.
Are there Stevens company drivers making good $. Yes, but you have to keep the door shut and wheels rolling.
Are there Alliance lease drivers making good $. Yes, but you have to keep the door shut and wheels rolling.
When you are out on the road, you will find out Stevens has a great reputation. Go into any truck stop and ask what they have heard or know about Stevens training program or the company. Better yet, ask a professional Stevens driver.
I left Stevens for personal reasons….none having to do with this fine company. I anticipate a return there in the very near future.
No matter where you choose to go, if you are safe and professional, you will do fine. There will be good days and bad days anywhere.
I will say my good days with Stevens Transport outweighed my bad ones one hundred to one!
I hope this helps!
Be safe and always help a fellow driver. Your company or not!
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Stevens Transport Review by FloridaRider, January 31, 2010
I currently driver for Stevens and thank you Stevens. I was with Swift and what a joke that was – don’t go to Swift. No trucking company is good in the world we live in. I am just glad I am pulling a refrigerated trailer – we all got to eat and Stevens keeps me busy …. oh, stay away from Werner – you are only a number there – I was – thats why I left and the paperless logs – they are NO advantage ….I like Stevens !!!
Stevens Transport Review by THAT DUDE, December 16, 2009
I love the sound of the company and am awaiting the responce of my application. I’m sorry if you people cant see the good part of this…..YOU HAVE A JOB IN AN ECONOMIC CRISIS…BE THANKFUL……….I CANT WAIT TO START TRAINING……………….GO STEVENS!!!!!!!!!
Stevens Transport Review by Julia, July 7, 2009
WOW!!! am I GLAD you guys wrote this up. I have never, ever thought about trucking for a career, but since I am now desperate I went to one of their recruiting talks.
I believed them, was getting ready to join up, when I decided I should look them up on the Net.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS!
Stevens Transport Review by Jim, April 20, 2009
I have been in the Stevens training program going on my 3rd week. My instructor is Mike. I have to say that the training is phenominal – with Mike. If “Cotton” were to train you, you would be losing your head. He is old school. The guys say that he will “go Grandpa on you” if you don’t do things exactly his way. They take personal time to make sure you are comfortable with upshift/downshift in all traffic scenarios, the “hill” which is a training course. You will drive in rush hour traffic with a 70ft rig. Unfortuantely the training comes at a substantial cost, and green-horns are blindsided with the fees (hotel, transportation, food) that must be paid back with interest. If you start with a class of 30, look for about 14 or so to complete the training. They will do everything possible to get your CDL – I have to hand that to them. They take you to the DPS office to test, even practice the actual driving test with you, telling you which gear to be in at certain landmarks. The training is great! Just make sure you listen to them. Most students already have their CDL’s and try to do things their way, however a Kenworth T2000 with a 10-speed Fuller is extremely tempermental. RPM to speed to gear with double-clutching. It only works one way, up and down. They pay is crappy, hometime (what’s that?) benefits are outrageously expensive but I can see how Stevens is a way to start your career. Just make sure you don’t have a family, because you will never see them again. You start out after your 3rd week with a trainer (make sure you get along with him) at $350 a week for 5-6 weeks, then 3 weeks with a finishing trainer, then 2 weeks with a manager. Go solo after 3 months. .26 a mile with 3000 miles average – not bad, however you will be visiting NY a lot, Chicago, LA, etc… Crap no other trucking company wants to take. QualComm (OnStar from Hell) for communication. They reimburse you for tolls, weigh station, minor parts, even your HazMat endorsement ($100). Good place to start, I can’t complain so far.
Stevens Transport Review by Anonymous, January 18, 2009
Could not have said it better myself. Maintanance on the equipment sucks,they think they are above the law,and force drivers to run illegally(overweight,over axle weight,drive with no hours),but they will NOT take any heat for the drivers.The dispatchers constantly lie to everyone (drivers and customers) to take the heat off themselves, even going as far as telling customers that the driver left with plenty of time to get there. For a small company that boast they are “family orientated”)they care about noone except themselves.I worked there for awhile, hoping it would get better, but it never did.
Stevens Transport Review by Anonymous, January 18, 2009
my husband work’s for this company and I think they are awful…they are not proactive at all in giving information, I too believe that this is done to full people…I believe they are racists…the reason…about 90% of these driver’s are minorities and most of them, were unemployed, layed off or with some type of criminal background that may cause an issue doing other jobs..As you and everyone knows its hard to find a good job and the money it takes to get training…most people don’t know that they can go to their local community college and get trained to get cdl’s. Steven’s lie to these people promising the world and gives them rocks..Steven’s know’s that most trucking jobs require at least 1yr exp otr and they know that the average person don’t have 5000.00 to outright pay for trucking school…The truth is they run these driver’s everywhere, no good pay…What they do is force the co drivers to do their leasing which is called alliance…That is where the pay and miles begins…I would hope that this can be forwarded to the trucker’s association and do a full investigation….not only of discrimation but of overall practice…Anytime a large co business practices is put out of the open, more people will speak up and stop this injustice…my husband is so blind sided about his so called “1r contract” he want go to another co until he fills his obligation. I’ve been in the tractor with my spouse (I have cdl’s too)and he does very well but that &&#* contract….It doesn’t feel good to be in Washington state and not have any money to pay bills @ home….
