ClassA Newbie Curious About Tyson

Hello.. I’m new to the forum and I have questions I’m hoping I can get answered through this website. Soon to train with Tyson as an OTR driver. Being female and only done regional before I’m a bit nervous. I read a young lady’s post about walking out of training due to a 1yr signing commitment. Like her I’m clean on all my necessities as well. Is Tyson a good company to work for? I thought I was applying for local or regional but I am curious about OTR. Is it hard? Where does one park on your breaks? I’m nervous about having to sleep in a rest stop. I see in another gentleman’s post there are no dogs allowed, which makes since if I’ll be hauling food products. Any advice to offer?…. Btw: female, class a 6yrs, class B for 21 before upgrade, only drove local routes w/ 11hrs round trip, not a driving school grad but a company drivers program

Ryan wrote:

Any class A position with a private fleet (hauls its own freight) is a good situation because you have better job stability than many other companies.

Subjective. Can you please expand on this Ryan? Factually I’m not aware of one (TL and LTL) being more or less stable than the other. I’ve worked for both and did not notice anything supporting your point. Fact is most private fleets (Tyson being an exception) do not train and require experience. So for a rookie, it’s typically moot.

I’ve read this a half dozen times and at the least I’d like to see some clarification given that many of our readers know very little about this industry.

I said many companies, not every company. Tyson is one a small handful of private fleets that hire without experience, but it's not the only. My comment was in no manner intended to speak on the hiring practices of any private fleet.

Private fleets have more stability because they are not relying on things like market fluctuations for broker rates since they exclusively haul their own freight. Private fleets will obviously fluctuate on the amount of freight needing to be hauled, thus the reason it is more stability versus absolute stability.

I read a young lady’s post about walking out of training due to a 1yr signing commitment

Don't pay to much mind to people doing things like this. Everybody has different needs and different experiences. I'd say if you can't commit a year to start, now is not the time. I put off starting for a while because of this. If you're confident you can commit a year, go for it.

Is Tyson a good company to work for?

I don't think we have any Tyson drivers here, but this is a subjective question. What may be a great fit for you may be horrible for somebody else. You have to figure out what's important to you, list those questions and ask them during orientation. For example, some people prioritize pay others prioritize home time and there are some that prioritize the make of the truck.

I thought I was applying for local or regional but I am curious about OTR. Is it hard?

That's another subjective question. Some people thrive being out for weeks at a time. For others, the loneliness gets to them and they begin to feel burned out. I'd advise staying away from local starting out. You want to build experience before going what Tyson does locally.

Where does one park on your breaks? I’m nervous about having to sleep in a rest stop.

Don't be. Most people don't bother you, but like everything else you'll experience a few bad apples that will offer opinions that weren't asked for. Where you park for breaks will vary. Some customers may allow you to park on property, there's truck stops (now called travel centers) and the rest areas along the road. Use your discretion, intuition and common sense when parking and you'll be fine.

Any advice to offer?…

Be coachable, ask questions and follow instructions. The hiring process is a long form interview. You'll behavior and habits will be observed and used to determine if you're a good fit. Have fun and don't be afraid to stop if you need to.

Our own PapaPig offered a piece of advice regarding frustration a few weeks ago that stuck with me. He said "drive with your eyes and brain, leave emotion out of it". That goes for when other people do something stupid or when you can't back if your life depended on it (we all have those days).

Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

So yah wanna be a chicken hauler. I’m around chicken farms, organic material processors supporting chicken farming and chicken processing plants constantly. I’ve talked with many drivers; Tyson, Mountainaire and Allen… all seem fairly happy with their employers and most have been with them for years.

There was a driver named GuyJax who drove for Tyson. Here is a link to the review he wrote with comments:

Tyson Review

Good luck!

From a woman who has been OTR for 7 years.... You are safe. Be smart and be aware. There are usually people around if u did scream I did a video about this.

Kearsey Talks Safety OTR

For any newbies reading....

Many meat plants such as Tyson, Cargill, and Smithfield will ban pets or even passengers. This is nothing new in the reefer division.

Any class A position with a private fleet (hauls its own freight) is a good situation because you have better job stability than many other companies. As has been mentioned, whether or not Tyson is a good fit for you is something only you can answer for yourself. Being in Texas, you are in a great location to work for Tyson.

Thank you Ms. Kearsy. ☺️

From a woman who has been OTR for 7 years.... You are safe. Be smart and be aware. There are usually people around if u did scream I did a video about this.

Kearsey Talks Safety OTR

Thank you Mr. Ryan; I’ll keep that in mind.

Any class A position with a private fleet (hauls its own freight) is a good situation because you have better job stability than many other companies. As has been mentioned, whether or not Tyson is a good fit for you is something only you can answer for yourself. Being in Texas, you are in a great location to work for Tyson.

I appreciate everyone’s advice and well wishes. I’ll keep my mind and eyes open and keep it between the lines 😊

I read a young lady’s post about walking out of training due to a 1yr signing commitment

Don't pay to much mind to people doing things like this. Everybody has different needs and different experiences. I'd say if you can't commit a year to start, now is not the time. I put off starting for a while because of this. If you're confident you can commit a year, go for it.

Is Tyson a good company to work for?

I don't think we have any Tyson drivers here, but this is a subjective question. What may be a great fit for you may be horrible for somebody else. You have to figure out what's important to you, list those questions and ask them during orientation. For example, some people prioritize pay others prioritize home time and there are some that prioritize the make of the truck.

I thought I was applying for local or regional but I am curious about OTR. Is it hard?

That's another subjective question. Some people thrive being out for weeks at a time. For others, the loneliness gets to them and they begin to feel burned out. I'd advise staying away from local starting out. You want to build experience before going what Tyson does locally.

Where does one park on your breaks? I’m nervous about having to sleep in a rest stop.

Don't be. Most people don't bother you, but like everything else you'll experience a few bad apples that will offer opinions that weren't asked for. Where you park for breaks will vary. Some customers may allow you to park on property, there's truck stops (now called travel centers) and the rest areas along the road. Use your discretion, intuition and common sense when parking and you'll be fine.

Any advice to offer?…

Be coachable, ask questions and follow instructions. The hiring process is a long form interview. You'll behavior and habits will be observed and used to determine if you're a good fit. Have fun and don't be afraid to stop if you need to.

Our own PapaPig offered a piece of advice regarding frustration a few weeks ago that stuck with me. He said "drive with your eyes and brain, leave emotion out of it". That goes for when other people do something stupid or when you can't back if your life depended on it (we all have those days).

Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

Ryan wrote:

Any class A position with a private fleet (hauls its own freight) is a good situation because you have better job stability than many other companies.

Subjective. Can you please expand on this Ryan? Factually I’m not aware of one (TL and LTL) being more or less stable than the other. I’ve worked for both and did not notice anything supporting your point. Fact is most private fleets (Tyson being an exception) do not train and require experience. So for a rookie, it’s typically moot.

I’ve read this a half dozen times and at the least I’d like to see some clarification given that many of our readers know very little about this industry.