Working for smaller companies

They might be able to tell you what type of loads you will be hauling... We haul a lot of different stuff but we have several customers that we haul a lot for... So a smaller company might be able to give you a bit of insight in that area. Megas, unless dedicated, not so much.

 

It can vary widely. If you checked out their equipment, that's a good start. Maybe checkout the Trailers as well as the trucks.

Otherwise, many smaller companies exist because they fill a niche serving one or two local shippers. If this is the case, it might be a good idea to research them as well. I've had a few cases where customers like that served by small trucking outfits kept overloading trailers and wasting my time.

 

You also usually get treated better when you are 1 of 10 and not 1 of 500 (home time, fast equipment fixing, e.tc)

 

There is a always a bunch of shysters running smaller companies out there. Some make the mega-crap companies look like saints. Ask a lot of questions and expect good answers, don't just jump into anything.

Three questions I always ask that you can determine most anything you want to know from the company:

How do you pay?
Who do you haul for?
What is you safety with the DOT like?

If they studder on the last one just jump ship now. If you think about the answers to those question rationally with clear eyes a lot of company information will come to you.

For example: If you told they haul refrigerated for major companies and pay by the mile - means you will be stiffed on detention waiting at grocery warehouse.

When you figure for who, doing what, and their safety record you can often connect the dots and figure what the job is worth and what they should be paying you.

Too many go to these small companies with the idea they are an upgrade from the mega they were just at. Many are worse.

 

The 2 most important questions i ask are
1. What is your retention like? (How long have others in my prospective job stuck around)

2. Why are you hiring? (Someone get fired? Retired? Getting busier? )

 

Ask if it's 1099.

 

I've always said that working for a company that hauls it's own product is better than a company that needs to rely on others for a load. As far as a smaller company I'd be worried about benefits. I look for a company that has sound benefits not just the every day 401K. It's nice but if I had a choice to work for a company that paid a little less but had great benefits I would take that one. But of course I'd be looking at a company were I could retire from. If I work for a company on a short term then benefits can be the same or even less. The point is to get something out of the company no matter what. It can be experience or something that you haven't tried and it sounds good.