Greetings all! First post...woooo
Alright then, it's time for me to get back on the road. I got my CDL in 2006 at USTDS in the Colorado Springs area. Right after graduation I went to work for a "starter" company and unlike many that like to complain and whine about every little thing I had a great experience.
I spent 3 years driving as an OTR driver and racked up about 350k safe driving miles while driving in every state in the lower 48 as well as all the lower provinces of Canada.
I did become a trainer after only 6 months as a professional driver and trained many outstanding students to be true professionals. I know I know... Everyone thinks "omg! Training with only 6 months experience yourself? Thats crazy!" aaaand I tend to agree with you but it's something that in my case worked out really well for myself and my students.
I then decided to bring it home for awhile and moved into a local driving position for about a year.
After that, my wife and I moved across country to Ohio and I joined a regional Wal-Mart account with Schneider out of Washington Courthouse where I stayed for another 3 years.
After that I moved into a management position with Best Buy to manage their home delivery drivers and stayed there for 4 years before joining Groen**** as a Driver Manager where I spent the last 3 years.
Whew!
I stopped driving originally because I wanted to be home with my family and move more into the management roles. I've really enjoyed every moment of my career in the transportation industry and now it's time to roll again!
My wife and I have finally reached the point that we can do this together so we are currently packing up the house and getting everything into storage. I expect to get everything done and ready to roll within the next 6 months. Iknow that seems like a long timeline but we have alot of stuff haha! Also my little wife had shoulder surgery and has to complete her physical therapy and recovery before we hit the road.
So, I have really stayed up to date with the industry and regulations etc. I would occasionally move trucks around the yard but haven't actually driven for about 7 years now. I feel like it's like I have really maintained my skills though and if anything I'm just a bit older and wiser. We all know you never stop learning in this industry of course.
So... I have to say I'm leaning heavily towards Prime and running otr reefers. With my situation I'll be bringing the wife along permanently as well as our awesome cat Miss Gracie. @ Driving along with Kearsey you have been a huuuge part of us leaning towards Prime. We spent about 12 hours just over the last 2 days watching your youtube channel with much more watching to come. Wow... What an awesome spokesperson you are for them while also not holding back on the reality of the lifestyle.
That's not to say I'm not open to other possibilities so if you all have any other companies you want to recommend then by all means throw it at me!
We hope to see you all out on the road soon! Until then keep it between the lines and be safe!
Andy
Howdy, Andy! Welcome to Ohio, fellow Buckeye, and MOSTLY Trucking Truth!! Whew, is right! I'm just a 'trucker's wife,' but . . . . LoL!
Not sure WHERE in Ohio you are, but one of the hubby's 'go to' companies, is Garner .. in Findlay. Were he ever to back go OTR, .. (could happen; who knows!) Also, the app ON HERE includes Prime, Millis, and MANY other fabulous companies . . . just not sure who has 'refreshers,' per se. Hopefully, Big Scott will show up and share his CFI experience, and also PackRat, (and others) with Crete!
Garner . . . BEST 20 fleets, for YEARS..
Just wishing you well; and hoping the seasoned hands stop in, soon!
Best wishes;
~ Anne ~
ps: LAST PS: ... other half drives daycab, but not L/H.. pix and name of company in my profile.. also Don drives there, as well ~!
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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.
A refrigerated trailer.
What is most important to you in a company? Prime has refer, tanker and flatbed. Also dedicated and regional. However, I have never driven there.
I drive for CFI and think they are an excellent company to drive for. We are mostly dry van , however much is changing in 2021 with recent purchases and other changes. They bought a company and now have CFI Temperature Controlled, refer. Our sister company, Transport America is becoming CFI and they are in the process of buying UPS Freight, which will bring dedicated and LTL opportunities. That purchase is supposed to be completed by April and they are hoping to have the changes complete by January 2022.
We drive all over the lower 48 as well as Canada. CFI also specializes in cross boarder in and out of Mexico. They even have a terminal in Mexico. US drivers do not drive into Mexico, instead we drop our load at our Laredo Terminal or another broker.
They have a rider and pet policy as well. Our trucks are KW T680s and come with an inverter, satellite radio and are wired for a TV and CB.
I am happy to answer any other questions.
Scott
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
Welcome to the Trucking Truth site!
Prime, Inc. would be a great choice to restart with.
Thanks for the welcome Anne! I actually moved back to Colorado almost 4 years ago.
