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      Cowan Systems

      Engaged Employer

      Cowan Systems reviews

      3.0

      41% would recommend to a friend

      (286 total reviews)

      Joe Cowan

      49% approve of CEO

      38% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Cowan Systems has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 286 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Cowan Systems employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transportation & Logistics industry (3.5 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      286 reviews
      1.0
      Oct 17, 2014

      Your ticket to an early grave.

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Terminal bathrooms were recently moved inside. The foreigner that used your tractor during the night shift is usually thoughtful enough to leave chicken bones and fries all over the floor.

      Cons

      A thankless and dead end "job". If you yearn to work 10-15 hours a week without compensation this is the company for you! When it comes to robbing, fleecing, ripping off, and flat out stealing from their drivers, Cowan takes a back seat to no one. Before you start driving for Cowan you might want to getting divorced, put your kids up for adoption and take your pets to the shelter. Their dispatchers favorite catch phase is "Look's like you will be using your 16!". I know of one driver that actually retired from Cowan. They prefer that you die over the weekend so they have time to find another chump to cover your low paying load. You are paid PC MILER fraud miles. That cheats you out of $100+ a week in pay. Out of route, detention, breakdown......FREE FREE FREE! Another $100+ a week out of your pocket. One last thing. For my last raise I received a half a cent a mile. Let's say you work a 15.5 hour day. You are expected back in 10 hrs. BECAUSE WE LIKE TO KEEP OUR GUYS MOVING!!!! And you are expected to be well rested and ready to do it all over again. Sign on now and receive a $2000 bonus. Guess what, you won't be there long enough to collect it. They offer benefits but none of the drivers can afford them. The work/life balance is 85% work.

      avatar
      Cowan Systems Response
      11y
      Thank you for your commitment over the last three years at Cowan Systems. It’s true our drivers work incredibly hard to meet the transportation needs of our clients, especially lately, due to the amount of freight and the shortage of Cowan-quality drivers. But, for the record, I’d like to clarify some of the facts. Drivers in our fleet who are paid mileage or trip pay receive detention pay after 1 hour. Our drivers also receive Breakdown pay after 1 hour. More importantly, our pay programs are designed to result in a competitive weekly wage. The average age of our fleet is less than 1 ½ years, and the majority of our drivers are home every night. In short, we offer very good jobs and competitive pay. As a result, driver turn-over at Cowan is among the lowest in the industry. It’s true we slip-seat our day cabs, and it’s true that some of our drivers don’t always leave the trucks the way they found them. In the future, please alert your fleet manager or the terminal manager immediately if a driver does not properly clean the truck interior and dispose of all trash. I sincerely apologize for the condition of the truck you mentioned. Trash should not be left for the next guy or gal to clean up. Finally, I took this opportunity to look at the use of the 16 hour exception by our local fleet to determine whether you are correct that the rule is being abused. Our company fleet is using Omnitracs elogs, so there is a record of each use. In the last 60 days, the 16 hour exception has not been used by any driver in our local fleet more than the permitted once in 7 days. In addition, it was used a total of 9 times per week in a fleet of about 91 drivers. That means about one driver in ten used it each week. All of that said, the bottom line is you have had a bad experience and we’d like a chance to make it better. Please call Eddie Crooks in our driver retention department. He drove for us for many years and now he works with our drivers to address issues like the ones you have raised. Many drivers have found his insights helpful. One thing is sure – saying nothing and getting mad doesn't fix anything.
      5.0
      Jun 24, 2014

      My experience at Cowan Systems is excellent!

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The culture at Cowan is fantastic! Since it is a family run company you get the feeling of solidarity and openness. Everyone is willing to answer any questions you have and sit down with you to go over what it is that they do on a daily basis. There is an open-door policy so I have been able to talk with different levels of personnel and sit in on different meetings. The working area is very open so it is easy to communicate with those around you. The people in this company are great to work with - they are happy and encouraging. There is a lot to learn from those in the office because many of them have been with the company for decades. It is not a micro-managed environment - I am given my tasks and able to complete them at my pace and in order of importance.

      Cons

      I have not encountered any Cons working at Cowan.

      4.0
      May 22, 2014

      Excellent Entry Level Logistics Experience

      Logistics sales manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Cowan is an excellent place to get your feet wet in this industry and the brokerage division is a really solid fit for hard workers getting started in this business. This is not a 9-5 job because the logistics industry is not a 9-5 world that we operate in. If you are willing to put in the work prospecting and developing your own accounts you will be successful here. Yes, at first you do need to make 80-100 sales calls a day; that unfortunately is the only way to develop new clients in this industry. However, once you really get in the groove at about the 6 month mark, that is when you will really start to learn and have fun in this job. The office environment is second to none here. The junior level managers really watch your back and take care of you and truly want you to succeed; all that they ask is that you put in the hours and the hard work and take care of your clients and the carriers you are working with. This is a fun job and the co-workers in the Baltimore office really look out for each other and keep the atmosphere light. My biggest advice to those looking into a job in the brokerage division is to really assess your ability to constantly sell. If logistics does not get you excited and you do not have the ability to pick up the phone with confidence then you will be miserable here.

      Cons

      The negative aspects of the job are really unrelated to Cowan, it has to do with the nature of the industry. This is such a competitive industry and there are very little barriers to entry; there is always another broker or carrier willing to cut their rates to take your clients out from underneath of you. If you are patient and stick to your rates and provide your clients unmatched service, down the line things will always work out in your favor.

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      ReviewsCowan Systems reviews

      Glassdoor has 299 Cowan Systems reviews submitted anonymously by Cowan Systems employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Cowan Systems is right for you.