Werner Enterprises ripoff Students beware Omaha Nebraska

First of all, if there was a problem with your trainer you should've been on the phone with your sdm immediately! Secondly, how many times does the safety dept issue qualcomm messages forbidding u turns? How about the safety meetings? Sounds like you as an idividual lacks common sense. Instead of pointing the finger at Werner take a look at yourself. You possessed the power to create your destiny and blew it. I am an eight year employee of Werner Enterprises and certinly know the uphill battle students face but the facts remain: You should've stood up to your trainer,or asked for a new one. U TURNS ARE ILLEGAL...PERIOD!! You knew that before you did it.

In responce to Josh from alabama.
Hey josh where were you the days and weeks when you heard AT WERNER YOU WILL NOT DO U TURNS UNLESS THE POLICE ARE THERE TO HELP YOU.
Werner gives you a number to call if you get in that situation. Or how about this you continue down the road and find a parking lot to turn around in.
If you were dumb enough to do an unprotected U-Turn you deserved to be FIRED.
The very first thing I tell my students is You will never do a U-Turn in this Truck.
After 8 weeks on the truck you should have knowen better, So don't blame your grouchy trainer for your mess up.
If I would have kicked you butt and then let Werner fire you.......

Because when you are near death, Werner will just hang up on you. Forget paying your bills. Forget your family, they won't be notified Kenneth, you'll just be sitting in the hospital all alone. Good Luck, You'll need it. Truck Stops are not safe buddy.

If you are a driver, and you have ever driven around the block with a truck, then you really should know that it's just plain stupid to have a rule that dictates that a U-turn is a terminating offense.

I've had to make many u-turns over my thirty years out on the road. There are times when you simply have to, and there is no other choice, unless you want to back up against traffic for a mile or more. You do them carefully and with enough room to make them, and there have been a couple of times in my life when I barely got them made, but to prohibit them period...is just stupid. What are they going to do when there is no alternative...send a chopper to fly the truck out?

I'm sorry that you were hurt, and that you are subjected to having to sit in an office to learn some terrible habits, like adopting this one-size-fit's-all attitude that some people take, who have never had any experience behind the wheel, sit in an office, and make judgments about others without really considering the circumstances carefully.

Werner's training standards suck. There is no better way to phrase it. Added to that, the fact they put "Josh" out of the truck with no transportation home, is further evidence that this company is nothing but crap. And you dare endorse that kind of treatment?

If you 're on Worker's Compensation, and you are working for Werner, you might want to think about what you are going to do when you are released by the company Doctor, because that crappy company will probably send you packing the minute you are released to work again.

You should read a little more about the company you defend. They care nothing about the people that they put out there to do their bidding. Once you make a mistake, or become worthless to them when you are no longer generating a profit for them, you're out on your hind end, and thumbing for a way home.

Good luck. You're gonna need it.

Don't blame the trainer! You were warned in orientation, and by messages on the qualcomm. That a U-turn is cause or dismissal. I was hurt and am now temporarily working in the office. I am constantly hearing in the orientation class, and it it HIGHLY STRESSED that you are never to make a U-turn unless a law officer instructs you to, and is there to assist. Your trainer may have been trying to get you to THINK FOR YOURSELF. What would you have done if you had completed training, on your own, and found yourself in this situation? Grow up-be a real human and take responsibility for your own actions.

Don't blame the trainer! You were warned in orientation, and by messages on the qualcomm. That a U-turn is cause or dismissal. I was hurt and am now temporarily working in the office. I am constantly hearing in the orientation class, and it it HIGHLY STRESSED that you are never to make a U-turn unless a law officer instructs you to, and is there to assist. Your trainer may have been trying to get you to THINK FOR YOURSELF. What would you have done if you had completed training, on your own, and found yourself in this situation? Grow up-be a real human and take responsibility for your own actions.

Hey Josh! I trained for them for ten years and in those ten years I saw a lot from my trainees and Werner. Let me first say that I can count the number of times that I was sleeping while my trainees were trying to find an address for delivery on one hand and I will have un-used fingers. There were a lot of trainers that I encountered or heard about that cared only for the extra $$ in the paycheck, and the student be damned. It sounds like you got one of these.

I hope by the the I type this you have gotten another driving job; you probably had to go through another training period as from what you wrote you didn't get anything more than shown where the steering wheel and the stick shift was. That was common at Werner and encouraged by the operations department.

Thank you for reminding me of exactly why I choose not to train any longer.

