owner operator driver

truck driver

order picker

operations associate

owner

Gulf Winds

Management sucks and always will. The company goes based off a test called the personality index to hire and pretty much if you’re leader or what they call a “driver” you will never get far in the company because the executives like to have puppets in management roles so instead of having strong leaders that will teach you and show you how something should be done , you will get some one with little personality and no people skills. The customer service managers will never stand up for you regardless if you did everything right, they are looking out for themselves so will be quick to throw you under the bus. Back to the personal index test, even if you meet every requirement on the job listing better hope your personality that day meets with what they choose what personality goes with the job (which by the way is a random selection of words that you choose that will categorize your personality in several different groups). The company has great potential to be a great place to work for but until they really look into the management team they will always have unsatisfied employees. One the few perks of working for their customer service department is the ability to work from home 3-4 days a week. The company provides all equipment for you for you to be able to work from home and also gives you $25 extra a month for internet cost... but if you make the simplest of mistakes your ability to work from home and the $25 will be taken away from you for a few months as a punishment. Their PTO and insurance program is pretty fair since they have to make up for the $14-$16 pay. Each quarter you are given a $200 gift card as a quarterly bonus and for the December bonus it’s $400 for Christmas. They use to have a gym on site with a personal trainer but since they relocated they haven’t mentioned bringing it back. One of the most stressful parts of the job is being out of the office. You will have 1 back up that’s is solely responsible for your desk while you are out of the office. It will be your responsibility to make sure that person is trained on your accounts do not count on your managers to help when your desk coverage is not to standard since everyone is so over whelmed its hard for 1 person to cover 2 desk.

I'm in my early thirties and have been lucky enough to work for some truly great companies, but none have been as great to work for as Gulf Winds. I moved to Houston for this job four years ago, and I have never regretted it. 

The logistic industry is fast paced, and can be at times stressful, but Gulf Winds offers a supportive environment where the managers and executives truly care about setting their teams up for success. No one is perfect and there are always opportunities for improvement, but there is a culture of striving for continual improvement at GWI which is very admirable. 

The people that work at Gulf Winds are kind and fun loving. You get the sense that you are surrounded by people who truly care. The work is purposeful because the company invests heavily in non profit causes at home and abroad which in turn makes your day to day activities feel like they really serve a greater good. Gulf Winds truly puts People over Profits, and rewards people who engage and execute.

Logistics is not for everyone, but if you are looking to work for a company with enormous growth potential, a wealth of professional talent, a drive to be the best it can be, and a whole lot of heart , then do yourself a favor and find out what life at Gulf Winds is really like for yourself.

Pros
-Work from home benefits for some positions
-Company started it's own non-profit to invest in lives around the world. Gives a sense that you are working for the greater good.
-Work is stimulating and the days fly by.
-Great systems and technology to support job functions.
-Comfortable offices
-Competitive pay and great benefits -- medical, dental, vision, generous PTO
-Plenty of employee parties, appreciation events and recognition

Cons
Communication can sometimes be sub-par
Company is so successful that workload can be a lot for some individuals (not unmanageable, but you can't sit idly and expect to keep up.)
Micromanaging and interpersonal relationships feel like personal advancement for personal gain.
When workload sometimes when into overtime felt like I was deserted and arrived out late (est. 11 PM) to only back door early in the morning (7 AM) with Not Much sleep and feeling mentally and emotionally drained.

Advice to Management
Keep looking for opportunities to improve.
Continue to listen to your employees ideas and suggestions.
The most imperfect person can have the best work ethic.
Also mental and emotional health is important as well it may be best to have resources for that as well.

A typical day at work included loading trucks with products being shipped or unloading trucks with products that had been shipped to us. I learned how to work very well with time constraints and deadlines, and also learned that sometimes, there will be days that you have to stay very late in order to get the job done, and sometimes, that's just an unavoidable part of any job.Management was awesome and often bought the workers lunch when we had to work late, or work extra hard to get something done. They always treated us with respect and would often be on the floor working right along side us, instead of just sitting in an office telling us what to do. The co-workers were always dependable and hard-working, and we knew we were being treated fairly, so we always put in 100% effort everyday. The hardest part of the job was the long hours of manual labor that was often very tiring. The most enjoyable part of the job was 1) finishing an assignment before a deadline and having a feeling of accomplishment for doing so, and 2) Going out to lunch with all the co-workers and getting to spend time with them outside of just working.

