Feels like a mistake.

Look.....Until every driver becomes represented, Carriers will always do things their way,

Im an independent owner-operator for over 20 years......your TIME better be important to you.

Its virtually impossible to have a 'lifestyle' with decent earnings working for a mega-carrier.Believe me sir, They worry about the linings of their pockets before yours.

If you are SERIOUS about becoming a truck driver..You have 2 options and 2 options only.

1.start your own company as an independent owner-operator

2.drive for a unionized carrier


All else you will be miserable for years to come.............Yes,I do know what im talking about

 

The mistake you made was not going to the tanker division of Schneider.
Do you have the tanker/hazmat endorsements, TWIC, passport.? Here's some good companies to look at; if you like them then apply and when you get an orientation date, leave Schneider but not before.

Melton Truck Lines
SVTN
Superior-Carriers
System Transport
Maverick
TMC

There are others where you can make a good weekly paycheck. If you have the endorements there's no reason not to make a grand a week consistantly.

 

With your experience, I would certainly stay there till you get some more experience, keep doing what yo are doing till you get more time in. I would certainly like to see one year there before you get the move on!

Thanks.
James

 

The only thing I would add is get your 6 months in... I assume you refer to it because they gave you training and need the 6 months to pay it back.

Won't look good if you bail on that....

People should do more homework before getting into these deals..

You can do better depending on where you live and how long you want to stay out if otr is what you want..

There are some ltl jobs out there but many of the ones that are easy to get on with are horrible at best...

Been down this road already.. it can get better...

 

Speaking from another 'mega' carrier... It was the same for us. We team but we're getting solo runs. It took changing DMs (dispatch managers) and squeaking politely to higher-ups expressing our concerns before things started to change. Also we got to where we knew the PU/del locations and routes and got into a rhythm... It does take time... And your experience isn't isolated to SNI.

 

You have to be a good self-starter, EVERY DAY. You have to be self-motivated and not require a lot of "guidance" from others. If any of those is not the case for you and if you can't manage your time well and get out of bed when you need to get out of bed, and run when you need to run, you will fail in the trucking business, no matter where you try or what type of trucking you try.

Making a decent living in the dry van, mega-carrier side of trucking is very hard. Too many trucks chasing too few loads. And the few loads there are are short/regional and IMO, unless you just want to starve and run 300 miles/day, you will have a hard time making good money. Look at tanker or the oil field if either work for your home location.

 

Yes stay. At a minimum fulfill your obligation. It's not going to get better anywhere else. You'll just move side wards until you get some experience.

These companies don't train because they are nice. They train because they can pay cheap wages and boost their profits. They know if you quit there is another newbie at the door waiting to take your seat. Believe it or not Schneider use to be a decent company. As older drivers you can watch trends in the industry over the years. One company will find a way to cut expenses and not long after the rest will follow. You use to never see lease deals. Then one company come up with the plan to get drivers to pay for their trucks and then it wasn't long more and more started doing it. It's the same everywhere. Which one stinks the worse?

Keep asking your dispatcher for better runs and keep your communication professional. It takes time but one day he'll wake up and realize you are dependable and need minimal supervision. That's the kind of driver a dispatcher likes. They do have their favorites and whiny babies they hate. When there is three drivers in one area and one good load guess who gets it? When you have 100 new drivers on your board it takes awhile for a dispatcher to recognize you and your performance. Once you stand out they start taking better care of you.

Things won't really get better until one year until you get away from them low wages. These 6 month companies aren't much better. Try to improve what you have already. Then at one year the next company will look at your application and say this guy stuck it out. He's not a quitter. Hire him.

It was tough in 1995 but I think newbies today have it worse. Look at all the college students out there. They have to penny pinch and live on skid row for 4 years before things get better. One year really isn't that long.

 

Leaving does not guarantee instant income.

It takes time with any company to learn their individual systems and dms to learn you.

You hometime experience is typical of otr.. pretty much the same anywhere you go... I usually get home within 24 hrs sometimes later.. after 12 years I am used to it...

Anyone who would hire you this soon and after you bailed on your obligation to Schneider would probably be a worse experience....

There will be some who tell you that there are all kinds of companies out there who will pay you big money and so on...

Very..very rare...

If your finances are that bad and you can't make it through this then perhaps you should go back to whatever you did before...