Wanna be from Michigan

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Good morning Alan,
Welcome to The Forum! You will find a ton of information about just about every topic under the sun here. You'll also find that there are many, many experienced truckers and newbies out there who are willing to share their time and experience with you. Caution: Don't believe everything you read!
I've been reading this forum for a month or so and I've learned a helluva lot in that short period. One thing I've found to be very useful: Scroll down the different categories (not just the "New Drivers" section) and pick out threads that seem interesting to you. Most of the time you'll find that the threads end up going in all different directions but that's OK because you're still going to learn even if the thread doesn't stay on point.
Good luck to you,
ONGB

 

The best advice i think of , is go too your local truck stop and sit in the driver lounge or sit in resturant, you hear more bs storys then want in a life time, then your job is too seprate fact from fiction,Everett.

 

from one michigander to another,try Forway out of coopersville,michigan,my late husband worked for them and they were really good to him.

 

Drivers are reluctant to give specific trucking company recommendations for various reasons: 1. A bad dispatcher can make a good company appear bad. 2. There are too many companies for any driver to have experienced them all. 3. There are often different accounts within a single company which have varying home time and compensation.

The best advice I received was specific, even though that's dangerous since other drivers will disagree with any single driver's recommendation. Keepiing that in mind, my instincts tell me that Covenant, USA Truck, Werner, and Swift should be avoided. Schneider National (the company I work for) isn't as bad since it used to be union, although benefits keep getting cut as time goes by (the last two years have seen a pay freeze, elimination of paid holidays, no 401K contribution for 2009, layover pay reduced, etc). Good companies (ex UPS) will not hire you without at least a couple of years experience, and even then you will likely be on a waiting list.

I would suggest you look into Averrit, Knight, Marten, Schaffer/Crete. If you can, find a company that pays you for the miles you drive (seems unethical that most don't but this industry has some ethical issues)...and go with the company that pays the most per mile. Going with a local company is probably good advice since turnover is high and if you quit at least you'll be close to home.