Driving For Schneider Vs. ABF, US Express

See all the stuff above? This is why I take that blunt approach to stuff. recognition is uncomfortable and for me it's embarrassing. I try to avoid it.

No need for all the fuss. Only doing what I can and besides what better place than here that I can show off years of experience.

*goes off to plan on how to sedate the members of the Ol' Geezersville Retirement Community and mumbles to himself about others being senile*

I drove for Schneider for 4 months before being recalled to flying job back in February. My experience, albeit a brief one, was an overwhelmingly positive one with Schneider. I can absolutely say that I enjoyed my time there and can recommend it as an excellent place to get your start in the industry.

Specifically, I appreciated the company's safety culture (it is not merely lip service at SNI, they are extremely safety-conscious), excellent training with instructors who genuinely cared about making sure that the drivers were safe and competent before being released on their own, constant freight (it was rare not to be pre-assigned a new load before delivering my current one), support from my Driver Business Leader and other administrative staff, and so on. I was also glad that they had a large number of divisions to choose from, had I decided to stay in the industry. I was based in Charlotte in the Van Division, but it was my goal to eventually go Intermodal since I live near the port in Wilmington, NC and would have been able to transfer eventually without switching companies. Living in PA, you'll have the option of switching divisions or picking up a dedicated route , also, should you choose to do so.

In short, I found Schneider to be a quality organization that lives up to its core values of Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence. And no, I'm not a recruiter! :-) I was just very impressed with the company during my time there.

I drove for Schneider for 4 months before being recalled to flying job back in February. My experience, albeit a brief one, was an overwhelmingly positive one with Schneider. I can absolutely say that I enjoyed my time there and can recommend it as an excellent place to get your start in the industry.

Specifically, I appreciated the company's safety culture (it is not merely lip service at SNI, they are extremely safety-conscious), excellent training with instructors who genuinely cared about making sure that the drivers were safe and competent before being released on their own, constant freight (it was rare not to be pre-assigned a new load before delivering my current one), support from my Driver Business Leader and other administrative staff, and so on. I was also glad that they had a large number of divisions to choose from, had I decided to stay in the industry. I was based in Charlotte in the Van Division, but it was my goal to eventually go Intermodal since I live near the port in Wilmington, NC and would have been able to transfer eventually without switching companies. Living in PA, you'll have the option of switching divisions or picking up a dedicated route , also, should you choose to do so.

In short, I found Schneider to be a quality organization that lives up to its core values of Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence. And no, I'm not a recruiter! :-) I was just very impressed with the company during my time there.

Shaun...Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been in a blur the last two weeks as I started the driving part of the school. Thanks so much for your input. You have helped me decide to stay with my first choice, Schneider.

I started my big truck career at Schneider, went to there school back in late 2004. That's where I did my first year then took local job with some smaller companies. I have nothing but good things to say about the "Pumpkin" Truck. Be glad to try and answer any specific questions you have but of course its been a while since I was there. I will say they are all about being safe and legal. They kept fairly new equipment, scheduled maint., Also had very nice operating centers that you can get to, to stay out of the truck stops.

Don't get offended about being in a pumpkin truck. We were told by the trainers and even management about all those orange cones you see out on the highway. They are actually Schneider eggs that are about to hatch. Ha ha.

when I was there was always plenty of miles. They were also doing some new things with your home time so you were able to schedule when you wanted to be home and go back out. Then there is the number of dedicated accounts you could run that get home weekly and it didn't take long to get on one.

Logging has changed, gone to computers. Most likely by now there is more technological "stuff" being used, but I would bet as far as miles, money, and home time they would be one of the best out there. When I look back at my life choices, if I had the chance to do it over, I would have stayed with them. Going to the smaller local companies was a disappointment and why I left the business for awhile.

That's my two cents, but of course the decision is yours. Good Luck and keep in touch

I'm Sober-J over

I drove for Schneider for 4 months before being recalled to flying job back in February. My experience, albeit a brief one, was an overwhelmingly positive one with Schneider. I can absolutely say that I enjoyed my time there and can recommend it as an excellent place to get your start in the industry.

Specifically, I appreciated the company's safety culture (it is not merely lip service at SNI, they are extremely safety-conscious), excellent training with instructors who genuinely cared about making sure that the drivers were safe and competent before being released on their own, constant freight (it was rare not to be pre-assigned a new load before delivering my current one), support from my Driver Business Leader and other administrative staff, and so on. I was also glad that they had a large number of divisions to choose from, had I decided to stay in the industry. I was based in Charlotte in the Van Division, but it was my goal to eventually go Intermodal since I live near the port in Wilmington, NC and would have been able to transfer eventually without switching companies. Living in PA, you'll have the option of switching divisions or picking up a dedicated route , also, should you choose to do so.

In short, I found Schneider to be a quality organization that lives up to its core values of Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence. And no, I'm not a recruiter! :-) I was just very impressed with the company during my time there.

Shaun...Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been in a blur the last two weeks as I started the driving part of the school. Thanks so much for your input. You have helped me decide to stay with my first choice, Schneider.

Good deal! I don't think you'll be disappointed with your decision to start there. It's a great place to get started, but what impressed me the most were the number of drivers who'd been there for 10, 15, 20 years and more. That, to me, speaks volumes about the culture there.

I drove for Schneider for 4 months before being recalled to flying job back in February. My experience, albeit a brief one, was an overwhelmingly positive one with Schneider. I can absolutely say that I enjoyed my time there and can recommend it as an excellent place to get your start in the industry.

