I had Mike... From what I hear from MANY ex-trainers, they quit training because of him...

Will PAM hire at 21?

wish I could help you with that.... the youngest trainee I had was 22

Yeah the minimum age is 22 according to the web site.

Well, if you can hold out until your 22, PAM is one of the more laid back companies out of the starter companies.... As long as you do your job, they don't talk to you, no getting in trouble for idling too much, no slip seating (meaning your truck is your truck until the miles run out of it) and they actually have a support staff that cares....

PAM is NOT a company to make a career with, but they are worth the trouble to get your first couple of years experience with. Then move on to a better paying job....

Just remember, most times you are not going to make a ton of money until you get a couple of good years under your belt.... And don't be a job jumper, that only looks bad for you when competing for that good paying job...

First I want to say thank you. The website as a whole has really helped me make a decision about where to go to train for truck driving.
After reading through ALOT of these PAM seems to be the best choice out there.
I mean I know its not going to be the greatest company to work for, but Im sure there are alot worse companies out there.

Once again, thank you to all on this forum for helping me with my choice.

FireDog

Good choice firedog... At the very least, you won't have to worry about your idle percentage like many other bigger companies... PAM just doesn't care how long you idle...

Make sure you at least stick it out for your first year. After that, you can find some place that pays better or whatever it is your looking for.

Chip

I had been signed up to go to the Driver Solutions training in St Louis on Feb 25, 2008 but, I couldn't get my driving glasses in time. Now, I will have them in a few days. They were able to get me to read 20/40 in both eyes! I'm so excited! Now I'm looking at starting on March 24, 2008. I've always wanted to drive an 18 wheeler...ever since I was a kid, but the opportunity didn't present itself to me; until I found the Driver Solutions program. I lost my full-time job as a manager last May 2007. When I found out about this opportunity I was shocked to say the least. I can make around $40,000 in my first year! Wow! Is this true? That would double what I was making.

Now, that I have recieved the material; I have a few questions.

1. How much money do I need for eating etc.?..My budget is tight so, I figure I'll be eatting alot of peanut butter sandwiches. My recruiter says they've changed motel to a nicer one. I hope so....after reading some comments about the old motel conditions.

2. I live about 85 miles from St Louis. I don't want to move. Do they really let you take your truck home?

3. Does PAM have plenty of loads? I see that they closed a terminal in NJ and had layoffs.
The 4th quarter was also down .08 cents.

4. If you surrender your license, how can you live in another state? I live in IL, but I'm going to school in MO.

5. They seem to have the best benefits package for starting drivers. The dental is the same as I had before. It pays upto the $1500/year. What do you folks think of the package?

First of all, recruiters are going to say what they have to say to get you there. That puts money in their pockets... The DS I went to changed hotels a couple of times. Never for the better, but then again, never for the worse... Anyway, call the hotel they are providing and see if they supply a microwave and fridge for free... That way, you can stock up on more than peanut butter. Personally, I took my own pizza cooker and sandwich maker. The hotel I was in supplied a fridge and microwave, so I was able to bring stuff that I could keep cold and cook in a mic...

But, I went to a Driver Solutions school in Ft. Wayne, IN. So I can't say anything good or bad about the school you are looking into...

Yes, PAM will let you take your truck home. Trailer too if you have a place to park it. We have a drop yard in E. St. Louis and PAM won't hesitate to bobtail you home that far.... I'm generally bobtailed about 200 miles to get home from our Willard, OH yard all the way to Port Huron, MI (go to mapquest and do the math). And, I use the truck while I'm home to run errands and stuff... Nothing major...

Yes, PAM has plenty of freight. You will run as much as you want. Now, you have to take the good with the bad. You won't always get 1000+ mile runs and there will be times that you sit longer than you want. But as long as you are always on time, the load planners will take notice and you will see your average go up. If your not getting what you want, call your driver manager and get on his ### about it. Let him know you are ready to run. On that note though, freight across the board for all companies is lower than normal. So if your sitting a little more than you like, don't go thinking it will be better elsewhere. Cause it probably won't be.

I'm assuming that with surrendering your license, you are talking about when you go to school. If you live in the same state as the school, you don't have to worry. I'm from MI and had to switch my license to IN while in school. It's not a big problem.. I just had to switch it back when I was done. And DS provides the money needed to take care of any cost at the DMV.

I hope this helps you.

chip

Thanks chip! All of the info you gave was very helpful. I went to DMV today and asked about the MO and IL cdl license switching. They said I would have to get my cdl in MO and then retake my written tests in IL so that I could have an IL license. Do you know if I can leave my license as MO and still live in IL? Probably not.