Stevens Transport

Most of the time, a NOOB has to start out with a training company due to insurance regulations. Training companies are self insured. Most insurance companies require between a year and two years experience before they'll insure the driver. When I had my trucks, I had to run the driver's record thru the insurance company to get permission to hire them.
That said, most training companies, no matter how or what they promise have terrible home time records.
Young families, young marriages suffer greatly with OTR careers, at least in the beginning. But if you can get past that, you can find a company with good home time after your first year or two.

 

Companies that pay less than stevens,
CRST, Super Serve, Western express, CR England, .....

For me $45,000 a year is good money. I made $52,000 the last year with Stevens. Like I said, because of where I lived, my options were very limited, and Stevens met my needs at the time. I did NOT attend their school, but attended the local sage tech here in Casper, then went to Stevens. I could have also went local at the time, concrete trucks, or wire line trucks, but wanted OTR.

What is good money for one person, is not for another. Depends on living situation, needs, family, location....

 

Decent home time from a training OTR does not happen. You will be out 4 to 6 weeks between home time. And since it appears you can not afford to pay for the school upfront yourself, that limits your options. If you could, that would open up your options greatly, and include the local work in and around denver.

Stevens had many loads going into Denver, and the surrounding area when I worked their. But it also met going to the meat patch, for the next load... I learned how to make that work, and ran a traingle from denver/cheyenne to the northeast, to texas, back to denver... rinse and repeat. I ususally took a 34 hr reset while waiting for my next meat load, and I did not set at the packer, or the truck stop. I would grab a hotel room, and relax for a day. Then I ran hard to get that fresh meat to the east coast on time...

90% of all new drivers are not driving at the end of one year. It is a hard life to adjust to.

 

Nice..
you must have drove your behind off to hit $52k at Stevens low rates but at least the work is there.

 

Griffonator, I went to Keensburg, for training. If you live near, go home everyday, the school has rooms, but that is extra. I went to Stevens for 2 weeks, got a call from GP Express in Aurora, CO. I went to work there for 11 months before moving to Augusta, GA. He pays $14.50 hr plus time & a half for overtime driving straight trucks. I took home around $680-740 weekly after taxes, home every night and weekends off. There is ALWAYS overtime here, so the overtime is $21.75 an hr. The money is decent and you are home every day with family. Bob Bronson is the owner, manger and dispatcher. He had about 18 trucks and semi's with about 15 drivers. Last week, he expanded by buying out a competitor trucking company in Aurora, along with thier accounts and trucks. This means he may need more drivers. Driving his straight trucks only, you will just need a regular license, but if you want to stand out and perhaps fill an opening he may need, get the CDL.
Semi's drivers start at $16.50 plus time and half for overtime, ALWAYS overtime for semi drivers too, overtime is $24.75, you will usually work 50-60 hrs per week, so basically 1/2 days. They usually brought home over $1000 after taxes weekly.
May not sound great in hours, but when you are paid weekly on Tuesdays for the week prior you just worked, those extra hours in the paycheck will really come in handy when some one like me was near $0 in savings. Working there, I was able to have the money to move 3, vehicles and a home full of HHG 1600 miles to Augusta, GA. Most of the guys I worked with when I got there had been there, 1-17 yrs, 1-12 yrs, 1-9yrs, 3-5yrs, the rest were less than 3 yrs, but he is a good man to work for, he is not the typical boss.
I hope this helps to where you can make more $$ and perhaps get to stay home with family...

 

Also, a few more things, another semi driver there has been there 15yrs, he works saturday, because he wants to, to pick up freight from the airlines via semi truck, so basically he drives from Aurora to DIA, airport loads his trailer, brings it back, unloads it. All semi's are pretty much unloaded using a forklift. If you want to check him out and see his trucks, go to I-70 and exit 285 or Airport Blvd to and go to the truck stop, park there and directly behind the truck stop is a warehouse, just walk to the back of the truck stop and before 10 am, you should see a dozen white straight trucks with GPXpress on the side. Those are his trucks, if you get that CDL and you are interested in staying home daily, go see Bob Bronson, say Charles Hall sent me to you to see if you need any CDL semi drivers. Perhaps he may need you if he has an opening, or go see him, like I did when I was in the training. He is usually there around 5am-4pm and the other office workers are there until 10pm. His office staff have been with him between 20-25+ yrs, ALL former drivers, so he is a good man to work for as he treats you like family as long as you do the same.

 

Gary Prado & Bob Bronson were partners from 1982 to 2013, I got there in Sept 2013, Gary had just sold his half to Bob, they kept the name as it is established in Denver as GPXpress, as in Gary Prado. Gary stayed on the whole time I was there to help Bob transition to being sole owner. Believe me, Gary is well off. Bob is a great guy overall. If you call the company & ask for Bob, he will answer. In the office, Gary Bronson, Bob's older brother works with him, along with Ron & Rod. It's hard work, 90% freight your moving from his warehouse to another between CO Springs & as far as Ft. Collins. All the drivers have permanent routes, as a new guy you will be a floater, but that is NOT a bad thing. You get to go to many places each day which makes the day go by mucho fasto! I did the route thing for 3 months and got really bored. I did Golden, Arvada, Wheatridge, Lakewood and some outskirts that will border the other driver's area. I went back to being a floater & enjoyed it better. Best to have a GPS or a phone with live mapping. I used SCOUT APP. Sometimes you will go to the same places a few times and know how to get there, then there will be times you will deliver to a home or a place you went to many moons ago & forgot how to get there. The most memorable thing I remember delivering, only to the garage, was an old skool ####tail style arcade game installed with 60 1980's arcade games! All the other drivers you will see around 9-10 when you get there, once you get your route, you load your truck with either a pallat jack, which you take with you or forklift. They will help you out, the other drivers and the guys in the office. EVERYONE, including Bob, will help load a truck or find a freight you can not locate. If you have any more questions about Bob or if you want me to call Bob to see if he needs more drivers, straight truck or Semi. I can call and ask him as I have his mobile #. Just inbox my email & I will send you my mobile #. If he would rather have more straight truck drivers, they pay less BUT, you won't be indebted to the school for $4500. If you do get the CDL, you will make about $1000 after taxes each week working 50+ hrs and can pay your debt back quicker. The guy that works Saturday's is named Charlie Brown, yes, his real name, he has known Bob for 20+ yrs and has worked for him for about 14 yrs.