Old Dominion--A Newbie's Experience

Hello everyone! I'll be starting at OD on Monday, August 19th as a trainee line-haul driver. I guess the company is doing so well that it can't find enough drivers to handle its freight! I'm very excited about this opportunity, and wanted to start this thread as a way to document my experience in working with the company. Any current OD drivers out there, feel free to chip in!

 

Thanks! They're a great company, but standards are very high. I'm looking forward to Monday, and hearing more about what exactly is expected of me.

Pay is in the 47-48 cpm range for new drivers with a bump up to 54 cpm after a year. I'm not sure how long it takes to reach top pay, or what that is.

My understanding is that running teams is a choice left up to the driver, but hey, more money if I do, right? I hear their line haul team drivers are making 6 figures a year.

 

Well, today went exactly how I expected it to go. A lot of paperwork, and safety training. I'm now officially employed at OD! I "meet" my trainer tomorrow at noon. I say "meet," because he is the same guy who did my road test. He seemed like a good guy; I'm excited to learn from him.

As further evidence that I made a good decision in coming to work her, the two of us who started today got a little pep talk from the terminal HR manager, basically letting us know that we can take all the training time we need to feel comfortable in our new jobs. He said that OD likes to make an investment in its people, and that they're invested in us for the long haul.

 

Well, first week of training is going well! My trainer and I run to Nashville and back every night. I'm learning a lot about how OD likes things done. We're definitely running hard, though... last couple of days have been right up against my 14. I will keep everyone posted about how things are going.