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conway drivers

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mikeyd47

Expert Expediter
I was wondering if anyone else in here is having problems with getting loads with conway now. We have been with them for about 6 months (since august) and have had only one good month with them.

We are a household team with over 2 years of experience, knowing where alot of the frieght zones are and willing to stay out a month or better at a time, we still sit alot with very few team loads offered. Some weeks we have run as little as a 1000 to 1500 miles. I know the first of the year is usally slow in expediting but this is almost april and we should be averaging 3500 miles plus a week by now.

We are considering moving, but before we do I was wanting to get some input from other conway drivers as to their experiences with the company.

Also, as I said we are considering moving and was looking at Landstar Express. I was hoping to hear about some of the pro's and cons with moving to landstar.
 
davekc

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
I have seen different responses with regards to Landstar.
Here is the most current info. It is one of those, take it for what it is worth.
This is from www.ooida.com

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Judge allows OOIDA to assert additional claims against Landstar

On March 28, 2005, the court in the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association vs. Landstar System case pending in the United States District Court in Jacksonville, Florida, overruled Landstar’s objections to the plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint to add new claims regarding Landstar’s violations of the truth-in-leasing regulations.

The amendments allowed by the court were based upon evidence that came to light when Landstar informed its owner-operators in late 2004 that it was amending its leases as a result of the OOIDA action in Jacksonville. OOIDA and the individual drivers who are plaintiffs in the case allege that the amended lease reveals specific details about the numerous ways in which Landstar has been unlawfully charging its Owner-Operators for administrative fees and profits, and reducing adjusted gross revenue before calculating owner-operator compensation.

The ruling is extremely significant because it allows the plaintiffs to proceed to trial in establishing the full extent of Landstar’s illegal conduct - based on Landstar’s own admissions. The ruling also significantly expands the scope of damages and other relief plaintiffs may obtain from Landstar.
 
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muleteam1

Expert Expediter
I thought jan-feb was acceptable.Then it got bad..March I just said screw it and went home came out a week went back home..Conway was good all last year thru December.My wife and I have been doing this alot of years since Feb 04 with Conway. I too am looking around but generally when you are slow their all slow. Have you called Doug or Mike ?? if you're a hard runner make the wheel squeak.


muleteam1
 
D

dukesadog

Expert Expediter
There is a secondary new lawsuit against landstar as well but landstar is a huge company so the lawsuits arent really a shock,

The secondary suit I believe has been filed by the US Government regarding Landstars lack of wanting to hire minorities including women etc and or either have a super low hiring ratio or whatever.

It was still alot of money 26 million, we live in central florida and They ( landstar) keep a low profile around the area they dont do much advertising even though their administrative office is in Jax Florida.

George
 
F

Fkatz

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
If your interested in Landstar, for expediting fine. If your looking into the tractor trailer full load divisions, like lanstar, gemini, ranger, and the others, the OOIDA suit might only pertain to that full load division only, and not our part of the business, Check it out first.

I have a few conway, landstar, panther, and fedex drivers as cleints, and they are slow like everyone else, One couple this past weekend sat all weekend and i think they just got a load out of atlanta today, but not sure on that at 330 I faxed there copy of the signiture papers for there tax return to them.

I think that this is definitely not the place to bash companies, If you would like information on certain ones ask the persons who will answer the question to e-mail you directly.

Frank
 
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plumcrazy8

Expert Expediter
I don't see any bashing going on here, just a team trying to make a decision.

I've been with Conway since December, previously with P2 and TSES. I really like the people in the ConwayNow organization but I wonder at times if they really have the customer base they promised, but this is much the same sentiment as many other "brand name" drivers out there, so I'm sure my doubts are unfounded.

It appears thus far that our team income (total) this year has been typically less than my solo income with P2 and that's pretty saddening. Business is down across the board and we will not be making any switches soon, if we continue to lose money by waiting for loads we will just sit it out for longer stretches at the home fires.

Let's all just pray the economy turns better soon and the expeditors will again be busy. If it's any consolation to the ConwayNow drivers, it appears to me that the orientation classes seem to contain more experienced expeditors that the other two I've attended, my observation only. Once again, it seems to be a well-run organization and we may just have to wait it out a little longer this year.

Good luck to all of us.
 
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muleteam1

Expert Expediter
I felt,during orientation, that Conway Now played the "Big Business" card to make you believe that their association with the mother company was a solid basis for their freight.Since signing with Conway Now I've had 1 load from the terminal in Atlanta,and have realized that the association ,other than a dock to do swithouts ,is for all intent and purposes, meaningless to Conway Now..
I must admit,that I bought into the pitch because it made sense. Yellow farms a bunch of freight to outside carriers especially expediting companies why not CNF ??

