Did I Post In Wrong Forum?

Hi Grumpy Old Man, Earlier on in my search I had HO Wolding as one of my top 3 on the list. As I am typing this right now at the family cottage 30 miles from Amherst HQ.

They do recruit direct from a CDL school just 12 miles from where I am so that is still a good choice to go with Wolding. And this school is only $4300

I would prefer a company that is nationwide instead of Midwest and Eastern. It sounds like the do some to the southwest Arizona area but I seem to remember that those might have been kind of dedicated accounts, do you know how much happens west of the Minnesota-Texas divider line.

I know I can change later but it just rubs me wrong - going into a job thinking that I want to jump ship after getting my time in. I know it is normal in this industry, but I don't like it, to me it does not breed any kind of loyalty. But that is probably a different longer conversation that won't change anytime.

Do you know if the normal Driving area is different than what I have above? I know this website does say they do service all 48 states and wonder how many loads toward the west might be available.

It seems like the information on the company page of this website needs to be updated. It is showing pay for entry level and .29 and pay for experienced starting at .33. Some other posts seem to indicate that when you go solo about 3 years ago it was .41 per mile plus other Bonuses.

As you saw earlier in the post I was kind of leaning toward flatbed, but that was after I ruled flatbed out before that. I guess that's something I need to did deep down in my sole and figure out.

Did you start out at HO Wolding then or somewhere else first?

Hi Grumpy Old Man, Earlier on in my search I had HO Wolding as one of my top 3 on the list. As I am typing this right now at the family cottage 30 miles from Amherst HQ.

They do recruit direct from a CDL school just 12 miles from where I am so that is still a good choice to go with Wolding. And this school is only $4300

I would prefer a company that is nationwide instead of Midwest and Eastern. It sounds like the do some to the southwest Arizona area but I seem to remember that those might have been kind of dedicated accounts, do you know how much happens west of the Minnesota-Texas divider line.

I know I can change later but it just rubs me wrong - going into a job thinking that I want to jump ship after getting my time in. I know it is normal in this industry, but I don't like it, to me it does not breed any kind of loyalty. But that is probably a different longer conversation that won't change anytime.

Do you know if the normal Driving area is different than what I have above? I know this website does say they do service all 48 states and wonder how many loads toward the west might be available.

It seems like the information on the company page of this website needs to be updated. It is showing pay for entry level and .29 and pay for experienced starting at .33. Some other posts seem to indicate that when you go solo about 3 years ago it was .41 per mile plus other Bonuses.

As you saw earlier in the post I was kind of leaning toward flatbed, but that was after I ruled flatbed out before that. I guess that's something I need to did deep down in my sole and figure out.

Did you start out at HO Wolding then or somewhere else first?

I started at Wolding and will likely retire there. Everything they told me they have done. Truly a family atmosphere. They will know your name within a few months of you being hired.

Their pay is higher than what is shown here and they do service the entire country. They have regional in the NE and also Wisconsin plus OTR.

Call and speak to recruiting. Go visit if you are that close, they will be happy to show you around I’m sure.

I have always dealt with Jamie in recruiting and she is awesome.

I like your dedication to HO Wolding, that is a company I want to work for. From what I see by looking at the other messages you are not a plant by the company to draw people in and seem sincere.

I am going to hop into the car this morning and drive by, now I realize that Saturday of a holiday and also deer hunting season is maybe not the best to but we'll see. In my experience those are the times you find the boss working, I know I was at my company everyday unless at the cottage.

Speaking to a recruiter is talking to someone who makes money by getting you onboard, but at this point I am at a point that I don't know yet what I don't know.

One thing I wish this site showed was who someone drives for in the profile, Brett I sure you have considered this, do too many drivers want to keep that a secret or what?

Do you know of other current Wolding drivers that frequent this site? I have seen some of them post on this forum but it takes a while to find them again. I hope they have time to drop a post on here about what they like about HOW and what their experience and stories of why. Maybe you have ties to some and reach out to ask them. I really like the idea of a company culture that gets to know the employees, it only helps them, I can offer much experience to a company on photography and trade shows that I would gladly help with 24-7.

The more good stories I can hear the easier it is to make a committment.

Thanks - nice to meet you in posts.

