Hit me with your best shot

Ah yes.Little Big Mouth.(said with respect) Course..now I have that song playing too.

 

"After a few months can I get a brand-new 680?"

 

"When can I go to the shop and get my training wheels taken off?"

 

What does a good base assessorial pay consist of?

 

So when do I get my own office with a view, and a spot in the annual managers golf game.

 

Thanks to the Internet, so much information can be gathered about a school and/or motor carrier in advance that it can help narrow down your best options.

For a school or company sponsored training, look for one that is PTDI certified. http://www.ptdi.org/ If using a carrier sponsored training to obtain your CDL, read carefully the terms of the agreement, because it almost always requires you passing the course and remaining employed by that carrier for so many months/years or a certain percent of the training costs will be due to the motor carrier. I personally prefer the private trucking schools, even if you must pay for it yourself, because on top of quality as a reason, during the course of your CDL training different jobs may become available and you can be more flexible in what you want to do (van, tanker, flatbed, etc). There will be plenty of carriers interested in you, especially if you do well in school and obtain your CDL. My opinion of carrier sponsored training is rarely positive as too many carriers are more interested in warm bodies more than providing good training. The money you invest in yourself (training) will yield better results, especially if you really take it serious.

For choosing a motor carrier, to me, condition of the equipment and carrier's history of vehicles placed out of service (FMCSA inspection OOS rate) is at the top of the list. It does not matter how much per mile you make if the truck is more prone to breakdown. The carrier's overall safety rating is very important to me. I really do not want law enforcement having a bullseye on my back because the management of the carrier fails to remain in compliance of the law. After this, the money the job pays, how many ways are there to make money besides per mile in accessory pay (drop pay, detention pay, breakdown pay, layover pay, etc), permanent assigned truck or slip seating, average length of haul and primary areas of operation, bonuses, home time policy, benefits (medical, dental, life, retirement/pension, vacation, paid holidays and sick/personal days), rider policy.

What will be most important is what really matters most to you. My suggestion is to just shy away from carriers who do not make safety a priority. Many carriers say they do, but statistics often paint a different picture. Do not risk damaging your career by being put in a situation where your company expects you to break the law. When something bad happens, they have amnesia and you get screwed. Use this philosophy and you will do very well in the long run. Safety First, Never Last...... Have a Future, Not a Past!

 

first question you need to ask the recruiter is, "your being honest with me right?" the answer will prepare you for your driving carreer in dealing with some DMs and a lot of shops.

 

How can u tell when your DM is lying? His lips are moving.

 

In modern time, that has been updated to "whenever you get a message on your Qualcomm!"