truck driver

yard supervisor

personal assistant

porter

owner operator driver

Cassens Transport

Union jobs are typically run in an antiquated, nonsensical fashion. This place is no different. The money is good if you're willing to work hard for it. Benefits are good as well. The problem is micromanagement from the company, most of the time in a counterproductive way. Toxic relationship between the workforce and management sides of the company. Toxic enviroment in general. Equipment, especially for new hires, is barely roadworthy. The good side of that is you get paid nearly $30 an hour when broken down. Bad side is you're driving a death trap when it's not broken. Dispatching is done on a seniority basis and new hires with no seniority get handed undesirable loads on most days.(NYC, surrounding area, yes, they send people with no experience there). Training leaves a bit to be desired and in my opinion kind of sets folks up for failure, especially folks with no prior driving experience. Their training consists of the loading and unloading of the cars onto the transporter, not really any training in driving the truck itself. Seems that's an afterthought to them. Sets people up for failure unfortunately. 

This job is a hands on job.  Driving is still a larger part of the job, if your traveling over 300 miles.  Anything under that, and your going to be working your buns off.  

Lessons learned when driving a 11-car hauler; PAY ATTENTION.  Too many things can go wrong way too fast.  You can destroy a brand new vehicle in less time to strike a match, if your not watching what your doing.  With that said, there was plenty of people offering a hand when you were in trouble.  

The hardest and most stressful part of the job was loading and unloading the vehicles; which really goes back to lessons learned.  But you also had to keep the cars secure; which meant a lot of hands on and wrenching straps and ratchets.  Climbing in and out of cars with only a few inches to open the doors could turn you into a acrobat or a pretzel; whichever came first.

The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to pic a nice hotel to sleep in every single night.

Management on the other hand was very trying.  Most of the managers have never step foot in a truck, or even know anything about them.  But this goes for most trucking companies today and it makes for a very long, stressful day when a manager is trying to tell you how to do your job when they have never done it before in their life.

I have worked at Cassens for 11 years and just like any company it has its flaws.  But for the areas that matter the most in my life, I find it to be one of the best places to work.  I have recently  moved in to the position of head trainer and can't wait to make our industry leading training in Detroit, even better!  

Now from the other reviews I have read, there seems to be a disappointment in that fact ONLY train to haul cars.  Well, that is a BIG part of the job that a LOT of people can't do.  BUT with that being said we do further your driving skills (we get a lot of drivers right out of school) with in yard and on road practice.  We understand that a new person has a lot of pressure for learning two jobs at once.  I will also say that the people that apply, make or break themselves sometimes.  If someone comes to work here and then has a damage, all they have to do is learn from it and get better.  If the attitude is "they'll build another one" then they won't last long.  But if you have the drive and ability to learn, this is a great place to learn and become something more than just a steering wheel holder, you're a car hauler.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Union job.  Staying fit by being active.  Pay is good.  Benefits are unbeatable.  Management are company men but do look after their drivers in Georgetown, Ky. This job is hard work but I think it is fun.  Best job I’ve ever had outside of Artillery in the Military.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Breakdowns.  The trucks are worked hard.  You compensated better than any other company I’ve ever worked at.  Not knowing where you are going until you get dispatched from the terminal that day.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Drivers help each other out.  Especially if you are new.  Other drivers try to look out for you to make sure you’re not doing something stupid to get hurt or damage vehicles.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Getting dispatch, load cars and deliver them.  Then do it over again.

Working for Cassens was a great period of my life. I enjoyed the work, learned much about car haulers and hydraulic systems, and the union wasn't too intrusive. There was a steady amount of work, but I always felt watched. Office personnel were considered managers and they would stick their noses in everything even when it didn't concern them. The foreman would often flip flop what he expected from you and when he changed his mind, it would be blamed on you for not knowing the standards. Written discipline was inconsistent at best, and when they did write you up, it would be when they thought they had you trapped. In spite of a few downsides, I would reconsider working for them again in the future, but not as long as the current foreman was employed.

Each day is a chance for something totally new, may deliver high value vehicles and/or prototypes. I learned how to properly handle and secure loaded vehicles and what to look for when transporting them. The hardest part of the job is loading the cars, as they wont always be the same type, you get trucks, SUVs, sedans, EV’s/Hybrids, and Crossovers on many of your loads and you have to load them strategically and safely to not be damaged. The job is very rewarding and does have good benefits like a CLC Lodging card and fuel card for hotel stays and over the road fill ups.

Union pay and benefits are great. Most terminal managers are easy to deal with, but the decisions that come from the head office are made buy people that never drove truck or loaded a car and will have you scratching your head. Depending on where you live you can be home one or two nights a week and home weekends, and for a job driving truck that's not bad. The equipment is old, but you do get breakdown pay at $25.00 an hour. You also get paid to load, unload the truck, get paid to fuel the truck, paid for delays loading and unloading, bad weather delays and more. Your move up the ladder to a newer truck will be a slow crawl, but as you move up in seniority you choice of loads to pick from gets even better and your pay will increase accordingly.

After over 25 years of workng for this company, I had to leave. The noxious, hateful environment that has developed over the last ten years, or so, has made Cassens Transport an almost unbearable place to work. The festering resentment of the Corporate office in Edwardsville, IL towards it's drivers, has leached it's way down to each terminal Management, creating a hostile relationship between driver and office personel.

In Carhual, it all comes down to damages and you had better see them before you load or face backlash from the company with reprimands.  The management are not to be trusted.  They will lie to you in order to get what they want.  In more recent years, they have adopted the "Threaten your job" management style.  You are also monitored by camera for speed and following distance. THEIR trucks are governed at 65mph.   It is a Teamsters job and the benefit package is unbeatable.  This isn't bumping docks.  There are hours of outside the truck work, such as loading and unloading in all weather conditions. It's an aquired taste to hall cars.

The shop manager is really the only issue. Has very little mechanical experience himself yet tries to act like it. Some days he would be great and nice and in a snap of a finger for no obvious reason he would snap at anyone and everyone. Other mechanics there are a great group of guys to work with. Keep in mind it’s a union shop so you would be on the bottom of the seniority list and there’s no job advancement. Another big con is your employment depends on how the Nissan plant is doing. If they shut down for whatever reason for a couple of weeks then expect to be laid off as well.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 54 salaries reported	$90,463 per year
Yard supervisor 8 salaries reported	$40,250 per year
Personal assistant 2 salaries reported	$72,500 per year
Porter 1 salary reported	$11.00 per hour
Owner operator driver 1 salary reported	$70,000 per year

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