I am looking for opinions on picking a company to go with.

Well being a newbie you gotta get a start somewhere now i'm not saying drive for anyone but most of your starter companies seems to be the worse.Personally if you feel either those 3 companies work for you than pick one,also as for pay your not going to get a good starting pay rate,now what companies may post on there web site about pay may not apply to new drivers unless it states new driver pay rate.A company can claim pay is .32 a mile but what people don't under stand is that applies to experience drivers not newbies.You always going have a positives and negatives about every company.

 

I'd skip on the flatbed it does get tiring specially when you tarp or have to use chains they are heavy. Your body will get a major workout but thats also kind of a good thing your not that old getting your body to get a better shape is always a good thing. The dryvan is alot of sitting and reefer alot of waiting minimal physical activity with the last two.

 

A fellow student from my class went with them right out of school (5 years ago) he is still with Rosedale and very happy. The one post about droping carpet with out a dock is very accurate. He was a very good backer in school and tells me that he has some very tight backing situations at these small retail carpet stores in the midwest. He lives in Nashville, but spends alot of time in WI, MN, IL, IA

 

Make yourself a list of companies you maybe interested in and check them out on the web. Once you have narrowed your field down to a couple dozen then start calling their recruiters and talk to them about the details and requirements. Find a company that is going to best suit YOUR needs. Everyone is has their own individual wants and needs so make sure to keep that in mind when asking about companies to other drivers. A company I hate maybe perfect for you. Also don't follow the herd! Think outside the box and reap the rewards! There are kinds of different driving jobs out there that nobody really thinks of. A lot of this is due to being a newbie and just aren't familiar with the industry. So make sure to do some research about the different kinds of driving jobs.

 

Also as I think about it,getting into flatbed right off the bat is not a bad idea but I always figure its best to start in dry van and then 6 months later or when ever move to flatbed.Not all flatbed companies required flatbed experience they rather train you rather than having flatbed experience with another company.Reason I stated that is because a friend of my had over 2 years exp in flatbed but he left that company to go with a better flatbed company that doesn't hire newbies but doesn't required any flatbed exp,they do a training course on flatbed,in class room and hands on training.Now this company does not hire newbies and you need a min of 1 year of OTR exp but flatbed exp not needed.