wickedD63
Hazel park ,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, March 05, 2016
I agree with thelmatruckgrl...... I too am a graduate of Nuway Livonia, July 2009. I have nothing but good memories of the people there and the CDL license that I earned through my training by them. I was hired by Werner, and then Covenant, before I even had my license. I took a 3rd employment offer with Trans am, starting immediately after graduation and I've never looked back.....been trucking ever since. I worked 3 years with Trans am, 1 year with Trans Force and I am now an owner operator, that by the way just made our last payment on our first truck!
John I understand some of your frustration though,but, I don't blame Nuway..... The trucking industry in general put out those ridiculous tales! I remember those " average company drivers will make $45,000.00 their first year and $75,000.00 in their 2nd year". I remember looking at my w2 after my first full year, making about $29,000.00 and thinking wow! Am I that "below" average? But, I just put in my time, got my experience and today I can go anywhere I please and get hired.... I know trucking isn't for everyone,but you got your CDL, and over a year of experience with Werner,
you should have been able to write your own ticket if you were a driver worth his salt. Nuway trained me, and helped me get my first job. that's all I needed....An opportunity, life is what YOU make it. I guess my expectations weren't the same as yours, I didn't go back there after I graduated, except to do recruiter presentations for Trans am,but, they helped me fulfill my goal of re inventing myself into the truck driver I am today and that's all I ever needed from them. John, you should have and could have done the same.....
Jnazars
Detroit,#3Author of original report
Wed, September 23, 2009
I dont know if anyone out there is still reading this report or not, but if so and if enough of you out there have been victimized by Nu Way and would like some real changes to be done then I am hoping you would be willing to act.
I have been in contact with my state legislature. Needless to say, Michigan State Representative Rashida Tilab is useless and a waste of time to deal with. My attorney has also sent her letters and has been unable to get anywhere with her and her office. She has lost my vote for any re elections. I am hoping someone else out there that is a Michigan resident that has been victimized by Nu Way would like to contact their state legislature and perhaps get some results.
One of the problems with this whole situation with Nu Way is they are using some kind of a loophole in Michigans Laws when dealing with any complaints or grievances filed against the school (among other things). Any and all complaints filed against the school now has to be directed to the secretary of states office, which has no power or authority to be able to do anything to discipline the school.
I do not understand exactly what is happening with whatever law they are utilizing. Either the secretary of states office holds their license and just simply cannot act against any complaints, or they do not hold the license but all complaints still have to be directed to them since they regulate the industry in this state. It is confusing to say the least.
All I know for sure is according to Michigans law and according to the student agreement that every student has to sign with Nu Way it states that any and all complaints have to be directed to the Michigan Secretary of States office.
Now what my attorney told me is that because of that part of the agreement, anyone that trys to contact the school directly with a complaint is in violation of their student contract/agreement and as such could be sued by the school for damages for breach of contract.
Therefore, because of this agreement, all complaints against the school have to be directed to the secretary of state who is completely powerless.
I tried contacting my State Representative, Rashida Tilab, on several occasions in regards to this. After sending a number of letters, I finally got a response 9 months later. The only thing she basically said in the letter was she was sorry to hear what had
Reallypissed
ROSEVILLE,#4Consumer Comment
Sat, July 18, 2009
I most certainly agree that EVERYTHING written by "John" is accurate and factual. I too had attended Nu Way just prior to john and my experience mirrors his almost exactly, but we are far from alone and this scam has touched literally thousands of individuals producing the same results. The comments made by Thelmatruckgrl84 are the ones that are completely ridiculous. The problem is that this school (Nu Way) and many others around the country are in business with these trucking companies to bring them cheap labor, and the picture really becomes clear when you find out that companies such as Werner Enterprises (the worst offender) are being paid $6000 per student that they put on a truck with a trainer. After you get on that truck and finish your training you no longer are useful to the company and in fact cost them money because now they have to pay you, and it starts to put a dent in that six thousand dollar payoff they got for hiring you in the first place. I could go on for days with horror stories about the above mentioned school and trucking comany but it would do no good, they were and are enabled by the federal government and are very good at manipulating a system that has little to no oversight or consequence. A great deal of what happens is dependent upon the trucking company that one chooses to work for after school. The above mentioned company knows exactly how to manipulate you into working long hours with minimum pay and they do it to everyone, not just certain people. When you drive 14 hrs a day in major cities (like