I think changing companies is a very costly business expense and should not be done on a whim. It took us nearly a year to make the decision to go to Conway Now.We visited their facility without the presence of a recruiter and made our own evaluation.We did the orientation without signing our truck and then elected to sign a couple weeks later.That was 1 1/2 years ago.
I too believe Conway Now to have some good people.There has been a tremendous change in people this year that can be difficult to deal with but what the hey,Conway Now must adjust to this economy as do allof us..




muleteam1
 
T

The Gibster

Expert Expediter
When we were with Conway we also had a bunch of 'single' runs, and at one point called Mike B. and questioned this. It usually just worked out that we had to remember that the industry is totally customer driven. If the clients can't afford long hauls this week, all that's available for everyone is short hauls.

We did one time discover a sort-of glitch in the CWN system. We called Mike and discovered the computer had 'reset' us (me) as a single. My wife had dropped off the map in the computer listing of the PBO's.

Mike fixed it right away and apologized. He recommended that every couple of months we call in to check our profile; every once and awhile (without explanation) the computer would 'reset' a team incorrectly. It just happens, and Mike was very upfront about it being an unnerving glitch.

It did help our runs a little but it is still customer driven.
 
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Marty

Veteran Expediter
The problem with Conway is the same as with most expediting companies. Too many drivers for too few loads. Landstar used to be different, keeping a certain number of trucks on without over hiring, but this year they have changed. Now they have about 5 drivers for every load and they continue to hire.
Most expediting companies don't care if their drivers make a living or not. They only care about having enough drivers sitting in every area of the country in order not to miss a load.
 
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muleteam1

Expert Expediter
Would'nt you think that they might realize how too many trucks really can't work ?? Look at Fedex 3-4 years ago 1200 Drivers went broke when the bottom fell out of expediting..
It really doesn't matter how many trucks you have out there,some loads just can't be covered.Thats where companies like C+M and Eppes make their money.They're overload companies that do well in this enviorment.
Conway complains about farming to outside service,but the loads get covered most the time.Let's see an honest Company that is truly aware of owner/operators needs and react to these needs and not just tell you how they respect you but actually mean it..Conway Now is a good organization but have a problem, they will B.S. you in a heartbeat..I find that to be an absolute insult to my intelligence.





muleteam1
 
mrgoodtude

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Mike and I started with Conway 4 weeks ago. We started off with a load to VA out of MI and then deadheaded 200 miles for a load out of PA to KY. We were sent to Cinci after delivery in which we were offered (and accepted) a load from Greenfield, IN to Ft. Smith, AR. When we arrived at the shipper, we were informed that the load was given to another company because dispatch didn't confirm the load. Needless to say, we were very upset but were offered a load to Pensacola, FL from IN on Saturday with delivery on Monday morning. We accepted but sat in Pensacola after delivery and were deadheaded to Atlanta.

We got a load out of Atlanta on Tuesday for MI and only sat for 2 hours before getting another load back to Atlanta. After dropping our load in Atlanta, we took another load 6 hours later back up to Battle Creek, MI in which we sat for less than 8 hours and accepted a load to Oklahoma City for Monday delivery. After delivering our load, we were told to deadhead back to Tulsa only to get a call an hour later asking if we'd want a load 140 sw of OK City to MI in which we declined as we were almost in Tulsa and that would have entailed almost 200 miles deadhead at that point. We arrived in Tulsa and sat for 6 hours getting an offer for a load just east of OK City up to Ypsilanti, MI. We accepted but were a little frustrated that they had us deadhead to Tulsa when freight seemed better out of OK City. After delivery in MI, we got another load to Dallas in which we accepted.

As we crossed the AR/TX state line, we pulled into the scales and they were doing DOT of brakes. Needless to say, we had an audible air leak of our rear brakes in which we received a warning and notified Conway. We made our delivery on time and then were put out of service by Conway until the brakes were repaired. Needless to say, this was a Thursday afternoon before Easter and the truck sat at the dealer until Saturday before getting looked at. We got the truck back on Sunday, but since it was Sunday and Easter, we knew we had no chance of getting a load out until Monday. We put ourselves back into service as soon as we got the truck back but we were third truck, third team. I really felt that since it was Conway that took us out of service, they should have placed us in line in accordance to when the other trucks arrived in the area as Dallas is not a good freight zone.

