How Bad Did I Shoot Myself In The Foot?

I quit my government job and went OTR with TMC. Overall I had a good experience but ultimately after 6 months I had to park the truck to help at home with my two autistic grandsons. I tried to turn in my notice but they talked me into making it a 30 day LOA while they find me a dedicated route that could get me home more. Ultimately they couldn't find one and I couldn't go back OTR at the time. Fast forward a year back at my gov job and nothing has changed here except the family had a big falling out and the grandkids are no longer in the picture. I'm trying to go back OTR flatbed but TMC won't look at me again and now Maverick won't either until I have a year OTR with a company after my termination. I can kind of see where they're coming from because in the end it's a numbers game with the mega carriers but the fact that while I was driving I had zero load claims, zero incidents, zero HOS violations and they still won't even look isn't filling me with much hope that I can find a carrier in this limbo zone I think I've put myself in. Am I screwed? Does anyone know a company off hand that would give me a shot?

Hey Jason,

I think the main thing you're up against is the economy. Hiring has slowed dramatically. This is the slowest time of the year in trucking, and now the economy is much worse than our government will admit. So it will be more difficult to find a spot, but you will.

Just apply like crazy everywhere you can. At the moment, there is no list of companies that suit your situation because you really don't have a situation. Your record is good. You quit your first job a bit sooner than most companies would hope, but for an excellent reason. So you don't need a second-chance company, you just need someone to put you in a seat.

Just go crazy with the applications. Put in twenty or thirty. Make it your full-time job to find an opportunity, and you will before long. It's a numbers game. Don't read into it when you get turned down. Just ignore it and keep moving forward.

You can Apply For Truck Driving Jobs here on Trucking Truth. You applied one year ago for paid training, but we have a form to apply as an experienced driver, as well. It's worth a shot!

Jason, I drive for a smallish company, OTR refrigerated. JS Helwig out of Terrell TX

Last I heard they are still looking for drivers if you want to check them out. I’m very happy with them.

Good luck, you will find something I’m sure

Have you considered Melton? I guarantee you Swift or Knight would be happy to have you on there flatbed division too. You might have to go through retraining since you have been out of a truck for more then a year. Plenty of carriers are still looking for drivers you just can't afford to be as picky right now as the freight market is crap and alot of carriers are either laying off drivers and downsizing trucks or closing doors completely.

Thank you all for the responses. If it's not standard in the industry to have a year exp after a termination then that does give me hope for sure. I'll open my search and just start app bombing around.

Melton is on my radar as well as they are out of Tulsa which is only a couple hours away

Have you considered Melton? I guarantee you Swift or Knight would be happy to have you on there flatbed division too. You might have to go through retraining since you have been out of a truck for more then a year. Plenty of carriers are still looking for drivers you just can't afford to be as picky right now as the freight market is crap and alot of carriers are either laying off drivers and downsizing trucks or closing doors completely.

Melton is on my radar as well as they are out of Tulsa which is only a couple hours away

Have you considered Melton? I guarantee you Swift or Knight would be happy to have you on there flatbed division too. You might have to go through retraining since you have been out of a truck for more then a year. Plenty of carriers are still looking for drivers you just can't afford to be as picky right now as the freight market is crap and alot of carriers are either laying off drivers and downsizing trucks or closing doors completely.

If you only live a couple hours away from Tulsa Melton might be a great option. A buddy of mine lives in Arkansas just outside of Waldron and drives for Melton and he is pretty happy with them. I think he's home every week too.

If you can't find any flatbed gigs and are willing to give reefer a try JCT over in Sapulpa might be a good option. They have plenty of company drivers now even though they are still set up to be a more of an LP carrier but you don't have to lease if you don't want to.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

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.

Like others have said, it's just a bad time to be in the job market. First, you're competing against experienced drivers also looking for work like people not getting miles and owner ops hanging it up and second, people aren't spending money. Look at SVB as a shining example of where we're heading.

Veriha is still actively hiring. They offer OTR and regional work in some parts of the country. So far I got to say I am pretty impressed with the company, and that is coming from someone who is extremely jaded against corporate America after losing my career after 20 years. Something to consider. I’ll pray for you and your family and hope that the right opportunity comes soon. Take care of yourself 👍