Millis or Estes

I was going to say you can't go wrong with the instructor in Trenton, Ohio. But, it sounds like you're on your way! Best of luck to you and enjoy the ride!

 

I'm going to go against the grain and say go for the job at Estes. It's a foot in the door at a company you can retire from and you will learn alot about the LTL biz just by working the dock.

The reality is even if you spend a year on the dock before getting into a truck, you could still make more at Estes over the course of three years than you would at a company like Millis. Getting that foot in the door is more valuable than you think. A couple of dings on your record in training with another carrier and your chance might be lost for years. That's not a factor to be taken lightly.

Also your wage on the dock at Estes will be equal to or greater than what most rookie drivers are making otr for their first year. My advice. Don't pass this one up.

 

Yep, this is what happened to me at Millis. In my first 6 months I made rookie mistakes(1inch scratch on fiber glass, plastic torn from hood mirror, etc). When I tried to apply for other mega jobs a year later, I kept being rejected because of those incidents. I ordered my DAC/PSP and they were clear, so it's pretty obvious Millis was telling them themselves. They will also turn your speed down each time this happens, further lowering your earning potential. Most megas will want 6 months without any incidents. Keep in mind I was never late, took every load, always came back from home time on time and never complained so I don't know why I'd get thrown under the bus like that. Luckily I managed to find a small local outfit that didn't care and right off the bat I was making more than I did at Millis and home everyday. Been at this current company for 2 years now, 0 incidents/accidents/etc.

I will say, the training portion of Millis was fine. I left because I felt my dispatcher wasn't running me good. Most of my loads were from Trenton(beer load) to Virginia, which is about 450 miles. Those miles will take longer to reach as well because you'll be loaded heavy crawling 30mph up hills. In case you didn't know, West Virginia and Virginia is 90% hills and mountains. I was speaking with other friends who went with me during training and it seemed they were always getting 900mil+ 'easy' loads so I'm not sure what the deal was with that. My tipping point is when they had me sitting at Trenton for nearly 3 days despite sending dispatcher numerous messages. Anyway, you better try your best not to put so much as a scratch on that truck or you're going to have hell afterwards. Good luck.