Conflicted - Deciding Between Companies

Topic 7173 | Page 1

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Andre R.'s Comment
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For months I have researched this industry and the companies to begin with. Its now time for me to make this choice and I have never been more confused. Prime, Knight, TMC just to name a few. Just when you think you have it all sorted out and can make the decision the mental conflict starts.

Dennis R. (Greatest Drive's Comment
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Fill out a bunch of apps,and don't expect everyone to get back to you. Freakin Holly at Prime is the worst.Can't they at least call you and leave a message stating why you were rejected. I start next week at Celedon,Indianapolis. Make sure you have plan b,c and d in order.

Robert B. (The Dragon) ye's Comment
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I'm having a hard time deciding too. Brett actually gave me some advice and helped me narrow it down. Congrats on Celadon, I have a few buddies who drive for them and love it. I considered it but really don't want to drive team if I don't have to. If you need to know any good places to go while you're in Indy, just ask. I'm in Indy.

Jeffrey W.'s Comment
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It's good you've done research but it really depends on what kind of freight you want to haul as to what companies to apply for jobs. You can shot gun it, but I'd recommend further research on types of freight, example: flat bed, refer, tankers, dry van etc. Nothing will deflate your trucking career faster than getting that wrong. Some truckers like flat bed or refer and others don't. It also depends on your experience and endorsements you may have. And more importantly is having a good background and driving record. If you have speeding tickets or DUI(s) it may be impossible to get a trucking job (or good job). Like most industries there are good companies and bad ones and there are many things that decide those qualities; therefore it also depends on your knowledge, skills and abilities along with a good record that determine the quality of company that is willing to hire you. And then sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith and hope for the best. A good company will get you plenty of freight and miles, keep you busy and ensure you get home on time, or as scheduled. The first year will be the hardest, most new drivers quite and for many reasons. Once you get hired try to stick it out with your first company for at least a year. Once you get a good year of safe driving experience you can move on to a better company and or better pay. Good luck and Drive Safe.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

DUI:

Driving Under the Influence

Dennis R. (Greatest Drive's Comment
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I would eventually like to get my own truck,but while I'm training making the small wages,I would like to keep the truck rolling. From what I've gathered at the logging training,if you and a partner run 8.5 hour shifts,you wont need a reset. I'm a third shift night owl and wouldn't mind driving the graveyard shift. I can usually get along with anyone,as long as they are smoker friendly. I love to drive and travel. I just need more time backing to figure out how fast the truck reacts to inputs. I always seem to get my truck too far from straight and square. I know what its doing,just have to figure out correct way to fix it.

Andre R.'s Comment
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As far as what type of freight to haul I don't think I have a preferred type. I'd love to do flatbed as I know the money is much better but i!m afraid of heights and do nor think I'd be able to climb on top and tarp my load. Then I think tanker and woerry about what Brett says about the load sloshing back and forth and how he would reccomend some experience prior to tanker. I then think reefer but hear the horror stories of sitting for hours for live loads/unload . That worries me because I would hate to burn my clock waiting on that and not making any money. As you can see I'm truly at a crossroad . Company wise I like Schneider Prime Knight or maverick. But with each of them some of the concerns I've mentioned above come into play. I also know that as a rookie I cannot expect the best miles or route but I also know I need to make at least 35k to survive. So with that I am up in the air feeling like some teenage kid on their first date wondering if the outfit looks good. With all of that said I will defer to you the experienced driver to maybe help me out here with any advice on how to overcome this feeling.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

Old School's Comment
member avatar

Andre, I completely understand your conflict, but let me try to ease your mind. I'm a flat-bedder who had a terrible time getting started in this as a second career for myself at age 53. The terrible time I had was that all the companies that I had researched and thought were "the bees knees" rejected me for one reason or another and I ended up going to work at a company that had terrible internet reviews - I mean they sounded like the devil himself was at the helm of things over there.

I worked for 16 months at Western Express and was loving every minute of it - I excelled there and was always in a small group of top performers there. In truth I would probably still be working there except for a very generous offer I received from Knight Transportation to drive for a dedicated flat-bed account that services SAPA Aluminum.

