Profile For Emma

Thank you all so much for the advice! I mean I may or may not have had a small stroke at Old School's 'toss the spreadsheet' comment but it all makes sense now. We will keep learning and researching and I'm sure we will be back for more advice.

Hello everyone. I’m the wife of a new trucker, he just passed his CDL test (hooray!) and we are now looking at all the options for companies with which to start his journey.

I’ve read extensively the discussions, advice and articles on this site and cannot express my gratitude to Brett and all the moderators and contributors who care about their industry and want to help the rookies succeed and join the ranks of happy, successful men and women out there on the road.

My husband and I both have strong blue collar values and were raised with a strong work ethic and deep respect for the advice and guidance of elders (meaning those with more experience, not necessarily older in age!) so I am extra grateful to all of you, and if I could get a little help and feedback I would be even more appreciative.

Since I’m the one obsessed with research and spreadsheets, I’m finding out all the likely companies he should contact. It’s nice to see that there is a large number of companies who train new drivers, but trying to narrow down the options is becoming our problem. Even more so reading the advice of the experienced truckers here saying that it’s not such a big deal where you start out because it is your work ethic, attitude, attention to detail, etc. that will determine your career arc. Good news, but then my spreadsheet comparing cpm and health insurance and tuition reimbursement and training weeks etc etc etc seems kind of useless!

We are operating under the assumption that new drivers are expected to pay their dues, garner experience faster going cross-country and therefore are typically are out for several weeks at a time with a few days off in between. So a way to narrow it down would be to find companies where he can start and end his (run? haul? journey?) close to home to maximize his time here. Right? Therefore I should look for companies with terminals within several hours of our home (Southern California). Is that correct?

I see companies that say they are only hiring in a certain geographical area but allegedly have terminals everywhere, and also companies that list only one terminal but say they are hiring everywhere which makes me think I'm not on the right track. Maybe I don’t understand what a terminal actually is?

Any advice or guidance in this area would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!