Profile For Steve L.

Yeah if you look at my date of arrest its been a little over 6 years. I was convicted in 2015 and arrested in 2014. And federal charges work a bit different then state charges. State charges show the conviction date as whenever you were sentenced. Federal charges show the conviction date for when you officially enter your plea since Federal Charges can take YEARS to be processed. And as for Schneider, they seem pretty open to the idea that I have a letter of recommendation from two federal judges explaining that they believe I am a productive member of the community now and don't believe I will reoffend. So they seem pretty okay with my criminal background mainly because of that. So we will see. I do have to wait for everything to be official with Drug Court and I have to obtain my actual License which I am not sure when I will get an official answer as to when I can go do that since all DMVs in NJ right now are by appointment only and I can't seem to get one lol.

You sound like you’ve really overcome whatever led you down a wrong path.

Congratulations! And please continue the positive momentum. This world needs more of it. Again; CONGRATULATIONS!

Billy, I started with Schneider and loved it. But you need to know their orientation period is only approximately seventeen days long, unless they’ve changed it in the last four years.

Is it possible your friend is tasting an easy referral bonus for himself?

While many people say Schneider’s brief training time is too short, they do have a pretty good safety record and they don’t seem to be the butt of so many crash jokes.

I was very concerned when I started and extremely apprehensive about going into bad weather situations. But Schneider really does believe you are the captain of the ship. Now, that doesn’t mean shut down with the first snowflake and you may have to check on weather ahead or adjust your daily schedule, but they will work with you.

I hope this helps.

Yes it’s good. But if you’re going to be out for more than six days, and don’t wanna do your 34 restart away from home, you may run out of hours and not recapture good hours soon enough to keep rolling.

For example; if you start Monday, burn 10hrs each day, your 70 is done on Sunday and you’ll have to sit wherever you are that Monday because you don’t recapture hours until Monday night. If that’s okay with you, enjoy the day off and roll on Tuesday.

But generally, yes 600 miles is a great average. Congratulations!

Great! And I really appreciate your words of wisdom last year. I decided to stay at my current gig and it has gotten better. I logged 128k+ miles last year.

Your advice is like a steady rock along a treacherous path. 😎

While companies may not consider your experience as worthy of them sending you out solo, it seems like the companies that offer CDL licensing/training might move you through the program quicker once they see your skills. And maybe this will get you to your goal anyway.

Just my 2 cents

I started with Schneider and gotta say I was VERY satisfied with OTR, solo with 5 days off per month. The sign-on bonus wasn’t the determining factor, but it was nice.

I’m now with a southeast regional company, but would go back to Schneider if the need arose.

Big companies like Schneider can have BIG differences depending upon which Operating Center (OC) you’re attached to.

This site is where I really started.

Wherever you go, be safe, good luck and I hope this helps.

Ask the school which companies hire from them. Then I suggest you call those companies and ask their opinion of the graduates they get from that school. If only one company hires from that school, it should be a red flag.

If you go through the VoTech school, you should start applying everywhere as soon as companies will consider you. It seems lots of people graduate and then start applying. I had my job placement three weeks before graduation.

I did private school. My route isn’t for everyone, but it matched my needs.

I hope this helps.

How often are you usually home with a regional job? How many miles do you typically cover?

When I was with Schneider, they said “regional” meant whatever day you got home, you still needed to be out Monday. Whereas I was “OTR” with 5 days off per month. So, if I got home Saturday and was planned on two days home, I got Sunday and Monday off, back out Tuesday. I averaged 2,400-2,500 miles per week as an OTR driver for Schneider and really liked them.

Now I drive for a “Southeast Regional” company and get home at least once a week, sometimes more. My company allows me (within reason) to say when I am coming back out. Some weeks I get home Thursday afternoon and come out Monday, some weeks I burn my 70, get home Sunday and leave out Tuesday. I’ve even had weeks where I got home three times. I’ve averaged >2,500 miles per week this year.

My suggestion is; ask the companies you are considering, how THEY define regional.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

If you can stick it out with one of the larger carriers for a year or two, you could consider some of the regional companies that run in Florida a lot.

Our company (Robert Bearden Inc) does a lot of runs down to Brooksville and Tampa, Kissimmee and Orlando. We handle loads out of an appliance warehouse in Auburndale (to Lowe’s stores) and I’m sure there are other companies doing similar regional stuff. They’ll probably require a year or two of experience.

This may sound silly, but you might try driving around the area and taking note of truck company names you see a lot. I-75 has a number of rest areas you could try the same thing.

I hope this helps.

Mark, where are you in FL? I’m in the panhandle and have had no problems with opportunities.

