H.O. Wolding is a GREAT company!

I've followed a few threads like this one all the way through ... some waaay longer than this one and I can't express how much valuable info newbies and wannabes like me get from following the daily ins and outs of OTR company drivers as they get through their week. One of the biggies IMO is time management, which I wouldn't've guessed to be so complicated, factoring in the constants like HOS and variables like load/unload times at shippers/receivers, and traffic/breakdown/weather delays. To me it seems almost a miracle that any load gets from point A to point B on time. That it does must be due to the driver's careful management of his/her time, which looks to be an art developed over time and experience.

I hadn't even considered H.O. Wolding as one of the companies I'd like to drive for, until I got a brochure in the mail from a truck driving school that listed Wolding as one of the companies that recruits from their school. I didn't know much about Wolding, so here I am.

One thing that seems to be counting against me so far is my work history. One training company shot my application down because I was retired and hadn't had recent work experience in the last two years. Before I retired, it was 19 years with the same outfit. I am wondering if this is an industry wide standard, or if this particular company just wasn't interested in me and was looking for a nice way to say "thanks but no thanks?" When the recruiters call, it is a question I have now added to my list.

Safe journeys, drivers, and thanks again for taking the time and effort to share.

 

They want to be sure all the product is in there, that's why they hold you after being unloaded. Honestly the need for a lumper to break down and rebuild pallets is a bend to the shipper so that THEY don't have to spend as much. So yes, trucking company always takes on the most risk and gets paid the least. It's a sad state.

The direction of the industry is a slow fade to black for OTR truckers.

 

What is the home time like at Wolding?

 

If you live in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, the southeast or in the northeast then it's really good. Can't say for sure about anywhere else.

 

my girl friend and I drive team and we choose to be home about every 2.5 weeks for 3-5 days and they have never complained about it . I have a few friends that drive regional for them and are home every weekend by Friday and out Sunday night Monday morning

 

From the research I've done on other companies it seems Wolding has some of the best home time in the industry. Clearly the more you are home the less money you make but around here it's pretty flexible. Some do a reset at home weekly or bi weekly, some like me stay out longer and take more days off in a row. If you live in a lane, especially in Wisconsin you can see home every couple of days.

 

Wolding drivers: I am looking for the last trucking company I will work for and equipment is important to me, more so than pay even. I can't find the info on their homepage, so I'm asking about equipment here.

As a new hire driver for them, what power unit can I expect to be assigned?
Do I get to take it home? If so, will they help find a place to drop the trailer? My neighborhood is NOT 53 footer-friendly!
How long do they keep a power unit before trading it in?
Do the units have an APU?
How about an inverter? If no, will they install one if I buy it?
I want to stay out 4-6 weeks. Will they let me do that and keep me running true 48-state OTR?

 

As a new driver for them you will be assigned one of their Columbias. It's a toss-up whether you'll get an older or newer one. But being that you have experience and want to stay out for a month or longer you'll likely be asigned a newer one that can get you to California.

You get to take it home, but there is a no un-hook policy because a couple trailers have been stolen. I know a few drivers who have found safe places for their trailers or simply don't care and unhook where they can.

I drove an 02 Columbia. My truck was exceptionally well cared for by the drivers who had it previously. It had 1.27 million by the time I was done with it and for 6 months straight I had zero mechanical issues. I'm sure I got very lucky with that truck though.

Only maybe 3 out of 10 trucks have an APU. It's really just luck of the draw whether you get one or not. I've heard rumors they're taking them off due to them being way to expensive to maintain.

They have a no-inverter policy. It's complete garbage, but their excuse is battery wear. But if you talk to Mark Wolding and tell him you don't plan on putting a microwave and fridge in the thing, then he'll let the shop install a modest inverter that does more than what the ###### cigar lighter ones do.

Wolding will get you to all 48. However they don't necessarily have power lanes going through all of them. During slow periods you may find yourself darting around the Midwest.

 

What they mean by battery wear on the inverter is that a bunch a nitwits would go home for a couple of days without turning everything off and come back to dead batteries. That got expensive. You can get an inverter installed here but you will need to prove yourself first. At first I didn't understand it but after hearing the horror stories of what some people do I finally got it. Newest one involves a potbelly pig!

brand shiny new trucks are coming in all the time here and I am more than happy to see all the old timers get them! Let them works the bugs out of the new stuff. Wolding is very good at taking care of their equipment as is reflected in their CSA score. I started out in an 02 and not once was I ever down for repairs, I'm currently in an 07 with an apu but will have to give it up at the end of the year because I go into CA. In over a year I've been sitting on the side of the road only one time and that was for a flat trailer tire. I make sure I keep a list of the little things that need repaired when I bring my truck in so they don't turn into big things. The guys in the shop also do a great job looking the truck over.

im OTR and never know where I'll end up next lol, you get in a zone for a while running New York a couple times, then out west, then to Alabama, we go wherever the freight takes us. Staying out 4 to 6 weeks would be no problem I do that and longer sometimes and I've always gotten home when I asked for it.

 

My girl friend and I are both student hires at Wolding . We both are from the area and went with Wolding because we had heard such good things about them . I have liked my experience with them thus far . Every one from the office to the shop are very friendly and helpful .

But on the maintenance end I have not been that impressed , there have been multiple time things have not been addressed . Such as a slipping clutch we had in are first truck . I told them about it , and they sent out are road test guy ( not a mechanic ) to check it out . They said there was no problem . After 1 month and more complaining they finally looked into it further and sure enough , they found it was slipping . So they switched us to a New truck . And a few other small things , but nothing that has left us on the side of the road .