I absolutely love otr so I'm definitely heading in that direction. I've never tried flatbedding but I'm a bit of a clean freak so... yeah. I ran dry van for the first 3 years I drove and then reefer the last 4.
The most important things for me are the rider program so my wife can come with me. When I was otr before it was such a major downer to be separated. I loved the job but the separation was a killer. Now it's just us so it's finally time that she can come with me. She's totally prepared for and a perfect fit for the lifestyle. ( one of her nicknames is "Gypsy Lil" after all lol ). Also, pet policy that allows cats. We've had two cats for many years but we lost our siamese "Mr. Boo" earlier this year. He was 12 years old and had diabetes that he struggled with for the last 3 years and we had to give him insulin shots twice daily. His kidneys failed in mid Jan. RIP. Ms. Gracie is our 6 year old kitty that is still with us and ready to roll! Yes, we're those weird people that treat our cats like our children!
Miles... I know how it works and understand up weeks and down weeks. I'll be looking to average 2500+ per week. If I can get a 3500+ week then heck yeah I'll take it! I'll also understand if there's a poor week mixed in there.
Home time/ days off... For the most part we'll be taking days off wherever we're at. We have family in both Ohio and Colorado so there could be the occasionall request to be off there but the majority will be wherever we are.
So, rider, cat, reasonable miles per week average, reefer or dry van preferred (could consider tanker), otr.
Thanks for the advice, Andy
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.
A refrigerated trailer.
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Welcome Andy!! Since you were at a tanker outfit I’m suprised your not looking that direction. I would never even consider going back to the box world. Guess I’m a little weird. Best wishes for you to find a great fit for you!!
Thanks PJ!
I'm not totally against tanker. The team of fuel tankers I managed were fantastic. I guess it's just about what my personal driving experience is. I love the variety in dry van and reefer. I'm also not the biggest fan of slinging hoses lol! For the right opportunity its something I would look at though.
A refrigerated trailer.
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Greetings all! First post...woooo
Alright then, it's time for me to get back on the road. I got my CDL in 2006 at USTDS in the Colorado Springs area. Right after graduation I went to work for a "starter" company and unlike many that like to complain and whine about every little thing I had a great experience.
I spent 3 years driving as an OTR driver and racked up about 350k safe driving miles while driving in every state in the lower 48 as well as all the lower provinces of Canada.
I did become a trainer after only 6 months as a professional driver and trained many outstanding students to be true professionals. I know I know... Everyone thinks "omg! Training with only 6 months experience yourself? Thats crazy!" aaaand I tend to agree with you but it's something that in my case worked out really well for myself and my students.
I then decided to bring it home for awhile and moved into a local driving position for about a year.
After that, my wife and I moved across country to Ohio and I joined a regional Wal-Mart account with Schneider out of Washington Courthouse where I stayed for another 3 years.
After that I moved into a management position with Best Buy to manage their home delivery drivers and stayed there for 4 years before joining Groen**** as a Driver Manager where I spent the last 3 years.
Whew!
I stopped driving originally because I wanted to be home with my family and move more into the management roles. I've really enjoyed every moment of my career in the transportation industry and now it's time to roll again!
My wife and I have finally reached the point that we can do this together so we are currently packing up the house and getting everything into storage. I expect to get everything done and ready to roll within the next 6 months. Iknow that seems like a long timeline but we have alot of stuff haha! Also my little wife had shoulder surgery and has to complete her physical therapy and recovery before we hit the road.
So, I have really stayed up to date with the industry and regulations etc. I would occasionally move trucks around the yard but haven't actually driven for about 7 years now. I feel like it's like I have really maintained my skills though and if anything I'm just a bit older and wiser. We all know you never stop learning in this industry of course.
So... I have to say I'm leaning heavily towards Prime and running otr reefers. With my situation I'll be bringing the wife along permanently as well as our awesome cat Miss Gracie. @ Driving along with Kearsey you have been a huuuge part of us leaning towards Prime. We spent about 12 hours just over the last 2 days watching your youtube channel with much more watching to come. Wow... What an awesome spokesperson you are for them while also not holding back on the reality of the lifestyle.
That's not to say I'm not open to other possibilities so if you all have any other companies you want to recommend then by all means throw it at me!
We hope to see you all out on the road soon! Until then keep it between the lines and be safe!
Andy
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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.
Driver Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.