Pro Or Con? Advice Please
Topic 12237 | Page 1
Ever looked into Interstate Distributor?
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Ever looked into Interstate Distributor?
No, but they look good. I like their pet policy. Problem is I only have my CLP , and Interstate needs 3 months experience. My plan is to go through a Company School and drive for them for at least a year. I think that is a fair trade for their training, plus I think it will take about that long to even get a good sense of what to look for in switching companies. Just because something is different doesn't mean it's better. Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to working for the same company for years, but after driving for a year I will take a good hard look at where I am and where I want to go from there. For now, I'll bookmark Interstate Distributer. Thanks.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.
With Roehl, yes, you are very likely to get sent to the east and midwest. Those 2000 mile runs to get you to their freight area are pretty nice, but if you know for sure that you are not interested in driving midwest/east coast Roehl is not a good choice for you.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Since you will not be asking for much home time AND not on a dedicated account, isn't it likely they'll send you wherever the freight is going and you have hours to support? I.e. There will be few restrictions on planners/dispatchers.
My experience (with only my company) has been I only get limited on my areas by home time requests, other calendar events (like scheduled maintenance), hours available and the freight demands.
I'm with Schneider, but I've heard lots of positives for both of your choices. However, isn't Knight all refer?
If you're okay with either, Once you decide don't look back and you'll do well.
Good luck!
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Knight runs dry van , refer and flatbed. They also run port and rail quite a bit out west, primarily out of the Phoenix terminal.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
With Roehl, yes, you are very likely to get sent to the east and midwest. Those 2000 mile runs to get you to their freight area are pretty nice, but if you know for sure that you are not interested in driving midwest/east coast Roehl is not a good choice for you.
By "2000 mile runs" do you mean back and forth from West Coast to Midwest/East Coast? That's more what I had in mind when I decided to pursue OTR trucking. I just don't want to get stuck running up and down I-95 or in the NorthEast. I don't mind driving there, as long as I can get back to big skies and real mountains.
As Steve L mentioned once training is done and Buster is on board the truck is home and I plan on going wherever they send me. I want to go everywhere and see everything.
I'm coming down to the wire on choosing between 2 companies both with strong "Pros" columns, and I realized that I had a "Con" listed for Roehl because given a choice I would rather do more of my driving Out West than Back East and my assumption is Knight is focused West and Roehl is focused East and therefore that is where I am more likely to be driving with each company.
Now I'm questioning if that is an accurate assumption and hoping to get some experienced input, even if it's anecdotal. I'm cynical enough to think a recruiter's answer isn't useful. It isn't that big a deal, just wanting to base my final decision on as much fact as possible. The truth is while I'd like to pick the perfect company to drive for for the rest of my career, I'm determined to drive for my first company for one year. If I spend that whole year hauling loads from Newark to Richmond (unlikely but the worst example that comes to mind), it's only a year. One advantage of being 51 is a year is a smaller percentage of life so far. I plan on being a "go to guy" for my DM. I just want to set myself up as best I can to make my new career as enjoyable as possible.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
With Roehl, yes, you are very likely to get sent to the east and midwest. Those 2000 mile runs to get you to their freight area are pretty nice, but if you know for sure that you are not interested in driving midwest/east coast Roehl is not a good choice for you.
By "2000 mile runs" do you mean back and forth from West Coast to Midwest/East Coast? That's more what I had in mind when I decided to pursue OTR trucking. I just don't want to get stuck running up and down I-95 or in the NorthEast. I don't mind driving there, as long as I can get back to big skies and real mountains.
As Steve L mentioned once training is done and Buster is on board the truck is home and I plan on going wherever they send me. I want to go everywhere and see everything.
I'm coming down to the wire on choosing between 2 companies both with strong "Pros" columns, and I realized that I had a "Con" listed for Roehl because given a choice I would rather do more of my driving Out West than Back East and my assumption is Knight is focused West and Roehl is focused East and therefore that is where I am more likely to be driving with each company.
Now I'm questioning if that is an accurate assumption and hoping to get some experienced input, even if it's anecdotal. I'm cynical enough to think a recruiter's answer isn't useful. It isn't that big a deal, just wanting to base my final decision on as much fact as possible. The truth is while I'd like to pick the perfect company to drive for for the rest of my career, I'm determined to drive for my first company for one year. If I spend that whole year hauling loads from Newark to Richmond (unlikely but the worst example that comes to mind), it's only a year. One advantage of being 51 is a year is a smaller percentage of life so far. I plan on being a "go to guy" for my DM. I just want to set myself up as best I can to make my new career as enjoyable as possible.
With Roehl, most of your time will be spent east of the Mississippi. That's where most of Roehl's freight is. When I said 2000 mile runs, that will most likely be the run you get right out of the house. They'll give you that just to get you into their major freight areas, and then keep you there until your scheduled hometime. Then you'll get another 2000 miler to get you back.
It's not completely cut and dry, but you most likely NOT do most of your West so if this is really important to you, I would choose the other company.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
My advice is anecdotal and based on what I have heard in the past from other Roehl drivers based out of that area.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
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I will be starting school soon and I'm still trying to decide between Roehl or Knight. I have done a ton of research, much of it on this site (thanks to all - especially Brett) and I was recently go over my Pros and Cons list and I realized (at least) one item that I have put in the appropriate column based purely on my own assumptions, which I now realize may be invalid.
My plan is to drive Dry Van and stay out as long as possible (the truck will be my home). I have a great fondness for driving in the Western 11 and Canada. Don't mind driving elsewhere, but I would not like to get stuck in the NorthEast (I hear stories).
Here is the issue: Phoenix is my home area. Knight is based in Phoenix, Roehl has a terminal and training center here but seems to be much more focused on the Midwest and East Coast. Based on that my assumption was that Knight will pay more attention to me since I'm in the headquarters area, and that with Roehl I run a bigger risk of getting shuffled back east and stuck there. Or doi have this wrong? Is Roehl more likely to run me hard and keep me out West because I'm in a satellite area?
This is the type of question where I figure I'll get the same "we're the best" answer from either recruiter. I'm wondering if anyone has any insight, especially in regards to Roehl.
My Knight recruiter has mentioned running to BC, which sounds pretty ideal. Roehl keeps touting their new pet policy, which honestly is one of the most important aspects to me. I don't think either is a bad choice for me, just trying to decide which I think would be best.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.