Comments By ChrisEMT

Hello,

I will put in my 2 cents. While I can agree that for most people, going through company sponsored training is the ideal way to go because you get the training for "free", and you will have a job at the end of training, provided you get your CDL, and your contract is usually for a length of time to pay it off. The 1 downside, imho, is that if the company you go with doesn't match with you (for whatever the reason) and you part ways, you are on the hook for the tuition.

For me, I paid for my schooling and CDL through student loans, and sat down with the placement department at the school, and got hired b my number 2 choice. When I got hired, they, like most companies, offered a tuition reimbursement program where they paid ,y student loan over 3 years (max $7500). I had them take out extra every week to send in, and paid it off in 1 year. I had my loan paid off and got my 1 year experience that most companies look for. This way, if I wanted to leave for "greener pastures" I could without owing anything to the company....

The biggest thing, in my mind, is look into as many if the company programs and schools as possible and see what they have to offer. As far as schools, ask grads in person what their thoughts are about the training they got. ask about their placement department (if they have one). Visit the school to talk to them, the instructors, and see if you could sit in the class for a couple hours, and most important (to me) is sit with the placement person and talk to them about what your wants, needs, and expectations are, and see if they have companies that would match up with your goals if you go there. Also, be honest with the schools admissions person, and ask about the trucking lifestyle and see if it matches with what you want and need, because trucking is a lifestyle unlike other "9-5" jobs.

Also, if you live near a truck stop with a resteraunt, go and have dinner at the restaurant. Talk to drivers and ask them their honest opinions about their companies.... You may be surprised by the honesty that they give.... Just try and focus on their company, and stay away from asking about thoughts on other companies, because they may not give you accurate info. If you do do this, ask things about the average amount of miles "new drivers" get, how their freight is, and I see you are from Florida, so ask how the freight is getting out of Florida, especially if you want to go "home" to Florida, as I have seen freight out of Florida can be hit or miss. If you only want to go "home" only every few months, then feel free to go with any of the "mega-carriers"....

I know that this is a lot of info, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I check in a couple times a week.

I rarely "demanded" certain things. I would always "ask" if I could be assigned a few regular runs, such as my first and last loads of the week, which were usually longer runs with more stops. My FM/DM/Load Planner (same person) usually gave it to me, and then gave me other loads in between that were a little tougher/longer/more stops to give me more $$$ because he knew I could get it done. And because I talked to him about what my wants and needs were, he also worked with me when I called him and said that I needed to be "home" for an emergency and would take a load of his choice when I got back, or if early in the week, I would ask if he could get me home early Friday morning for something, and he worked it out....

I had talked to another driver from that account that had left, and found out that he made about $20k less than I did the last year that he was there, but he always wanted to be back at the DC every (or almost every) night and limited his delivery area radius, instead of challenging himself to maximize his clock and income. He also (I think) didn't talk with our boss to pre-plan his week...

It is always about talking with your boss and working with them instead of making demands... And my old boss (now retired and lives in NOLA) still keep in touch and are friends on social media... And when he switched account just before he retired, I would have followed him if I didn't have a family that I needed to be home every weekend for.

Hello, I will put my 2 cents in... While yes, most companies are heading the way of automatics, and there are no big downsides of training in an automatic. The only 2 that I can think of off the top of my head are 1)what happens if the only truck a company has to offer you is a manual? and 2) some states have and "automatic only" restriction on the licenses, so that will limit you on some job prospects. I would look for a school, program, or company that will train you on both. This way you can drive either. Also, if you train in both, you will get a feel for which one you prefer.

Hello, I figured I would put my $.02 in... Company sponsored schools can be great if you don't have the money up front AND you are willing to stay with that company for their contract term (usually 1 -2 years).

For me, the better option was to go to a private school at a total out of pocket cost of about $9k. The school I went to was federally accredited with the department of education, so I got a student loan and pell grant to cover the cost ofthe 22 week program. Before I signed the paperwork, I spoke with the driver placement department with what I was looking for, and they gave me 5 companies that would be a good fit (and I went with my #2 choice).... They offered a reimbursement of up to $7200, which was what I paid to get my license... With their reimbursement and a little extra, I paid off my student loan in 18 months, with the company sending the check to my loan holder....

