Western Express, Inc. - Bloomington, California

C T.

The last real trucking company. Gritty and not sorry. This is the real deal folks expect alot of LA traffic, tight spaces, grades, weather, hard work and dedication. They don't babysit so come here with a healthy work ethic and professional attitude or go whine at swift. These old school pros gave me a shot; unlike those pre modanna mega corps that have taken over the industry. I get it done, we get it done. Thanks to the western team the recruiting, training, management, and the logistics department. Love hate whatever we truck! Thanks Western Express I appreciate your investment in me and show it. Putting in miles, muddy lots, dark parking, trashed bathrooms, whinney ass drivers aside I show my appreciation. The equipment is in good mechanical shape and any problems they address it, although if you got a previously driven truck expect the interior to be dirty; some of these drivers are hogs literally. I get good mileage for performance and don't expect much more they leave me to it.
Over out

Anonymous T. G.

After working here for a few months, I have a lot to say. Western hired me when absolutely NO ONE ELSE would as a new driver. Nope not schnider, may, swift, Walmart, or any other mega carriers or local carriers. I give western props for that thank you.

The trainers can be pretty hit or miss once you get on the truck, but mine were pretty cool I got lucky. I still hate the fact that I can’t sleep on the top bunk while the truck is moving during the day. Oh yes, as a trainee you are forced to have night shift. Just push through it for a couple weeks maybe 3 at most and you’ll be out on your own soon enough. Your trainer calls the shots, not you. Pretty tough living in a space that small with somebody that long but hey you gotta get through that training.

As far as orientation and getting down there, if you live move than a couple hours away, you have 2 options: Western will pay for your greyhound bus ride (it will be longer/rougher than any alternative) or you can provide your own transportation (car, train, etc) and they claim they’ll pay for it but I never got reimbursed on my checks. (Eh, whatever ig) You do have to get down to this terminal for about 2 days of easy orientation, and then wait for the rest of your paperwork to process which can be from a day to 2 weeks. You might be sitting at the motel that long hopefully not before getting a trainer. They have pizza for lunch (pretty low quality but can’t complain for it being free) and sub sandwiches that get brought for dinner (also pretty low quality) fyi.

Keep in mind, during orientation you will be staying at the motel 6 in jurupa valley. Western has a contract with them and rent a certain number of double occupancy rooms. You will PROBABLY have a roomie of the same gender with you. I got lucky most of the time I was either alone or the other dudes left for truck training. Just keep that in mind. The motel 6 isn’t all that bad you got cable tv, wifi that works in most areas, daily housekeeping, very well kept, showers, and coin operated laundry.

Okay enough about the process. How’s it being a solo driver? I enjoyed it a lot. It’s basically your truck(company owned). You provide your own fridge, inverter(if your model is older than 2023 which mine was), internet etc. They only have International LT625’s and Freightliner Cascadias. That’s it, and what model year you get-and make is just kinda what they give you but not older than 2022. My truck was pretty reliable though, no issues ever.
Shoutout to Justin he’s a great DM he gave me pretty good loads although he does message you to get going on them to make sure you’re not late. You sort of choose your schedule depending on the type of loads you get but if you plan well, you can take your shower and do laundry on your 30.
As far as truck stops and such, avoid being stuck in the Riverside/Jurupa/Fontana/LA areas if you can. There are never parking spots at ANY of the truck stops (pilots, terminal, any other parking) 24/7, and good luck with parking at the the Western terminal it’s always full and it’s extremely tight squeezed in there it’s a wonder I haven’t hit anything in that terminal so far. Just get any pilots located anywhere else not those areas and you’re good.

Pay? I don’t know I’m still confused about that myself because my checks show hourly and I know I’m getting paid by mile. It’s 40 cents a mile too.
Pretty bad but honestly for me I don’t care a job is a job and I need income regardless. I made it though.

I didn’t have any problems with my DM and communication, I did make a few cosmetic oopsies (scraped a trailer) but I’m on my last chance and I want to make it count.

Overall western isn’t a bad company at all, there’s some tough stuff especially in the beginning you gotta man-through it but afterwards it’s pretty great. 4 stars only because I think the terminal needs a massive overhaul, it’s understaffed and underkept. I can’t badmouth them fully because they gave me a chance in this industry when no one else would.

Kendall M.

