Freymiller

I'm certainly not putting down recruiters or anyone else for that matter. I'm simply trying to help people understand that the quality of a company's recruiters has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the company itself from a driver's perspective. The experience you have with any recruiter is meaningless when it comes to the experience you'll have at any given company so never make decisions based upon the quality of the recruiter. It's not that they don't matter as human beings. They simply don't matter when it comes to your trucking career because they aren't in a position to have any influence over it.

This is why I quit corporate offices....because I was just a number.

Be aware of something.......trucking is absolutely one of the most thankless jobs you'll ever have in your life. In our society truck drivers are considered bottom of the barrel by most people. Not only is the driver stereotype borderline tragic, but the trucks themselves are just big and slow and dangerous as h*ll and aggravating to most people. Simply put, if people could still live the way they do but eliminate trucks and truck drivers altogether I'm confident most people would be happy to do exactly that.

So if being treated like you're not that important to the companies you were working for was bothering you, be prepared to be outright horrified by the way you're often treated as a truck driver. And that applies to people from within your company and people outside of your company. You have to have a really thick skin in this business. If being treated like a number penetrated your skin then you're going to need a whole new layer of armor to do this trucking thing because there a lot more people willing to go out of their way to give you the finger than there are people willing to thank you for risking your life to bring them their goods.

It will be commonplace to risk your life and exhaust yourself driving day and night through terrible weather, dangerous terrain, and horrible traffic to squeeze into a delivery appointment just in the nick of time only to be told to park in the back of an empty parking by yourself for 6 hours because they don't feel like bothering with you right now. When that starts happening you'll quickly figure out how thick your skin needs to be. You will feel great about yourself and the amazing job you did but no one else is going to give a rat's *ss to be honest. That's just how it is.

When you see what it takes to thrive in this industry you'll know the best drivers almost deserve a tickertape parade for the hard work, discipline, skill, and sacrifice it takes to perform on that level consistently. But most of the time a parade of middle fingers is all you're gonna get.

I'm certainly not putting down recruiters or anyone else for that matter. I'm simply trying to help people understand that the quality of a company's recruiters has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the company itself from a driver's perspective. The experience you have with any recruiter is meaningless when it comes to the experience you'll have at any given company so never make decisions based upon the quality of the recruiter. It's not that they don't matter as human beings. They simply don't matter when it comes to your trucking career because they aren't in a position to have any influence over it.

This is why I quit corporate offices....because I was just a number.

Be aware of something.......trucking is absolutely one of the most thankless jobs you'll ever have in your life. In our society truck drivers are considered bottom of the barrel by most people. Not only is the driver stereotype borderline tragic, but the trucks themselves are just big and slow and dangerous as h*ll and aggravating to most people. Simply put, if people could still live the way they do but eliminate trucks and truck drivers altogether I'm confident most people would be happy to do exactly that.

So if being treated like you're not that important to the companies you were working for was bothering you, be prepared to be outright horrified by the way you're often treated as a truck driver. And that applies to people from within your company and people outside of your company. You have to have a really thick skin in this business. If being treated like a number penetrated your skin then you're going to need a whole new layer of armor to do this trucking thing because there a lot more people willing to go out of their way to give you the finger than there are people willing to thank you for risking your life to bring them their goods.

It will be commonplace to risk your life and exhaust yourself driving day and night through terrible weather, dangerous terrain, and horrible traffic to squeeze into a delivery appointment just in the nick of time only to be told to park in the back of an empty parking by yourself for 6 hours because they don't feel like bothering with you right now. When that starts happening you'll quickly figure out how thick your skin needs to be. You will feel great about yourself and the amazing job you did but no one else is going to give a rat's *ss to be honest. That's just how it is.

When you see what it takes to thrive in this industry you'll know the best drivers almost deserve a tickertape parade for the hard work, discipline, skill, and sacrifice it takes to perform on that level consistently. But most of the time a parade of middle fingers is all you're gonna get.

Thanks Brett, And I believe the recruiter answered my questions. I will be better equipped to ask more while in school. How can I find if a school is accredited? TT has the tech in Fort Cobb. Do I just ask? That school is close and cheap!

Recruiter: Thanks for talking to me.  I hope you make the right decision with the company you go with.  As I told you, we have orientation every Tuesday, so once you have graduated, pick one.  Orientation is paid $50 a day, paid at end of orientation.  $150 total.  6-8 week OTR training.  $450 a week during training, then .33 per mile for 6 months, then .35 and in one year .36 cpm.

Me: do your trucks have apu or inverters? Do rookies get old trucks? What is average age of trucks? Who has last word on load, trip planners or dispatcher? Do rookies get sign on bonus, if yes how much.

Recruiter: Yes, they have inverters.  No, rookies don’t get older trucks.  Our trucks are 2015 – 2016 Pete’s, 579. Average age is 2 years. No Bonus, Dispatch

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.

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.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Ha, at least if I get the finger (or a handful of them), it will be for good money. And I can give the finger, too. ;)

Ha, at least if I get the finger (or a handful of them), it will be for good money. And I can give the finger, too. ;)

Yeah, just remember there are cameras everywhere. People would love nothing more than to record you doing something they can use to make you the next YouTube trucker superstar. And of course your company will be super excited to see their name in gigantic letters across the door of the truck directly under your middle finger. I'll bet they'll have a great sense of humor about that!

Ha, at least if I get the finger (or a handful of them), it will be for good money. And I can give the finger, too. ;)

Yeah, just remember there are cameras everywhere. People would love nothing more than to record you doing something they can use to make you the next YouTube trucker superstar. And of course your company will be super excited to see their name in gigantic letters across the door of the truck directly under your middle finger. I'll bet they'll have a great sense of humor about that!

Totally agree with Brett on this. We are a rolling billboard for the companies we haul freight for. Just look at the pictures posted on my profile. Is there any question who I work for? Trouble is only a phone call away.

We represent "their" brand and for the most part "we" are the only people the public comes in contact with that work for our employers. Why add fuel to the negative public perception we already deal with? I have witnessed many drivers having to report to the terminal manager after being reported for the one finger salute. At best an unpleasant conversation. One that is easily avoided.

I was kidding. To a point. I wouldn't give the finger while driving in a company truck. I was talking more on a general level, if someone was to talk trash about me being a truck driver. :)