Bolt Express Questions
- Thread starter chuckwagon
- Start date
Here there Big, I would suggest you call Ann at bolt and talk to her personally if you are wanting the dollar and cents. Her number is 419-729-9381 ext 102. She is very helpful and always has been nice to me, so I am sure she will answere any questions you might have. Good Luck
chuckwagon
Seasoned Expediter
No, she is not going to do that.
She can give you the actual figures instead of me misleading you or guiding you the wrong direction.
It is her job to give you the correct information and she can put it in black and white for you.
So instead of coming back with another stunning one liner - just call her and you can have your answers.
Unless of course your intent here is........well, never mind, just call her.
She can give you the actual figures instead of me misleading you or guiding you the wrong direction.
It is her job to give you the correct information and she can put it in black and white for you.
So instead of coming back with another stunning one liner - just call her and you can have your answers.
Unless of course your intent here is........well, never mind, just call her.
ShakingFr8
Seasoned Expediter
Update for this old thread. I leased my 22-ft straight truck on with two other companies before Bolt (1.5 years and 2+ years) ... one bad, one good. But, my brother, who was driving for Bolt was making more money than I was every load and he was in a smaller, non-dock high, vehicle. Have been with Bolt over 3 years now. At the current time everyone is slow (have buds with Panther, RJR, CTX, TST etc) and make regular calls to them. But, even in these trying times, Bolt has the staff to get you something to keep you rolling and keep some jingle in your pocket. Can you do better with other companies ... yea maybe ... according to your equipment! Can you do worse .. oh yea! Have had more than one bud lose everything (truck, house etc) because of zero freight. The main thing I can say about Bolt over some of the other companies and that it is in sustained growth! Baby steps count and their forward-looking vision includes a lot of driver-wishlist/driver-friendly options. They now have a mechanic on staff, ability to do PM and maintenance at a substantial savings ... company is not out to make a direct profit on this ... they do make money on having trucks DOT Spec'd at all times. Now, If you are used to running 1000 mile non-stop solo runs ... don't even apply here. It just is not going to happen! They will get you miles but the software will not allow you to take an illegal load! One thing they can use improvment on is long weekend loads ... they are not there as often as I would like. BTW, no Hazmat loads at Bolt, a plus in my opinion. Log books and paperwork in on time ... they will get onto you about tardiness and if it goes long enough they will put you out of service until completed but, you really really have to be late and ignoring several warnings before you reach that point! Big thing is, No Fines for that, as others do! BTW, if you don't like maintaining your log or equipment I recommend you look elsewhere ... safety is a priority here ... not to the point of annoyance ... just high on the lists. Pay is direct deposit, weekly, ontime and accurate at least 99.9% of the time (over last 3-4 years for me and 2-3 more than that for my brother). Typical slow times are same as other companies ... help in my "emergency" situations has been there always ... overall they have a good, seasoned, professional staff and newbies seem to train up quickly (or go away quickly). Random drug testing does happen here but, it is not like every two weeks or anything and, they will not single you out as the person who can always pass the test and test you every month ... had that happen to me last company! IOW, fair and completely random as required by law. I have also seen many drivers with other companies, who were making "crazy money" come to Bolt when thier companies left them hanging during the slow times! Never really heard of Bolt "starving a driver out" ... would be with another company if I ever heard they did! I'm not knocking any other companies out there ... they all seem to have thier good and bad points ... but for me and my current "non-fancy" equipment (no reefer, liftgate etc) I'm more satisfied here than the others I have been with. I keep talking to other drivers, some satisfied, some not with a lot of companies and still like it here better ... I stay busy, I get paid on time, fees are NOT out to make the company rich, and I don't get talked to like I'm an idiot LOL. Just be smart, accept your loads wisely (no forced dispatch), ... make your business grow & be safe out there.
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chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
While I am in a CV, I will 2nd all of that. Yea there has been a slowdown in freight since the 1st of the yr, but bolt does a good job of finding something to keep you moving as best they can. I have only had 2 week with less then 3 runs a week and one of them was because of a breakdown.
