Prepping For School - Anyone From Wisconsin, Driving For Schneider?
Topic 6505 | Page 1
I am kinda in the same boat as you. Switching from Nursing to OTR and will be going to a private school in burbs of Chicago... Was looking at Schneider... but Roehl seems to have pretty flexible scheduling? I will be keeping tabs on responses you get on this thread. Hell maybe I will run into you during orientation somewhere. Good luck with school.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Joe R, I'm in Florida Panhandle and just completed independent school. I plan to post on here soon about my experience and choice (Schneider National) and why.
Good luck!
Hi Joe, I finished school last month at Fox Valley Tech in Appleton. I'm going with H.O.Wolding, out of Amherst, WI, heading off to orientation next week. Schneider & Roehl were not for me since they do not allow a dog to ride along, and that's important to me. I had it narrowed down to H.O.W. and WEL, choose H.O.W. because of dry van instead of refer, they pay tuition reimbursement, and H.O.W. has a better CSA score. Especially the fact that they have such a good equipment maintenance score indicates to me that (hopefully) if I need something fixed, it will get done. RedGator, who is on this site, drives for WEL and has very good things to say about them.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
All great stuff everyone! Thanks for the responses! I will be back when I can share more specifics and will certainly keep an ear on how you all progress as well! WEL is sounding better all the time but I can't rule out Schneider yet either.
Okay, I promised to come back with more details.....
Not much to report, except that I will be going to a private school. I feel pretty good about it because the school is a relatively new start up business. It always feels good to be a part of someone's dream as they begin to realize it. Class begins on February 2nd and is a four week curriculum. I live only 30 miles from the school, so I'll be commuting most of the time with the occasional motel stay when I can get a good rate.
So, I'm not sure which direction I'll go after school. I will reserve that decision for after the pitches from the various companies that will visit us in class.
Maybe someone can shoot some direction my way, with these priorities in mind:
My #1 Priority: Professionalism - I cannot play games - I'm not all work and no play, but this is serious to me and I won't stand for moronic behaviors. #2: Earning potential (I'm driven by opportunity and not necessarily $$. per mile) #3: Best opportunity to lease/own with minimal credit and/or cash down payment in the next year or 18 mos. #4: Quality equipment - Quality support from the company
I know there are dozens of opinions for every question and every driver has useful input, so any thing from anyone is appreciated.
Also, how are things with you, Deb R.? Still going forward?
Yes, Joe, I was officially hired yesterday by H.O.Wolding! I head out with a trainer on Monday morning.
Wolding is a mid-size company, about 350 trucks. The terminal is modest, clean and functional. They are very serious about safety, and it's reflected in their good CSA score. All the drivers I spoke with love driving for Wolding, everyone says that if you need something (home time for instance), they will bend over backwards to make it happen, and that they are really good about keeping the equipment serviced.
I'm stoked!
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
Congrats, Deb! Thanks and keep in touch! I wish you only the best! Thanks to you, I'll do some research and apply with Wolding.
So far, so good????
Yes, Joe, I was officially hired yesterday by H.O.Wolding! I head out with a trainer on Monday morning.
Wolding is a mid-size company, about 350 trucks. The terminal is modest, clean and functional. They are very serious about safety, and it's reflected in their good CSA score. All the drivers I spoke with love driving for Wolding, everyone says that if you need something (home time for instance), they will bend over backwards to make it happen, and that they are really good about keeping the equipment serviced.
I'm stoked!
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
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So, a little later in life (a young 48 y/o), trucking had been in the family as I grew up, but I'm moving from a professional office career in Human Resources to OTR. I'm in the research phase for companies hiring inexperienced drivers. I'll be going to private school and looking at Schnieder, WEL and Roehl.
Anyone local have any advice or comments? I'm near Madison and wondering if I'm in a good location for miles once I've gone solo.
Thanks for anything!
...Joe
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.