Questions About BTC

Welcome to the TTR Forum. Maybe someone will come along that has personal experience with this company. Check these threads:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/trucking-company-dac-reports/

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/discuss-your-favorite-trucking-company-here/

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/report-a-bad-trucking-company-here/

I'll throw in my standard advice for free. I hope you find something helpful in it.

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. 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.

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. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most 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. For OTR 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.

You don't want to wait around too long after training or you'll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over.

One last thing, if you have anything that makes you less desirable than your competing job applicants, a phone or in-person interview will often bring the best results. Even if I am the best candidate I will choose face-to-face if at all possible and phone if not. Sure you may have to fill out that online application but that isn't the best way to get a good job. You have to do something or be someone who stands out from the crowd. Do regular follow-ups by phone on the jobs you really want.

 

I'm a week into training with btc. So far I like the company and my trainer is awesome. On the downside..... flatbedding is hot heavy work. Take that into consideration. There will be days where you load in the morning and then have to drive your 11 hours sweaty and nasty. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask

 

my first week was from nashville tn- springfield mass then loaded in messina ny and delivered to detroit. we picked up two steel coils outside of dayton ohio friday and have to deliver in jackson tn monday morning. I think they do haul alot out of indiana though. Which recruiter did you talk to?

 

the trainer trucks are freightliner columbias they are bare bones and under powered. the new macks are alot nicer from what ive seen I hear they pull hills alot better too. They are moving their entire fleet to the macks gradualy. The newest ones come with 1500 watt inverters installed and outlets throughout the sleeper. I dont know if ill get one, but im hoping for a mack when i finish my training. The macks are Elog and the freight liners are still paper log. Not having any experience with paper logs, I must say that i like the e logs. I had very little contact with my recruiter before i got to orientation. Met James and Trace at orientation and they both seemed nice. Its not a huge company and the big wigs will all speak to you and treat you like a person instead of just another number.

 

Ive hauled coils out of Butler, Gary, Portage, and one other town I cant remember. Done broker work out of Evansville. Pipe out of Scherersville. We have quite a bit of work in/out of Indiana.