Dedicated Vs Intermodal
Topic 23253 | Page 1
Hey Phistech,
I went through the same dilemma when I went through Schneider. Either Dollar Tree or Intermodal. And also like you I wanted the one that would get me home the most. I ending up going Dollar Tree however in the end they probably both would of ended up being equal. Now for Intermodal Chicago is a major hub and pretty much all containers being picked up was somewhere in the city. So definitely hard on a new driver. The regional guys I believe did alot of runs to Indianapolis and back and after 3 months I think you are "elgible" for local. How long you'll have to wait for local can be another story. So I hope this helps I don't know anything about cosco so couldn't comment there
And now that I think about it if you go on youtube and search a channel called Ricecake ftw he was a Schneider intermodal driver and filmed a lot of his experiences. Hoped this help alittle. And you definitely have my respect going in trucking at your age.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
Https://youtu.be/tyNYLf4xsRU
Hey Phistech,
I went through the same dilemma when I went through Schneider. Either Dollar Tree or Intermodal. And also like you I wanted the one that would get me home the most. I ending up going Dollar Tree however in the end they probably both would of ended up being equal. Now for Intermodal Chicago is a major hub and pretty much all containers being picked up was somewhere in the city. So definitely hard on a new driver. The regional guys I believe did alot of runs to Indianapolis and back and after 3 months I think you are "elgible" for local. How long you'll have to wait for local can be another story. So I hope this helps I don't know anything about cosco so couldn't comment there
And now that I think about it if you go on youtube and search a channel called Ricecake ftw he was a Schneider intermodal driver and filmed a lot of his experiences. Hoped this help alittle. And you definitely have my respect going in trucking at your age.
Costco dedicated starts either in Laredo or Dallas which is where Costco has their distribution centers.
From there I'll drop loads in TEXAS Louisianna Oklahoma and Kansas.
Schneider intermodal delivers to rail yards within 400 miles of Houston.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
Gotta report to Schneider's Dallas training site in a couple of weeks. My Green Bay recruiter tells me they'll start me at 37 cpm , while my local recruiter said 40 cpm when I talked to him.
I'm trying to determine which would pay more in the long run (miles driven). Green Bay says I'd average 2000 miles a week driving a dedicated Costco route, but I can find nothing about average miles for their regional intermodal jobs.
Gotta be home weekly for the wife's sake so these, pay wise, seem to be best for my needs.
Please advise me on this as I'm a 72 year old newbie.
Wow. And I was worried they might not want me at 59. More power to you, and thanks for giving me hope that being old isn't a problem.
Sorry I can't answer your question, though
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Be careful of dedicated routes. Many require you unload the truck yourself and after all that stressful driving, that might be hard. you will already be exhausted.
also, make sure intermodal divisions are also company drivers. some companies, including my company, intermodal is for lease ops only and that is a whole other issue you dont want to deal with. so.be sure to ask.
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."
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
Phishtech- Wow at 65 I thought I was the oldest out there trying to get into this. Well, I did this before. and i'm trying to get back into it. Never did intermodal. Just remember to take your time and absorb all you can in school and from your trainer to get the most out of it. Also do the practice tests that are offered here for free. Not to mention the free advice from so many experienced drivers on this forum. Good Luck!
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
Be careful of dedicated routes. Many require you unload the truck yourself and after all that stressful driving, that might be hard. you will already be exhausted.
also, make sure intermodal divisions are also company drivers. some companies, including my company, intermodal is for lease ops only and that is a whole other issue you dont want to deal with. so.be sure to ask.
Schneider's Costco dedicated is 100% no touch drop and hook , dry van and reefer.
Their intermodal is all company driver. The Costco dedicated starts in Laredo or Dallas TEXAS then runs thru TEXAS Oklahoma Louisianna and Kansas. I feel sure the Costco dedicated route will be a lot less stressful than a typical OTR job, although if I were single I'd really like the OTR.
I was hoping a Schneider or other intermodal driver would post up what kind of miles and pay I could expect.
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.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
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.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
I have not worked intermodal but did a lot of research into it when I first started exploring the industry. Ricecake ftw has some great videos about it. Lots of tight backing in busy train yards. I dont know if it changed but there was a lot of different accessory pay on top of the miles that can really add up. Also, trailers are a bit rougher and from what I've watched and read DOT likes to stick close by because of that.
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.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
My take on your situation is that you need to realize your jumping right into territory that's better suited for experienced commercial drivers. Either one of those jobs is going to be tough (real tough) on a new driver who is just trying to get the hang of things. The learning curve is going to be steep, and on both of those jobs you're going to need to pick up very quickly on how to be a master of time management within the HOS rules. That will be your most vulnerable weakspot on top of everything else involving physically manipulating the trailer into ridiculous places that may seem impossible for a month or two or six.
If I were in your shoes, and fortunately I am not, I'd go with the Costco account. They have such a great reputation for the management of their logistics and not delaying their delivery drivers excessively, that I think it's going to be the better paying of the two choices. You will definitely have to learn the system and make your appointments on time, but once you get the hang of it I think you'll find that position to be the most lucrative, and the easier of the two to gain the necessary level of competence.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
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Gotta report to Schneider's Dallas training site in a couple of weeks. My Green Bay recruiter tells me they'll start me at 37 cpm , while my local recruiter said 40 cpm when I talked to him.
I'm trying to determine which would pay more in the long run (miles driven). Green Bay says I'd average 2000 miles a week driving a dedicated Costco route, but I can find nothing about average miles for their regional intermodal jobs.
Gotta be home weekly for the wife's sake so these, pay wise, seem to be best for my needs.
Please advise me on this as I'm a 72 year old newbie.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.