You, as the licensed driver in control of the vehicle, are the one responsible for your safety, and in this case the safety of your sleeping trainer. After eight weeks out, one would think you were safe enough that the trainer could sleep, but I guess you are the proof against that theory. It is Werner's policy to fire any driver caught making a "U" turn on a public roadway, regardless of the outcome of the manuever. In nearly all states it is an illegal manuever. It is illegal across North America to make a "U" turn on a freeway (except for emergency vehicles or under the direction of emergency personnel). Werner tells you this verbally and in writing during orientation. Many states include a question on that in their law tests for your CDL.

You screwed yourself out of your tuition reimbursement and bonus by costing Werner thousands of dollars in the commission of an illegal manuever. Count your blessings that a car loaded with teens didn't drive under your trailer, or you would be looking at prison time for vehicular manslaughter.

Try taking a little personal responsibility for the decisions you make and the actions you take, instead of blaiming others for your mistakes.

I was with Werner for almost a year and also was a trainer there. I am not 100% in support with Werner on their traing program. I think it needs a lot of work. My idea of a trainer/trainee is with the student driving and the trainer observing and helping in any way he can. I enjoyed my time at Werner and am planning on returning thre if they will rehire me. Their safety personel(especially d**k/in Springfield) have always been FIRM but helpful in every way possible. A good trainer will teach you the correct way to drive and back and park and ect....

I do NOT agree with these companies that want to put a trainee out of school with a trainer and run them as a team to "move" freight. There isnt enough time to thoroughly train the students in the time they give you to complete their training.
I have been out here going on 10 years and have a accident and ticket free safety record. SAFETY is always 1st. YOU are the driver of that truck. YOU control your SAFETY record.(meaning preventables) You are the ones who make the decision to do a u-turn or not "get out and look". Werner isnt perfect and they have a lot they could or can do to reduce their turnover rating. There isnt a company out there that you will be 100% happy with, unless you are an O/O with your own authority! Take care guys and gals and "BE SAFE"!!

I'm sorry your training with Werner did not go well. It's unfortunate that you did not get along with your trainer.

If you belived that you were receiving inadaquate training, you should have discussed it with the Student Department. However, good trainer or not, Werner drivers are told from the very beggining not to make U-turns under any cirmcumstances except when being assisted by a Police Officer.

It's strictly against company policy and is grounds for termination for students as well as experienced drivers.

As a former driver for Werner Enterprises, I remember this being heavily emphasized during driver orientation.

Josh and Adolph

I am glad both of you got what your deserve. Stay off the road would be my advise, even with a car both of you are dangerous!

Just some comments, Josh, and I really don't want to spoil your day. ....but....I also received a 'reckless driving' charge in a hick town in Tennesee when I unsuccessfully attempted to elude the cops on a motorcycle. (Success was severly hindered by the very real possibility of being intentionally run over by a Crown Vic.).Actually, that was a plea bargain to avoid several other charges (which would have seriously endangered my freedom). It was the best I could get, but it was still a $hitty deal.

I think you should be aware, as I found out sort of the hard way, that insurance companies view a "reckless driving" charge as a plea bargained DUI. (The result of many DUIs being so 'plea bargained' to 'reckless driving'.) I have been told by reliable sources there are actually more such plea bargained DUIs (to reckless driving) than actual initial charges of reckless driving. That's the reason the insurance companies think "DUI" when they see "reckless driving". Bummer!

In my state, that constitutes a "serious offense" and stays on my record for either 5 or 7 years. If your charge has been made a 'done deal', I guess there's not much you can do now. Believe me, it's well worth at least $1K to a lawyer to get it reduced to "blocking traffic" or even "careless driving" if at all possible.(big difference with the insurance companies). It's really a shame if that was the initial charge and you were unable to plea bargain to a lesser offense. It's usually possible to get any charge reduced to a lesser one if one retains an agressive, well-connected lawyer.

I would estimate I deserved the "reckless driving" charge certainly more than you did. I had to work my way DOWN to that charge. I feel for 'ya, bud! You've got company! If you have the opportunity to discuss this violation with an insurance company (and you probably will),try to make an effort to get the story through that it wasn't a "reduced DUI". .....Anyway, as you describe the situation I would say you really got screwed.

It sounds like they put you off cause you commited a RECKLESS ACT, then tried to THREATEN then with a LAWYER. When you are a STUDENT DRIVER under a Trainer, you are NOT supposed to commit DUMB STUNTS. You made the decision to make a U-TURN (Very DUMB). You should know that if you miss a exit or turn off, you go down to the next turn off or exit & loop around. Tractor Trailers with 53' Trailers DONT MAKE U-TURNS in the middle of a road !!!!! You probably shouldnt be driving if you dont have any more common sense than this. I would hate to think how you would handle ICE, SNOW or a STEEP DOWNGRADE. Hang it up & get out of Trucking. You are a Accident waiting to happen & I dont want it to be with me !!!!!