Profile For KevinK

...I always forget the "GO!"

I thought this was the logo?

It would look sharp on black caps and shirts....

1. Recruiters are known for ad-libbing stuff just to get you in the door - that's kind of their job.

2. Backing is one of those things that develops over several months and maybe years for some of us.

3. Expect to feel rushed. Expect to feel stressed. Expect to be nervous. But also expect to succeed.

1. I learned this the hard way.

2. I am STILL learning this the hard way.

3. I hope I NEVER stop learning this.

Thanks, Old School

I wish you well in your new position

Thank you.

Well that phone call I just had with him was certainly short and to the point lol. He didn't seem too happy. I can't blame him. I just wasted four weeks of the company's time.

No longer your issue, brother! You acted like a stand-up guy (very telling for your character that you were concerned about this) and you took appropriate action. However he took it, you did what you were supposed to do. And if it didn't go over well, that's just more proof that you made the correct decision with the company you chose. You deserve a kick-ass weekend, hope you have it!

Thank you. I've got a good 20+ years left in this industry. I hope this new job is my last job and I won't even care about switching.

Email is also good, however keep it short and to the point. Trust me Kevko, they are used to this.

Good luck!

Well that phone call I just had with him was certainly short and to the point lol. He didn't seem too happy. I can't blame him. I just wasted four weeks of the company's time.

Calling them back to inform them of your decision is not only appropriate but a very easy step to take.

I thought a phone call would seem like taking the easy way out and an email would be more formal. I prefer email because it allows me make several points and say exactly what I want to say in the way I want to say it.

I just tried calling the TM but he was out of the office...

Surely you didn't attend orientation and training at both...

I attended a three day orientation for the company at which I will be working. The company I turned down interviewed me, checked my background, and gave me a road test. They then asked me to give them a start date.

Both companies were aware that I had other offers on the table.

I just went through the hiring process at two well-known LTL companies, all the way through to the start date. I made my decision as to which one I wanted to work for and I am starting Monday. I sent a professionally-worded email to the terminal manager of the company that I turned down. I didn't receive an email or phone call back.

Did I handle this the right way? Should I call the terminal manager to make sure he received the email? I don't want to burn any bridges with this company. They would be at the top of my list if things don't work out at my new job.

I just got a call from a recruiter and was offered OTR at .66 cents a mile and after 6 months I could switch to a dedicated Family Dollar account or Dollar General account in the Midwest and be home every weekend.

What company is this? I haven't heard of anyone who would offer a driver fresh out of school .66 cpm for OTR. I would be wary of this.

I have heard people say that packed snow kept the jaws from engaging properly, but that's something that you should always confirm before driving away anyway.

This was my concern. Don't need to drop a trailer my first year. Or ever, for that matter.

Thanks guys.

Got in to work today and there was a few good inches of snow and ice on the fifth wheel. I managed to clean it off okay without taking off too much grease, but is there a proper way this should be done? It didn't seem right just leaving it. Or when you couple, does the trailer apron do all the work for you?

I've been with Old Dominion running linehaul out of Chicago West for 7 months now they basically hired me right out of school as I only had 2 months driving with another company, and I would highly recommend going with OD as they are a great company to work for, my dad has been working for them for almost 2 years as a shop manager after 28 years at Con-way and loves it as well . Every terminal is a little different on how they handle things and how they train but I know our P&D trainees spend a month training with a couple different trainers so you can get different perspectives. We have great equipment compared to most other LTL companies we have 1k new trucks and countless new trailers and dollies coming in. Personally I would check and see if they have any linehaul openings but if you don't mind doing P&D it wouldn't be a bad way to get your foot in the door.

I don't see if taking years to get a linehaul spot as we are putting students right out of school on linehaul in the Chicago area and they are expecting a huge boom in freight in the region.

If you have any other questions I will try to answer them if possible.

Did you do a strength test before they hired you? I think it's the only other thing they might require of me, everything else seems squared away. If so, what did they have you do?

At OD, you can move from P&D to linehaul but there is no firm timeline. It could be years. I have thought about risking a chat with the terminal manger at OD, who seems accessible and reasonable, about my anxiety over P&D and my desire for a linehaul position instead. Worst case, he says it's P&D or nothing and I have a nice shuttle job at AE waiting for me.

Yes I'm from Milwaukee. The south side near the airport is busting with LTLs. I've considered all of them and have applied at a few. They all interviewed me and conditionally offered me jobs. I can't imagine there being a better time to be job hunting as a rookie driver.

I also read through 6 strings thread on pulling doubles for OD and I took Brett A.'s cautions therein about starting out as a city P&D driver to heart. I was anxious enough about P&D already without him chiming in :) I have no other discernible job skills so this is my whole career I'm putting at stake.

I feel like OD is setting me up to fail while Averitt is setting me up to succeed.

Averitt uses 53 foot dry vans for their linehaul, which they call "shuttle"

Most other LTLs use doubles - OD, Saia, Estes, R&L, ABF, as well as UPSF, FedEx...

This is one of the factors. I'm 45 and looking long-term. Is pulling doubles in the Midwest something I want to be doing 5 years down the road?

I'm a recent Class A driving school grad with a ton of Class B straight truck experience. I applied at Old Dominion and Averitt and was offered jobs (conditional pending background check, etc.) at both.

Now my (incredibly-fortunate-to-have) dilemma:

OD wants to start me right off the bat as a city P&D driver. Averitt has a combo drop-and-hook/linehaul position available. I really, really don't want to do city P&D but my foot would be in the door at OD for a doubles linehaul gig down the road. The position at Averitt, however, is exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm having trouble deciding between the high-risk, high-reward job at OD or the lower risk, lower reward job at Averitt. I'm heavily leaning towards Averitt.

Would I be certifiably nuts turning down Old Dominion?

6 string,

I filled out an application for linehaul at OD and have an interview with the terminal manger tomorrow. Reading through your thread now but I'm only on page 5. If you see this post and could give me a few interview tips it'd be much appreciated.

Life is strange. Just ran into an OD driver at a dock and he had time to chat. Set my mind at ease about some things and gave me a shot of confidence too.

Please dont put all your hopes in one company.

Nope. Just two - Averitt and OD. I'll happily get my experience and hone my skills anywhere, though. I'm patient...