I got a serious question for all of you people on this forum.

I, for one, don't want the competition. I figured it out on my own not to work for the big carriers. If people can't figure it out for themselves and get away from it on their own, I definetly don't want them as co-workers that I have to be associated with.

 

It says you have been driving for 12 years? Drive for another 3 years and you will have your answer.

 

IMO: the whole reason for this board is to HELP newbies get into the industry and not repeat the mistakes others have delt with or to be taken advantage of.

To offer advice, to answer questions on equipment, rules/regs etc, to be supportive on and on the list goes, NOT so people can sit in the corner going nananabooboo sucks to be you~

I think there are posts here that DO deal with good companies HOWEVER one must remember all companies have a mix of good and bad things.....I dont care if its trucking, the local hospital or any other employer.

 

I do not agree that all the companies mix the good and the bad. The major carriers offer one thing and one thing only:experience. Get it and get out. If you have a year or less exp. in trucking, then fine, work for Werner. Or any of the other ones. The guys that have 5 years and still pulling freight for peanuts have no one to blame but themselves. I learned all this the hard way. A year ago I was job jumping like crazy to smaller, but just as crappy, jobs.
Giving guys a phone number to call is not the way to help them. I can honestly say that the drivers who learn for themselves how trucking works, including getting crapped on by bad companies, are the ones who will succeed.
As far as helping newies not make the same mistakes, are we reading the same board? I have been told more then once that the job is what you make it, it's my attitude that kept me from being happy, and they will go into it with a positive outlook and do better. Sometimes people have to learn the hard way. I did.
I went to Werner as an experienced driver to be a trainer. I left a day and a half into orientation. If anyone can sit through that b.s. and still think it may be a decent job, I probably would not have much advice for that person. I am an adult, I don't need treated like a baby. And if someone does need treated like a baby, they couldn't handle one of the good jobs anyways, so no sense in giving them any names.
And that again is refering to experienced drivers. A lot of new drivers are going to have to pay their dues at one of the mega-carriers. Just get it done and over with. I have a lot of friends with college degrees making less then I am right now, and they paid to go to college. If you gotta eat crow for a year, then go out and land a better job, it's cheaper then college. In my case I took it for 4 years before I wised up and got my own rig. Still cheaper then college.....

 

Alot of the big companies that people gripe about are simply a start-up place for the newbie...to gain the experience they need to get hired by a smaller, better company. The major companies, Swift, Prime, etc. are the companies that will hire a newbie fresh out of driving school...but they don't have the best reputation for long-term employment.
There are exceptions to every one of them, and the good companies are often the ones with small fleets, and drivers who have been there for years.

I guess what I'm saying is...if a newbie has to hire on to one of these "bad" companies in order to get some experience, they won't have to stay there forever, and in the meantime, research, research, research, to find that good company that offers what you are looking for...

Judi Kay

 

A lot of these jobs are in LTL - a lot of people dismiss these jobs as too hard to get, don't like the seniority system, don't wanna do the work, among other reasons. Good LTL carriers are hiring right now. I know there are other companies that have similar standards in other segments too as well as O/O's who have carved out a nice niche. Also, most of the good jobs in any segment don't advertise because they don't have to.

I have my complaints about Con-way but overall could not ask for a better driving job. Payroll never an issue, paid for all work performed, paid for all miles, good insurance, good retirement plan for a younger person, plenty of work, unreal money on line-haul, and they are paying my expenses to re-locate this weekend for a second time. They shifted some freight around so I took a transfer down to the Mid-Atlantic - Con-way paid me a lump some, covers other expenses, and reimburses everything including mileage for my two personal vehicles while keeping my seniority. This company is hiring right now as is FedEx Freight.

Heck, I'm even on vacation the rest of the week cause I didn't feel like driving in the snow anymore. Starting Monday, my miles will be below the Mason-Dixon line.. Woohoo.




I think I'll have another glass of the blue Con-way Cool-aid..

 

I drive for one of the best companies in the world, and one of the largest private fleets, Wal-mart. I'm not afraid to say the company because I'm not afraid that you will take my job. You get a job here when you have proven yourself in the trucking industry as a professional driver which takes more then a few years. Your driving record is almost spotless, very few if any incidents or God forbid accident, you dress like you want a job and proud of what you do, you were smart enough not to get tickets for your prior companies and you prefer to run legal at all times. If your a Pro then bring it on. When I hired on more then 12 years ago there were 55 applications and they only hired 6 and thank God I turned Pro to get on here and since I knew no one that worked here then my driving record and work history spoke for it self. You can climb to the top of the mountain or stand at the bottom and whine that no one will take your hand and walk you up to the top of your mountain.

 

I drive for FedEx National LTL no problems here,Iam a linehaul driver,was at my last job over 6 years before getting hire on here,not an job hopper.Iev done OTR not for me anymore,dont like not being paid for all my time out there.

 

That about sums it up..