Companies to avoid:

I remember when the truckers shut this country down. When the trucks stop so does everything else. So Reagan made trucking a part of National Security. If truckers strike now its a federal violation. But oh boy was it a site to see things screech to a halt. Everyone in the country had a new respect for the Trucker after that. Well for a few years. Then they forgot, they always forget.

 

So they have unions up north but they can't strike? Funny how gov. workers strike all the time.

 

Oh My god, bad drivers never take responsibility do they, lets just blame the company and lie to people so that they wont work there. My experience with drivers leaving the job is due to lacking the ability to work.... granted there are situations where the companies do screw drivers over, but straight thinking people know its not always the company. His top list is mostly major carriers if they were really that bad would they have thousands of drivers still working for them... ????

 

I have been reading these boards for several months now. This is my first post. I have been driving for 20+ years. Mostly local. Kids are out of the house and I have been divorced for several years. I Have decided to go OTR. I have perfect a record. All endorsements.
I have been researching companies trying to find the best one for me. I have options to go with mega carriers or smaller ones.

What I have found through my research is the mega carriers seem to be just as good or better than the smaller ones. Am I missing some thing here? Every one says "don't go with the starter companies". Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

To me it's all how you fit in. Maybe had things gone differently, like maybe I had a terrible dispatcher or a really bad truck I would be on here posting how terrible Schneider is. But that didn't happen so I post about how good Schneider is. I think for the most part it's luck of the draw. Some companies just have better odds. I know that sucks but it is the way it is. I have heard good and bad about almost every company. You do your research and then you play your hand.

 

Thanks for bringing this up. If you happen to suggest any historical books or articles on anti-unionism in the trucking industry please be kind to share those with us.

 

Well, I got a phone call yesterday to go take the drug test for a possible new job. Guess all my hard work and sacrifice has paid off. (No it's not Wal-Mart) but it is home daily and off weekends and pay is great for the hours worked, no touch freight. Thing is, I think I'm gonna miss the OTR Wisconsin to Florida I was running. There is obviously something wrong with me.

Going from a 379 to a daycab and from reefer to automotive. Big change for me but I am still excited.

One thing is for sure, everything is legal with this company. E-logs, governed, etc. My license will be safer. Maybe after a few years with them I'll make it to Wal-Mart. lol. Small steps at a time. Even us Old guys have to pay our dues and work our way up.

Here is an article that gets into more detail about what I was saying about the strikes, and it corrects a mistake I made about the dates and the circumstances. Before I drove my stepfather was a trucker and we lived through it. That is how I remember it. But I was mistaken that it was a teamsters strike. My apologies. Isn't it funny how our memory and history don't match sometimes. lol

put in the three W's - - - - .cb39.org/trucking-history/truck-driver-strikes-1979.html

 

Companies try to put policies in place to enhance their profitability. Some companies are better at it than others. JB Hunt builds a case against drivers so it is easier to fire them. If the wheels on the truck are turning and an event happens it is almost always the driver's fault. People call in and say you would not move over to let them enter the highway. Doesn't matter that you can't because a car is next to you or that you tried to adjust your speed to allow entry. Only matters that you were reported. Too many hard braking events is another. Doesn't matter that you are bobtailing on a bumpy road in the rain. Too many events and it is just a matter of time before you are history. I had a woman call in and said I hit her car merging in stop and go Chicago traffic. Se said traffic was moving at 35 mph. No marks or paint transfer on my vehicle but they paid her $4600.00. I was put on 6 months probation the following day without them seeing her vehicle. Talked to the adjuster months later and he said he never did she her car, that she always put him off. JB told him to close the file and they would handle it. I wasn't fired but it is on my DAC report yet not on my MVR and I never got a ticket for it. 100% on time delivery for 3 1/2 years means nothing. Good money, great equipment and benefits but absolutely no loyalty to their drivers. Most of their OTR drivers complain about miles but DCS and intermodal seem to do well.

 

Many truckers went on strike but many didn't. Many of those that didn't were subject to physical assault or vandalism. I remember drivers telling me their tires were slashed and windows broken on their trucks and cars. Objects thrown at them from overpasses and even being shot at. I worked in a factory loading trucks at that time. In those days there were many small fleets of 5 to 20 trucks and they made money. Ask any O/O that drove before deregulation to compare rates then and now. If you look in your want ads today you see factory jobs for $12 to $14 an hour. I was making $13 an hour in 1986 when my factory closed. Where is the progress?

 

Reading this post I understand a lot of concerns with companies and the shady behavior of some of them. I called most of them and yeah a few of them think there to big to fail. Really it's driver attitude and the know how that makes it work for both company and driver. I'm finally with a company that seems to give a crap about there driver's. i worked for a few crappy outfits but going into any company is like signing a contract make sure all your promises are in writing and make sure you know what your talking about before signing on. READ the fine print. Most of those companies your just a number in there computer...