Comments By Bill S.

I have both. I love them. Just curious if they are worth bringing on the truck. I am not a fan of having unnecessary items.

Thanks.

Bill

The recruiter for Schneider was recently at my school. (Tues) Training for OTR van is 18 days in Indiana. $80 day plus they put you up in an extended stay hotel and pay for 2 meals per day. Tanker is the same except it's in Pennsylvania and lasts 27 days. They also have a refer division but not in my area so he didn't discuss it. Not sure where you got the week of training from.

Sue and Pat,

Thank you for the quick replies. I hate being cold and that's why I initially decided against flatbed. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize it is probably what suits me best.

I am just curious what cold weather gear is most recommended for flatbed drivers. I originally ruled flatbed out because I don't want to mess around in the cold. However, I have decided that is a foolish reason to rule something out without trying it first.

I did a search but didn't see anything specific. Maybe I am just over thinking it.

Thanks for any information.

Bill

Old School,

Thanks for your input. However, I only posted the information cause I said I would. According to the brochure, that truck had 800k miles.

I don't want to team or be a trainer so I likely would not qualify for the program anyway.

Thanks again for all the great replies.

Rick,

From the Drive this truck pamphlet:

Robert has worked for Drive This Truck for 3.5 years. He took over the truck after it was 6 months old and has been running teams or training students. This allowed Drive This Truck to make a profit while paying off the truck. Drive This Truck can then make the investment in their employees and their trucks allowing us to take it to a whole new level. You don't just earn a cash bonus for longevity, we actually sign over the title of the truck you have earned during this 4 year term at no cost to the driver.

They are partnered with Prime.

Garner trucking is who I forgot.

Day 3 started at 730. The recruiter for U.S. Express was there. She was supposed to be there at 8. However, the instructor let her start at 745 as she was waiting for the late students. She said we should be filling out applications for every company even though we are only on day 3. I disagree. I am not looking for flatbed or tanker. I did get my hazmat and tanker endorsements. Still not interested at this time, but I got them in case I want to down the road. I did fill out the application for U.S. Express. She left at 845. We took a ten minute break.

At 9 was more videos and tests. At ten we had another recruiter. I forget who came as I left the packet on my desk. I will update when I get it. They are based out of Findley Ohio.

At 11 we watched a more videos and took more tests. At 1230 we went home.

So far I have not learned much. Most everything we have covered is in THR training modules. I can't wait to get into the yard on Friday to start going over pre trip and in cab. However, we go back in the classroom the following Monday.

Day 2 started at 730. The instructor just told us some of his experiences as a driver to start as Schneider was coming in at 8. After the recruiter left we had a short break. ComCar was supposed to show up at 9 but cancelled. However, nobody notified the instructor.

At 9 we watched several videos and took several tests. We take lots of tests. Some are after videos and some are after power point lectures by the instructor. I like the fact that we take tests often. I wish they would include questions from previous sections like THR does. I am very good at retaining information but not everyone in class is.

At 1230 we went to lunch. Class resumed at 1. More videos and tests. At 230 we had another recruiter. May trucking. These recruiters have not brought any power points or anything. The recruiter from May probably should have. She confused some of the students. Not entirely her fault. They offer new drivers a guaranteed $735 per week for 90 days. However, that is based on 2100 mpw. According to her, their drivers average 2800 mpw. They bank all miles over 2100 and payout after 12 weeks plus give you the $735 for the week. Most of the students forgot to include the overage pay after 90 days. Maybe these companies should adopt a critical review process for students to fill out after their presentations. Got used to doing them in the Marines. I don't normally post stuff that the recruiters say, however, I wanted to share what caused the confusion. After the recruiter left, there was a huge discussion about what she discussed.

4 pm and we watched a short video and took another test. 430 we signed out and went home.

Now that is funny.