Specifically, I appreciated the company's safety culture (it is not merely lip service at SNI, they are extremely safety-conscious), excellent training with instructors who genuinely cared about making sure that the drivers were safe and competent before being released on their own, constant freight (it was rare not to be pre-assigned a new load before delivering my current one), support from my Driver Business Leader and other administrative staff, and so on. I was also glad that they had a large number of divisions to choose from, had I decided to stay in the industry. I was based in Charlotte in the Van Division, but it was my goal to eventually go Intermodal since I live near the port in Wilmington, NC and would have been able to transfer eventually without switching companies. Living in PA, you'll have the option of switching divisions or picking up a dedicated route , also, should you choose to do so.

In short, I found Schneider to be a quality organization that lives up to its core values of Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence. And no, I'm not a recruiter! :-) I was just very impressed with the company during my time there.

Shaun...Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been in a blur the last two weeks as I started the driving part of the school. Thanks so much for your input. You have helped me decide to stay with my first choice, Schneider.

Good deal! I don't think you'll be disappointed with your decision to start there. It's a great place to get started, but what impressed me the most were the number of drivers who'd been there for 10, 15, 20 years and more. That, to me, speaks volumes about the culture there.

Been doing driving sessions the last three weeks at the school, finished yesterday, test tomorrow. So I haven't been on here for a while I do have another question though about Schneider.....Their dedicated jobs indicate 5 days out and two days home. One of the instructors at our school said that two days home means...you'd get home on a Tuesday AM and leave the next afternoon. Can you confirm that?

I drove for Schneider for 4 months before being recalled to flying job back in February. My experience, albeit a brief one, was an overwhelmingly positive one with Schneider. I can absolutely say that I enjoyed my time there and can recommend it as an excellent place to get your start in the industry.

Specifically, I appreciated the company's safety culture (it is not merely lip service at SNI, they are extremely safety-conscious), excellent training with instructors who genuinely cared about making sure that the drivers were safe and competent before being released on their own, constant freight (it was rare not to be pre-assigned a new load before delivering my current one), support from my Driver Business Leader and other administrative staff, and so on. I was also glad that they had a large number of divisions to choose from, had I decided to stay in the industry. I was based in Charlotte in the Van Division, but it was my goal to eventually go Intermodal since I live near the port in Wilmington, NC and would have been able to transfer eventually without switching companies. Living in PA, you'll have the option of switching divisions or picking up a dedicated route , also, should you choose to do so.

In short, I found Schneider to be a quality organization that lives up to its core values of Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence. And no, I'm not a recruiter! :-) I was just very impressed with the company during my time there.

Been doing driving sessions the last three weeks at the school, finished yesterday, test tomorrow. So I haven't been on here for a while I do have another question though about Schneider.....Their dedicated jobs indicate 5 days out and two days home. One of the instructors at our school said that two days home means...you'd get home on a Tuesday AM and leave the next afternoon. Can you confirm that?

Here are how most companies do days off. Let's say you want off the 14th and 15th. That does not mean you get home on the 13th. Most times it's the sometime during the day on the 14th but all the companies I have dealt with got me home on the day I wanted and came back out 2 days later. If you got home on the 14th you would return to work the morning of the 16th.

And of course it's also going to be something you have to work out with your DM. Just remember that you will be new. The low man on the totem pole. If for whatever reason things don't go exactly like the recruiter said it would the last thing you want to do is say "that is not what the recruiter told me". That will not go over very well.

I'll toss in my .02 about Schneider. I just left Schneider after spending about a year with them. The reason for leaving was to take what I hope will be a better job with JB Hunt. (For details on that job check out my post "JB Hunt PPG dedicated account") I enjoyed working for Schneider. Here are some reasons why:

Training: I believe their training is excellent. I was prepared well for my first trucking job. Their close maneuvering course got me out of a couple sticky situations. You will spend about 5 days in an intense classroom and field course. Then go out with a training engineer for about 5 days. After that about 3-4 more days in the classroom and on the road. Then of to your new to you truck.

Trucks: I am a non smoker so I turned down my first truck because it smelled like an ashtray. My second truck was trashed and had no right to be on the road. I also said no to this one. My third truck was a very nice 2011 Freightliner Cascadia with 385,000 miles. My point is hold out for a decent vehicle. You live in that more than you live in your house.

People: Everyone was friendly and helpful. My DBL and I hit it off right away and had a great working relationship.

Pay: When I started I was at .31 per mile. When I left I was at .34 per mile. If I had stayed for a full year I would be at .36 per mile. The money for a first year driver was pretty good. I averaged about $750 a week.

Bottom line it's a great company to get your feet wet. and there are many opportunities within the company. I know some driver that have been with them for many years and are very happy. My personal goal was to advance my career more rapidly.

Hope this helps.

To the OP, see if there are other LTL (less than truckload) opportunities where you live. If you have ABF, chances are you have others nearby. Some LTL companies don't require you to work the dock and will hire drivers from the street. Not every LTL outfit will make you wait by the phone or be on the extraboard. Know the questions to ask to make sure you won't be on extraboard or having to wait by the phone for work. Estes, OD, Con-Way hires students. Each terminal can be different, even the same company. It all depends on what you want out of trucking. I don't see LTL really talked about on this forum. Lots of OTR. To each their own. EAch has their place. Generally speaking, you'll make more and be home more often with LTL. Top pay usually only takes a few years to reach. If you don't wanna sling freight everyday with P&D , check out linehaul. 65-80K pretty common once you reach top pay running linehaul , and you'll be home daily with two days off. REally depends on the company and where you live. Just tossing this out there to all the young drivers. nothing wrong w/ OTR , but that's not your only option if you're in the right place. you'll have to have hazmat and doubles/triples to pull those wiggle wagons.