Arkansas Drivers for TMC, Werner, or KLLM

Have you thought about P A M? Im not trying to change your mind with what company to go with. Just thought since our from LR and their traing is in lr it'd easier. Im from conway and Jim going through pam simply because I can sleep in my bed for 3 more weeks before heading out on a truck with someone

 

Welcome to the industry and the TTR Forum. I'll offer my copy and paste advice since you're new. Take it for what it's worth to you.

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. I want new people entering to find out what's going on and make a plan.

Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

You need to look at your driving record and criminal record. Many don't take this into consideration and find out they can't get a job after school. The school likely won't mention this because they want your money.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record.

Just know that training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. This can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

 

I'm not from your state but i can give you some insight on 2 of them and i currently work for one.

TMC is probably the best of the best for an out of school guy. There high paying and a good outfit but there very picky. You must have a solid work history as well as driving history. For them to even talk to you. After which you must be a #### near perfect trucker in there training session. If you have any flaws you better bone up quick or its a long bus ride home. I got a pre hire from the but turned it down because of all this. They pay a % of the load that you haul. i think you start off at 21% or so... meaning you haul a $1000 load you make $210 of it. as I said good paying and brand new equipment but you better be #### good if you go with them.

Werner isant bad. I drive for them right now and I'm happy with them. there pay isant the best and its not the worst. They have nice equipment (aside from the occasional sh*tty trailer I've pulled). they will train you and give you a truck to use and help you work on your flaws. I'm about to test out of there training and have been treated very fairly while with them. Its a great place to get your one year in with and move on or stay with and try O/O or trainer positions


Kellm I dont know to much about but havent heard anything negative about them.


There all great company's. I like Werner dont have anything bad to say except for the fact my dispatcher is a moron but i think thats everywhere. But if you go with TMC you better be #### good.

 

Werner wouldent be to bad for ya. dont believe the recruiters ######### that you'll make 50K in your 1st year. your looking more like 35K 40K if you hustle and keep movin but its a great place to get your 1 year out of.

Just try to stay awake during orientation its hard to do trust me but its only 2 days.

I dont see to many TMC's out on my run.. maybe 1 a day or so.. You see plenty big blue screw's (wenrer's CB name) and I think I've only seen 1 kellm during my whole training

 

There is no "good trucking driving job" when you are starting out. The "good" jobs go to drivers with about 2 years experience. So get on somewhere, keep your driving record clean with no accidents, tickets or incidents, then after about 2 years go look for that "good" truck driving job. (PAM is not one of the companies I would look at.....brother did that after driving school. After a few weeks of sitting and only taking home a couple hundred bucks, he jumped ship and went to CFI, now Conway. Haven't heard anything bad about the companies you named. Recruiters make money if you sign on.....will they lie to you???? Most likely!

 

Conway is another company that will take you right out of school.. they have a funny system but it works well and there workers seem to be happy. (i run conway loads with werner right now)