Now here's the point I'm trying to make:

You will make this job what you want it to be by your work ethic and willingness to push through what ever difficulties arise to hinder you. As far as which companies are "good" I consider them all to be just trucking companies - they've all got the same issues, because they are all trying to do the same thing, move freight from point A to point B. So many people jump into this career with false assumptions based on foolish reports and notions that they have picked up from internet "review sites". Have you ever noticed how 99% of the people who post reviews are people who are dissatisfied in an extreme way? That in itself should be a big red flag to any thinking person. This business of being able to be anonymous, and being hidden behind a keyboard, has emboldened a bunch of people, who are generally failures at most things they attempt, to lay the blame for their ineptitude at the feet of "big greedy trucking magnates who are still practicing slavery in their business models".

What I'm trying to say is choose a company that you seem to like, and then get out there and prove yourself to them. Don't be looking for them to prove themselves to you - that is the current trend of thinking and it is so backwards that it is a huge reason for the current 100% turn over rate in trucking. They don't have anything to prove - if you take a look at the walls of the offices of almost any trucking company that is being unfairly slammed on the internet you will find photos of drivers who have been there for ten and twenty years and put in millions of miles safely and very productively. Those guys didn't do that because it was a "good company" - they accomplished that because they were "good" drivers.

I just like to point things out like this not only for the person who originally asks the question, but also for the many others who will read this later on. Your willingness to succeed and your drive to excel are the main ingredients for your success at this career. So don't worry so much about whose name is on the doors of the truck. I spent the first sixteen months of my career at a trucking company whose reputation is absolutely in the gutter by all internet review accounts, you couldn't ask for a company with more disparaging remarks against it. I excelled there, was always in the top group of drivers for productivity, and made some very good money despite the fact that their pay rate was very low. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but rather the truth that you are the driving factor of your success at this. Any company out there who has a really hard working dependable driver who knows how to "get er done" will do all they can to keep that driver moving and satisfied. I have since moved on to a different company, but it wasn't because I thought the other guys were scumbags. I received a much better offer and I took advantage of that offer. That's the way it works - you prove yourself first, then you will find the doors of opportunity opening up to you.

One of the biggest problems with getting started in this career is the sheer difficulty of getting oneself accustomed to all the many consequences of your own decisions and choices while out there on the road. It is tricky to say the least to get the hang of all this stuff during the first six months of doing this. People end up with negative consequences due to some of their own poor choices or decisions as to how to handle their job or manage their time. It is not easy breaking into this career. New drivers will inevitably make some bad choices while on the road. It is important to recognize when you make a mistake and learn from it. Your driver manager will come to depend on you and treat you really well if you are a dependable driver. People tend to give up and blame their company for not getting enough miles, or not making enough money to live on, as if they were being mistreated by the greedy company. But I can guarantee you that at which ever company that is getting slammed on the internet for mistreating their employees, there are a group of competent drivers who are getting more miles dispatched to them than they know how to handle because those drivers have proven themselves again and again. The reason you don't hear from them on those internet reviews is because they are in their sleeper catching some much needed rest so they can give 110% during their next on duty time period.

So, take a deep breath and just realize this is not a life or death decision. As a new driver it really makes little difference where you start.

How you start is what's critical.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Driver Manager:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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.

EPU:

Electric Auxiliary Power Units

Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices

Joe C.'s Comment
member avatar

I drove for 24 years before I got into management. Now i'm the Director of Safety & Compliance I also cover driver recruiting. My advice would be to any driver would be to visit the terminals, talk to the drivers, look at the equipment inside and out. Also check the shop out , talk to the mechanics. You want well maintained equipment. No company will be 100% perfect for everyone, just make sure they're perfect for your needs.

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.

Andre R.'s Comment
member avatar

As always old school great reply. I have the mindset of working my way up wherever I go. i do not have the entitled mentality and surely do not like anything handed to me. I have things narrowed down depending on how I obtain my cdl. if I go private which I am hoping to do (currently waiting on a grant decision) I am leaning to maverick Schneider or knight. if I have to go company sponsored I am looking at prime.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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