Can't Decide Where To Start

Hello TT members! Glad I found this site; informational, yet not negative enough to turn someone away from trucking immediately. I haven't filled out my bio yet, so in short...I'm 40, have worked in 2 different trades over the past 20 years. Have two teenage daughters and a wife, a small, almost finished mortgage. I have been unemployed for the past 4 months. I went to CDL school because it didn't cost me anything. So, here is the dilemma....my job will come back, eventually. I think. But, In the meantime, I have offers from Melton and Schneider Bulk. Which is the better choice? I live about an hour from the Schneider terminal. I am open to staying in trucking as lot as I don't have to eat crap forever. I understand that the first year is basically an extension of your training.

Hello TT members! Glad I found this site; informational, yet not negative enough to turn someone away from trucking immediately. I haven't filled out my bio yet, so in short...I'm 40, have worked in 2 different trades over the past 20 years. Have two teenage daughters and a wife, a small, almost finished mortgage. I have been unemployed for the past 4 months. I went to CDL school because it didn't cost me anything. So, here is the dilemma....my job will come back, eventually. I think. But, In the meantime, I have offers from Melton and Schneider Bulk. Which is the better choice? I live about an hour from the Schneider terminal. I am open to staying in trucking as lot as I don't have to eat crap forever. I understand that the first year is basically an extension of your training.

I'm biased, I drive for Schneider Van Truckload division. However, you're talking two different types; one is flatbed, one is tanker. Both are more physical than van truckload and both can be very rewarding.

Two questions to ask yourself;

1. What am I looking for in the type of job and,

2. What am I looking for in a company?

If you want a company with more options in the future, Schneider has that. If you know you want flatbed and nothing else, Melton is the better choice.

I can only speak to my experience and Schneider has kept every promise they made to me. My one year is coming up next week. Good luck.

There are an enourmous amount of employers and far more information to consider when making this decision. What i did, and still do, is put together a list of questions and contact the recruiters at each company. Ask them if they have any sort of informational booklet/email first, then start hammering them with every question. Pay scale, is it a sliding scale, most active freight locations, pet policy, rider policy, bonuses, is the company employee owned, what kind of trucks, do they have inverters, do they have tv's, do they have refrigerators, do they allow you to modify the inside of the truck. I could go on, but you can see the list can eventually become so large you'll have each recruiter on the phone for 30 minutes, and when you speak with enough companies you'll eventually find the one that has the most desireable perks for you.

Keep in mind it's commonly mentioned here that trucking has relatively small margins. Since that's the case, if one company offers super awesome trucks, it means that money is coming from something else. You should do the best you can to find the balance that works for you.

I'm biased, I drive for Schneider Van Truckload division. However, you're talking two different types; one is flatbed, one is tanker. Both are more physical than van truckload and both can be very rewarding.

Two questions to ask yourself;

1. What am I looking for in the type of job and,

2. What am I looking for in a company?

If you want a company with more options in the future, Schneider has that. If you know you want flatbed and nothing else, Melton is the better choice.

I can only speak to my experience and Schneider has kept every promise they made to me. My one year is coming up next week. Good luck.

I am kind of leaning towards Schneider. I think pulling a tanker would be interesting. I spoke with a friends brother who worked for them a while back and he said about the same things you are. However, it has been a while, so I'm looking for a more current analysis of their insurance and pay. If I can clear 500 bucks a week after taxes and insurance, it's doable for a while.

In sure if you ask Schneider members will give you their year to dates. It is actually pretty hard to get real numbers on average pay from any company directly but we're here to bust that bubble of lies.

Well, we had a Schneider recruiter come to our school, and he said tanker drivers can earn 65,000 +. Take it for what it's worth. He also mentioned that 1) you need Haz mat, and 2) NO facial hair. He said you'll be wearing full coverage suit, hence no facial hair. I was strongly considering going there, but Mid-west dairy had a posting to haul milk, and I have an interview with them next week.

I'm biased, I drive for Schneider Van Truckload division. However, you're talking two different types; one is flatbed, one is tanker. Both are more physical than van truckload and both can be very rewarding.

Two questions to ask yourself;

1. What am I looking for in the type of job and,

2. What am I looking for in a company?

If you want a company with more options in the future, Schneider has that. If you know you want flatbed and nothing else, Melton is the better choice.

I can only speak to my experience and Schneider has kept every promise they made to me. My one year is coming up next week. Good luck.

I am kind of leaning towards Schneider. I think pulling a tanker would be interesting. I spoke with a friends brother who worked for them a while back and he said about the same things you are. However, it has been a while, so I'm looking for a more current analysis of their insurance and pay. If I can clear 500 bucks a week after taxes and insurance, it's doable for a while.

Insurance is gonna depend on whether you are getting family or single coverage. I'm hesitant to give my specific net here because I have insurance (family), 401k and flex spending account deductions that might be far different from your preference.

Here's what I can say; including $1,000 sign on bonus and $.02/mile performance bonus, I'll gross $40k this first year. I average 10,000 miles per month and I began driving Jan. 22, 2015.

Because different positions pay different (e.g. SNI Bulk pays more per mile than Van Truckload), I recommend you find out from the recruiters the pay per mile, avg miles per month for a first year driver in that division and do the math yourself. Then see if your results match the recruiters' claims.

I hope this helps.

I was paying 65 a week for medical both me and one dependant. 1200 deductible... So if I wanted to see a doctor they wanted 170 from me till I hit 1200....after the year deductible started again...that was Schneider ..

I was paying 65 a week for medical both me and one dependant. 1200 deductible... So if I wanted to see a doctor they wanted 170 from me till I hit 1200....after the year deductible started again...that was Schneider ..

Ok. Thanks man.