What is a good Company for a newbie to start with

I'd look at what trucks run the area you live in the most for starters then do some research as to which ones of them hire students, have the best pay, bennies, equiptment, etc.

If you don't care about getting home much I guess it wouldn't matter which ones come thru your area....IMO the companies that hire students are all going to be pretty similar just pick one and get some seat time..

good luck..

 

You have to find a good fit for YOU. Every company will be slightly different, and what appeals to one driver will drive another driver nuts.

Some like to be out for months at a time...others like to be home every night. Most fall somewhere in between. There are companies that will run you OTR for months at a time. There are companies that will get you home once every couple weeks. There are companies that will get you home every weekend. There are companies that will only send you out one or two nights at a time. There are companies that will have you sleeping at home in your own bed every night.

Do you like to drive during the day? At night? Morning? Evening? There are companies where you will do most of your driving at one of those times. There are companies that will run you at all hours of the day, subject only to the HOS and whether you are legal to drive.

Do you want to run hard? Or do you want to only drive a few hours a day and take your time getting on down the road? Do you want to run legal? Or do you want to "fudge" your log book to push yourself harder than necessary to please the company and their customers?

Do you want a company that keeps newer trucks? Or would you prefer older trucks? What sort of trailers would you like to pull? Dry van? Reefer? Flatbed? Step deck? End dump? Hopper bottom? Tanker? Low boy? Log wagon?

How do you want to get paid? By the mile? On percentage? By the hour? Direct deposit? Deposited on your fuel card (i.e. comdata, efs, etc...)? How much do you need each week to pay your bills? How much more do you want to make?

Do you want to run local? Regional? Lower 48? Canada? Any part of the country you DON'T want to run?

Will you want to have your wife/gf ride along with you occasionally? A pet?



You have to know what you want before you can know what to ask when talking to companies. Like I said, no two drivers are exactly alike. What was a miserable company for one driver may be heaven on earth for another.

 

Great post neck. Even though the recruiters won't give me the truth to all those questions I'll bet drivers will. Hope some of the drivers at the pilot near me don't mind me askin a few questions while they are fueling

 

Stay away from those stinky pigs