Why is it that a great portion of the threads here turn into a battle of words about JB Hunt and what poor/good company they are to work for? I mean for some reason every time someone says that something went wrong or they disagree with the policies of a company it goes back to where everyone starts having to read a bunch of junk about how JB Hunt does this and then why have to get into their recruiting and their turnover rate. Just an opinion.

 

<loud speaker on>

Cluggy, attention Cluggy. Your needed in this thread.

<loud speaker off>

 

I have met drivers who have been with JB Hunt for 16 years or longer who have been very happy with them. They must have been to have stayed that long. I have also met those who were dissatisfied after only a few months. There are some companies who don't treat their drivers very well. There are also some drivers who don't do their jobs as they should. I think whether a driver and company are a good match is as much a matter of attitude of the driver. Friction will develop in any relationship. I think many times the driver just quits and blames the company for something that could have been worked out had the driver taken the time and made the effort to try and solve his problem. There are companies who put dispatchers with little communication skills and no driving experience who have not idea of what it is like to be on the road. Over the years I have found that most problems or conflicts can be worked out if both sides are willing to sit down and talk it out. Small conflicts can escalate into something more if the problem isn't confronted in the early stages.

 

See my signature. :wink:

Beyond that, many times things really boil down to the type of dispatcher a driver has as to whether or not the company is any good. Lets face it, to a driver the dispatcher/fleet manager is the company or at least 90% the company.

 

Turnover rate is a very important statistic because it's correlated with driver satisfaction. Obviously, if drivers are happy and well-compensated, they'll stay with an outfit. If not, they'll leave. So when you see 120% churn rates at big companies like JB Hunt, the market (in this case the labor market) is telling you something. It's saying that the vast majority of people who hire on there are for one reason or another dissatisfied with the job.

I've never driven for JB but there's some things I know about them which would preclude me from working there. For one, they pay on HHG miles, which means you'll end up driving about 10% of your overall miles for free. Second, their average length of haul is pretty short - around 500 miles or so. This is because they're really big into railroads and intermodal, which is where the majority of their long-haul freight now rides. What does that mean to you, the driver? Shorter trips = more bumping docks and more unpaid waiting around. This means less time that your wheels are turning under a load which = less $$$$ in your pocket. Plus, everytime you empty out, you've got to send in an empty call via the qualcomm to get your next load, which means more unpaid waiting and less driving.

I'm not making this stuff up. JB Hunt is a public corporation and you can find all this info in their reports to stockholders. If you call them up and ask them about it, they're not going to lie to you. What they'll say is that they pay more on the mileage rates to compensate for the decreased productivity involved with regional-type, shorter hauls. The problem is, the extra .05 cpm premium they pay is NOT a fair shake for your extra down-time. That's because for every 1,000 miles X .05 cpm = a lousy 50 BUCKS!!!! That's bogus, man!!!

Contrast this with a carrier like CFI who's average length of haul is 900 miles (plus they pay on practical miles), and it is a wonder why anyone in their right mind would pull for JB Hunt.

Third, JB Hunt payed upwards of .42 cpm 8 YEARS AGO. After freight slowed in the early 2000's, they rolled back pay across the board by a NICKEL A MILE. No, I am not making this up, it is a FACT - something your good friend Sheepdancer will not bother to mention. Do you really want to work for a company like that?

Bottom line = stay away from JB Hunt. There's much better deals out there if you know where to look.

 

I applaud you, CFM! I about fell out of my truck reading your post, but good job! It wasn't the same old boring rant, it was rather informative. :wink:

 

AbenInNashville Wrote:

What's up with all the JB bashing??
:roll:
Well gee, Aben!! Someone has to do it!! :P

.....and since this is, after all, a truck drivers forum, then knowing what we are talking about isn't really a prerequisite!!

 

This isnt a what? :|
Not sure what that is :| , but oh well.

 

Prerequisite: required as a precondition

 

Uh,..ok. :shock: