Comments By MotherTruckerKen

I'm just wondering. DO THEY MAKE YOU DROP YOUR PANTS?

Oh, and read my book too - it's free here on the website - it has some great stories from my years on the road and some insights into the career that you'll want to know - Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

I read it man and it was fantastic material that I will probably continue to go back and read for more information. Thanks for all the info! I have officially enrolled in the School and sent in my application hopefully no more than 3 days and I should here back from the School and when I start! I'm so excited!!!

Oh, and read my book too - it's free here on the website - it has some great stories from my years on the road and some insights into the career that you'll want to know - Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

Thanks a ton man, sorry for getting so sensitive about that stuff. I really wanna succeed at this and make this a major life change, I'll definitely check out that info above. I know my first year,hell my first months are gonna be scary and crazy but I just wanna make it and succeed and a year or 2 from now say I made it and financially support myself and fiance.

Kenneth, you didn't upset anyone. But what I've found over the years is that people trying to evaluate the trucking industry tend to make a few common mistakes:

1) They convince themselves they know more than they do

2) They give priority to the wrong things

3) They believe things they're told even though they have no way of verifying the quality of the source

Let's have a look at these.

Convincing yourself you know more than you do:

You say Swift is poorly managed. They are the largest and arguably the most successful trucking company in North America. As a 23 year old kid with no experience in the trucking industry and without so much as a high school education do you feel qualified to make that statement after a visit to one of their terminals? Of course you're not. That's ridiculous. You don't know the first thing about managing a trucking company nor would you recognize the difference between one that was properly managed and one that was poorly managed. That is not at all an insult to you. It's simply a reality. You're not qualified to make that kind of statement and you can't possibly know if that's true or not. So don't convince yourself that you know they're poorly managed because you do not know this.

Giving priority to the wrong things:

You said "the local Swift location here is terrible run down and filthy". Admittedly that is not an appealing quality. I'll give you that. However, it's a trucking terminal. It's full of filthy, greasy trucks and inhabited by drivers who far too often fit the same description as their truck. The cleanliness of a company's terminal is not an indication of the quality of a company. I've worked for some awesome companies over the years and even the best of the best always have some nasty places you'd rather not go to along with some big, beautiful terminals in other locations.

You said "my 2nd choice was Roehl who I really wanted to work for but never heard from them". It's quite common to find it nearly impossible to get recruiters on the line, especially if you haven't filled out an application with them yet. Fill out the app and then start calling them like crazy if you haven't heard from them within 36-48 hours. Don't stop calling until you get a person on the line and they review your application with you. Otherwise it might be sitting in a pile collecting dust somewhere.

Unverified Sources:

You said, " I have heard they're decent starter companies but I've heard just that"

The largest and most successful trucking companies in North America are the ones that hire students and in my opinion they make a great place to work regardless of your experience level. In fact, I completely dismiss the notion that starter companies are somehow lesser companies. That's ridiculous.

The largest companies tend to have:

• Fleets of relatively new and well-maintained trucks
• A large amount and variety of freight available
• A number of various opportunities in dedicated or regional divisions
• Nationwide accounts that make it incredibly easy to get tires changed, get repairs done, find a hotel, or pay lumper services
• Tons of great perks, often including things like free health hotlines to speak with doctors and nurses, hotel and travel discounts, free marriage and family counseling sessions, and huge recreational centers at the terminals for the drivers during downtime
• Some of the best pay and benefits of any companies in the country for experienced drivers

So being "just a starter company" isn't a bad thing at all in my opinion. In fact, the best company I ever worked for was a "starter company" that I didn't start with until I had almost 10 years of experience and they were simply stellar - US Xpress. At the time they even had their own school. They no longer operate their own school but they still hire students straight out of school.

Like I said, you haven't upset anyone. No need for any apologies of any sort. I'm just pointing out that you have a lot of preconceived notions or strongly formed opinions that aren't going to help you make the right decisions for yourself.

Go through those links I posted earlier and you'll find great information about how to choose the right company for yourself.

That high school education remark did feel like an insult but If you say so then so be it. I only stated that the local terminal was bad because of the area.Sorry for coming off like I know so much I guess I was being very Naive I really don't know anything. Maybe I should come back after completing school.

As for Roehl I applied twice and first time received an email that they were not accepting phone calls and that they'd email me back when ready to move forward, will probably never hear back from them, but it's okay which is why I'm going to The Truck Driver Institute in Tupelo, Ms. Thanks for the advice again.

Hello I'm new here, and I'm grateful to have found the wonderful resource that this site is. I've been browsing it a lot of the last few days. I am unhappy professionally and I think driving might be a good fit for me and my situation. I'd like to know if someone would be so kind as to point me in the direction of some good companies to look into that might be a good place for me to start my career?

