Is ATS the Right Company For You? [An Honest Review]

Is ATS the next place your truck is going to stop? 

How do you know it’s the right company for you?

Going to a new trucking company can be nerve-wracking for any driver — whether you feel scorned by your last trucking and you’re hoping this next one will be better or you just felt like a change. 

While no trucking company is perfect — and there are probably aspects of the trucking industry that you don’t love — you want to find a company that feels like a perfect fit for you where your needs are met. 

As the vice president of driver recruiting here at Anderson Trucking Service (ATS), I want to ensure that you’re positive that ATS is the right fit for you before you come here. I want you to be happy with your decision to drive for us.  

I’m going to present you with an honest review of ATS — the good and the bad, the pros and the cons. 

Some of the top questions drivers ask about trucking companies include:  

• How is the pay? 
• What’s the home time like? 
• Do they treat me well? 

This article will answer all of those questions.  

Once you’re finished reading, you’ll have a great understanding of whether or not we’re a good fit for you and if we have the driving options you’re looking for. 

What Are the Driving Options at ATS? 

Company Drivers, Lease Drivers and Owner-Operators

We hire company drivers and we work with independent contractors. Owner-operators can contract with us to haul our freight.

ATS works with CES to offer a lease-purchase program for drivers to lease their trucks and then move freight for ATS. 

Drivers average a one- or two-year lease term. 

We aren’t a training company and don’t have options for new drivers.

Vans and Flats Positions

At ATS, we have options for dry van drivers and flatbed drivers. We do not offer reefer or tanker freight.

Freight Variety 

On the vans side, you can pull primarily general commodities and home goods. We specialize in high-revenue lanes rather than focusing on developing lane density. This means that we primarily bid on higher-paying loads rather than a higher quantity of loads. 

In the flatbed division, you can haul a complex variety of freight. You can haul standard construction equipment, but you can also move into the over-dimensional and heavy haul sectors where drivers are hauling cranes, mining equipment and plane engines down the road. We also have a large stake in the wind sector so you can work in our special projects division hauling blades. 

ATS hauls high-security freight (such as for the Department of Defense (DOD)). However, if you’d like to haul this type of freight, you’ll need to be part of a team and you’ll need to go through an extensive background check process to receive security clearance from the government. 

If you have your hazmat endorsement you’ll be able to take advantage of it at ATS. If you have your TWIC card, you can utilize that as well. 

OTR Routes that Get You Home Every 2 Weeks

We are a premium over-the-road (OTR) trucking company. That means that if you want to be home daily or even weekly, we probably aren’t a good fit for you. 

While we make it a point to honor your home time requests, we primarily offer OTR routes, so drivers typically stay out on the road for two to three weeks at a time. 

That being said, we do have some regional and dedicated routes. However, they have small hiring areas. You’ll need to be in the midwest or the southeast. 

Company Drivers are on Forced Dispatch 

ATS company drivers run on forced dispatch. However, keep in mind that forced dispatch is often misunderstood. At ATS, your driver manager will assign you a load. If you can’t take it, they’ll work with you to find something else.

If you’d rather have full control over your load selection, being a company driver with ATS might not be the best move for you. A lease position or an owner-operator position may be a better fit.

What Kind of Equipment Does ATS Have?

Three Makes of Trucks

Our fleet is comprised of Peterbilts, Freightliners and Volvos. If you have a preference for another type of truck that we don’t offer, you may not be satisfied with our truck options.

What is ATS Truck Selection Like?

Well-Maintained Trucks and Trailers

ATS aims to keep our fleet well-maintained with regular preventative maintenance. Our fleet is relatively young, with equipment aging out of the fleet once it reaches a predetermined mileage marker. 

Our tractors average 44 to 48 months of service and between 220,000 and 290,000 miles. Our trailers average six to seven years in service.

APUs and Inverters in Company Trucks

Our company trucks have APUs and inverters, but not all of the lease trucks offered do. 

With that being said, company trucks do have idling parameters in certain temperatures. If it’s between 5 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you cannot idle your truck for more than five minutes; you’ll have to use your inverter. 

