I Am Back

A lot has changed since last time I have posted and honestly I have been to distracted to post I lost a friend and was out for a bit but I now have my CDL and I have driving as a company driver for about 3 months I am finally doing better and decided to post again

Some things have changed though my goal is no longer to be a LTL driver but rather a OTR driver I really enjoy the life style of always being on the road and seeing new places

I do come with some questions How much experience do you need to switch to a higher paying company? What companys do you recommend as step up OTR jobs? I was recommended Variant Trucking which is the solo end of US express do you know any of there requirements, or if they are a good company, how difficult would it be to go from schneider to Variant?

As you gain your experience, talk with drivers from other companies. Ask them what their favorite and least favorite thing about the company. Also, as you gain your experience you will figure out what is most important for you.

I started with Schneider and still consider them to be a good training/starter company. How much experience do you have.? The company I drive for is JS Helwig and they require a minimum of 6 months, last I heard. I’ve been very happy where I am. When I first started, I didn’t know enough to know what I did or didn’t like. But I do know now that I prefer the smaller company. Others prefer the mega companies.To each his own. You just need to investigate your options. Look at company websites, call recruiters with a list of your questions and then go from there.

Welcome back to trucking, and to our forum, Driver Engineer!

Your question about stepping up to higher paying trucking companies and jobs is intriguing. You've barely gotten started yet! I know you are three months in now, and that is great - congratulations on that! You have made it further than you did the first try, and you have outlasted many of the bright eyed newbies who thought they could really do great at this challenging career.

I think it is a bad approach to trucking to consider your advancements in this career to be linked to the name on your truck's doors. In other words, you need to let your own actions bring you better pay and higher satisfaction. I have switched companies one time in my ten year trucking career. I labored over the decision. I didn't really even want to switch. I was happy where I was, and I was making good money despite the fact that something like 98% of all the truck drivers I encountered considered it a lousy trucking company. The offer I received from another company could not be duplicated where I was, and it had several features about the job that I found desirable. I made that switch eight or nine years ago, and I honestly don't see myself doing that again anytime soon.

Every bit of your success in this career is based on your performance. It doesn't matter whether you have Schneider's name on your truck or C.R. England's. The name on the doors doesn't make you a better trucker. Why should one of them pay you more than the other if you are not a better trucker? Just moving into a truck with a more highly regarded name on the doors won't change your results. You are still giving the same effort and producing the same results, so why are you worth more money by having the name Swift or Variant on your truck?

The sooner we all realize how important our results are, the sooner we will all be making more money in this career. I have guys on the same account with me who get paid identically to me. I was speaking with one of them the other day who was whining about his pay. He gave me a number indicating what he made last year. I wasn't exactly surprised that he made almost half of what I had made. He just doesn't realize how many ways he could improve his results right where he is. His only thought or understanding of how to increase his pay is to switch companies. It is a rabbit hole which many truck drivers keep jumping into throughout their career. It is not the answer.

Learn the secrets of successful truck drivers. Learn to be efficient and productive. Develop strategies to get more miles from your dispatcher. In general, focus on what you can do to improve your results. Trust me, you are currently leaving a lot of money on the table. We all do that as rookie drivers. We just expect the miles and the money to be handed to us because we have a CDL and little experience. You are at just the right point in your journey to begin to apply some basic strategies and disciplines that will help your career flourish. I want you to read this article and see if any of it resonates with you. I want you to be making top pay out here, and the best way I know to get you there is to help you understand how you are in control of your own destiny. Don't lean on any trucking company name or reputation. Lean heavily into yourself. You hold the key.

Show Me The Money!

I've followed Old School's advice to the best of my abilities and I'd have to say, it's proven very accurate. I consistently make more money than many of my peers at the same company. I've been with my company that many consider a "starter" company since day one and continue to find ways to make more, become more efficient and build relationships.

One thing that occurred to me along the way was that if I took all the bonus structure, the direct pay and indirect pay, built a successful reputation and relationship with my DM and Terminal manager, and through all that maxed out my pay every month, then I would be able to see about changing companies. There's no way that I could be as efficient and effective at 3 months on the job as I was at a year, and then 2 years.