I Work For Western And Honestly I’m Not Happy With My Experience Here At This Company. Something Do Have To Change Here, But Western Is A Company You Come To Get Your Experience And Leave.
However I Am Thankful And Grateful That Western Gave Me The Opportunity To Better/Further My Driving Career Because A Lot Of The Other Companies Want You To Have At Least 3, 4, Or 6 Months Experience!But With That Being Said Lots Of Thing’s Need To Be Seriously Addressed Here For The Way Drivers Are Treated, Talked To, And Paid.
My Trainer Rudy/Rodolfo Didn’t Really Train Me At All And Kept Me For 6 Weeks when I was told I only need 70 hours of drive time to go off on my own in my own truck, But Kept Lying To His DM Saying I Wasn’t Ready To Go On My Own So That He Can Keep Getting Paid The 2+ Grand The Trainer’s Make While Having A Trainee In Their Truck. Meanwhile You’re Only Getting Paid 600 a week, But If You Do Any Of The Medical Insurance Your Check Is Going To Come Out To 3-400 A Week.

I’m Not Understanding How As A Solo Driver You Drive 1493 miles and only get $470.70, But Like I Said If You Choose The Medical Plan Your Check Comes Out To $314 A Week. I Heard That Nashville Driver’s Get Paid More And Better Than Us Bloomington Driver’s And That Isn’t Right.

My Truck Dash Lights Keep Coming On I Put In A Work Order While At The Terminal And They Had My Truck From 7am-3pm. They Did Nothing But Reset The Dash Lights So That The Lights Turn Off. One Thing That I Don’t Do Is Lie About Anything, Because I Refuse To Say Anything That Isn’t True Without Proof. And I’m Sure Everyone Can Vouch That Items Come Up Missing When Your Truck Goes In To Get Fixed. I Had Items Stolen Out Of My Truck While It Was In Shop I Believe That’s Why They Kept It Until It Was Time For Them To Leave.

I Can Persevere Through A Lot Of BS Do To Bad Experiences And Living In Tough Environments! But Upper Management Need To Get The California Bloomington Terminal In Order Like They Have The Tennessee Terminal And Maybe Then The Turn Over Rate Will Be Lower Rather Than Higher And Majority Of Western Drivers In California Will Be Excited, Happy, And Pleased To Work Here Without Leaving 💯

But I Still Would Like To Say Thank You For The Opportunity To Start My Driving Career!

Update 8-27-24
I no longer work for Western Express. DM Leemon Wilson Has Always Been Disrespectful And Rude So I Chose To Go To A Much Better Company That Respects Its Driver’s And Pay You The Way A Truck Driver Is Supposed To Be Paid. At Western Express You’re Just A Number/Load Nothing Else. They Can Give 2 💩 About You, Your Health, Or How They Talk To You. I Advise That You Run Away From Western Express And Find A Company That Will Pay More And Treat You Far Better Than You Will Working For These Pieces Of 💩. Trust Me They Will Lie And Say No Other Company Will Pay You Better Than Western And It’s Complete Bull💩 I’m Already Working And Making Twice As Much Than I Was At Western Express. Not To Mention The Wasted Time Sitting For Hours/Days If You Piss Them Off 💯 They Had Me Sitting In Arizona For 3 Days Knowing I Requested To Be Home The Following Monday And Tuesday For Important Doctors Appointment But He Choose To Have Me Sitting In Arizona Friday, Saturday, And Sunday. So I drive back to Bloomington Terminal Unloaded My Property Out Of The Truck And Videoed Myself Doing So. So That They Wouldn’t Try To Lie And Say I Abandoned Their Truck Somewhere. If You Don’t Want To Be Lied To And Paid Chump Change. You Should Definitely Go To Any Other Company Than Western Express 💯 CR England start you off at 61cpm with a 3 cpm incentive for safe driving. Highly recommend going there first if you want to experience a true trucking company that respects their drivers!

King S.

Great personal experience! Bloomington.

Great people at the orientation, Fred and Andrew. Andrew a really busy guy, seems like he forgets your requests but he/ they have a lot of people to deal with. So you gotta be patient and put some effort to reach out to them if you need them.

Shout out to my trainer Reina who got me ready for the road and was available to me after I graduated to help me out of situations I didn’t fully understand.

I had great communication and understanding with my DM Fred (this one’s another Fred). Always did his best to assign me loads, most of the times he had one pending for me before I dropped a current one.