Thank you for all the input it is much appreciated. My previous career as a graphic designer just left me wanting more. I was tired of being in an office I was tired of managing people and the part of that job that was originally exciting and fun became not so exciting and fun anymore. As for FedEx they do offer a driver training program however they're a little wishy-washy on when it's going to start and if I'll even get in on the first run which could mean I could be on the dock working at forklift for another year or so. I am married but we are empty nesters and I think the being away from home part I realize although possibly difficult at times is part of the challenge and part of learning this career. And I do agree it's a lifestyle change I do like what having a CDL offers me in the future. my brother has been telling me for years to get my CDL because he said you always have a job somewhere. And the truck drivers are always needed somewhere. As far as prime it sounds like it's a pretty good company to work for I'm trying to read through everybody's personal opinions and get a good sense of what it's about. And there are pros and cons with every company the grass is never greener on the other side it's just different grass. Lol

Understood. I started with Schneider, did two years OTR, dry van with them. Then moved to a Southeast Regional company and get home at least weekly. My hometime is sometimes one day, sometimes two and on rare occasions three days. I’m also still making $50k+ take home even with all that home time. I’ve been with this company four years and plan to stay.

Many here make more money than me, some also are home every day. The key is finding what YOU want/need and going with it.

Being away from home is a pretty important detail. Do you have a Wife and kids at home? Pets? Other responsibilities?

You left a 28-year career to explore something different and now have the same anxieties? If so, how will this move change that?

Does your previous career provide any current or future income?

Is there any chance of being more full-time with FedEx and drop the other job? Do you have any vacation time through the current two jobs? Can you afford to take vacation?

Age isn’t an issue. I got my CDL Permit on my 53rd birthday. But, if you don’t wanna be away from home, can you plan time and money to take adventurous long weekends once a quarter and maybe two separate week-long vacations per year? Maybe that breaks up the monotony.

I hope this helps.

I’d think you probably will have your pick. Be honest and show you’ve learned from it.

You probably want to prioritize YOUR preferences and look for companies that meet those.

“See! Schneider was my first pick but i messed thay opportunity up being honest.”

Some folks call it messing up, some folks call it narrowing your options. 😎

I won’t pretend to be a tax expert or accountant.

What I do is get paid at the per diem rate and, because I’m 55+, I am allowed to put more into an IRA under a “catch up” provision. I do that and it should net me more at retirement than any additional social security will. But hey, the country could go belly up tomorrow too. 😆😳🤔

I started with Schneider and EVERYTHING they promised was true. BUT, I made sure I asked all the questions I needed to.

There was a promised sign-on bonus. But, it gets paid out over the first year. So I didn’t feel cheated when the full bonus didn’t show up right away.

Average annual pay for dry van was quoted around $60k. But, I asked if that was realistic first year pay...nope.

Starting pay seemed low at $.28/mile. But, because I asked, they explained the increases at 3, 6 & 12 months. So I didn’t feel I was being abused after two months of low pay.

My point is; ASK all the questions you need to. Make sure you clarify your expectations.

On the tanker issue, I recommend you get some experience BECAUSE, you may find yourself driving some country roads, mountain switchbacks or steep descents that it would be good to have experience handling before attempting while hauling a tanker.

I hope this helps.

We were supposed to be using flying cars by now. Ever see The Jetsons?

E-Readers were supposed to put printed books out of business. Not so.

Even if we get to driverless trucks, isn’t someone gonna have to direct them? Why not you?

As a kid, I wanted to be an auto mechanic. My Dad said the money was in computers and auto mechanics was a dead end. I’m now 59, computers get thrown away and replaced while cars still get repaired.

Whatever field you go into, continue to learn and grow.

Good luck!

I agree with PJ’s reasons. I looked into both when I was starting out and Knight struck me as a more professional company, though that’s just an opinion and worth what you’re paying for it.

I went with Schneider because of the greater opportunities over other companies (Knight hadn’t yet merged with Swift at that time).

The real question for you is which will meet your long-term goals? Starting pay is only one part of the equation.

I hope this helps.

One thing to keep in mind is, many company drivers are being paid under the per diem rules. Don’t get caught up in the details. Just know that, under that system, part of your pay is not taxed and therefore, your net pay may be a little more like earning a slightly higher gross pay.

The real question is; what does the pay NEED to be for you to “pull the trigger?”

Welcome!

I lost 45lbs when I started driving. AND I’ve kept it off.

Rule #1. You can’t eat it if you can’t reach it.

I’ve always carried a small cooler, no fridge. I tried the 12v coolers, but I felt they never got cold enough. But, I drove for Schneider & could get free ice every few days. Now I’m regional and never gone for more than 5-6 days, usually able to refill ice every three days.

I’m sure others here can give better advice on cooking stuff and refrigerators. I just know the less I eat, the less I need to stop for a restroom. Avoid potato chips, empty calories.

Remember Rule #1. I hope this helps.