New Driver, Need Tips

Hello everyone. I am just about to go through CDL school & than will be looking for a job. What I want is to avoid the usual pitfalls drivers may experience. I'll give a bit about what I'm willing to do & what I won't do. Any help on avoiding bad companies/getting screwed would be great.

Wants/willing to do OTR & don't need to 'come home'. It won't be forever but a year of this should help my financial goals. (Yes I'm serious) Willing to drive all over but damn do big cities like New York sound terrible. A decent truck stop or maybe some near a camping spot with no load to watch is fine for a 34 hour reset (is this norm or to much to ask?) Work hard. I'll do my max hours all the time & prefer them driving not unpaid waiting around.

Won't do's Break the law. I will not go over the speed limit,go over my hours, drive unsafe equipment etc. Essentially my CDL matters to me & so does obeying the laws around it & of the road. Work for free. I don't want someone scamming my checks & would love to know what scams companies use on new drivers. Sit around. This honestly worries me. I fear being stuck & not making money.

I'm sure there are more I could add to each but can't think of any now. Just hoping for tips on finding a job, avoiding scams etc. Any companies to look into or outright avoid would be helpful.

Hope this all makes sense thank you.

Tom, any major company will not try to scam you out of your money. Try to get on with an established carrier and avoid any that want you to work on a 1099 basis. The mega companies do care about their equipment and safety. 10hr, 34 hr break parking is something you will have to learn about as you gain experience. Generally, rest areas and weigh stations are easier to park at than truck stops.

Better make peace with just sitting around and waiting. It is unavoidable for most drivers and is a part of the job and life.

One of the best things you can do is put on hold your preconceived notions about how you want things to be. Most of what your life will be is going to be out of your control and you will have to learn much as you go.

I agree with BK, he is 100% right.

Any decent company isn't going to make you run illegally.

Tom, any major company will not try to scam you out of your money. Try to get on with an established carrier and avoid any that want you to work on a 1099 basis.

Major carriers? I always hear they don't do so well for their drivers & treat you like a number. Although I have though of Prime, as I hear they are decent.

Thanks for the response. I'm taking it all in.

Tom, any major company will not try to scam you out of your money. Try to get on with an established carrier and avoid any that want you to work on a 1099 basis. The mega companies do care about their equipment and safety. 10hr, 34 hr break parking is something you will have to learn about as you gain experience. Generally, rest areas and weigh stations are easier to park at than truck stops.

Better make peace with just sitting around and waiting. It is unavoidable for most drivers and is a part of the job and life.

One of the best things you can do is put on hold your preconceived notions about how you want things to be. Most of what your life will be is going to be out of your control and you will have to learn much as you go.

I think my last response didn't go through. I heard major carriers treat drivers like a number & tend to screw people. Have heard good things about Prime & might apply to them though.

As for the sitting around, well I guess I can get out of my truck & do some workouts.

Also for anyone. Is OTR only by the mile or is there hourly. Also what is the average for a new driver?

The major carriers have so many drivers that it would be impossible to deal with each driver on a one to one basis. For example, Schneider is a very good company that has approximately 15,000 drivers. And each Driver Manager may have 40, 50 or more drivers to monitor on a daily basis. If a driver is not a self starter and needs baby sitting, he or she may not last in the profession.

New drivers should expect 40,000 to maybe 50,000 the first year. I’m in my 3rd year and I should gross about 70,000 this year. I think I’m about average in pay.

Most OTR drivers are paid per mile. Sometimes hourly pay comes in for layovers, breakdowns or detention.

The major carriers have so many drivers that it would be impossible to deal with each driver on a one to one basis. For example, Schneider is a very good company that has approximately 15,000 drivers. And each Driver Manager may have 40, 50 or more drivers to monitor on a daily basis. If a driver is not a self starter and needs baby sitting, he or she may not last in the profession.

New drivers should expect 40,000 to maybe 50,000 the first year. I’m in my 3rd year and I should gross about 70,000 this year. I think I’m about average in pay.

Most OTR drivers are paid per mile. Sometimes hourly pay comes in for layovers, breakdowns or detention.

Do you know the general starting pay per mile for a new driver. I hear somewhere around .55.

Also thank you for continuing to answer. You are very helpful.

Probably less than .55 for a new driver. More likely in the .40’s. I started out with Schneider in 2018 at .49 Started with JS Helwig 3/22 at .55. Now at .60. If I stay with Helwig, I get .01 raise every year up to .65, I think.

Don't want to be treated as just a number?

Distinguish yourself. Communicate respectfully with your FM. Add some humor in your msgs when appropriate. Anything you can do to stand out in a positive way will help you gain a positive reputation.

Be reliable and eagerly accept any changes or setbacks you have to deal with from time to time.

Even if you're frustrated on the inside, project a positive attitude.

Tom hears things:

Major carriers? I always hear they don't do so well for their drivers & treat you like a number. Although I have though of Prime, as I hear they are decent.

Major carriers don't get to the major leagues by screwing drivers. All the bigs do a decent job for their drivers. The industry is competitive for hiring drivers - you will have a job. The people you read on forums (besides T.T.) who complain do that \because they didn't understand the system - how things work. They think they were screwed on miles (There is a set way companies calculate miles) or wait/detention time (there are company policies about that). You can check out many companies here on Trucking Company Reviews. On this forum people have experience on many many companies, just ask.

I drove for Swift for three years. Thousands of drivers. The most important people in my job life knew me by name, and we worked closely so that I was always driving ($$$).

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