chicago) doing city deliveries and you get paid .25 per mile, you do the math. I had worked for 9 months, out for nine weeks at a time and averaged less than $100 per week in pay. Notice how I used the word "averaged" because once every six weeks or so you'd get enough miles in to earn a $400 check, and that was still far below what my expectations were for the long hours I put in every day. The longest run I ever had was from Baltimore to Blaine Washington. It took 5 days to get there and once my load was delivered I was out of hours for the day and had to park in a muddy lot with no bathroom facilities. Normally this type of thing wouldn't bother me but once my ten hour break was up I was not allowed to move the truck because they were trying to find my next load. Again this wouldn't bother me but it turned out that I had to sit there for 5 full days waiting for any one of the dispatchers to find a load. I walked a half mile each day to a burger king for food and to use the bathroom. I sat in that truck all those hours and days waiting and asking repeatedly for my next load but all I got was "nothing available" but at least they paid me $10 per day for sitting. Every night while I slept in this lot waiting, my qualcomm would beep between 2:30am and 3:30am I would receive a message "YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED A LOAD, ARE YOU READY TO PICK UP?" so I hit "YES" and the response was "WE HAVE YOU READY AND AVAILABLE AND YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED A LOAD ASAP, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. The third night this happened I asked what was going on, why wake me up just to tell me that?, I was suprised when I was told that if I didn't answer the qualcomm and hit "yes" that I wouldn't get paid the $10 for that day. There are so many more stories to tell but the bottom line is that the trucking industry is not what it once was. BEWARE of promises of big money, both the company and the school both know that you're in need of a job and hope that you're desperate enough to be abused, used and lied to on a daily basis and all at a price that has them laughing all the way to the bank. I don't know of anyone that woke up one day and decided to be a trucker, the economy collapsed and good people are being lured into this industry out of necessity and the crooks are taking advantage of people that are down instead of actually helping. I don't know what Thelmatruckgrl84 is trying to protect, I for one am insulted by her ignorant comments. I had worked for over 25 years as a UAW skilled trades worker and holding a job was not a problem. The school promised big money and NEVER stipulated that new drivers would be treated like crap just because they don't have experience, that's acceptable? As far as the school promising lifetime job placement and then going back on their word because someone is behind in their loan payment is most certainly a crime. The school has already been paid in full for their service and cannot legally turn you away when you go to them for help in seeking employment, your loan has nothing to do with the responsibility of the school to live up to their "lifetime placement" policy. Time to get a lawyer and get serious.
Anonymous
Harrison Township,#5Consumer Comment
Sat, May 16, 2009
The author of the report has rendered a fair and accurate assessment of current truck driver school training practices. The suggestion regarding regulation already exists: See (michigan.gov under Driver Education). Also, [email protected] and FMCSA. However, whether any current enforcement exists (besides Motor Carrier Division of the Michigan State Police), is another question. Truck driver school companies typically guarantee employment which, by the way, is illegal, but otherwise, besides a 'free ride' by Michigan Works!, few students would be interested. Wxxxxx is a company that some students sign on with prior to graduation; some students stay and others, perhaps most that I know of, last anywhere from 12 hours to 2 weeks. Most of the time, the issue seems to be the trainers and other times, the lack of available freight i.e., a 'run'. What schools do not usually tell students is driving a truck is dangerous (number 10 of the top ten most dangerous jobs in the world) and one of the hardest ways there is to make a living. Most of the initial employment experience is impersonal where the new driver is more or less a 'number'. That is, if they get employed at all. Many times, anywhere from half to up to 90% of a class do not drive. This is due to a student's background, lack of due diligence for applying for jobs, poor school reputation, an interest in continuing unemployment, a better job offer in another field, and so on. Additionally, many schools are notorious for not following up with a student once they have 'graduated', meaning some of the students are not employable, but are retained by the school and paid by Michigan Works! via Debit Card. It is the typical "take the money and run scenario." Students are also not told that at any given time there is less freight available than drivers in view of the typical "there is a major shortage of truck drivers" information that students get at orientation. As long as Michigan Works! provides unemployed people for truck driver training in a depressed economy, the author's experience by my observations, will persist. A very good website exists for those considering truck driver training. It is called newbiedriver.com. There are free articles, two of which pertain to the author's experience (as well as in my experience, the typical experience), called CDL Mills Part 1 and Part 2. Also, there is an old article from a postmaster regarding truck driver jobs (online) that warns people about truck driver job advertisements.
