AJ 's Top Ten

OK ... The list has narrowed for Company Sponsored CDL

Please vote for your top two ! ( or , please tell me if I have left out a good one)

In alphabetical order .....

1. Con- Way ........ I like the work from dock option, but I haven't contacted for hard core details

2. Driver's Solutions...... PAM USA - slightly favored over PAM .... I like these because they are regional carriers , and living in Nashville, I would never be far away from home.

3. Knight - The only thing I don't like about Knight is that the schooling isn't absorbed or set up to pay back . Everything else about this company is awesome The Only Nashville main terminal I have found.

4. Millis - Atlanta school and terminal - most cost of school absorbed Family atmosphere with smaller class sizes.

5. Old Dominion - I haven't gathered much about this one yet. ... just heard some good stuff

6. Prime - perhaps too OTR for me. I can't be out for a month at a time

7. Roehl I Love this outfit. Atlanta main terminal (close enough, I think)

8. Swift / Central Another great outfit. Memphis / Atlanta main Terminals Memphis school

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OK ..... Input please

while you guys are idling at shipping / receiving ;)

Thank you all, for the incredible info I am gathering here.

Once I pick a School / carrier and complete the High Road Program. I will be half way to my new career.

Morning AJ. Not trying to be difficult here, but I'm not sure if you're going to get the input you're looking for. If anybody ranks your top ten picks, it will be for them. Nobody can rank for you, because nobody knows your own criteria for making judgments but you. It's like asking somebody if you should choose a certain company. Nobody on this forum is going to tell you what company to choose.

You've already hinted at one of your personal requirements in that you don't want to be away for more than a month at a time. And as you've already realized, that potentially rules out Prime Inc (although they do have a NE regional fleet that's bi-weekly). Depending on the school you choose, you might have to be more flexible with this, especially during training. After your training you could get a more regional job in said company, but you'll want to make sure that your company will have those kinds of regional positions immediately available for a rookie driver. Something to ask your recruiter - and hopefully they won't sing you a song about it ;)

I know you're interested in LTL , perhaps you should start there, depending if they have any terminals in your area. Perhaps a local job would be a good fit for you based on your hometime needs. Not sure how their in-house training works. I'd be curious to see what you come up w/ for CWF and OD. If you weren't ruling out Prime due to hometime needs, I would've suggested them as an OTR outfit, as I believe they probably pay the best during training, and if you stick w/ it for one year, your CDL A is basically free.

My suggestions are based on your choice for company-paid schooling. The reason why you're choosing company-paid over private CDL school is none of my business, but if you have the means, the latter might be a better option for you. Especially since you could find a school close by where you're commuting and could get home every night. Then, you'd have greater flexibility in choosing your first job. Trucking jobs are for the taking, so it's not like you'll have any trouble finding a job to pay back that loan for school, or your own bank account if you put the money up yourself. Just want to make sure you're hire-able if you go the private route. You don't wanna lay out that cash w/o the ability to get a job.

The only company I can tell you about is Swift, They are a good starter company. The merge with Central seams to have taken them down hill slightly in my eyes and from what I've heard, other than that, they worked for me when I went to their school. Now one thing you should consider is with Swift, you in a contract for 13 months and are actually Paying them for your schooling if you quit, you end up paying the full remainder of the tuition rather than half when being employed. Where as with say Prime, your contract is 12 months and don't pay them a dime unless you quit.

Now swift, you will be out for 4-6 weeks during training, which is about the same with any company really. After that you can pretty much do a 3 week out/3 days home and still make a good living.

As it was said before, know one here can really vote for a company for you to goto. It does all end up on you. If you haven't researched them all, continue and weigh the pros and cons of each. Pick the company that suits your needs and gets you what you want.

Thanks for the input guys.

I suppose I was looking for input on the companies I selected more than an actual vote. Mostly, anything really negative about one or another. I believe they are all fairly solid with Old Dominion taking a commanding lead in praise.

I was steering away from Prime because I want nothing to do with pure OTR. So, if I can get started in a company that could fill my career goals of LTL / P&D local / regional , why not just sign on with them , get my OTR out of the way with them, then I'm set for the internal transfer to LTL.

I think it is a better idea to get trained with company backing, rather than the private school / pre-hire route. It just leaves a little gap of unknown in a new career path that spooks me a bit.

It looks like a have a hand full of good carriers in Nashville to look at ..

Knight Old Dominion Con-Way....

Then , the rest are a shortish drive to Atlanta or Memphis for a school / main terminal

Millis Roehl Swift USA

The list is getting shorter.... time to start hitting the High Road Program

Thanks, again, guys :)

I believe they are all fairly solid with Old Dominion taking a commanding lead in praise.

There's a reason for that.

In my opinion I would rank Pam way down around companies that even been thought of yet. I figure if an big organization like the EEOC thought enough of this then there had to be merit behind the case.

I dislike discrimination of any kind. Makes me angrier than hell when I always come back to this story.

pam fired truck driver after revealing he was hiv positive.

I've been driving LTL for 8 years now, so my first choice is one of the LTL carriers. Problem is that most LTL carriers make you drive "casual" "part-time" "as needed". Basically, babysit a telephone for hours or even days on end, waiting for them to need you. If you can get in the door, MOST of them are, not perfect, but pretty good places to work. (Especially if you get into one of the regional carriers) Best of luck.

I've been driving LTL for 8 years now, so my first choice is one of the LTL carriers. Problem is that most LTL carriers make you drive "casual" "part-time" "as needed". Basically, babysit a telephone for hours or even days on end, waiting for them to need you. If you can get in the door, MOST of them are, not perfect, but pretty good places to work. (Especially if you get into one of the regional carriers) Best of luck.

Robert, I know of what you're speaking about, and it's one of the reasons I chose my particular LTL company. No waiting by the phone, no L/H drivers have been laid off at my terminal in the last 12 years. I came to learn about some guys being a slave to that phone for a year plus, just waiting to get more regular work.

Two questions I asked the L/H manager when I applied - will I have to be on call, is there a possibility of being laid off. He smiled and shook his head "no." If that's how all LTL companies operated, I would've just gone OTR. I can't afford to wait by the phone on a daily basis, being on call, having nothing even close to a regular sleep schedule for work, and then not having steady work. I've got a family to support. I don't know how some guys do that. I guess if you're single, it's worth the hoop to jump through in order to get into some LTL company. Not me.

I know you said "most" LTL companies operate like this. I know that YRC Freight has a reputation like the one you described above. I understand if you don't want to disclose, but do you work for YRC?