Any and all questions about what companies are looking for in drivers!

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/motor-carrier-questions-the-inside-scoop/

Maybe start this thread here?

 

Ok let me be the first to ask. About me personally, I've been out of trucking more than 10 years, I gave up my CDL about 5 years ago. I just had my 62nd birthday about 3 weeks ago. I'm 5' 7" 162 lbs I don't smoke and my BP is 122/80 I have NO perscriptions. I don't want to be out 3+weeks at a time been there done that. Do companies have "geezer" fleets for guys who just want to be out a week or 2. My financial guy would like to see me work till I'm 70. So, be honest, I can take it.

 

I trained a guy that was 68. He was Greek and very stubborn but he ended up in a truck.

 

you've already got the two biggies...now what can you do as a recruiter that is different and would have a positive impact? how about being honest and DON"T LIE. there ya go. start there and you'll be fine.

 

Ended up in a truck. Almost anyone can be shown to drive a truck. The real question is can he do the job and not drive like a good percentage of foreign drivers we encounter everyday? Big difference between a steering wheel holder and a professional driver.

 

Well I put it that way because I refused to upgrade him myself. The dude couldn't keep it in his lane and would drift off to the right. Nearly hit to barricades while he was with me. He had issues with his night vision too, along with a severe attitude problem. I dropped him off at a terminal and found out the next week that they opted to upgrade him and put him in a truck there when I received the upgrade bonus LOL. Saw him about 3 months later and he said he had sideswiped a car with his trailer tandems. (just like I told them he would) But its not on me.

 

From what I've seen the last few years these companies will hire someone based on the reliable mirror test, if you fog the mirror you meet their criteria to drive.

 

RecruiterMike,

Thanks for this thread it should be fun to follow. I drove OTR for just short of a year, I've been out of the cab for 4 years so I'm returning to CDL school to restart my driving career. My initial foray into trucking was with Roehl (and a very brief stint with a local company after Roehl).

During my year with Roehl I learned to be a trucker and not just a driver - there is a difference. In 2009 it was a tough environment with the economy in full-blown recession and a dearth of freight, miles were scarce and a living wage nearly impossible to attain (at least for a new driver on the low end of the pay scale). I won't return to Roehl simply because they don't have a terminal near me and finding a place for the truck during home time was problematic. I have no complaints about Roehl it's a fine company with good people and decent equipment.

My question is regarding "starter" companies (Roehl, Wolding, Swift, Werner, TMC, Celedon, et al). Why don't starter (or training) companies have policies to encourage drivers to stay beyond a year or two? Many, maybe most, new drivers plan on staying at their first company only long enough to get hired by a "better" company. After the training company spends the time and money to develop these new hires they watch most of them leave, seems like very bad economics to me.

I understand a driver pursuing a local job for better home time. However, many drivers go to other OTR companies. Better pay, nicer trucks, higher allowed speeds (65-68 vs. 61-63), etc. are all reasons drivers jump into a different seat. Why wouldn't a company have a division that they would promote experienced drivers into rather than see them walk? Take the driver that completes a year of good service and give him a newer, more comfortable truck with a higher speed ceiling, pay a little more and retain him or her? What am I missing?

Regards, Bootsie

 

Hi Bootsie lemme see if I can answer that for you.

The big companies will often upgrade trucks as they become available for the proven drivers. There are no guarantees as to availability, so ymmv.

As a former owner op I know I'm going to open a can of worms about speeds. The one irrefutable fact is that the way most major carriers spec out their trucks the sweet spot for fuel mileage generally sits in the 60-63 mph range. Simply put, the slower you drive their truck, the more profitable it is for them. Now, not all trucks are set up this way, but generally the big carriers do, thus they use governors and speed limiters in the ECM to ensure you're making them the most money possible. Are there carriers that will let you drive 75? Sure. But not onky are they paying for more fuel than they have to, other costs come into it, too. Wear and tear on the engine for maintenance, for one and insurance rates for another.

My advice? Slow down and find a carrier that bonuses you for your fuel mileage. Your shifts will be more relaxing, and you'll laugh all the way to the bank everytime one of those guys blows your doors off as he runs past.

Hope that helps.