There isn't any "risk" in working for a small fleet leased to MCT. It is rather the opposite. Since you work for the fleet owner, they are your boss and will get to know you a whole lot better than if you worked for one of the MEGA-carriers that everyone talks about on this board. Most of the fleets leased on to MCT have been there for many years or decades, therefor you don't have to worry about a fly-by-night, shady type outfit. If you do happen to have problems with a fleet owner there, just talk to the people at MCT and they will hook you up with another fleet if that fleet owner isn't treating you right.

As for the equipment and maintenance; The types of truck will vary depending on the fleet owner. You can rest assured that MCT forces to keep all trucks well maintained. They require all trucks to be inspected at a MCT facility by MCT personnel every 90 days. And let me tell you them guys are tough and catch every darn thing('nother story for another thread). Some of the larger fleets have their own shops and will just route you through there every 30 days or so so that they can check over the truck. The smaller owners usually just have all of their maintenance done at shops on the road. Once again it depends on the fleet.

One really good thing about MCT is since they are 100% o/o, they are non-forced dispatch. Most if not all of the fleet owners allow the drivers that same luxury.(you may have to be there a little while to earn the trust of some owners if your a newbie,others allow that from day one.)

I'm going to end this post here so as to not write a book. If you can think of any more specific questions,ask away.

armellini did sound like a great gig when they came and recruited at our school, $500 a week to train, good pay for a first year driver. my case is a lil' different I want to run solo so my wife can go to, armellini is a team only company.

My husband and I are just finishing up at Mid Florida Tech. It's an Orange Co. public school and the fees are resonable (about 2K each). The course is 8 weeks long and it's really hard to be working while you're in class (but the classes are Mon - Thurs, so maybe the weekends are ok). It is an excellent school and one company we just talked to told us it was the only school they accepted student drivers from in Florida. When you are done with the course you are certified and have somewhere between 1000 and 1250 miles under your belt.
Service came out to talk to us the other day. I don't think they recruit from some of the other trucking schools.
Good luck!

armynavymom

I start MFT on 2 August. Can you tell me which companies have been there during your training to recruit?

Let's see. There was a Gary from Swift, Werner, Service, Windy Hill, and maybe another one I can't remember.

Thanks for the info. Is Service the bulk tanker outfit? Do they have a terminal in the Orlando area?

Well an interesting thing happened to us on Friday. When IDC told us they were not hiring out of FL at this time I sent an email in asking if they knew how long they expected that to last. They emailed back asking to talk to us again and after doing so the recruiter asked for apps from my wife and I stating he was going to ask for an exception.

They have a community college they contract with (training lasts 5 weeks) and they pay tuition, board and travel expenses. Big bonus...they train husband and wife teams together. The tuition and estimated room and travel expenses are still 1/2 of the cost of going to the local truck school here.

As for training after orientation.. it lasts 7 weeks with the trainer staying in a hotel while we sleep in the truck... sounds a lot better than 3 living in a truck.

We are currently waiting to see if IDC accepts us beofre having to resort to TDI and Covenant. We are both excited and anxiously awaiting word from IDC.

BTW- I have heard that MFT is a good school as well and Service will only hire grads out of State Community College programs. 8 weeks of no work and no pay is very difficult to accept though. 5 weeks will be hard enough without having to pay the tutition up front. Good luck to you guys!!!

Good luck, I hope you guys get into a school that is not so $$$, and find a decent training company. Sounds like Mid Florida Tech has a good program and it is affordable for sure. Stay away from Werner and Windy Hills Keep me posted!

Don't be fooled. This is right off of their web site and you can go to it and read it yourself if you don't believe me.

"Our average pay last year was $54,000 with industry leading benefits and the cleanest late model equipment in the business. Will you make $54,000 in your first year? Probably not. Will you have the best runs the first year? Probably not."

Do your research. their average pay was for their experienced drivers.