Profile For Old School

That's awesome Bobcat! Keep us posted. We'd love hearing from you during training. You could even start a training diary. That would be super helpful to others starting a new career at McElroy.

Stay in touch. You could write a training with Maverick diary for us. That would be awesome!

Hey, try not to analyze this to death. You are obviously gathering information from all sorts of places. I know you want to get this right, but that's where you are going wrong.

If you like the idea of a weekly minimum, then go for it. Stop handicapping yourself with "what ifs." None of these companies wants you earning just that minimum. That means they are leaving money on the table. They only make money when you make money. I've never even considered a minimum amount. I'm focused on the maximum amount. That's where you need to be focused.

Don't fool yourself into thinking percentage pay equals more pay. Plenty of people chase that elusive rabbit. It's just another gimmick.

About the only thing you posted that I can agree with is the fact that TMC and Maverick are fighting for the same freight.

I'm surprised Landair is hiring new drivers on that account. If it's a "dollar store," I'd definitely stay away. I don't know what it is, but the reasons the pay is like it is, are pointing to difficulty. I would want to know more before signing on to that.

You can't go wrong with TMC or Maverick. The problem will be whether you have the gumption to be a flatbedder. Whatever you decide, stick it out for one full year. You owe yourself that commitment. It will make a huge difference in your career.

If you can swing it, my book, Hit The Road, will be a major help to you. It's available on Amazon.

Pete knows bikes. He just doesn't understand motorized bikes. He likes the kind that are powered by two legs.

I meant to add that i agree with the things Pete said about TMC and their drivers.

Yes I'm a rookie but I got to find the correct path.

Hello Bobcat!

Don't get all stressed thinking you're going to make a mistake with your first choice of company to work for. Seriously, you could put all those names on the wall, plus another half dozen or so, throw a dart at it and start with whoever gets hit by the dart.

Every rookie, me included, thinks their future career success depends on starting with the right company. It's hogwash! It really is useless stress added to your start. You will determine your future success. Just make sure you've got the work ethic and the drive to push through the difficulties of starting a trucking career.

The flatbed company you choose will provide you with the training and the work you need to establish yourself. All of them can do that. What none of them can do is provide you with the clarity of mind and determination and drive that gets you into position for success at this. That comes from you.

Remember, you are the new guy. You have to prove yourself capable. The companies you are looking at have nothing to prove to you. They may or may not be interested in you. I had a hard time getting my first flatbed job. Once I got it, I never slacked off. After a million miles, I'm still trying to prove myself everyday.

I think Idle Air is out of business. There are some truck stops with remnants of their equipment still in place, but it's all dilapidated and out of order.

Christopher, there are a lot of regional flatbed opportunities. Western Express has a couple of positions, or at least they did at one time. I'm thinking it was mostly in the Northeast, which may not work for you. After getting established, you can always ask about opportunities that might be available.

Many flatbed companies like McElroy, TMC, and Maverick like to operate in a regional way. This allows them to get drivers home for a 34 hour reset on the weekends. If Western can't provide what you need, someone can. That's basically how I ended up leaving Western Express. Knight offered me a deal my former employer couldn't compete with.

I still recommend sticking with that first job for a full year. You'll learn so much by doing that, and future employers will really respect your ability to hang in there getting things done.

Maverick is an excellent option. That's a really well run flatbed outfit. Don't fall for the idea that you'd make more money by joining their lease program. Just stick with being a high performing company driver.

I want to be trained correctly and I am anal about the work I do. I am a bit OCD because of my Military background.

That's all great. OCD is not a bad thing in trucking. Here's my concern... I've seen a lot of military guys and former law enforcement abort their trucking aspirations during training. This industry trains to bare minimum standards. It's the cost effective way they've found to provide themselves with a sufficient influx of new drivers. Years of recruiting and training have boiled down to a system that is both cost effective and reliable enough to keep some good drivers.

You cannot expect to be trained similarly to military standards. This industry will get you to a point where they feel you can be trusted to not tear anything up too badly. That's basically the standard. You will be expected to be learning continually through your on the job experiences. You will be exposed to new problems and scenarios continually. Those should all be considered training experiences.

A lot of people, who've been trained for all kinds of scenarios in other careers, find this frustrating and quit. You'll have to take the bull by the horns and learn to ride even when it's rough going.

I just want you to be prepared mentally for some real challenges. Don't blame the problems you encounter on poor training. Consider them as continual training that's being randomly thrown at you.

Those are some of the reasons we highly recommend you stick with your first company for one full year. It just takes time to get where you can be productive, safe, and reliable.

In 12 years of driving, I've never had an APU. I don't expect I'll ever feel the need for one.