Malcolm, I follow your posts with great interest. I see a man who is really trying to figure this whole "trucking thing" out. You are falling prey to making many of the most common mistakes that people trying to do their "due diligence" researching the trucking industry wrestle with. Think about this: How many times have you changed your mind about which company you want to start with? You've developed a list of "preferred" companies. You've got them sorted from top to bottom, yet with each little thing you "read" or "research" on the web, that list gets reshuffled and different companies rise to the top of your list. Just a day or two ago you wanted to get started with Millis, now your thinking H.O. Wolding would be the best place for you. I know it's not the first time you have re-prioritized one company over the other. In fact, I have no doubt in just a few days you will re-shuffle that list again! We get it - trust me, I'm not being critical. I did all the same stuff only to find out how futile all that research was.

Here's something you stated earlier...

to me it boils down to trying to figure out if the management runs a good operation and is fair to the employees.

Here's what that tells us. You've been all over the internet trying to figure out how this trucking industry works, but your research has yielded very little helpful information. In fact it has left you confused. The further you dig in just gives you more doubts and fears that you are going to make a wrong choice that will possibly keep you from success as a trucker. You have fallen prey to this bogus notion that there are these evil operators out here that are just waiting to pounce on you (the uneducated rookie) and take advantage of you. They are going to use you as "slave labor" keeping your wages terribly low, and they will hold you to a contract that means they will make a gross profit from your efforts and then throw you under the bus after they have finished their diabolical plan to "set you up for failure." Forgive my hyperbole, but am I saying anything that resonates a little in your troubled mind right now?

Well, if any of that sounds true, let me ease your mind a little. You don't have to read 20,000 pages on the internet to figure this out. In fact, most people's research only exposes them to a bunch of "misinformation" that is both troubling and misleading. Why is that? There are a bunch of losers on the internet who didn't have the gumption to make it as successful truckers. They are insolent whiners who are underachievers and malcontents. You don't know that because all you hear from them is how they got treated like slaves, and couldn't make any money. That's why you are trying to figure out "if the management runs a good operation and is fair to the employees." You see there is a whole bunch of knuckleheads on the internet who are convinced there are some really bad trucking companies out here taking advantage of people. Then they confirm it by telling you their experience at these places.

I've read all the horror stories, so I know what you are experiencing. Guess what I came to learn as I made my own personal entry into trucking? I learned these clueless complainers were lazy non-performers who wanted something for nothing. I had a few issues that kept me from getting hired by the companies that I thought would be the best places to start. To this day I am glad I experienced getting sent home from three different orientations that I had attended. I learned the secrets to success at trucking because I had to get started somewhere that had ZERO positive reviews on the internet. Western Express gave me a chance and I gave them results. We had a great relationship with each other and I could call them today and be hired in less than a minute! Everything about rucking is performance based. Drivers mix their own poison in this business, and many of them have to drink it right down to the last drop.

If you can produce positive results you can enjoy a lucrative and satisfying career. If you are mediocre and not very productive you will get overlooked while the top producers get the lion's share of the work. That's how trucking works. The guys at the top enjoy the perks of putting themselves there. The losers run to the internet screaming and throwing temper tantrums about how unfairly they were treated. You don't ask the players of a football team who never even made it to a play-off game, "How do you win the Super Bowl?" Those guys don't have the answers! They don't even have a clue why they are doing so poorly. That's obvious when they always blame their failures on someone else.

Continued...

I'm getting long winded so let me answer your question. Trucking is a tough business. It's a commodities business with average returns in the 3 to 5% profit range. That means most successful trucking operations have about a 97% operating ratio. That is one tough nut to cut. So, if you see a well established company running thousands of trucks, you know "the management runs a good operation." Quit wringing your hands over that decision - it is really easy to recognize those who are running a good operation.

Now, "Are they fair to their employees?" Once again that is an easy one to answer. Trucking is fair to people who make sure they are productive. The industry has to have movers and shakers to survive in a business with a 97% operating ratio. I did really well at Western Express. I came in with an orientation class of about fifty some odd drivers. After one year, there were two of us left from that original group. I made fifty thousand dollars - nothing to sneeze at as a total green-horn in a new career. What happened to the other 48 people? They didn't prove to be effective at the job. They started getting overlooked when loads were being dispersed. The work goes to the folks who prove they can get it done on time, safely, and ahead of schedule. Truckers are their own masters. We determine how much we get done. Conversely, we determine how little we get done. We are not being babysat. We have to show our initiative and understanding of how to be creative and productive. Any truck driver who can consistently produce great results while being cooperative and easy to work with gets extra special treatment. You are going to get as good as you give.

