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What is MY best course of action here? Details inside.

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by 1300RK6, Feb 26, 2015.

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  1. Feb 26, 2015 #1
    1300RK6

    1300RK6 Bobtail Member

    14
    9
    Feb 23, 2015
    Yadkinville, North Carolina
    0
    Firstly, I'm going to be 23 in less than a month (I see that matters to some companies). I have decided to attend the Cross Country Truck Driving School in Thomasville, NC which I will be paying for out of my own pockets. I have a fairly clean MVR with only a nine over speeding ticket hindering me. No criminal history, no accidents, no driving impaired, etc. Not to mention passing any kind of drug test anywhere at any time is no issue. I also have a stable and verifiable work history.

    Now ideally I'd like to drive for TMC or Maverick right out of the gate, but I'm willing to grind my teeth and pay my dues at a lesser company if that's not possible. Is there any particular route I should be looking to take? Any particular companies I should be eying? I already have a pre-hire from a local OTR company that runs strictly teams with great pay, but I'm not fond of the concept of team driving.

    Any comments, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated!
     
    1300RK6, Feb 26, 2015
    1300RK6, Feb 26, 2015
    #1
    Chinatown Thanks this.
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  3. Feb 26, 2015 #2
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    68,417
    143,461
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
    0
    First, don't consider other companies as "lesser companies" than TMC or Maverick. Several companies out there where you can make more money than those two. They're both good companies but certainly not the best.
    Here's just one example & they hire new CDL grads:
    Trimac Transportation - Greensboro, NC [TABLE]
    [TR]
    [TD="class: snip"]$80,000 a year
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]

    Get all the endorsements plus TWIC and a passport; this will ensure you start your new career making real good paychecks from the start.

    SVTN
    Tidewater Transit
    CTL Transportation
    Schneider Bulk
    Groendyke Transport
    Superior Carriers
    A&R Transport

    Here's a mix of companies:
    ABF Freight
    Southeastern Freight Lines
    Decker Truck Line-reefer div.48 states
    Abilene Motor Express
    Freymiller
    Keim TS

    Start submitting job applications the first day of CDL school; the more the better.
     
    Chinatown, Feb 26, 2015
    Chinatown, Feb 26, 2015
    #2
    1300RK6 Thanks this.
  4. Feb 26, 2015 #3
    Stormdriven

    Stormdriven Medium Load Member

    331
    217
    Mar 11, 2014
    south, central, US.
    0
    Don't press the limit by more than 4 mph, and you won't get any more speeding tickets.
     
    Stormdriven, Feb 26, 2015
    Stormdriven, Feb 26, 2015
    #3
  5. Feb 26, 2015 #4
    keebler13579

    keebler13579 Heavy Load Member

    805
    1,497
    Nov 16, 2012
    0
    Maverick and TDC will take you fresh out of school do your research and talk to recruiters to decide which one is better though. I have no experience with either.
     
    keebler13579, Feb 26, 2015
    keebler13579, Feb 26, 2015
    #4
  7. Feb 26, 2015 #5
    ethos

    ethos Road Train Member

    4,246
    9,886
    Mar 3, 2013
    Houston
    0
    Can't stress this enough. Mav and TMC are good companies but they aren't so good that all others are lesser. In fact, my suggestion would be to go to work for a tanker outfit first and stay tanker your whole career. If you get on with my company, Trimac, you will probably never leave.
     
    ethos, Feb 26, 2015
    ethos, Feb 26, 2015
    #5
    1300RK6 and Chinatown Thank this.
  8. Feb 26, 2015 #6
    Infosaur

    Infosaur Road Train Member

    3,621
    5,207
    Oct 21, 2008
    Berks County PA, to NYC (Daily?)
    0
    Any starter company is probably going to run you team for a month or two anyway.
    Might as well get it over with.

    My first trainer was great, I still call him from time to time.
    The second? Bah, I even forgot his name. Not worth complaining about.

    Good luck! Keep the shiny side up.
     
    Infosaur, Feb 26, 2015
    Infosaur, Feb 26, 2015
    #6
    1300RK6 Thanks this.
  9. Feb 26, 2015 #7
    1300RK6

    1300RK6 Bobtail Member

    14
    9
    Feb 23, 2015
    Yadkinville, North Carolina
    0
    Thanks for all the advice! I want to apologize if I came across as labeling companies other than TMC and/or Maverick sub-par. All I really meant was that if it was absolutely necessary, I would grind my teeth and pay my dues at a company like USA Truck or SWIFT. Y'all know, companies not widely regarded as spectacular places to drive for but probably sufficient enough to get my foot in the door?
     
    1300RK6, Feb 26, 2015
    1300RK6, Feb 26, 2015
    #7
  10. Feb 26, 2015 #8
    lfod14

    lfod14 Road Train Member

    1,178
    689
    Jan 9, 2014
    0
    Hey Chinatown, do you have a ballpark on what Southeastern typically pays? They've got openings in my area and was considering them.
     
    lfod14, Feb 26, 2015
    lfod14, Feb 26, 2015
    #8
    Chinatown Thanks this.
  11. Feb 26, 2015 #9
    KM4FAE

    KM4FAE Bobtail Member

    20
    47
    Feb 2, 2015
    0
    Why pay for trucking school when there are several companies that offer free CDL school?
     
    KM4FAE, Feb 26, 2015
    KM4FAE, Feb 26, 2015
    #9
    Chinatown Thanks this.
  12. Feb 26, 2015 #10
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    68,417
    143,461
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
    0
    I agree, unless there's a special company or type job you want that trucking companies don't offer that have their own school.
     
    Chinatown, Feb 26, 2015
    Chinatown, Feb 26, 2015
    #10
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