The load planners and dispatch are always professional and good to work with, as is drivers relations when they are needed, lol i few time one of the drivers relations guys has called me with loads when dispatch was shorthanded or just really busy and needed the help, he even knew what he was doin!
All in all, I have no complaints and certainly am not looking to change carriers at all....
The load planners and dispatch are always professional and good to work with, as is drivers relations when they are needed, lol i few time one of the drivers relations guys has called me with loads when dispatch was shorthanded or just really busy and needed the help, he even knew what he was doin!
All in all, I have no complaints and certainly am not looking to change carriers at all....
60MPH
Expert Expediter
Wow, less than 4% DH thats great, I can't recall the last time I had a week so good, in a van that is. I told all my friends and now they all want to sign up with Bolt. I know it may be rude to ask but can you tell us a round about number on how much you grossed for that week. I am only wondering because all of the Bolt vans and sprinters that I have talked to are only making .60 to .80 a mile including fsc. granted I have only talked with about 7-8 since the beginning of the year. Good job RLENT you are doing alot better than I or anyone else I know with weeks like that. Keep up the good work
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Moose wrote:
I am not stating this as fact, but i'd think that would be a insurance company deal..yea bolt would be the one to tell you that you don't qualify but i'd think they are following a set of guidelines from their insurance carrier....
And RLENT, great Numbers!! Mine weren't bad, but not that good!!
I am not stating this as fact, but i'd think that would be a insurance company deal..yea bolt would be the one to tell you that you don't qualify but i'd think they are following a set of guidelines from their insurance carrier....
And RLENT, great Numbers!! Mine weren't bad, but not that good!!
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
It was a good week - deadhead is usually not quite that low
... but I get the impression that they work pretty hard to minimize it. Since the 1st of the year, my dispatched deadhead stands at just a hair over 14% as a percentage of loaded miles (2091 deadhead, on 14,900 loaded miles)Ahh .... yeah ... well .... tell them to call Anne or Mark ..... dunno if they are taking cargo vans or Sprinters currently tho' .....
Well ..... let's just say over .80 cpm .....
Why thanks phil !
Gotta go .... got a run - Westminster, MA to Buffalo, NY .....
BTW - Shakin' - accurate report I'd say - it pretty much largely mirrors my experience with Bolt.
aileron
Expert Expediter
It was a good week - deadhead is usually not quite that low
Ahh .... yeah ... well .... tell them to call Anne or Mark ..... dunno if they are taking cargo vans or Sprinters currently tho' .....
Well ..... let's just say over .80 cpm .....
Why thanks phil !
Gotta go .... got a run - Westminster, MA to Buffalo, NY .....
BTW - Shakin' - accurate report I'd say - it pretty much largely mirrors my experience with Bolt.
I think I figured it out why you are running so hard. You keep going where the snow is and nobody else is there.
Last week you were in Denver, snow there, then Virginia, snow, now MA/CT/xx snow.
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Yeah .... yeah ..... that's it .... it's the snow !!!I think I figured it out why you are running so hard. You keep going where the snow is and nobody else is there.
Mmmm ..... anybody know what's the forecast for Buffalo today ?
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aileron
Expert Expediter
Yeah .... yeah ..... that's it .... it's the snow !!!
Mmmm ..... anybody know what's the forecast for Buffalo today ?
Let me guess.....hmmmmm......snow?
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Nope ...... bright sunshine with hardly a cloud in the sky ....
I dropped at around 3 AM this morning and was at least 2nd out behind a Bolt cargo van that was at J in Corfu .... I grabbed a decent night's rest .... hung around in Buffalo until 17:00 or so and didn't get a call .... or a load .... since I was only 200 miles from home, I decided to head home ..... probably take a week or so off and handle some truck maintenance that could/should be done.
Aileron - I'm beginning to think you might have something there with the snow thing .......