Veteran with a question

Hello everyone,

First and foremost I have been all over this forum and the wealth of knowledge I have gained from this place is by far, better than coming in blind! I have been out of the army for about 1 yr and was in there for about 7 yrs.

In January, after this college semester, I am going to be attending a local driving school. I know they help with job "placement" (or hand you applications) afterwards. I have narrowed my search down to 3 companies really. I was looking at either TMC, SNI or US Xpress.

I am very business oriented and am working on a degree in business management. Very discipline when it comes to money and detail oriented. I have been around trucking, step dad and father, for all of my life. I want to get in to it with a long term goal of running dryage and intermodal out of the Savannah ports later on down the line.

I really am weighing heavily on the fact that US Xpress is not governed at 60, bring in veterans recently honorably discharged at 38CPM and have a decent O/O program for when I decide to get a truck a couple years down the road.
But I am keeping my options open and welcoming all opinions.

Now that I have rambled on some, the guidance I am looking for is if there are any other military vets out there ( or experienced truckers that have talked with vets) that has taken advantage of any of these trucking companies that have veteran incentives? If anyone knows of any other company that has benefits for veterans?

 

Will do, thanks. I probably steered away from that one when looking for threads to read, since that one is titled about teams, but I will head over and take a look.

 

Well, like I was saying in the post I am looking at doing a lease/purchase or a lease from a company in about a year. Saying that, Since most companies have a "drive with us 3-6 months to qualify for our L/P program", I figured I would knock out 2 birds with one stone. So if I did go with SNI, I would qualify for their program after I was finished with my initial 1 year I want to get prior to getting into a fleece truck. Same thing with US Express if I were to go that route. So I was just wondering who all has had experience with or ran into someone who has taken advantage of any of these programs as a veteran.

I have looked in to Crete in this area (around Savannah, GA) and they have said that I would need 3 months prior to being considered.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I have looked into SNI here in Savannah and have to get at least 6 months behind me before I could get into that division. I have so many options and just trying to see if I could fit in with 1 company with a lot of options (starting Company and than going O/O in what I am looking for) as I really do not like switching companies. I like doing homework and staying at a place as long as possible. I know that this is a changing lifestyle and a company that is doing good now could be gone tomorrow. I am just trying to look for something that I wont have 3 or 5 different companies in a 2 year span. I like having a solid work history, hence the 7 yrs in the army. I would have stayed, but apparently when you hit 4 road side bombs they tend to not need your services anymore in a combat MOS (luckily I still have all my body parts).

 

Thank you very much Chinatown, I will also look in to those companies. I have heard that as well from some other locals around here. I am going to be grabbing my permit and knocking out my endorsements before the CDL school so I can get my Hazmat in order before trying to get on with a company. I did drive for 3 years in Pennsylvania before my army career, but it was Class A intrastate PA since I was under 21, but it was a 6 wheeler in N Jersey and N York. I had let my CDL go when I joined the army because I thought I was going to be staying in for 20 years and would not need it...... 8 years after that decision, here I am going to a CDL school... go figure!