Front-Facing Cameras and Accident Mitigation

ATS has installed Lytx front-facing cameras in all of our trucks — including company, lease and owner-operator trucks — to carry forth our safety-centric culture. Accident mitigation equipment is also installed in every truck. 

Speed Governors

Our trucks — company and lease trucks included — are governed at 68 mph.

A Pet Policy

All ATS drivers — company, lease purchase and owner-operators — are allowed to  have pets in their truck. The policy allows for a cat or dog to be in the truck with you. 

How Much Does ATS Pay? 

Top-Pay Carrier 

ATS is proud to be a top-pay carrier in the industry. All drivers receive competitive pay. We are a percentage pay carrier with a cents-per-mile (CPM) minimum. 

For instance, as a company driver, you’ll receive 26 percent of the line haul unless the CPM minimum is higher. This is done to ensure you’re always receiving the best rate.

Company drivers make between $75,000 to $135,000 per year.

Lease drivers average $120,000 to $170,000 each year after expenses. 

Owner-operators with ATS average $180,000 to $350,000 each year after expenses. 

To learn more about how ATS drivers are paid and their average weekly pay, check out our ATS pay structure article or contact a driver consultant.

Next-Day Pay 

ATS independent contractors can choose to be paid weekly or they can be paid the next day (after turning in all necessary paperwork). 

Bonus Pay 

ATS drivers receive both sign-on bonuses, referral bonuses and lease completion bonuses. 

What is it Like Working at ATS? 

Hiring Standards are Strict 

At ATS, we only hire two percent of the drivers that apply. Our hiring standards are strict. If you have safety violations, a history of truck abandonments, less than one year of experience or other violations in your history, you may not be hired. 

However, because of our strict standards, we have a great safety record. 

We are a Mid-Size Company 

ATS has been around since 1955 and is a family-owned company. With between 1,000 and 2,000 trucks in our fleet, we are defined as a mid-size carrier. 

That means drivers are provided advantages that some small carriers wouldn’t be able to offer, like insurance benefits,  a large team of support staff and a positive work culture. However, we don’t have quite the buying power that some of the mega carriers have. With that being said, mega-carriers are often known for being impersonal.

Receive Insurance Benefits and Discounts

As a company driver, you receive full access to our benefits, including vacation pay, medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability insurance, 401(k) and an employee assistance program.

As a lease driver or owner-operator, you’ll have access to our truck insurance programs but you’ll need to source your own medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. You’ll also need to set up your own retirement accounts.

You will not receive vacation pay as a contractor.

Drivers Come First

At ATS, we have a driver-centric culture. Drivers are our number one asset and we treat them as such. 

Drivers have access to a large support staff team designed to get you the help you need when you need it. Our driver managers are well-trained and prioritize respect with their drivers. Because of this, our turnover is very low for the industry and our average tenure is high.

We Offer a Well-Defined Career Path

If you’d like to advance your career, you can do that at ATS. If you’re brand-new to flatbed securement, we have flatbed securement training.

You can also advance and haul larger and larger freight, from over-dimensional freight to heavy haul freight. 

We also offer a unique picture program. Drivers can send in photos of their securements to receive feedback from our safety team. 

Are You Ready to Apply? 

By now, you should have a good understanding of the pros and cons of working at ATS and how we align with your wants and needs. Do we provide the home time and the pay you require? Do we haul the freight you want to haul? 

If you’re a dry van driver, a flatbed driver or a driver looking to haul over-dimensional and heavy haul freight, we have options for you. If you’re a team driver who wants to haul high-security freight, we have options for you. If you’re looking for OTR lanes, we have them for you. If you’d like a regional or dedicated route, we have only select routes if you’re in a specific hiring area. 

If you’re a brand-new driver, you’d like to go home weekly or you don’t want safety equipment (including a front-facing camera or a speed limiter) on your truck, ATS might not be the right carrier for you. 

Does ATS sound like a good fit for you? You can fill out an application here and a driver consultant will be in touch with you within one business day.