Two Opportunities, Need Help Choosing

I have been pre-approved for a regional flat bed position with Western Express and a regional position with Werner and I'm not sure which is a better choice or if one really is better than the other. I have heard good things about Werner but I'm very interested in driving flatbed too. I am currently otr so a regional opportunity is something I'm very happy has come my way. Does anyone have any input on either company and could steer me in a good direction? Thanks in advance.

Hi Erin, I'm not sure you're going to find the answer re: which company is best here... one of the central themes on this site is that the company name is almost irrelevant, it's how you perform that makes the difference. Deliver early or on-time every time, don't refuse loads, develop & maintain a good relationship with your driver manager or dispatcher , have a great attitude... work hard to be considered a reliable and trustworthy driver, and your company will reward you with high miles, good loads, and other unwritten perks.

So then what you are considering is dry van vs. flatbed. Know that flatbed is a very physically demanding job... the tarps are heavy, and you will find yourself working in the elements, all of them, throughout the year securing your load before you drive. You will be stopping periodically to check and possibly re-secure your load, and again should be prepared to do this in any sort of weather. Not sure which region you'll be driving in, but if you're to be on the East Coast, during the summer you will perspire through everything you're wearing in 3 minutes while securing your load. However, a well-tarped load is a beautiful thing. There is a sense of satisfaction you'll get from it, like I would after finishing cutting my lawn. If driving a flatbed is an itch you need to scratch, I'd say go for it! Your loads will be varied and you'll be delivering to a variety of interesting sites. Just be aware of the physical demands. Good luck with your decision. I'd be interested to know what choice you made.

Erin, “kinda” an apples to oranges comparison; flatbed vs dry van . What do you want to do? Why are you looking, what’s motivating you to look?

So the quick answer; Western Express is going to be physical due to the nature of flatbed. Werner unless it's a Dollar Account, will not be physical and likely be more in-line with what you are used to running OTR. I would also look at other flatbed examples like; Knight, Melton, and TMC. One of our moderators drives flatbed for Knight Transportation and does quite well. Old School also began his flatbed career with Western Express and has posted quite bit of information on his experience there. Your post states you are currently OTR. How long have you been driving? If less than a year do you owe your current company (?) any remaining schooling/training money? By providing us more information we can better advise you.

I also suggest using the search bar found in the upper left hand corner, top of page. Enter Western Express first (press enter), followed by changing the search text to Werner and press enter. Both search arguments will return any archived thread where there is a match. Add "OldSchool" as a suffix to your Western search and you'll be pointed directly to his entries (same for Knight or SAPA). Lots of data on these companies.

Based on the basic question you posed to the forum, also review the following links for an objective, side by side comparison on Western Express and Werner Enterprises:

Western Express

Werner Enterprises

Good luck.

Very different jobs. I have done both and I currently haul granite. The trailers are much different also. Not all flatbeds are the same as like box vans are real similiar. If getting home more is the goal then a regional job would be better. I don't have to tarp but unloading 41k of granite wears me out. I changed to be home more as well as force me to get some exercise. All depends what your primary goal is