Update

I went through CDL School, received my certificate. If anyone remembers I posted awhile ago about my tonsil surgery. It was a success, super painful. I still cant eat normal but weight loss at least lol. I've been in contact with recruiters from Werner, Schneider, Western Express. I was speaking with someone from US Xpress but he hasn't really gotten back with me like the others. There are so many companies still: Swift, Knight, Roehl, etc. I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and encouragement. I can be very indecisive, so I'm still thinking of what company to go with. Anyone have some advice on how you made the decision or narrowed it down?

Thank you !

Cecelia, Congratulations so far!

Hey, this may not help you but I'm going to throw it out there. People wring their hands over which company to start with. I can't tell you how much angst I've witnessed in our forum over this decision. It's honestly not very critical which trucking company you go with. They're all doing the same job, often working with the same customers. There's not much difference between them. Here's the critical thing...

You are the critical factor. There's not a single trucking company that can make you successful at this. Here's how I know this. Everyone of the companies you are interested in has a long list of people who failed an attempt at starting their career with them. The company couldn't help them succeed. They also have a long list of very successful drivers. Those drivers made it happen. They were committed and endured the problems and issues that face all of us as newbies.

The single most important thing for you is to get your head in the game and stay there. Stick it out one full year before you switch companies - that's critical. Keep your head down and ignore all the whiners and complainers that you will come across. Always bring your problems or issues in here and we will help you. You aren't going to face anything that we haven't already conquered.

Don't take your career advice from the people who aren't making it happen.

Don't Let The Terminal Rats Derail Your Career

Don’t they give ice cream after tonsil surgery? You could eat much ice cream. Good to hear about your recovery. I am mentoring with Swift right now. One of the things that was a factor in my decision was tuition reimbursement, which Swift offers. I also wanted a big company with many divisions and opportunities. Werner and Knight were also high on my list. Schneider sent a recruiter to my school, but they really seem to push those Dollar accounts on new grads, which are driver unload on multiple stops. Hope that helps.

I will start by saying that your success and happiness with any company is almost entirely up to you. You can achieve both with any company you choose.

A couple ideas to help you decide.

How long do you want to be out with a trainer? You can ask each company how long they require you to be with a trainer before going solo. If you want to go solo as quickly as possible, choose a company with a shorter requirement, and vice versa.

Ask companies if they pay fuel and/or safety bonuses. If you want to drive for a company that offers these bonuses, this may also help you to narrow down your choices.

Ask how much you will be paid during training.

Ask about home time policies. Most are pretty standard but some, like Roehl, offer many options.

If you would like to bring a pet or a person on the road with you, ask about their pet and rider policies to see what suits you best.

If you are interested in driving reefer , flatbed, or tanker, find out what companies have these divisions.

Think of it like you are interviewing them. Gain as much knowledge as you can, for your benefit, before making a decision.

If you receive answers that you have doubts about or you feel were not adequately explained, dont hesitate to post your questions here. Hopefully someone will be able to give you more clarification.

Thank you Old School. I really appreciate your response. I'll be sure to remember all advice from podcast, discussions, etc. I did make the decision that I dont want to start out flatbed. I think I'd be more comfortable starting Dry Van as a rookie.

Cecelia, Congratulations so far!

Hey, this may not help you but I'm going to throw it out there. People wring their hands over which company to start with. I can't tell you how much angst I've witnessed in our forum over this decision. It's honestly not very critical which trucking company you go with. They're all doing the same job, often working with the same customers. There's not much difference between them. Here's the critical thing...

You are the critical factor. There's not a single trucking company that can make you successful at this. Here's how I know this. Everyone of the companies you are interested in has a long list of people who failed an attempt at starting their career with them. The company couldn't help them succeed. They also have a long list of very successful drivers. Those drivers made it happen. They were committed and endured the problems and issues that face all of us as newbies.

The single most important thing for you is to get your head in the game and stay there. Stick it out one full year before you switch companies - that's critical. Keep your head down and ignore all the whiners and complainers that you will come across. Always bring your problems or issues in here and we will help you. You aren't going to face anything that we haven't already conquered.

Don't take your career advice from the people who aren't making it happen.