Stevens Transport Review by Anonymous, January 15, 2009
I will try and give you only the facts and keep my opinions to a minimum. When the recruiter tells you that a hotel and $70/week will be furnished, it means that they front this to you and you will be paying it all back. When the recruiter tells you that they will “help you out” with bus ticket to Dallas, it means you will be paying it back. When Steven’s gets you to Dallas, you will be required to sign a promissory note for aprox $240 for hotel stay, $210 for food money, $65 for physical (even if you already have your DOT physical card) and the cost of a bus ticket (if you chose to take the transportation they provide you). I believe my total note is $645. You will also have to bring enough money to cover changing your driver’s license to Texas, the cost of your CDL permit and the cost of your CDL. Then, the cost of changing your Texas CDL back to your home state. Bottom line here is that there is allot of cost to you that is overlooked because they deduct $25 at a time from your paycheck. However, you are still paying this money. There are too many other companies that do not require this. This note is paid back at the rate of $25/week through payroll deduction. You are required to sign a loan for $4,552 plus 18% interest for total of $4,950, to be paid back on the 10th of every month after graduation of their school for one year. It is also to be paid if you fail the class, get fired for any reason (even if you get fired for having two accidents on the road) for any reason at all. However, if you work for them for one year, the loan will be forgiven. If you work for them even one day shy of a year, you owe them the same amount of money. The loan payback is not pro-rated. If you go into default, your loan will be turned over to a collection agency where they will add 30% to the amount owed. Avoid any contact with a lady named Carol. She is the owner’s daughter and a vice-president. To say that she lacks people skills is an understatement. After one visit with her, you will have the tone set for how Steven’s treats people as a whole. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. The trainers and recruiters (her direct employees) will agree as will the folks at the Greyhound station that try to avoid her. Folks, this is the lady in charge of recruitment. The hotels that they contract are nasty!!!!!!! Fact. You will have 3 weeks of training at their CDL school. Do not look at this school as a separate entity from the company. You are there to be trained in order to receive your CDL to work for Steven’s. The school is a separate company only on paper in order to receive funds from the Texas Workforce Commission and Federal Gov’t funds. I quote: “The loan that you sign is only to encourage folks to work for Steven’s for one year.” What I trying to point out is, don’t give any indication that you have plans other than what they lay out for you. Do not let them know if you try to cover your own rear, even though they don’t guarantee a job. You will then go through a one week orientation, at which time your employment with Steven’s begins. Then, if you don’t have to wait for a trainer to go on the road with, you leave for 5 weeks teaming with a trainer. The number of hours vary. Usually, if you are with an owner/operator, you will drive 11 hours a day. If you are with a company driver, your drive time may be as little as 5 hrs/day at first. If at anytime the trainer needs to go home, gets sick etc…, you will have to wait for another trainer. Then, you come back to Dallas and go through a second week of orientation. At this time, you are back waiting for a tractor to drive with another student. You team with another student for 3 weeks. Then back to Dallas to wait on a tractor of your own. This last week they sent out several students who have been waiting on a tractor by way of Greyhound to pick up 14 trailers that where abandoned. These tractors became the tractors they will be driving. So, plan on not making a real paycheck or well over 3 months. I would estimate no less than 15 weeks if everything goes smoothly (hahaha, right). If the recruiter says that you may take your tractor home, what they mean is that you can if you can prove to them that you have at least a six foot fence and locked gate to secure it in. In other words, you most likely will not be able take your truck home. In fact, if they can only get you 200 miles to you home, guess what? Yes, you will be paying for a bus ticket home. Their trucks are governed at 62mph. You aren’t forced dispatched, but you better take the dispatch if you want to be dispatched in the future. (quote from a trainer) You will see NYC quite a bit. At least in the first 8 months or so. You will also have to wait on load quite a bit too. Or at least till you suck up enough. According to their Director of New Hires, they think that a person who has an 8th grade education and has made $6.25/hr all their lives and are happy taking what Steven’s has to offer works out best there. I have been told by other drivers for Steven’s that a statement like that is an insult to them. I have found that is why the turn over rate is so high, because driver eventually realize this fact. Steven’s trained aprox 2000 drivers last year. They put only 100 new trucks on the road. (quoted from an instructor, verified by an office personnel) They have about 1800 tractors on the road with just over 2000 trailers. Owned by Steven Aaron. Direct competition is FFE. I will add more as I think about it. Just be aware before you leave for Dallas. They bring you there without informing you of much. I believe that I was just plain lied to. Once you are there is when they tell you things that might have been helpful to know before you left home. I only hope that I can shed light on what Steven’s is offering before you find yourself feeling trapped. With my experience with getting recruited in the military and with my education I feel like a fool for falling right into their trap. If I knew this info before I went, then I can only blame myself for agreeing to being in a situation like that. However, going without knowing, then shame on them. Also, if you are told that you are guarantee a job after CDL training… your not. Most do get afford jobs, I agree (I saw the numbers) but they do not run your checks until just before they offer a position to you. (I’m sure this saves them money) You may be disqualified for any number of reasons. The frustration at Steven’s is that many students just go somewhere else and blow them off. Maybe there is a reason for that. Personally, I have more dignity than to work for folks that treat their employees the way Steven’s does. Oh, also, the starting pay is 26 cents/mile with a 1 cent raise every 6 months. You do the comparison. I now work for a company that pays 29 cents a mile with a 2 cent raise after 6 months and 4 cent raise after 1 year. Plus, they trained me in a fraction of the time while treating me with dignity and as a proffesional. I will be driving for miles about half the number of weeks as I would have if I stayed with Stevens. Please folks, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!
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