Every morning there's a "Safety" meeting prior to shift start. All the meetings consist of management regurgitating the same old "wear all the proper PPE" and "make sure to complete your (daily) 15 loads quota" but what they don't understand is half of the forklift operators are driving with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on their phone!!! Some of them are constantly speeding throughout the warehouse without honking the horn and lack of regard to others safety. Also, there's no kind of appreciation for employees going above and beyond. For example, if you're unloading some "super sacks" and you get a tear and some of product pours out. You'll get an automatic write-up without a verbal warning or if you see a double stack pallet that's tipping and decide to  take some time to reorganize said pallets. You will be questioned as to why you didn't meet your daily moves instead of "Thank You for taking time out of your busy schedule to prevent a future tip over". This is by far THE WORST company I've ever worked for.

I worked for these aka "christian people" the terminal manager is a racist and dosent care if you make money aslong as they make money. The dispatch manager in the morning she has such a bad attitude so don't be at you first drop even 10mins early. And if you have a problem with your paycheck be prepared to deal with the payroll manager she has an attitude also. Even when you call being respectful and nice and calm she has an attitude and will just get smart with you, I got screwed over and was pushed to the limit had to call the big boss to get paid. It took 5 months to get it..You don't want to work for these people. I hate this company so bad.. they stole money from me never got paid.. beware of gulf winds. I'm in the process of getting my own authority so I'm hanging there till I done. Also the good paying loads go to the pets of the company.. trust me your better off working for ww rolland or mason dixon, any other company. Trust me when I tell you save yourself the headache...

GulfWinds has great dispatch great drivers and great family and home time. All this can become over shadowed by very poor communication by management in almost every department. You mace have minimum three week after first response. Driver Development, Payroll and Maintenance are ran horribly when responding to drivers! ( DRIVERS BEWARE ) : that lease purchase opportunity could be A Scam!!! They will try to sell you truck under LIES AND Deceit!!!
Ask for and keep asking for all paperwork on every truck. DONT GO OFF THEIR WORD!! Do your research!! This is so so sad that a company word allow management or people in charge to Deceive had working drivers! Especially in today climate of uncertainty!! Thus is Bad Business! So I’m thinking upper management is ok with these behaviors and practices. Companies operate frim top down!! Sad sad sad! 

Dispatch will give you a load (You think you have options, but you don't. Dispatch controls your income for the week based on the loads they decide to give you. You can reject the loads, but dispatch takes it personal.)

Do what you need to do to get the number you want. Don't let dispatch bully you into doing what they want you to do. 

Management is trash. They don't care about efficiency. They just want you to move their containers.

Workplace culture sucks. Gulf Winds say communication is what they prioritize, but it's not what they do.

The hardest part of the job is dealing with the company. They want you run loads that doesn't disclose the pay. The yards that hold the containers destroy your truck. And dispatch is hard to get in touch with. They prefer texting than phone calls.

The best thing about the job is that you meet other drivers that help you out.

I loved working with Gulf Winds until management got one sided and didn't care about there employees. They started to care when drivers started quitting and leaving. That's when they realized stuff was changing. Instead of trying to help with the stress of the dispatch teams and hours they started just assume we weren't doing our jobs and took others peoples words instead of sitting with us face to face to see what they can do to help the stress and mess ups. You would think for being there so long that they would want to help but it went thru one ear and out the other. I wish I could have stayed there but my words didn't seem to count when I tried to talk to them. Wished the owner would have talked to us just to see how things were going, show some kind of interest in his employees

A  typical day at work was driving local containers in and out of the Port of Houston.  I learned the process and procedures of the Port Authority.  Management was by design to help the container arrive at a certain location of the dock according to the security measures in place. The management style was very participative and flexible.  My co-workers were the dispatchers and other drivers that were assigned to my loads and it was a team effort in order to deliver freight successfully.  The hardest part of the job was during the times that paper work may not have completely matched up. The Port has strict rules and guidelines and maneuverability is based on security and complete accuracy.  The most enjoyable part of my job is socializing and networking.  This type of work allows you to meet a diverse group of people on a daily basis while establishing a network of influence throughout your career path.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Owner operator driver 83 salaries reported	$4,012 per week
Truck driver 3 salaries reported	$1,200 per week
Order picker 10 salaries reported	$40.40 per hour
Operations associate 18 salaries reported	$70.00 per day
Owner 8 salaries reported	$4,000 per week

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