Werner Dollar Account For Rookie

Hello all,

Happy and safe New Year! I am still at the driving school but getting calls from Werner and Schneider already. I am considering to start with one of them, unless I will find something more interesting. I just spoke with someone from Werner who was trying to convince me to their regional Dollar account (I am based in NYC) promising great money straight out of the school. Does anyone have any experience with this company or even run on this account? To be honest I imagine myself getting my first miles and gaining experience thru OTR as I love to travel and sightseeing, hoping to visit all 48 mainland states at some point. Schneider has a job offer as OTR dedicated fleet position with flat base pay. It looks appearing to me because I don’t want to start chasing miles since the beginning, just focus on safe driving, keep my CDL A clean and put some time behind a wheel. Maybe I am wrong. I still have at least 3 weeks of practice before my first DMV road test attempt and then will need to make a decision about first employer.

We never, ever, EVER recommend starting any dedicated account with the word "DOLLAR". Too many risks for failure with a brand new driver no matter what company it's with.

There are tons of other major carriers with opportunities to drive all 48 states.

Take a look at Papa pigs diary running the Dollar General account for Werner. He's making really good money but physically his body is taking a beating for it. I'm sure he'll stop by if you have any specific questions about it, or you can always post on his diary as well. Do yourself a favor and Google random small town dollar stores and imagine trying to fit a 70 foot vehicle in there. You'll quickly see why we don't recommend it, and why they offer such a high paying account to rookies fresh out of school. Most experienced drivers have no interest in it.

Thank you PackRat,

Sounds like I should stay away from this account. It sounded to good to be truth and I was wondering why this “great” offer is directed to rookie and it is not filled by experienced drivers.

What should I pay attention to checking with major carriers? They look very similar to me. None of them has a terminal close to my home so I will end up dragging company truck to Brooklyn. When I ask them where can I park it in my area, they say it will be figure out after orientation. I like to have as many details as possible before making decision and don’t spend too much of reset time commuting to/from work.

Wouldn’t do dollar accounts in nyc. They can’t keep Drivers and are always offering us a bunch of extra money to go run up there. No thanks.

I would strongly advise against anything that starts with "dollar". When I was in school we saw all the same pitches from the recruiters on how great and how much money the "dollar" accounts are.

I always wondered if they are so great why are you guys all having to come to schools and try and recruit new drivers. Shouldn't their experienced drivers be clamoring over each other for that opportunity.

Thank you guys! I will skip on this “opportunity” from Werner. Schneider was offering regional intermodal option in my area even for beginners and this position did not last long until was fulfilled so probably was a better choice. OTR with major carriers is still on my mind and I am considering base pay position with Schneider ($980/week, 3rd week +$250, 4th +$400, $4k sign on bonus, $200/month school reimbursement) to start with. I am sure they would keep me running and I would not have to be worry about miles. I really like this forum, you guys are very helpful and I can get so much information before making any decisions.

I will say this. You can’t blame Werner or any of the carriers that have this account for getting drivers any way they can. They have been villianized for getting rookies (like myself)This is a bread and butter for them and generates a lot of revenue. The problem is that it IS DIFFICULT, physically and driving skill wise. They can’t rely on experienced drivers because most don’t want to deal with it and the freight has to get there someway. My account is at a hiring freeze because a lot of otr guys came with winter. I am told from my fleet manager that happens every year cause they don’t want to drive in the snow. But once it warms up they all tend to leave. LOL Good luck on your choice! There is a lot of stuff out there. Whatever your choice don’t give up! First little bit isn’t gonna be rainbows and sunshine whatever path you take. But it will be worth it in the end

My advice is disregard any offers of a sign on bonus, because these are usually paid out over a lengthy period in smallish amounts. Example is a a $1200 amount, paid in bi-monthly installments of $50 every two weeks. Well, after taxes take about 1/3, you may see $36. Will that $1.50 make a real difference?

As for which company is "The One", make a list of what interests you and why. This could involve:

Pay?

Benefits?

Areas traveling? Could it be all 48 contiguous states or a regional gig?

Home for days off? Do you want to be home often or will you stay out for many weeks?

Team driving or solo after completion of the road training?

Type of equipment like van or refrigerated or flatbed or intermodal?

Retirement options? 401K, IRA, pension, profit sharing?

Find the ones that meet your criteria, then call their recruiters. Don't pay a lot of attention to any online reviews as most of these are not accurate. You can be successful nearly anywhere with hard work and dedication, so the name on the truck's door or trailer doesn't mean everything. The driver pulls a trailer with freight from Point A to Point B. That's the job at every trucking company.

Like rob and pack rat said google dollar general acct in nyc crazy good luck in whatever you choose otr is the best way to start imo you’ll get a lot of seat time and deal with enough situations with backing and traffic and weather than jumping right off with the hardest of the hard while managing your clock keep us posted I’m interested

Hello all,

Happy and safe New Year! I am still at the driving school but getting calls from Werner and Schneider already. I am considering to start with one of them, unless I will find something more interesting. I just spoke with someone from Werner who was trying to convince me to their regional Dollar account (I am based in NYC) promising great money straight out of the school. Does anyone have any experience with this company or even run on this account? To be honest I imagine myself getting my first miles and gaining experience thru OTR as I love to travel and sightseeing, hoping to visit all 48 mainland states at some point. Schneider has a job offer as OTR dedicated fleet position with flat base pay. It looks appearing to me because I don’t want to start chasing miles since the beginning, just focus on safe driving, keep my CDL A clean and put some time behind a wheel. Maybe I am wrong. I still have at least 3 weeks of practice before my first DMV road test attempt and then will need to make a decision about first employer.