Don't Let The Terminal Rats Derail Your Career

Hey Jim! Thank you for responding. Lol I have had some ice cream but not too much. 😅 I have yet to speak with a Swift Recruiter but I do plan on it. How has your experience been so far? It's funny you say that, Schneider has not been pushing a Dollar account more Team Driver. Werner is pushing the Dollar accounts but I have been overlooking that. It's not the companies fault the recruiter is pushing that when I have expressed I dont want it. I'm open to most Mega Carriers.

Don’t they give ice cream after tonsil surgery? You could eat much ice cream. Good to hear about your recovery. I am mentoring with Swift right now. One of the things that was a factor in my decision was tuition reimbursement, which Swift offers. I also wanted a big company with many divisions and opportunities. Werner and Knight were also high on my list. Schneider sent a recruiter to my school, but they really seem to push those Dollar accounts on new grads, which are driver unload on multiple stops. Hope that helps.

I did make the decision that I dont want to start out flatbed. I think I'd be more comfortable starting Dry Van as a rookie.

You're a smart girl. You are going to be fine. I can tell you're using your head - I'm glad to see it!

RealDiehl thank you , this was a big help 😊 I was asking about home time, pay, benefits, but I was forgetting to ask about fuel bonuses and other things. I spoke with Roehl but they have no job opportunities for me out of Oklahoma. I definitely am flexible with time out with trainer I just want to make sure I'm trained properly and ready when it's time to go Solo.

I will start by saying that your success and happiness with any company is almost entirely up to you. You can achieve both with any company you choose.

A couple ideas to help you decide.

How long do you want to be out with a trainer? You can ask each company how long they require you to be with a trainer before going solo. If you want to go solo as quickly as possible, choose a company with a shorter requirement, and vice versa.

Ask companies if they pay fuel and/or safety bonuses. If you want to drive for a company that offers these bonuses, this may also help you to narrow down your choices.

Ask how much you will be paid during training.

Ask about home time policies. Most are pretty standard but some, like Roehl, offer many options.

If you would like to bring a pet or a person on the road with you, ask about their pet and rider policies to see what suits you best.

If you are interested in driving reefer , flatbed, or tanker, find out what companies have these divisions.

Think of it like you are interviewing them. Gain as much knowledge as you can, for your benefit, before making a decision.

If you receive answers that you have doubts about or you feel were not adequately explained, dont hesitate to post your questions here. Hopefully someone will be able to give you more clarification.

Hey Jim! Thank you for responding. Lol I have had some ice cream but not too much. 😅 I have yet to speak with a Swift Recruiter but I do plan on it. How has your experience been so far? It's funny you say that, Schneider has not been pushing a Dollar account more Team Driver. Werner is pushing the Dollar accounts but I have been overlooking that. It's not the companies fault the recruiter is pushing that when I have expressed I dont want it. I'm open to most Mega Carriers.

Don’t they give ice cream after tonsil surgery? You could eat much ice cream. Good to hear about your recovery. I am mentoring with Swift right now. One of the things that was a factor in my decision was tuition reimbursement, which Swift offers. I also wanted a big company with many divisions and opportunities. Werner and Knight were also high on my list. Schneider sent a recruiter to my school, but they really seem to push those Dollar accounts on new grads, which are driver unload on multiple stops. Hope that helps.

Cecelia, so far it's going good. I am into my third week of mentoring. Most of my driving is at night, which is hard for me. I am more of a start things at 0400 am type of guy. Most of my driving has been on freeways. I do wish that I had more of a variety with some two lane hwy. driving, which I will probably need in the future. I am driving in the Southwest, so I am getting a lot of practice with steep downgrades and upgrades. There are some construction zones on my route where the lanes are narrowed down to one lane in each direction, and where no oversized vehicles are allowed. So, some nerve wrecking driving, but good practice.

When I was in CDL school and doing my research, it was Werner that seem to be pushing team driving, and Schneider the Dollar accounts. The Werner website was really pushing team driving, and I wasn't even sure if they offered solo driving. I had to verify with the recruiter that Werner offered solo routes. I guess each region has different needs. I believe that CRST is only team driving. Knight was also on my short list and seems like a good company. There are other carriers that are big, but not as big as the megas, that might be concentrated in certain areas, but have routes outside of those areas. Good luck, and keep us posted.