Profile For TheCommuter

Hey, have a look at chapter 7 in our Truck Driver's Career Guide:

How To Evaluate & Choose A Trucking Company

That covers all different aspects of choosing a job based on the size of the company and the type of freight you're hauling. You'll find a lot of interesting insights there.

Thanks for the info Brett. I definitely will look into that. I'm new on here and still learning all the amazing resources available for us newbs.

Tanker is almost always going to be a live load and both side - and always a wash-out between loads. Though the customers pretty much all have tanker-washes on premises.

Foodstuffs are always a safe bet for constantly moving freight - everyone gots to eat.

I don't know that the difference in tanker pay (CPM) offsets the (potential) additional wait times for load/unload, wash-out times and difficulty in driving the load itself (and you haven't lived until a quick-stop causes surge to push you into the middle of an intersection).

Rick

Thanks Rick. This is the information that I'm talking about.

Thank you 2x's G-Town for the advise and heads up about Joshua. I am aware about the smooth bore tankers for food grade (thanks to High Road Training Program). I will be getting about 3 months of reefer OTR experience after getting my CDL before I upgrade to my own truck. That's when I'll make my decision what division I want to pursue. I may end up just sticking with reefer in the end, but just wanted to pick some vet's brains. ;o)

Getting experience in both makes you more marketable when looking for employment. So not a bad idea.

I thought so too. Haha. But Rick is talking me out of it. Haha. I'm kidding. :p

Thank you 2x's G-Town for the advise and heads up about Joshua. I am aware about the smooth bore tankers for food grade (thanks to High Road Training Program). I will be getting about 3 months of reefer OTR experience after getting my CDL before I upgrade to my own truck. That's when I'll make my decision what division I want to pursue. I may end up just sticking with reefer in the end, but just wanted to pick some vet's brains. ;o)

Hey guys. I wanted to see what are the pros and cons of tanker (food grade) and reefer divisions? I've heard reefer is kind of the recession resistant division but tankers pay more. Is it because you get less miles or more slow seasons with tanker? Some good examples please. Thank you.

All an employer is legally bound to give out is dates of employment and eligibility for rehire. That's all most employment checks consist of anyway.

Now as far as asking for a character reference? Some companies won't allow supervisors to do this but some will.

I doubt it will hurt you but ALWAYS be upfront with any recruiters when applying for trucking jobs. Tell them why you quit. With the limited information you just gave it sounds like you didn't do anything wrong. So don't be afraid to tell them about a potential situation BEFORE they hear it from someone else.

Thanks for the feedback. That is all sound advice. I'll call my recruiter in the morning. ChickieMonster, you rock.

I quit my job for the first time in my life without having another job lined up, but with reason. I knew I wanted to get into trucking anyway. Now I'm afraid that my previous employer will give me a bad reference because I outed a major drug problem at our work site after I left and they may still be bitter about it (to say the least). Any feedback on what truck companies are looking for when they call for a "reference" from a former employer? Are they just looking for employment verification, dates, salary, etc.? Thanks.

Anyone out there from Jim Palmer/Wil-Trans with experience with this. Thanks.

Thanks Rainy. I was looking into Prime but more closely to Jim Palmer. If I understand it correctly, aren't they pretty much the same company? Same policies, same trucks, use each other terminals, etc? So, would that be the case for Jim Palmer? If anyone has some insight to JP if it's any different. Thanks.

I'm considering a company sponsored training to get into truck driving. I'm overweight and will probably be sent for a sleep study. I'm not sure if I do but if it comes back that I have sleep apnea do I then wash out of their program? I have read that it's not that big of a deal and they just issue a CPAP machine and you need to use it every night. I'm just not sure if this information is accurate. Any experiences and what freight lines you're with would be helpful. Thanks.