New Trucker Trying To Decide Between Schneider Or Prime.
Topic 12267 | Page 1
I just graduated trucking school a few weeks ago and I have put in a bunch of applications for local jobs and OTR jobs. Unfortunately it looks like I am not qualified for any local jobs cause I do not have experience. I have narrowed the OTR jobs down to Schneider and Prime. Schneider offered me .33/mile for OTR Dry Van. Prime offered me .465 for Tanker. My fiancé would like me home more often than Prime offers. Prime is out 4-6 weeks at a and Schneider is 2-3 weeks. I would like to get the tanker experience and I do like the higher pay. It just doesn't seem like Prime has any dedicated routes for better home time. Schneider seems to have a bunch of opportunities, I am just not a huge fan of the pay when I can make more at Prime. I am basically looking for any drivers that work for either of these companies that could sway me in one of these directions. Anything at all that I do not know about these companies would be helpful. Which one of these companies would be the better choice for a newbie? I am located in Charleston, WV by the way. Options are very limited here.
Thanks for the advice in advance
I just finished my first year with Schneider dry Van.
How much do you wanna make? How often do you wanna be home?
I love Schneider and can only speak from my experience. I recently looked into SNI's tanker division.
Some things to consider; 1. Though tanker pays more per mile you likely won't get as many miles as dry Van for the same time away from home. This is because many loads are live load and/or unload. So the $ may be pretty close to the same.
2. How hard you want to work is important because tanker IS more physical. However, Customers often treat you better than in dry Van.
3. Schneider has some lucrative dedicated accounts. E.g. I just did fill in @ Stuart's Draft, VA on Target loads and that was all drop/hook. You might like that and they're hiring. If you need help with this one pm me & I'll get your info to them to call you.
4. From a strictly OTR new driver perspective; SNI has many Operating Centers around the country where you can park, shower, do laundry, work out & watch tv all for free. Sometimes this makes worrying about parking a non-event.
I'm proof that at even less than your 33cpm, $40,000+ is doable. That did include $600 signon bonus.
Most importantly, Schneider has kept every promise and I average 10,000 miles per month with 5 days off (that I take split, 2days one time, 3 days the next).
I hope this helps. Good luck!
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
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.
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.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
I used to worked for Schneider good company and they try and keep there word in having you home on time. Can't speak about prime. Good luck on what you choose. One thing to keep in mind about Schneider is the dispatchers not the best on my experience.
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.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.
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I just graduated trucking school a few weeks ago and I have put in a bunch of applications for local jobs and OTR jobs. Unfortunately it looks like I am not qualified for any local jobs cause I do not have experience. I have narrowed the OTR jobs down to Schneider and Prime. Schneider offered me .33/mile for OTR Dry Van. Prime offered me .465 for Tanker. My fiancé would like me home more often than Prime offers. Prime is out 4-6 weeks at a and Schneider is 2-3 weeks. I would like to get the tanker experience and I do like the higher pay. It just doesn't seem like Prime has any dedicated routes for better home time. Schneider seems to have a bunch of opportunities, I am just not a huge fan of the pay when I can make more at Prime. I am basically looking for any drivers that work for either of these companies that could sway me in one of these directions. Anything at all that I do not know about these companies would be helpful. Which one of these companies would be the better choice for a newbie? I am located in Charleston, WV by the way. Options are very limited here.
Thanks for the advice in advance
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
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.
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.