Schneider

I applied for schneider just today. Before they get back with me does anyone know anything about schneider? Are they good to there drivers? Is the school good? Are the drivers you ride with typically good? Just getting into trucking so no clue what to expect. Got a class B CDL so already a commercial driver just not a trucker.

Nothing wrong w Schneider. Well established company with 1000's of drivers. Well known training company. Negative and positive reviews. As with most companies. Look at all the company sponsored training companies here on TT. Explore a few options before making final decision.

Quick answer: Yes. They are a good company. You see them all over the place. It is best to ask if you have what it takes to be good😉. Your success in this industry is determined by how well you do your job. It is important to remember that the company logo on your truck will not decide that.

I believe their training period is shorter than a lot of companies out here. Some people consider that a plus. Whereas some people prefer a longer training period to feel more comfortable when they get out on their own.

As with any company, there are good trainers and there are bad trainers. We have some drivers here who have worked for Shneider. They may be able to give you more specific info and answer any other questions you may have. If you are curious about other companies don't hesitate to ask about them too. You don't need to limit yourself to one option. There are plenty of great companies to choose from, some of which might suit you better than others.

thanks for the advice

Quick answer: Yes. They are a good company. You see them all over the place. It is best to ask if you have what it takes to be good😉. Your success in this industry is determined by how well you do your job. It is important to remember that the company logo on your truck will not decide that.

I believe their training period is shorter than a lot of companies out here. Some people consider that a plus. Whereas some people prefer a longer training period to feel more comfortable when they get out on their own.

As with any company, there are good trainers and there are bad trainers. We have some drivers here who have worked for Shneider. They may be able to give you more specific info and answer any other questions you may have. If you are curious about other companies don't hesitate to ask about them too. You don't need to limit yourself to one option. There are plenty of great companies to choose from, some of which might suit you better than others.

Schneider is a rock solid company with a well developed training program. They only use highly qualified drivers/ex-drivers as instructors. The training program has changed up some since I went through their training. When I was in school being trained they put us up in a nice hotel, provided two good meals a day and paid us (if I remember correctly) $60 per day during training. They didn’t do CDL training at that time, we had to come in with a CDL at the start. Now they have restarted the CDL program at selected operating centers so the training process is different if you go through them to get your CDL. But they will do what they tell you they will do and provide many driving options and steady work if you graduate and get hired. Lots of rules and regulations, very strict safety standards, 27/7/360 support for drivers. Any other questions, just ask.

Like anything, there is good and bad. The best things about Schneider are:

1) Terminals everywhere! Most OTR companies only have a handful of terminals - Schneider has DOZENS! This is handy for home time and parking. My first employer would always route your truck to the terminal closest to your home for truck servicing. Problem was I lived in Washington and their nearest terminal was in Riverside, CA. The drivers from the LA area got free home time. I got a refresher course in all the reasons I hate California. Meanwhile, there was a Schneider terminal in walking distance from my house.

After you've made your last delivery for the day and the shadows grow long and the sun starts to set you have to forage for whatever parking is left at nearby truck stops like every other driver - wait, you drive for Schneider? Nevermind, just go to your closest terminal. You'll have parking, food, showers and wi-fi. It's like having a chain of truck stops that can only be used by your company. O.k., not as good as a truck stop but a whole lot better than ROAMING THE EARTH trying to find a safe, legal place to park your truck.

2) They have satellite tracking for their trailers and you can use an app to find the nearest trailer. There's no guarantee that the trailer will be driveable or the shipper will be willing to release it but it's waaaaay better than what the competition has. When you make your delivery and find that there is no empty to take to your next pickup you have to call dispatch. They will give you an address where your company delivered a trailer weeks/months/years ago and you go there trying to find it. Many times the trailer will be long gone. You then get to pull over and call dispatch for another address. I've driven 11 hours and crossed five state lines in a day looking for imaginary trailers UNPAID! I'd get to hunt for a trailer about once a month.

The worst thing about Schneider is that part of your pay is cents per mile, but part is a, "bonus" you have to meet certain standards for. One of those standards is idling. You're not allowed to just idle your truck every day to keep warm or cool like most other drivers or you lose your, "bonus". I think there's some appeals process if it's 130 degrees or 30 below where you can call in and get an exemption so you don't die, but there will be a few days a week where you have to choose between comfort or paying for your heat / air conditioning.

I’m assuming your talking about the mileage (mpg) metric portion of the bonus program? My last truck did not have an APU/EPU or opti-idle and Idled all the time and still had no problem making my goals.

If your truck does not have an EPU/APU it will idle above 70 and below 20 but there are many ways to idle outside of this as well. I’ve never heard anything in my time with Schneider about not idling. But with my new truck it’s no longer a concern.

Like anything, there is good and bad. The best things about Schneider are:

1) Terminals everywhere! Most OTR companies only have a handful of terminals - Schneider has DOZENS! This is handy for home time and parking. My first employer would always route your truck to the terminal closest to your home for truck servicing. Problem was I lived in Washington and their nearest terminal was in Riverside, CA. The drivers from the LA area got free home time. I got a refresher course in all the reasons I hate California. Meanwhile, there was a Schneider terminal in walking distance from my house.

After you've made your last delivery for the day and the shadows grow long and the sun starts to set you have to forage for whatever parking is left at nearby truck stops like every other driver - wait, you drive for Schneider? Nevermind, just go to your closest terminal. You'll have parking, food, showers and wi-fi. It's like having a chain of truck stops that can only be used by your company. O.k., not as good as a truck stop but a whole lot better than ROAMING THE EARTH trying to find a safe, legal place to park your truck.

2) They have satellite tracking for their trailers and you can use an app to find the nearest trailer. There's no guarantee that the trailer will be driveable or the shipper will be willing to release it but it's waaaaay better than what the competition has. When you make your delivery and find that there is no empty to take to your next pickup you have to call dispatch. They will give you an address where your company delivered a trailer weeks/months/years ago and you go there trying to find it. Many times the trailer will be long gone. You then get to pull over and call dispatch for another address. I've driven 11 hours and crossed five state lines in a day looking for imaginary trailers UNPAID! I'd get to hunt for a trailer about once a month.

The worst thing about Schneider is that part of your pay is cents per mile, but part is a, "bonus" you have to meet certain standards for. One of those standards is idling. You're not allowed to just idle your truck every day to keep warm or cool like most other drivers or you lose your, "bonus". I think there's some appeals process if it's 130 degrees or 30 below where you can call in and get an exemption so you don't die, but there will be a few days a week where you have to choose between comfort or paying for your heat / air conditioning.

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

Terminal:

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.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

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

They have satellite tracking for their trailers and you can use an app to find the nearest trailer

My current company has the same. You can use the app and it will tell you what trailers are at your current customer location too. It also tells you which ones are loaded and which ones are empty. Very helpful indeed!