Company Advice

I need some advice. I just left Swift, won't get into details but I took time off and couldn't get my job back. I'm driving for Werner right now OTR , honestly I hate OTR, I have a daughter I can barely see now. Schneider offered me a regional job, 4 days out 3 days home but I need to obtain my hazmat in 60 days. They wanna fly me to Chicago next week, i m resistant because I just started Werner and I don't want it to look bad on my job record looking like I jump company to company. I kinda wanna go to Schneider, but running hazmat in Boston and New york just doesn't seem appealing to me either, especially at 35cpm, now that's with stop pay, apparently 900 minimum weekly, I'm making the same at Werner.

So deal with the lack of hometime for now, and get in 6 months with Werner before you make a move. If you "just started" Werner (as in, less than a month), then it probably wouldn't look "too bad" to move RIGHT NOW. But be prepared to STICK AND STAY with Schneider for awhile.

A lot of folks move around the first couple of years, looking for the "perfect fit" (which is a myth anyways - it's always a compromise). 6 months is usually what folks that are considering a hire would want to see. Start stacking up 3 months here, 4 months there a few times - and folks are going to look at that when hiring also.

Rick

I need some advice. I just left Swift, won't get into details but I took time off and couldn't get my job back. I'm driving for Werner right now OTR , honestly I hate OTR, I have a daughter I can barely see now. Schneider offered me a regional job, 4 days out 3 days home but I need to obtain my hazmat in 60 days. They wanna fly me to Chicago next week, i m resistant because I just started Werner and I don't want it to look bad on my job record looking like I jump company to company. I kinda wanna go to Schneider, but running hazmat in Boston and New york just doesn't seem appealing to me either, especially at 35cpm, now that's with stop pay, apparently 900 minimum weekly, I'm making the same at Werner.

Kash,...all of the details are in your comment history. Based on what has occurred in your career thus far, I would recommend that you seriously take stock of your priorities before making another move. In past threads several forum members recommended that you not go OTR, so not sure why (unless you had to take the job) you would subject yourself to OTR when you knew that your home time would be less than it was when you were running Walmart dedicated. If seeing your daughter on a more regular basis is most important to you, again I think your best option is to stick it out with Werner until you have the year of experience and really focus on safe and efficient driving. Once you have the year, you will have more opportunities and possibly additional flexibility as a result. Also not a bad idea to ask Werner if they have a dedicated account that would get you home more often.

Good luck.

You asked for advice, so here it is. The way I see it you have about three viable options. Option one: you can stick it out OTR for another year, plan on seeing your daughter once a month, and save up as much money as humanly possible. Eat ramen and fruit, ditch any non essential monthly bills, etc. Get a decent chunk of money saved, then get off the road and live on it while you pursue another career. This is what I would personally do. OTR isn't for everyone, and there's no shame in that. My boyfriend and I only plan to be out here another year or two, because we want to start a family and there's no way we can do that as team drivers. You won't see your daughter as often as you'd like, and it'll be hard, but you can do it. Military men do it, and for a much longer stretch than a month at a time.

Option two: get on that dedicated account at Werner (or Schneider, I suppose, if you're sure they'll take you), and stay there. Don't switch to another company after Schneider no matter how much you hate it, because you'll then be on your 4th company in less than a year and it's gonna start looking really bad. If it is crucial to see your daughter more often this is probably your only option to accomplish that and remain in trucking. Just know that your "three days off" could very well be getting home Saturday afternoon and heading back out Monday morning. Maybe not every week, but that's pretty typical for home weekly accounts.

Option three: throw in the towel. From your posting history here it seems like you've not liked OTR since the beginning. I don't know how much happier you are going to be on a dedicated account, because it's going to be very stressful (especially Boston/New York). You might run less miles and be home more often, but it's not going to be any sort of cakewalk. I don't know your bill situation so chances are this isn't really an option at all, but if you can go back to school or your culinary job it might be for the best.

Don't torture yourself doing something you hate. Before I started trucking I worked a factory "desk job" that had a very good income potential. I couldn't do it, because it absolutely drained me. I think I would have legitimately lost my mind by now had I still been working there. I would work fast food again before I went back there. There are people who've worked that same job for 20+ years and are perfectly content. It just wasn't for me. Nobody has to be perfect at everything. I would encourage you to try and stick it out if you can, because you've only got six months in and it really does get easier at the one year mark. But if you really feel like you've given it your best shot there's nothing wrong with calling it quits.

I have a different perspective. I drive for Schneider.

A friend of mine drove for Schneider and quit within 3 months. He went to two other companies and didn't last more than a month at either. Then he was out altogether, but found a company he went Owner Op with and has been with them about three months.

He likes the situation he's in now because it pays well, his truck (used) payment is relatively low and he's able to be home more.

I say all this because sometimes opportunities come along that meet our needs.

If you do come to Schneider, I recommend you stay at least a year and give it your all. If you stay at Werner my recommendation is the same.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Then he was out altogether, but found a company he went Owner Op with and has been with them about three months.

Steve, are you saying your friend has only been an O/O for 3 months? I would not think that is enough time to know how well things are working out...