Profile For RealDiehl

Sounds like a great company for a driver who is experienced and motivated to keep the wheels spinning.

Your review highlights the value of starting with a mega and learning the game in order to gain the skills necessary for future success and maximizing earning potential.

Congratulations on finding a company that rewards a motivated driver such as yourself.

Hey, Mike, I don't think the insurance companies consider the fact that you earned and currently hold a CDL when assessing their insurance rates.

From what I've been told by a friend who works in the field is that it all comes down to equations. They don't insure people, they insure (or choose not to insure) the numbers the equations spit out. I guess the lack of recent driving counts as a big risk factor according to their metrics.

I hope you can find a company willing to give you the refresher course you need to satisfy their insurance company without having to go through the whole process again as if you were a non CDL holder.

I'm feeling frustrated for you right now.

Hi, Roger. Do you mind telling us who drive for?

After being hired did your company have you paired with a trainer? For how long?

Some drivers have a natural ability when it comes to backing, and are pretty good at it fresh out of CDL school. Others, like me, begin to get the hang of it during our company training period. I wasn't comfortable backing until after I'd been solo for a month.

Do I need a refresher course? I've read some write that very thing on other threads, but I'm pretty sure I'm special and don't need to do that kind of bull****.

Some companies, maybe most, will require X amount of experience within the past X years. They want recent experience.

Is driving over the road an option you are willing to consider? You can get paid training with an OTR company. I think Schneider has a relatively short training period. They might even have positions in your area for more local or regional drivers. You'd have to ask them about that if you speak to a recruiter.

It might be beneficial to approach any interviews as if you are a new driver looking to brush up on skills that may have diminished over time. It's good to be confident but you definitely don't want to give the impression that you are above that sort of thing. Or else you might be viewed as a driver who is unwilling to adapt to new methods or learn new skills.

Companies can afford to be more picky about who they hire bc currently there is a lower demand for drivers. Your experience might benefit you, but you still want to show that you are willing to learn.

There are definitely more options if you are willing to drive OTR.

I don't know if you are actually in need of advice or if you are simply just kind of expressing your thoughts and looking for feedback.

I'm not saying that to be rude. The opposite in fact. I don't want to come off as condescending by offering advice or information that you already know from prior experience.

The way I've researched trucking jobs in the past is to check out their websites and try to get an idea of what types of positions they are hiring for. Similar to what it sounds like you have begun to do by contacting Schneider.

Swift, Knight, Prime (Prime is reefer though), Rhoel, and other large trucking companies offer similar opportunities to get back into driving. It's probably easiest to find an OTR position with any of these companies. That doesn't mean you should settle of course.

Check these companies out. Speak with recruiters and see if they can offer you a position that works best for you. OTR is usually recommended for new drivers bc it allows them to get up to speed and practice new skills at a more comfortable pace. Since you haven't driven for so long OTR might be more beneficial for you as well. Then again you did start your career on a "Dollar" account, which is a heck of a lot harder in my opinion than driving OTR.

I can't offer any specifics on any of these companies other than Prime, bc I've driven for Prime in the past.

If you do some investigating and have more specific questions regarding a company you are interested in, you can always post a new topic asking for information. Members here who currently drive for - or who have in the past - a company you are curious about should be able to answer any questions you have.

Thanks Davy!

Hi brian, what type of position are you looking for, or not looking for?

Are you looking for a position that gets you home daily, weekly..?

Is driving over the road an option? Are you willing to drive over the road in order to get your foot in the door and gain experience? Driving over the road might be the quickest way to gain experience, which could open more options for you in the future. Not only with schneider but with other companies as well.

If you don't mind listing what you're willing to do or not willing to do, it will help us provide you more valuable feedback.

Hey, thanks for asking, Bruce. I'm glad to hear you're so well prepared for your upcoming medical leave. Good thinking ahead!

I had hoped to buy a house before the end of this year. I was really close to my goal of $100,000 down payment.

But life had other plans. I had to help my younger sister out in an emergency, and gave her $20,000 to help her get a new car. My brother had some major issues with his teeth and I gave him $10,000 for dental work.

I didn't mind though because for years I was the black sheep, the deadbeat, who always relied on my siblings to help me out. So the scales have been balanced in my opinion. It was my brother after all whom I stayed with during home time, rent-free, who was the biggest reason I'd been able to save so much money in the first place. I'll just have to wait a little longer to get a house.

Still driving for Barr-Nunn and business has been picking up over the past several months. 3 months ago we had just under 300 drivers and now we have over 450.

Oh, and I applied to Walmart in April...DENIED!!! I'm not going to lie, that was very discouraging. I will try again at some point.

I hope all goes well with your surgery, Bruce.

You may have mentioned it in an earlier post - and if you did I apologize since I haven't checked in for a while - but, how long do you expect it to be before you can drive a truck again?

Are you getting paid for medical leave?

Hmmm..? I don't remember using city codes while at Prime. For what reason do you need city codes? Is it bc you want to enter the code into your QC's navigation?