truck driver

local driver

warehouse supervisor

apprentice

entry level technician

Millis-Transfer

I went through Millis Transfer as a student driver and later entered OTR training. The school portion had some value, and I did get experience with tractor-trailer operations, pre-trips, post-trips, backing, paperwork, and real-world driving. That part is worth acknowledging.

My issue was with the training environment once I was on the truck. My experience was that the training style did not feel supportive or safety-focused enough for a new driver. I had concerns about communication, pressure, expectations, and how safety-related issues were handled while training.

I raised my concerns because I wanted to continue learning the right way and build safe habits as a new CDL driver. Instead of feeling like the situation was properly addressed, I was left feeling like my concerns were treated more as a problem than something that needed to be worked through.

After I brought up those concerns, I was given the option to resign rather than continue through a termination process. That was disappointing, especially as a student who was trying to do things correctly and safely.

This may not be everyone’s experience, and I’m sure some drivers have had better trainers and better outcomes. But based on my experience, I would strongly recommend that new students ask very direct questions before signing any contract or committing to training.

Ask about:

How trainers are selected
What happens if your trainer is not a good fit
How safety concerns are handled
Whether students can request a different trainer without retaliation
Expectations around logs, rest, driving pace, and communication
What support is actually available once you are on the truck

The Company is owned by Heartland Express. 
The  Regional Texas trucks are almost day cab with very small fridge and limited space plus face inward camera spying you at all times. Management (safety and dispatchers) are micro - macro managing you at all times too. The dispatchers  are good, kind and supportive. 
They have nice Terminal and Mechanical Shop at Alvarado Tx and other locations.
Trailers and Trucks are kept in more or less in good shape. 
When you report issues, they do take it very serious..
The Shop personal are very kind and responsive . 
The Terminal offer free  coffee , fruits ( bananas, apples and oranges). They have vending machines, which I do not recommend to be used with credit or debit card.
Parking spaces are very tight.  The pay is very low and you will rely mainly on the guaranteed  weekly  pay or the pay protection plan.  Home time is Saturdays and Sundays. but you will be required once a month to work one weekend. The terminal has its own Diesel Fueling Station and automatic self service truck wash, Keep records and photos of your truck since the 1st day. Pay  attention to all small details as: dents, old  air and electric cords, glad-hands , because they will blame you for things that  was made or done by previous drivers.
Any equipment or other incident will be put in your files as a your accident . The Safety Department is the worst you can deal in this company. They will reject any dispute for any objection or reason. They will ignore you.


PROS
- Millis has a decent school for training programs to earn your CDL.  - Good starting company. 
- Good 401K with up to 30% match
- Equipment is good usually less than 2 years old 
- Good Home Time as needed 


CONS
-Pay I would say is average in the trucking industry. 

-Lots of Hours not a whole lot of money for the amount of time working 65-70 hours a week

-Average miles are about 2500-2800 OTR and 2000-2400 Regional. Only worth it if you average more than 2400 miles a week as you get mileage bonuses other then your straight cpm pay. Pay is Gross to start 1000-1300 a week once your solo

- pay is practical mileage NOT ACTUAL mileage driven loads can have over 60 miles or more not being paid 
-poor detention pay after hour and a half 
- Bonuses are not all that great you must follow exact idle can only idle 30% and fueling guidelines to get them. 
- Health benefits are ok but not great. - Communication can be an issue with dispatch when you need something especially when your normal dispatcher is off. 
- Not all of there maintenance shops are good. 
- Some terminals are dirty and facilities are not kept up. 
- Not a whole lot of local or dedicated routes available for a larger company

- trucks are governed at a speed to low and at times is dangerous because you slow down traffic. 

Millis now has spy-cams in all trucks.

I call them spy-cams, even though they're right there on the windshield staring at you because Millis claims they can only audio/video record you when you have a critical event (i.e.: hard braking).

Millis says: Don't worry they'll never come on when the truck is stopped and you're in the sleeper. That turned out not to be the truth. You can be in your bed and that camera will come on whenever they want to see what you're doing.

What Millis doesn't tell you is that whenever the green exclamation point light is on, they can both hear and see you in "live time" just like Face Time on your cell phone.

The stress level that the cameras create is difficult to deal with. Many drivers have already reportedly resigned.

Odd thing .... Millis keeps sending us safety messages stating that the no.1 cause of crashes is distractions, yet they have this major distraction right in the middle of the windshield staring at you.

They started these cameras right around the same time the most recent of the Millis Brothers got busted again for DUI right there in Black River Falls, WI.