I would be looking to drive as a team (husband/wife). My wife and I are in our mid twenties. We're both pretty much hermits and don't enjoy a lot of social interaction in the work place (God help us: we're both in customer service oriented jobs at the moment). We have no real attachments keeping us tied to where we are. We both would like the opportunity to travel and see the county and hopefully set aside a decent amount of money over time while doing it. We get along great, so we have no worries about being around each other constantly as a team (we already are around each other constantly; been together 5 years).

We're hoping there's a company out there that would be a good fit for us. The optimal plan at this point is: for us to put most of our things in a storage unit, sell the vehicle and not have a physical address for a while. Then go to where ever we need to for training and start training. Not sure exactly how feasible of a plan that is, but it's what I have at the moment until someone wiser disillusions me of it's feasibility. We're looking for a good company that would train us as a team and then hire us on.

Stipulations: we don't have a lot of money so the company would need to provide the training for free (and hopefully lodging while training). Agree to hire us on at a decent rate after training us (as I said short on money and can't be sitting idle for long after we have our CDLs). Also we have a cat. Cat goes where we go, does just fine on drives, well trained, will walk on a leash (I kid you not).

Anyone know of any companies that could be a good employer for our circumstances? Any help is appreciated, thank you.

From what I have read Roehl can do all the things above, Pay you for your schooling and I believe lodging would be included and I know they have a pet policy downside is I don't think it's immediate I think you have to wait your first 60-90 days. But I think that would be your best bet.

My contract ended on the 21st of this month and I'm still working for crst.. I plan on staying as long as they keep running me.. Swift has more then one terminal and if you look at Memphis you can see why it may look run down... Almost all companies will take anyone as long as they pass their hiring requirements...

Again. very sorry if I came off as rude or judgmental, If you're happy with your company that's all that matters remember I'm a total noob in this world of Trucking, and I don't know SH#*! I'm just going by what I saw and quite a few articles I've read and few people I personally I knew that worked for Swift. I personally just didn't wanna go to the Memphis Terminal because the area and the location and would rather go to the School I've chosen as the benefits are really great and I just feel like it's best for me, we all have our preferences and have to go with our Gut.

I don't have either and I got hired by swift and crst...for the most part as long as you can pass the written and skills test your good...

I hope I can get on with a better company (no offense) but if not I'll take what I can get considering I don't have the GED.

I'd like to know what you mean by a "better company" and what do you perceive is wrong with Swift and CRST? They're two of North America's largest, most successful trucking companies and many thousands of drivers get their career off to a great start with those companies every year.

Sorry if I caused offense, the reason I said that is because I have heard they're decent starter companies but I've heard just that, also the local Swift here in Memphis was my first choice but after through research I decided they weren't for me due to the fact that they seem to hire just anyone off the street and the local Swift location here is terrible run down and filthy and terribly managed, I went and checked it out and realized it wasn't for me, my 2nd choice was Roehl who I really wanted to work for but never heard from them, so I decided to going to an actual trucking school which I think I could benefit more from. I just felt that Swift wasn't for me, I know they are HUGE I just felt like they weren't for me. I'm pretty dead set right now working for either Roehl or Schneider, but we will see right now I just wanna learn and soak up as much as I can until I am finally on the road with a company. Again sorry for anyone i ticked off...

I went with them cuz the no upfront cost... Not cuz I had to...

The school im going to won't cost me anything either, it's a truck driving school and the company you go with is who pays for the schooling.

I don't have either and I got hired by swift and crst...for the most part as long as you can pass the written and skills test your good...

I hope I can get on with a better company (no offense) but if not I'll take what I can get considering I don't have the GED.

My online application with WST never even asked about high school or even college for that matter. I seriously only had to give them the name of the cdl school and 3 years of job history. I have no criminal record and my mvr is clean. My DAC/HireRight says "no records". They don't have a clue that I retired from healthcare and have 2 college degrees, nor do they care. So maybe some companies will ask, but many of them wont. If they decide they want a longer job history from me, then obviously they'll find out lol.

Some companies want a 10 year history on all applicants, but what I was told by my school is that the 10 year history is actually only required by FMCSA/DOT for drivers with any experience and for a new grad, only 3 years is required.

Good luck to you Ken, and I really wouldn't worry about that too much. There are so many companies to choose from, I'm sure if your background is clean, you'll find a company that you WANT to work for that would love to hire you too.

Thanks a ton sue, and well the GED may be a problem but I hope not, the school instructors told me it wasn't needed that I'd just have to take some test for reading and writing but I admit I should get it, but I am hoping with some hard work and busting my butt getting my CDL and being under a good company won't be impossible. and yes about the driving record, never been in a wreck or had a single accident (except for the time someone back into my car at Sonic -Drive in stall) but that was them not me. Hopefully I'll be given a chance which I think I deserve but I guess we will see...