What's the job market like in El Paso?

Good to know, thanks. I'm not necessarily scared of mega carriers, but that nonsense I put up with at MVT left a bad taste in my mouth for constant micromanagement.

 

I've never felt micromanaged at Swift. They give me a load, I can accept or reject it, they aren't forced dispatch. The load will have a time and place to pick up and a time and place to deliver. Only time they 'micromanage' me is if I'm behind schedule enough that it looks like I may not make the destination in time. And, then just to find out what's up and if they can help. That said, communication is important. As long as everything is basically going to plan, things stay quiet. If things are going sideways and I'm having problems and delays that may effect things, I always communicate with them to keep them updated.
When my driver leader calls me occasionally just to check in, we mostly end up talking about football of late. He's a Steelers fan and I tend towards Cardinals and Chiefs.
Anyway, since I do reefer and you have very emphatically stated you don't want to do reefer. I'm not positive what Western regions options are available. However, I'm a Western region driver and pretty sure with dry van they have a similar option. Swift also does flat bed if you may be interested. We have many dedicated accounts and those usually pay a bit higher CPM.
Lastly, in that general area, Swift has terminals in Laredo, Phoenix and Albuquerque. You don't necessarily have to live by a terminal. I don't. Phoenix is the nearest physical terminal to me and it's about 170 miles from Yuma. I keep my Jeep parked there when I'm out. So, I go there when I go on hometime and hop in my Jeep to get to Yuma. It's what I do because that works for me. If there's a place you can park a rig near to where you live, they also have folks take a rig home with them for hometime. Unsure of details on how that works specifically because I haven't done it, but a recruiter should be able to answer questions about it. I'm assigned to the Jurupa Valley terminal in Southern California, but was assigned to the West Valley Utah terminal for a bit. Terminal you are assigned to doesn't have to be anywhere near where you actually are.
Swift has Internationals, Freightliners, Kenworths and Volvos in their inventory. No Mack's or Peterbuilts. Obviously I'm a Volvo fan and actually in the process of moving into a BRAND NEW Volvo!
In general, 3 things I seriously enjoy about Swift.
1. Bad roads and bad weather, park it. They don't want you doing chains unless needed to get to some place safe to park until conditions improve. They are actually quite big on safety. I'm a safe driver and don't have any issues. They have cameras in their trucks, but not driver facing ones. They will ding you on unsafe things like following distance, not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign or light. If you're a 'super trucker', this may not be the place for you. If you're a safe professional driver who values your own life above getting a load delivered, this place could fit you.
2. Swift has terminals in many of the areas that can be difficult to find parking. Phoenix, Denver, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, and many others places that simply don't have adequate parking, we have terminals near. I can just pop into a terminal to park. That comes in very handy I assure you!
3. Truck problems?, tire problem? I make 1 phone call. 24/7/365 it is manned. When I call it they figure out where to send me to get repair or they send either a road tech to me or tow truck. Whatever is needed for the situation. But, I don't have to figure any of that out. They do. I simply make one phone call. I've come to seriously appreciate that!!!
Other reasons I like Swift and stay with them are more specific to me and things that may be different or not apply to others at Swift.
Regardless, Good Luck to you!!! Wherever and whomever you end up driving for.

 

Yeah the terminals in big cities is one reason I liked working for the bigger companies. My current company likes to build them way too far outside of the big cities for them to be of much use for parking, or they're too small to even get parking in (Chicago being the only exception).

Being in Laredo, I'm accustomed to having a terminal nearby. I like the option of getting repairs done during my 34 at home. I'm also pretty used to being home every week or every other week.

 

I run through both of these cities. Much prefer El Paso. It's a hoppin' place with not as much a big city feel to it. Can't imagine there aren't tons of opportunities.

 

Check out New Legends Transportation in Yuba City, CA. All they run is 11 western, dry van. The farthest east I've seen them is Oklahoma. He would run to that Big Lots in Durant. I think they have dedicated account with them. I got a friend that lives in College Station, TX and worked with them for a while before he got married and took something more local.

Contact - Legend Transportation, Inc

 

El Paso is always behind the curve when it comes to driver pay. The equipment provided tends to be on the older, shabby side. Drivers in and around El Paso are among the worst in the country. Most employers favor the more miles, more pay model of employment and their "weekends off" means taking a 34 only and heading back out. A lot of trucking employers will promise the world and not deliver, especially in El Paso. Line-haul and LTL aren't always hiring as those positions are highly sought after in El Paso. As for culture, then if you're ok in Laredo, you'll be find in El Paso as well. Border culture is pretty much the same from Cali to east Texas. A lot of loads go to the Midwest from El Paso- Kentucky, the Carolinas, Indiana, Chicago, Tennessee, Ohio, etc.

My recommendation to you is- if you do move to El Paso, try to sign on with a company that doesn't have a yard in El Paso. There are plenty of private, secure parking spaces to rent for $100 or less per month. The company will most likely have a better work culture and better pay than what is typically found among El Paso employers.

 

Yeah that would interest me. Always liked that casino in Durant haha!

The employer situation sounds almost identical to Laredo. The smaller companies run old equipment, easy access to B1 drivers keeps wages low, high number of CDK holders makes local work hard to find, etc. In Laredo the megas are often the best bet for modern equipment and safe operating practices.

 

Friends son used to drive for KKW, did it for 3 yrs, and for 3 winters he spent all his time in the snow belt, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Dakota's

 

Was he based up there or did he live further south?

 

He lived in Az