Originally Posted by AliasXR

I graduated with Crystal and Chris and can tell you about solo driving at SNI. As a solo you will get older equipment, being phase 1 level 1 I got me a nice ole 2002 with 470000 on it already, it had been sat in indianapolis for quite a time I think, but it was well detailed and fully worked on, not a bad truck, looks like someone had a whoopsie in it tho because the light fairings are cracked on both sides and it has a replacement front fender. Freakin noobs! LOL

Cruise for solo is set at 63mph but she will give you 65 foot to the floor. Now the truck will tell you 67mph flat out, but the odometer in my truck is 2mph off. you also get smaller diesel tanks than teams, mine are 2 x 100gal tanks good for about 1K miles.

As a solo I have been to Canada a lot, but thats not that bad, only into Ontario and the roads there are pretty nice, michigan roads on the way in suck tho. I run a lot in the east, mostly they keep you out in the rural areas for p/u and delivery in most states, I have been to chicago and Newark NJ a couple of times, this can get interesting. Especially as a new driver.

As a new solo you will get the smaller things to do at times, like pickup relays that guys left at an OC on their way to time at home. Some of them are only a couple of hundred miles, but are 99% of the time just a drop so no messing around, then you drop that and get a real load in the same day.
Loads for me vary in distance, most are in the 600 to 750 mile range, some have been 1200 and some only 200, so it varies.

At the end of the day, if you are willing to run hard and you tell them that with your availability messages they will keep you loaded all the time. Its rare that I even have to sit an hour to get my next load info from the time I drop the last load. The weekends is when it is a little more relaxed, you get say a 1100 mile load on friday morning that has a mon morning drop, so if you plan in these you can make time for laundry etc, I stay out 2 - 3 weeks at a time so things like that need to be in there.

pretty much its what you make of it, if you take the full time allowed on each load you wont make any money, but if you are arriving a day earlier, call your DBL and ask them to call the consignee to see if you can deliver early, 9 out of 10 times its a yes and you move to the next load, no sitting around.

well enough yappin from me, but if anyone has any questions about solo driving I would be happy to tell ya all about it sometime, be back on here around christmas

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!


~DAN~

Originally Posted by hlaird

I can't remember if you said this or not, but how many people started in your class and how many ended up graduating? How many were "escorted" out instead of just getting pissed and leaving? And do they force you into per diem pay? They say it's optional but on here I heard they automatically enroll you in it and you have to take it during training and possibly into the end of the quarter.

Originally Posted by Crystal and Chris

Don't get drunk while at training you are on a 2 week job interview.

Originally Posted by fastSVT

Can somebody explain why the per diem is no good? Seems like alot of driver's don't want per diem.

Originally Posted by hlaird

There's other posts about it, and if you want the best info ask a tax professional. You can come out with more income at the end of the year if you take per diem, but only if you drive the full year and get most days per diem, sleeping in the truck away from home, and have the right deductions for whatever, could include clothes, atlas, food bills, XM radio, so on, but you have to save receipts.

Per diem lowers your net weekly take home. You get 2 cents per mile less. This means your income in a banker's eyes is lower, which effects what kind of financing you'll get. You also get a less for workmen's comp and unemployment if you end up taking it, but end up paying less for child support if you pay it.

Employers come out on top in tricking their employees to take it because they make less of a contribution to taxes and SS.

Originally Posted by fastSVT

Can somebody explain why the per diem is no good? Seems like alot of driver's don't want per diem.

Originally Posted by ziggystyles

I think their policy is not to drink at all during training. They had a class about a year ago that all passed their QRT, or whatever it was on that second to last day...then went out and partied it up. Word spread to Schneider who had one of their medics come up with a breathalyzer....all of the remaining class was booted outside of an older married couple that didn't go (or drink).

Originally Posted by hlaird

Dan- Thanks for the info.

Would you say they're paying you for what they said they'd pay you for? Were you forced into per diem pay as well? Do you have one of those in cab heaters? Do they seem overly strict about idling? Do you feel pressure to run over hours? Are you happy with your decision to go with Schneider over another carrier?