We sat all day Monday and Tuesday. We got a QC for a load to Denver but not leaving until Wednesday. Mike called and asked about freight out of Denver in which he was told that they "occassionally" get freight out of that area. We needed to get home for the weekend and turned the load down. We decided to deadhead to Shreveport, LA and on the way was offered a relay load picking up north of Dallas at 0400 for a 270 mile run up to Stillwater, OK in which we refused since we were already on the way to Shreveport. We sat in Shreveport for a day and decided to deadhead back to Nashville.

It was our choice to dh back to Nashville and hopefully we'll be running well next week. I've spoken with others working for different companies and they seem to be experiencing the same thing with no runs so we all just need to hang in there.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, patience is what is required at this time.

Kitty Litter and Ms Puss
 
P

plumcrazy8

Expert Expediter
Just goes to show you how one truck can be busy while the other sits. The last week we were out we reset our logs 3 times! It's no wonder why they like husband/wife teams, I always thought it was for stability in the truck but it turns out that it's because they won't complain so much when the business is down! Hey Mr Goodtude, You two can't complain - sittin' in that nice truck makes the sitting soooo much better!
 
simon says

simon says

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Just had to jump in here a second. Still not much response from TSES drivers. Most I believe are drivers only and the same may hold true with Express-1 now, and they don't follow this site. I did talk to some TSES owner-ops, and they were complaining about sitting around and corporate beefs. I think the answer to a slow period is deadheading out to a better area. I ran into the Good Friday situation in GA last week, and just went home to MI. for Easter after an overnight in Knoxville. It is my truck, and after that I rolled well again come Mon. This time I'm hangin and chilling...:-(
 
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muleteam1

Expert Expediter
I believe you had one heck of a run at it.I think we were the next in line for that Dana to Pensacola.We watch on Conway load board only to make attempts at being where the freight is.We called on the Dana load and were told that the team had been sitting in Indy for 4 days so the load was given to them...We were in Ft.Wayne.and so-it-goes..Quite frankly ,the expression "when my ship comes in,I'll be at the airport" has been our dilemna thru March.
We have some friends at another carrier who have been running Conway freight thruought March but it seems they were where the freight was and no Conway drivers were in the area.That happens when freight runs like this. I will tell you that knowing what I know,I would have stayed out until the run broke.Being in the right place at the right time is not something to take litely during these times.

Good Luck and hope it continues for you..



muleteam1
 
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mikeyd47

Expert Expediter
We've been at this since Jan 03, starting out with Tri State Expediting and then moved to Conway Now in Aug of 2004. We are drivers and not Owner/Operators knowing right off that we didn't want the added expense and hassle that goes with owning a truck.

In each of the last two years before 2005 we run slow for the first 3 months with us averaging 1000.oo dollars + a week up until mid march, then we would start to run better, averaging 3k to 3500.00 a week.This is not great but it begins to pay the bills. The months of June, August, September, October, would show peak weeks off and on with our best being 5800.00 dollars in one week.July would be a slow month, and November, December would be kind of "anything goes" simply because of the holiday season and the fact we would visit family. This is after the 60/40 split arangement we have with the truck own but before fuel and road expenses.

Between August and December of 2004 we had one good month which was October of that year. We did 10,500 that month which helped us make it through the holidays and into the first of this year. After the first of the year we've been seeing 1000.00 weeks, which after the increase in fuel cost since we started, hardly makes it worth being out here.

We try to stay out 4 to 6 weeks at a time and sometimes longer, however we have been trying to cut back to 3 to 4 weeks out for health reasons. I believe us to be a hard running team, not turning down any "realisticly profitable" runs. Matter of fact we seem to do better with back to back runs consistanly rather then having to sit between runs.
 
mrgoodtude

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Gotta say that I guess we have been pretty fortunate. We put ourselves back into service around 7:30 cst this morning from the house (Murfreesboro, TN) and got a call 2 hours later with an offer to pick up in Huntsville, AL (122 dh miles) headed to Belvidere, IL (670 miles) which we accepted. After picking up the load at 1300, wee received a QC an hour later with a pre-plan load that is 36 dh miles from our drop going to San Destin, FL (1450 miles). We had no problem accepting the load and also realize that we will probably have to dh to Atlanta, but we also anticipated having to sit or dh out of Belvidere also. Other than the fiasco in Dallas, we've been rolling and pray that it continues.

Hey Plum, we've been working on making this truck a little more comfortable. We bought a home entertainmenet center for the sleeper which sounds like you're sitting in a movie theater!



Kitty Litter and Ms Puss
 
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muleteam1

Expert Expediter
Look at my next post..Go to conway Now,at the top of the page punch in a load # and take it from there.. Conway Now uses about 400 Load #'s per day but less than half are actual loads..Keep that in mind..




muleteam1
 
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