Question for SNI choice guys. Why did you choose?

Despite my disappointment with a few aspects of running with SNI as a company van driver, this post could have been submitted by me.

 

I'm pretty much with DFO....Schneider has it's faults, and some of them carry over to the Choice program. That said, if / when you get beyond the whole corporate thing, the people are very nice and pretty easy to get along with. Plus, like DFO said, I really don't like jumping around to different companies.......I hate having to justify my existence on this earth to someone I don't know.

Finally, aside from Landstar, it seems to me that all of the other 'Lease' operations are really only company drivers responsible for the truck payment and that just sounds stupid to me. Why would a person 'lease' $125-$150k of equipment just to be dispatched by the same jack-bag that made you miserable as a company driver????? But, whatever...... As far as Landstar goes, I'm really not that familiar with how their leasing program works. My impression was that you had to make your own arrangements for power; but I could be wrong. But at the same time, I'm not interested in haggling back and forth with a broaker every day to get a load. With SNI, I bring it up on the computer, and I chose which one I want based on whatever goofy criterion I've developed in my water head.........

so, that's me........you still in Griffin Packard??

 

I just put in my app with SNI/SFI to see how it goes.I worked there as a Co. driver back in 04--05 and it wasn't bad then, but Ithink the choice program looks like the best/only way to go. I will be keeping up with the threads and will try not to hijack them

 

Griffin? Haven't been there in some time....never lived there. Live in Columbia, SC presently. Presently, as in until wife decides we're living somewhere else....

 

It's ok man!

 

Ditto what dfo, dip, and chknwng said. I liked driving as a company driver for Schneider. The few things I did not like I do not have to deal with now that I am an ic. Choice works perfectly for me so far.

 

Uhmm .. I have a number of reasons as well.. Mainly the ease and convenience (as DFO said) I felt this was a big step for me and any time (in my opinion) your gonna take a risk/chance go with what/who you know best. If they are dependable that is! I knew SNI, I trusted them to pretty much do what they say they would. I knew the problems we run into and how to deal with them etc..

I don't know Landstar well, but in my research I did find out that you have to negotiate with the brokers for your pay/how much we will take the load for. Sounds like to much BS compared to SNI.. I wasn't to thrilled with that idea.

I knew SNI simply just pays whatever the load is on the board. We get to shop the loads and what we pick is what we get.. Simple. You might be able to negotiate a few cents more for a load here or there at Landstar but the brokers are gonna want favors for that ie.. "I'll give yeah this load paying Xamount if you will take this scrap load over here" etc... No thanks!

 

How does the load board work. Is it first in first out on the load board. Or whoever commits to the load first when it's posted or what...?



I know there has to be some pecking order on that thing......?

 

Nope. You see the load, you pick the load. The fastest processor wins! No pecking order. Anyone can pick any load. On any given day there are over 5000 loads available.

 

I Call BS on this one. You're a complete liar if you say that you did the math and compared the rates for loan and determined that SFI was the best choice.
Truth is that SFI has had alot of problems retaining drivers through their deceptive advertising and I can bring up proof from current SNI folks that have told me so as well
as having gone thru it myself.

SFI rates are ridiculously high on new trucks almost to the point of loan sharking and on the used trucks they will keep a good amount of money as a maintenance pkg which you cannot use anywhere you wish but only
in places in their network. Also if you use less than 250 dollars off of the money say for an oil change then there is a 25 dollar fee.

At lease Diesel is honest which is if you have bad credit or not enough money for a down payment then yes SFI is a good choice to get started in the business but by no means is it better than getting a truck from a dealer or another source.