Jnazars
Detroit,#6Consumer Comment
Wed, May 13, 2009
A Good BBB report? Are you serious? They have a C-. A C- is not good, its one step above a D. Any school these days its A, B, C or fail. Apparently you did not check their report. The BBB web link is http://www.bbb.org/eastern-michigan/business-reviews//nu-way-truck-driving-centers-in-livonia-mi-90006208/ If you think a C- is an excellent grade for a school to have, then who has the low standards here? Lets also point out the fact that over 2 dozen students and the number is still climbing as this develops, since Friday, May 8th 2009, have filed suits against Nu Way for all of the reasons described herein this report and I swear by the almighty that I had absolutely nothing to do with this. This was something that completely independently developed on its own. I was as shocked as everyone else was when I heard the report on FOX 2. I tried to find an attorney that would take the case but was unsucessfull. However aparantly someone else was able to. The original news report stated 7 students, but the number is much higher now. Call the Ambrose law firm to confirm this you're self if you wish. Their web address is(((Redacted))) CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Thelmatruckgrl84
Garden City,#7Consumer Comment
Wed, May 13, 2009
I read this guy's report I am a woman and a graduate of Nu-Way and I am REALLY offended by the nonsense this guy puts on paper!! Hey john just because you say it loudly or write it nasty does not turn your lies into anything but loud and nasty lies you want to fix your life try starting by looking in the mirror directly in the eyes of the guy who is to blame but quit insulting me and other graduates who are doing just fine. I can tell you from personal experience that this john guy has to be the biggest idiot in the world!! The training and total experience I had with Nu-Way was great! They did everything they said they would and more good & caring people. Everyone in my class graduated with good jobs already arranged and Werner was just one of the many different company choices available. In truck driving, you can make as much or as little as YOU choose. If you are a good driver and willing to work you will make a very good living. On the other hand, if you are a jerk and pain in the (you know what) - you will make only $9,000 in a year or less. It sounds to me like this guy killed his own career, and then expected Nu-Way to fix it for him. I VERY MUCH doubt that much (if any) of what he says is true, except that he was a pain in the neck for his first company nobody else wanted him and then when he did get a good second job - he got himself fired within two weeks Does this sound like a winner to me? I don't think so!! And now after two years he seems to have figured out a scheme to try to get money for nothing just by yelling his lies. I can tell you that you do not get fired within two weeks for being late once unless his definition for late is days or never showing up at all or doing something even worse (obviously, he won't tell us about that, will he). I don't know of ANY professional big rig driver who earned only $9,000 in a year and if he really did it is absolutely because he wanted to - or he was an idiot who can't be dependable or mature enough to hold a job in my industry. Many students who graduated from Nu-Way actually earn a lot MORE than what they were told why? Because we made ourselves valuable to the company and did good work. That's how you make money and get ahead as a big rig driver! Not by whining, moaning and complaining. That's the same no matter what you do for a living. To go back and blame the school just because he screwed up is silly. I know for a FACT that Nu-Way could and would get him alternate employment as long as he didn't do something stupid on his own at some point to make sure that nobody else will want to hire him. REALITY CHECK IF what this jerk says is true, then he does not even need Nu-Way's help to get a good job with a Class A license and 6 to 12 month's experience companies would be coming after him!!! There are special websites loaded with jobs for good drivers with 6 to 12 months experience (want to check just one out? Look at http://www.everytruckjob.com and SEE FOR YOURSELF! Another REALITY CHECK If he didn't like his first job and called Nu-Way after one month, two months or whenever at that time he could have been switched to any of about 20 companies Didn't do that? Couldn't do that? I wonder what this guy's REAL story is. If the truth is that john was calling the school to get a great local job with only a few months experience, then both he and we know that the good local jobs go to good drivers with a year+ experience with a recognized carrier and that is what he would have been told. If the other stuff this guy says is true, he managed to be the only driver I have ever heard of who managed to take a year to get about 8 weeks experience! For anyone who is doing what I do, we all know this guy is lying and scheming to make up for his own failures. One more REALITY CHECK and then I'm done If any school (U of M, Harvard, Michigan State or WCCC whatever) If the school graduates thousands of students who now have great opportunities to make a good living and do and there are a pitiful few who can't do the job right - or even hold a job is that the school's fault??? My advice to john is to grow up and stop expecting everyone to fix his own stupidity quit blaming everyone else for his own personal issues and shortcomings and take responsibility for his own failures. Take the time and effort you put into complaining and apply that to a real job and you could be successful instead of just sitting around on your butt for $9 an hour doing a job that anyone who can fog a mirror can do you're probably overpaid for that. And oh by the way john, I checked and Nu-Way with all the years they have been doing what they do - has a GREAT BBB rating.