I sincerely love this company with those people around and opportunity they offer to be a trainer after 6-7 months driving accordingly. I would’ve loved to stay at this company for at least a decade and make a good career. Unfortunately, I had to quit soon because of some personal reasons.

Thank you for everything!! Hopefully I’ll be able to join this wonderful team again in the future if things get easier on my end. Thank you again guys!

P.S.
You’re trapped in a dark tunnel, nobody comes to rescue you and there’s this company who comes along, hugs you, hands you a torch and you’re able to crawl out of the tunnel.
This is the role that the company played in my trucking career and almost 90% of new drivers like me. Best of luck!

Jim C.

I have worked here for a few months now. Orientation was quick and painless. Training was a bit long but James is a great trainer and we got through it. I've gotten great experience driving around the LA area, California, and the western states both solo and as a part of a team. The road has not always been smooth but Western Express has worked with me and proven to be a great place to get started. I hope to become a trainer soon to add the experience and extra pay as well.

Yelda D.

I accompanied my husband to the Bloomfield, California office the day prior to his orientation and parked in a "reserved" space to facilitate his identification of the orientation location. Upon my arrival, a Porsche Carrera followed me and the driver confronted me, asserting, "That is my parking." I referenced the four additional vacant "reserved" spaces, to which he replied, "They are all mine."

I attempted to explain that I was merely dropping my husband off to locate the orientation venue. Given the availability of open spaces, I found his passive-aggressive demeanor unwarranted. His behavior was characterized by arrogance and rudeness. Furthermore, he took it upon himself to mock my vehicle, asking, "Are you embarrassed to park next to others?" Fortunately, my husband returned shortly thereafter, allowing us to depart.

Several weeks later, my husband encountered a situation where he was without a load over the weekend, as the dispatcher leaves the office on Friday and does not return until Monday. Being stranded out of state and incurring parking expenses for his 53-foot dry van without compensation proved to be a significant frustration. Upon contacting his designated dispatcher, Mark Gomez, he was informed, "The personnel working on the weekend are not sufficiently experienced to dispatch you a load; therefore, you must remain on standby." My husband expressed his concerns, stating, "That is not productive. I could have been generating income by hauling multiple loads; this arrangement is not sustainable."

Professionalism and effective communication are essential within any organization, and it appears that this company could benefit from reevaluating the treatment of its drivers to ensure they are accorded dignity and respect. It is unacceptable for any individual to remain in a parking situation, incurring costs for 72 to 96 hours without satisfactory communication or support. It is disheartening that the dispatcher departs on Friday with little regard for the organization of weekend staff to facilitate timely load dispatching. My husband experienced a sense of hopelessness during this period of waiting. The question arises: what is the purpose of employment if one is not compensated and instead finds oneself idle?

This experience reflects negatively on the company and underscores the challenges of a toxic work environment. My husband was subjected to a lack of dignity and respect while awaiting a load dispatch that frequently consumed four days of his week. In contrast, during his tenure at SWIFT Transportation, he was consistently treated with respect and kindness at their Jurupa Valley, California location.

SWIFT Transportation was proactive in offering incentives to their drivers, providing monthly giveaways, including flashlights, fleece blankets, and T-shirts. This approach fostered a positive work environment. It would be advantageous for any organization to demonstrate appreciation for its employees. In comparison, Western Express has clearly fallen short in the areas of productivity, dignity, and respect. As an outside observer, I have witnessed the adverse conditions my husband faced, and I am grateful that he is no longer associated with that company.

Anthony C.

There safety department for payment in damages is a joke. Iv tried to call them and left probably 8 voicemails. She emailed back and said I'm to busy and have more important things to do then talk to you about your claim. I can forward the email to whoever wants to see it. Signed the paper she wanted so they can reimburse me for the damage there driver did to my truck and still haven't gotten my payment yet and it's been around 5 months.

Elizabeth H.

My middle age son, trying to regain his life, was set up by 2 other drivers. My son was a rookie and so proud of his achievements. He got out of his truck and was abandoned by his partner, stranded in a state he's never been in. The other guy should have been fired. But after 2 weeks of my son being slugged in the face while driving, by his trainer, he got set up and lost the first job he was proud of. My son had a sucky life and this was his one chance. He was so proud he called me every day. Western Express out of Los Angeles, CA, is looking at a lawsuit.