The name on the truck means absolutely nothing. The driver creates his own opportunities and his own success. Any well run trucking operation sees a lot of drivers come and go. The great drivers stay and enjoy the success they have created. The wannabes with little understanding or ambition end up leaving because they couldn't produce any meaningful results. This whole business is performance based. I was scared to death when I started at Western Express. The reviews made it sound like the devil himself ran the place. It wasn't anything like the internet reviews made it out to be. It was a perfectly amiable place and they kept me so busy I couldn't hardly take a break! I loved it. I created my own niche there. I enjoyed success there. That's what you do as a driver. You don't worry about the management or how you are going to be treated. You make stuff happen - that's your job. People who do their job get the rewards for their effort.

A word about visiting. During covid, a lot of employees are working from home. Best to call first, but there will probably be drivers around, who will be happy to talk to you I’m sure.

I don’t think any company has plants here for the record. But yes, I’m a driver, my truck number is 1775.

I just had time to barely skim Old Schools replies but the gist is correct. Most companies out there will treat you well if you are willing to work, I simply posted about Wolding because you mentioned them and I work there. I don’t believe there are any other drivers for Wolding active here.

Will reply more later after I’m done for the day.

This is a quick screenshot of my truck in my driveway.

I can’t add much to what the other guys have said. I’m still a rookie with 6 months out here and do regional. I will say Old School and Rob T specifically brought up some good points. I did the same thing as you, as have many others. Trying to do research, etc, who is the best, yada yada. A lot of success or failure will boil down to you. At least as far as how you run and how many miles you get. How you handle diversity. Can you play mental Chess to set yourself up to maximize your clock. If I had listened to all the reviews I had heard on my current company I wouldn’t have set foot in their orientation. But here I am, took a chance and am on track to make 75,000 or better(probably better) my first year.

Good luck. Decide what type of freight you want to haul and what type of hometime will work best for your needs. One criteria I would use to pick would be the training program. There are a few out there that try and fit 3 ppl in a truck for the first stage of training and pay ridiculously below average. I agree with everyone that says don’t focus too much in cpm at first but there are some exceptions. All I’m trying to say is that I know it’s a hard choice but try to not over think it.

Done for the day now, so I read Old School’s Really lies. As usual, spot on.

I’ve long said, the best company for a new driver is the one that will hire and train you.

As Old School said, if you are willing to work and are a self starter, you will be successful. As far as how you will be treated? The only reason I interact with anyone other than my dispatcher is because we are a small company with one terminal. So when I have my truck serviced, I run into people there. We have around 300 trucks.

But for the most part, I get a preplan committment (my next load) over the Qualcomm , accept it, rinse and repeat. Occasionally I’ll get a phone call from the load planner but that is rare. Yesterday he called and asked if I would shuttle some empty trailers from Wells ME to S Portland ME. otherwise, I sit in my truck, do my job, and collect my check.

Driving a truck is like being self employed, with none of the overhead. You get a load with a pickup and delivery time, and the rest is up to you.

Some companies require you to follow their routing, others do not. Mine doesn’t. I sleep when I want, drive when I want, eat when I want, etc., as long as I make my appointments. And many of those are fluid. We have a lot of receivers that could care less about appointments, a lot are preloaded trailers, etc.

The above should not read Old Schools Really lies. Lol

It should say his replies. Stupid phone.

Oh and a little story about what he said about complainers.

I went solo and right out of the gate was running like a mad man. 60-65 hours a week. I met a woman who had experience, came to work with us and was complaining she couldn’t get any loads and was only making $500/week.

I didn’t say anything because I was so new I didn’t know if I was getting special treatment or not and didn’t want to make waves. Turns out that no, anyone who can manage their clock and the Qualcomm properly and wants to work can run like crazy.

One of her problems is she never mastered the Qualcomm and didn’t realize the importance.

She would deliver a load but never accept the preplanned load, and wait for someone to assign the load, never send an empty call so dispatch never knew she had delivered, etc.

She ended up leaving because she found the perfect company for her. I had friended her on Facebook.

Guess what? She left there after a few months too, because she couldn’t make money.

If you can only make $500/week driving a truck, YOU are doing something wrong.

Thanks guys, All things I think I really knew but you know sometimes you just need a slap on the back of the head. Now time to make sure I have a better idea what type of work I want to de e.g. Flatbed or Van.

Absent of being able to personally watch someone secure and tarp loads, I am going to see if Youtube or some of the megas have any training videos I can watch and see how the different tasks look. If you know of Youtube channels that you have seen that explain it well it might be helpful.

Sorry I don't see a smiley to bow to the wisdom of the group on here!!!