Millis was a really good co. til they got embarrassed by more DUI arrests by the 5 brothers who own the co..

A typical day often involved long periods of waiting with little to no miles assigned, which made weekly pay very inconsistent and difficult to rely on. While the job helped reinforce basic over-the-road driving skills and compliance with safety regulations, the lack of steady freight overshadowed most positives. Management and dispatch communication could be inconsistent, and it often felt like drivers were left sitting without clear explanations. The company often emphasizes eating healthy and dressing properly for cold weather, but with the low miles and reduced pay, it becomes difficult for drivers to realistically afford those basics. The hardest part of the job was trying to budget and plan life around unpredictable miles and low income. The most enjoyable part was gaining experience and staying safe on the road, but overall the compensation and workload balance did not meet expectations.

Here you will work 60 hour weeks.  You will work most weekend unless you constantly kiss the bosses butt.  Most of the employees steal hours from the company, and that seems to be the standard set around there because the shift leader on day shift and night shift will either leave early and have their employee punch them out 5 hours later, or have their underlings punch them in before they show up to work.  The guy in charge knows about this as well but looks the other way.  Your coworkers will call of constantly and have you overworked.  People that kiss the bosses butt will get better pay then you even if you out work them.  The only thing that will keep you around here is that in spite of all the bad stuff you deal with here, you will get to go home and sleep in your own bed everyday and make about 50k a year.  Don't expect raises, this company is notorious cheapskates when it comes to their local guys.  Be prepared to lose your job in a few years as well, because they will definitely lose that contract.

Got my CDL here, trained OTR here, did SE Regional until my 1 year (last week) & Currently switching back to OTR to get a change of scenery and more money. Like everywhere, Millis definitely has some bad apples in the bunch. But overall this is a great place to work. I get home when I need/want to. Pay is OK on regional, OTR pay is better. You have to be a “go getter” to make any sort of money on regional, which is expected. I do have some complaints but honestly most of it is industry based, not necessarily Millis’s fault. Even thought Heartland has made several changes, there are still great people that work here and want nothing but the best for you. I can pick up the phone and call HQ and get the specific person I ask for, and if they’re not available they always return the call. I currently still work here and will be here until life changes for me. 

I went to the Millis training school and this is the 1st company I have worked for. If you talk to a Millis driver, you are going to learn rather quickly this is a very professionally run company with great dispatchers and just knows how to do their stuff. They could probably be as big as they wanted to be but maybe they like to keep things where they are.  The pay is very good especially for 1st year drivers and the benefits are downright  Awesome. If I could change just one thing in this company, it would be to allow for more home time accumulated for the time out on the road but that's for OTR drivers. I have since gone regional and I am Home 2 or 2  1/2 days per week faithfully and my dispatcher has never let me down.  If you break down, they pay you. If you sit all day with no work which has happened to me about twice in a year, they still paid me. I really have no  complaints about this  Company. They over deliver in my opinion.

Beware if you are intending to sign of with them for Midwest Regional!!  I have driven Regional and Dedicated for 20 plus years. and have always had a full size sleeper in which to do my job with.   I Sign on with this company, went thru orientation.  Was taken from Richfield to Ohio to pick up my assigned truck.  Got there and it was a daycab with a bed.  Those that are not familiar the bunk is right up against the seats.  There is not room for your clothes, let alone a microwave, cpap machine, etc.  They do expect you to stay in this set up a week at a time.  When i called the recruiter, she told me I didnt ask if it was a smaller truck.  If all you have is a duffel bag, you might be ok.  You take your own food because you maintain your health, use a microwave or cpap machine,.....good luck.  Only way you will be given a regular sized sleeper is to sign over to OTR.  They know what they are doing.

A typical day at work involves a lot of waiting — waiting to get loaded, waiting to get unloaded, waiting for instructions, and sometimes waiting for common sense. You’ll learn patience at an elite level, along with how to sleep anywhere and master the art of refreshing your messages. Management is hit or miss depending on who you deal with; some try, others feel like automated replies with a pulse. Workplace culture feels like “figure it out and good luck.” The hardest part of the job is time management when everything is out of your control. The most enjoyable part? When things actually go smoothly… which makes you wonder why it can’t happen more often.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 1513 salaries reported	$83,266 per year
Local driver 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour
Warehouse supervisor 110 salaries reported	$1,611 per week
Apprentice 37 salaries reported	$600 per week
Entry level technician 2 salaries reported	$18.75 per hour

Working at Millis Transfer: Company Overview and Reviews

Millis Transfer

Millis Transfer Ratings

Popular jobs at Millis Transfer

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected