Apparently I misread their website. My Bad. ATS offers tuition reimbursment. The link said paid training so I thought they trained drivers for their CDL. If you're not already in a school there is an excellent truck driving school a little bit southwest of Tulsa that is PTDI certified. That's where I trained and got my CDL.

Sorry about the misprint.

I'm not sure where I'll be living yet or be based out of for my home time. My daughter lives in Tulsa and son lives in OKC. That's one of the things I'm still trying to figure out. thanks for your input and suggestions.

Swift screwed up my DAC in away that was positive for me . I filled out an application and reported an at fault accident with $5000.00 damages I had last October. Swift did not put the accident, but just an incident with no info. The company I applied with said if I had not listed the accident they'd hire me now, but they now want to double check it. He said I should be hired anyway but wants to make sure all the eggs are in their proper place.

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Keep it safe, I might be next to you.

dbook,

Welcome to the forum. I'd have responded to your posts earlier, but I've been out training for the past two weeks.

A little background:

I've lived a while. THis is my third career - the first two being communications and computer based. I've owned (partner) my own company (still own my shares - just don't work there any more. I did a LOT of research before 1) picking this as a job and 2) picking the company I work for.

I'm not going to dispute anybody who says "This is a bad company" - whether it's true or not for that company, we know it's *possible* for any given company to just out and out suck.

Yes, I think such companies exist. Just as I think some great companies exist. The problem with finding a great company is one of definition. What I think is wonderful, you might think is unbearable.

So - Instead of looking for good/bad comparisons, look for descriptions of what the company does - OTR? LTL? Tank? where they work, WHAT they haul, home time, pay, benefits, etc. Determine what factors are important to you, and what the correct answers should be. Then look for a company that most closely matches your criteria.

For me:
Pay is not such a big deal. high pay per mile is good, but I'm not going to freak over low miles. I have a lower limit I can work with - and it's pretty low. Most any company would do.

Home time IS a big deal. I don't need a LOT of it, but I need it relatively frequently. every 2-3 weeks.

Company size. I decided early on in my life that I don't like large organizations. They tend to fill with fluff and BS, and start worrying more about what form to use than they do about getting the job done. For this job, I drew an arbitrary line at 1000 trucks. No company with more than 1000 trucks made my list.

Newbies. Of course, they have to hire a newbie. Else I'd be wasting their time and mine with my application. I've found that, generally, if a company offers to teach you (get your CDL and such) they'll hire newbies.

Reputation. Yes, I know I said that the good/bad thing is pretty much mouth noise - but talking directly to the drivers from that company should give you an idea what the company is like, on the whole. Also, if you can check out their drivers/rigs at the local truck stop, that should help even more. Are the trucks new and clean? are the drivers healthy? happy? *clean*?? You can disregard tattoos as a marker, by the way - I had some very interesting conversations with heavily tattooed drivers these past two weeks.

Being an ex business person, I'm sure you see where this is going.

I maintain strongly that getting your CDL through a carrier is generally a mistake. Even if you have to get a WIA grant or something, do your level best to get your CDL from a good school. PTDI certified. With CDL in hand, you can THEN ask for a job. One year commitment with a carrier for putting you through their CDL school is NOT a short term commitment. Not in this industry

This forum (and others like it, but IMO not as good) are excellent tools, yes - but nothing beats sitting out at the Pilot or TA and actually watching faces as questions are answered.

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Democrats should just stop pretending and own up to the fact that they are full-bore dyed in the wool socialists.

Great post, LurchGS. You have hit the nail on the head. Since we are all different we will look for different things in a company. That is why some like a company and others hate it. And, really the only way we can find out is do the research then take the plunge. Then do the best we can to make a go at that company and if we find it just is not a match, then go back to the research stage.

I've been out at the local truck stops and been talking with the drivers. Most like who theya re drving for. However, in the last 3 weeks, I've not seen alot of company drivers, only L/O and O/Os. And that's not what I want to do, at least not now.

The trouble with a private school is I just don't see their motive to train me correctly or help me find a job. I hear how guys are having trouble finding a job after they get their CDL from a school. Granted, maybe those are the same guys who bi..ch and moan about trucking in general. Yet, even with a CDL you still have to go out w/ a trainer for a few weeks [min amount of time] with almost every company. I good friend has 15 years and still had to spend a week w/ a USExpress trainer. At least at a company school, one would think, they want to do their best to train you correctly because it is in their interest.

England does not require a contract, only $2000 and about 7-9 weeks of your time. I think I can take the difference in 4-5 weeks, hire on at a better company and earn 50% more then England pays and make up the cost of the training.

I just don't trust anyone [company] to claim I did something wrong, fire me and then tell me I owe them alot of money. I'd rather pay for the training up front, myself.

All the companies are probably the same. They are in it to make a profit and do it off of trainees. Why pay a expereinced driver 40cpm when they can get a trainee to run for 25cpm. It make perfect business sense. And when looked at it from that point of view, they should. They are in the business of staying in business and their shareholders deserve a profit for their investment. However, like the non-trucking world, some companies will treat you better, with respect and as a valued person, rather then as a number.

I've applied with four companies and still have no idea who I'll end up with. I have some pretty clear ideas of how I want to use my CDL [to see the county and friends in various corners of it] and will go with a company that I think can best fulfill by desires.

[quote=dbook;466739]I've been out at the local truck stops and been talking with the drivers. Most like who theya re drving for. However, in the last 3 weeks, I've not seen alot of company drivers, only L/O and O/Os. And that's not what I want to do, at least not now. [quote]

Obviously, I think that's the right step. May have to keep bugging drivers, or try a different stop.. if one's available.

That's why I also suggested PTDI certified school. It makes a difference, believe it or not. Yes, their avowed purpose is to get you your CDL. Not one inch more - but the PTDI schools (I went to Sage), want you taught right. They actually think your abilities reflect on their school. But CDL mills, on the other hand, don't care, and don't maintain PTDI standards (that I know of).

In the end, the small bit of uncertainty is worth it. It may cause you to wait a few weeks before landing a job (it was almost exactly 4 weeks for me - but I was being picky), but your fields of choice are wide open - basically any company that hires newbies will hire from a PTDI school. (some qualifications exist, but that's the general scope)

I'd look into the reputation of that training. I've not, so can't offer an opinion (well, I can, but it would be based on no facts). At a guess, $2000 is low-end, so I'd presume the training would be, as well. I could be wrong, but there's always a great deal of truth in "you get what you pay for"

Exactly - get your CDL from an independent source. You'll be beholden to no carrier, and can, if you feel you have to, jump ship for a better carrier without having to worry about making enough to pay the first one back.

In the whole, you are probably correct about what I'm calling the "big six"... Swift, Werner, etc. Smaller companies - in the range I chose to apply, don't hire enough to make that a worthwhile proposition. The vibes I'm getting at the moment from my company, for instance, indicate they really do want me for the long haul. Sure, I could be mis-reading them, but I don't think I am. For one thing, you are with a trainer until you are deemed ready to go out on your own. It could be 6 weeks, it could be 1. That, to me, doesn't sound like a 'we're only in it for the money we get for training you' mentality.

Well, as I've said elsewhere, you'll see a lot of the country - as a blur from your windshield I'm possibly more fortunate than most - I've already seen quite a bit (comes of having curious educators for parents). Now I'm just poking into corners I've missed. But yes, if you time things right, you can end up taking your 34 in all kinds of places (I took mine recently in Fargo). Most companies should have no problems with that. If they do, you are with the wrong company - but that's easily correctable .

Of course, if there are people you want to see who are not near a shipping point for your company, it can make things a little difficult. Check on company policy about leaving the truck unattended.

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Democrats should just stop pretending and own up to the fact that they are full-bore dyed in the wool socialists.

[quote=Lurchgs;466793][quote=dbook;466739]I've been out at the local truck stops and been talking with the drivers. Most like who theya re drving for. However, in the last 3 weeks, I've not seen alot of company drivers, only L/O and O/Os. And that's not what I want to do, at least not now. Thanks for this very good info. Your comments are very thought out and helpful. And I think they follow what I'm thinking. I'd not heard of this company or program before. The closet one to me is in Kingman AZ, and is at a college.

What companies did you apply to before getting hired? Did you apply before you actually finished school? Who are you driving for now? Are they paying you back any of the school cost? Did you have to do any training with that company?

Anyone else out there attened a SAGE school? What did you think? Who are you driving for and how much time / trouble did you have getting a job after training?

The program is federal, and should be available via your local unemployment office. Depending on your prior job, you may or may not qualify for WIA, but there should be other offerings as well.

that school at the college (Mohave Community) is probably the SAGE school. I don't know if that campus is PTDI certified, though - not all of them are.

Before I went to school, I applied at .. um.. 4 carriers. US Express, Werner, Watkins & Shepherd, and May. This was primarily for the pre-hire letters needed for WIA.

After school, I applied at about 50 carriers. I was accepted for orientation at Watkins & Shepherd, but -- excuses aside, I blew it and didn't attend. Had offers locally (one I'd have loved, but an experienced driver grabbed it the day before I was to be hired. Oh well.)

Applications went to .. that I can recall off the top of my head: Maverick, TMC, Shaffer, Crete, Stevens Transport, Schneider, Old Dominion...

Many of them are not hiring in my area. Most of those had the courtesy to either call or email me and let me off the hook.

I got a positive response from Schneider and May on the same day. Schneider required that I have my passport or birth cert... so I accepted May. (I got other responses since then - but it's moot, now)

Anyway, May orientation was 3 days, unpaid. After that, I went immediately to a truck with a trainer. The other surviving orientation classmate was sheduled to leave on a truck the following Monday (I left on a Friday).

That was 2 weeks ago.

Since I wend to CDL school on a grant, there's no money to pay back. However, they DO have a tuition reimbursement program. I don't know the particulars, since I'm not using it.

Since I'm driving with a trainer, I can say "yes"- they are providing training. I'm not sure if it's luck of the draw or if they actually put some thought into it (I think luck of the draw, from what my trainer is saying about a previous trainee), but my trainer and I get along famously. We've agreed to stay off some subjects pretty much )religion, politics, etc( - but out tastes in music are alike, we share hygiene opinions (daily showers), and he's been good about making suggestions to help me improve my shifting.

We've been driving essentially as a team for the past week - which makes him feel good. It's pretty boring sitting in the B seat all day while somebody else drives, after all.

Neither of us (nor the company) puts up with any shenanigans with the log

so. yeah, we get along just swell.

It may all go to hell when I get my own truck - but so far, I'm more than happy with both the trainer and the company.

Note - they don't have APUs yet, but research into them is active. The idling policy is, considering the industry, pretty liberal.

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Democrats should just stop pretending and own up to the fact that they are full-bore dyed in the wool socialists.