The benefit for me was that if I the company I went with wasn't a good fit for me, I could leave and go with another company... I was fortunate that the company I went with was really good for me, and I was placed on a dedicated account, and I was home almost every weekend, and most holidays (I was stuck at a terminal for 2 holidays in 5 years, 1 to get a brand new truck with 89 miles on the odometer, and 1 I was getting multiple things serviced on a truck and they had to order parts from the dealer).....

You just have to decide which is better for you....

Chris

When I tried getting to the forum without logging in, it was a white screen, but when I logged in and tried, it brought me here right away

Hello, I guess I must be the exception (in the small percentage of drivers).... While I do think that company sponsored training is better for most people, I had done my research before talking to the school I ended up going with, and for me, going to a "private school" was a better choice for me personally. I took out a student loan to pay for school, and got my pre-hire letter from Werner with my orientation date and tuition reimbursement info about a month before I got my CDL. I started with Werner a week after I got my license, and was on a dedicated account about 3 weeks after I finished with my trainer. I averaged over $50k/yr before my tuition reimbursement, and my student loan was paid off in a year. I had spent almost 5 years with them before I had to leave because of a previous injury.... My FM called me for about a year after I left asking me to come back to his account, and every few months I still have the company call me asking if I want to come back.

The last year I was with them, I made almost $55k, and I worked only 4 1/2 days a week, and home on weekends. But I also had a great working relationship with my FM and consistently proved to him that I could get loads done that more than 1/2 the drivers on the account couldn't because of understanding the HOS rules and pushing myself.

I will say that for the vast majority (75% or more) of people should go through company sponsored training because it would be an incentive for not only the company, but for the driver to stay with the company for their contract length so that the training would be "free", and it would be a guaranteed job for at least 1-3 years....

I know that if I see another driver being either unsafe/unprofessional or being extraordinarily safe/professional, I look for the company name on the tractor or trailer. If it is a safety (or other item that needs to be brought to the company they are pulling for) I call the company phone number and ask to talk to the safety department, and let them know what is going on. I will provide the truck and/or trailer number, the approximate time and location, and what was happening. The safety department will then decide what to do.

I have only had to call a company 3 times to complain, and they didn't seem too surprised when they looked up the info I gave them, and 1 safety person even told us that they were going to shut the driver down for 72 hours because it was they received multiple complaints about that particular driver.....

On the flip side, I have called companies more than a dozen times to compliment a driver on their actions, and on multiple occasions, they said that the drivers would get recognized with at least a certificate, if not a gift of some sort....

In al the cases, the companies were glad to hear both the compliments and complaints, and I am sure that they looked at the drivers history with the company to see if there was some sort of pattern (good or bad) and decided what to do based on that...

And I know that the carrier I worked for would always tell me when I had gotten either a good or bad call (thankfully I only got calls about how professional and safe I was)....

I would suggest Werner as well. Last I knew, they had a terminal in Texas, and I remember at other terminals seeing on the company channel that they offer a sign on bonus for some of the accounts our of that terminal.

So, I have a way that may not have been thought of.... Have you thought of calling your DM??? What happens if your in BFE and your QC goes down? Just my 2 cents

What is the "normal" wait time? I guess it would have to do with a few factors, such as what type of freight you haul, if you are OTR, regional, dedicated, or local.... I can say that when I was regional/OTR, I waited from less than an hour to almost a full day or more on the weekend with an overnight/weekend dispatcher. While I was on dedicated it ranged from me having my pre-planned load on Monday for the entire week (my last manager was great to the drivers who he knew could get the job done, and our paycheck showed it) to a manager on a previous account that would wait until we got back before he even scratched his head on what load to give us. and if it was a Thursday afternoon when you got back, you may not get a load until noon or later on Friday,...

My suggestion would be to call the dispatcher and ask nicely "hey, I've been sitting for x amount of time, and I was wondering if there was anything to get me moving somewhere to keep my boredom down..." and that may be the thing the dispatcher needs... and keep track of the dispatchers (especially if they are not your normal dispatcher), and if the same off-hours dispatcher keeps giving you loads when you call and ask nicely, just remember them, and maybe send them a gift card to a restaurant or some other place near where they are as a thank you... Nothing much, maybe $25-50, or a gift basket... And then they may remember that and give you better loads quicker... Just my opinion though...

And if you want to go someplace for a little break, you can always ask if they have anything headed towards that location, and let them know you would be interested in doing a reset there, especially if it is near a heavy load count area....