Profile For jakecatt22

Oh and I forgot to ask. Do we get to take the truck home? My family at the time only has one vehicle and my wife will need it for work. And do you have any clue how long we will have to drive with a trainer? At least a rough estimate?

Depends on taking the truck home. IF you live within a certain radius of an OC or a drop lot, SNI requires you to park the truck there on your home time, it is either 50 or 100 miles(not sure which) as I live 10 minutes from the Columbus OC so I just park my truck there. Your DBL will be able to let you know.

Time with a trainer is very short at SNI, usually about a week. They may keep you longer if they feel you need it, or YOU can request to stay with them longer if you feel you need to. I was with a trainer for 2 weeks, but I had a second student in the truck and we shared driving time because my trainer was on a dedicated and went home every night, so we really only got one weeks worth of driving in.

SNI has lots all over. That is another thing I like about them, if the truck stop is full there is usually an SNI lot somewhere close.(usually) They even give you a nice little book of all the lots in all the lower 48, and you can plug a code into your navigo and it will take you right to it.

Actually I'm from Tennessee. Not sure what there is around here as far as dispatch. I believe they do have an OC in Lebanon TN. about a half hour from me.

We have a "drop lot" in Lebanon. It isn't really an OC. Paved lot with a building, and yes, they do have some dispatchers there. Your dispatcher will either be from there, or from Atlanta or Charlotte, my experience is the small operating centers like Lebanon and Columbus don't have team dispatchers.

LOL disregard, if you aren't from Ohio, I thought that was you I saw from Ohio but your profile doesn't say, my bad LMAO

That's all great stuff to know and I really appreciate it. I suppose we could get by without a microwave and could get a 12V fridge. Do the 12V fridges cool pretty well? All in all SNI sounds like a really good company. I have heard a lot of good things. I'm sure EVERY company has bad points and I do know that the first year will be the worst for us but I really want to choose a company that actually cares about their drivers and doesn't just consider them a number. Their safety is what first attracted me to them. I am big on that and it's super important to me. Thank you for the info. I appreciate it a lot.

The 12 volt fridges work just a good as a regular fridge, they are like a small dorm fridge.

I see you are from OH, and if you are teaming, there are many team dedicated accounts around Columbus if you live near there. Ask them about the Honda account, out and back, home every week, great miles. Very hard to get on it tho, as once people get on it, they tend to stay. Just FYI, if you are from around Columbus, your home operating center will be in Columbus, but your dispatcher will be from Indianapolis, Columbus doesn't have any team dispatchers(unless they are dedicated).

Good luck to you snowman.

You guys are right about the stupid stuff, 2 days ago I was dropping an mt trailer in a gravel lot. Once I got into the spot I felt my truck sink, yep, it got stuck with the steers sunk below the concrete in front. I dreaded the call to my company.

BUT, the yard dog saved the day, he saw me and came over with a chain and pulled me out. Told me the lot is crap and it happens all the time, not to sweat it, he gets his yard dog truck stuck there all the time. He saved me some headaches that is for sure.

What I would like to know is if it's a good company to work for. Also can you have an inverter for a fridge and microwave or do they not allow inverters? Also, do they have pretty decent tractors as far as being well maintained?

I enjoy working here. If I didn't I wouldn't be here anymore. I have two years experience and could get a job almost anywhere. Don't get me wrong, they aren't PERFECT(I don't know of a perfect company), they do have their faults, but all in all they are a good company.

You can only have a "plug in" inverter, IE: one that will plug into a 12v outlet, less than 280 watts(I think that is the rule). You cannot have one hardwired into the truck. It will not power a microwave, or really anything that uses heat. It will power a small fridge, although I just bought a fridge that plugs into a 12 volt and use an inverter for my laptop.

SNI just purchased over 3,000 brand new tractors, and they are buying new ones every year. Most of the fleet, at least 70% as far as I can tell are now in 2010 or newer trucks. Being that you are teaming, I would almost guarantee you a newer truck. As far as maintenance, they are top notch. I have never had a problem getting anything fixed that needed it. Doesn't matter if it is my 3 month PM or an emergency repair, anything I ask them to fix gets fixed. One thing, if you go work for SNI you will learn real quick, is they are very very safety oriented, and it shows through their maintenance.

If you want to know anything about SNI, just ask, have been here two years.

I don't know much about USX.

I always try to balance the weight as much as possible like others have mentioned but I have one exception. In the winter, if I know the roads are a bit crappy, I will put more weight on my drive tires.

Wow, my wife kicks me out the door Monday mornings LOL, says, have a good week, see ya Friday LMAO.

It helps that she knows I will be back every weekend, but after almost 20 years of marriage and the first 10 being deployed in the military all the time, one week is nothing to her.

Not much you can do about it, it is what it is, just look forward to the next time you come home.