How'd you pick you company?

It's a krap shoot, kind of. You need to apply at 10-15 companies and see if any of them bite. Then go from there. But, let me throw you a slight curveball. ALL trucking companies are the same, to a certain degree. They all haul freight, they all run 24/7, they all pay roughly the same, they all require you to adapt to the lifestyle, they all need you to abide by the rules (states, Federal). They all push you to extremes, thay all pinch pennies etc. Well, you get the picture. So, quitting one company and hiring on with another actually costs you in downtime etc. The end result is you are still driving a truck, but with a different company name on the door. Same shippers/consignees/rules/truck stops/laws etc. Make sense?

 

I researched classifications in trucking and decided what part of the industry I wanted to start with before going to driving school. I settled on tankers primarily because of home time, pay, the way drivers are treated at shippers and recievers, and the fact that you are paid hourly for traffic delays, pretrips, breakdowns etc.

I contacted terminal managers directly and set up face to face interviews. My first 3 choices were, Superior Carriers, Schnieder Bulk and Crete for dry van. I was prehired for Schnieder before I started school, was offered a job with Superior Carriers and never heard back from Crete. Wound up being a good decision. Made 46K my first year and am on track for around 52 this year. Home 40 or so weekends per year. 2 weeks paid vacation in my second year.