Hey Newbs!! Think small.....

Its pretty hard for small companies to insure newbie drivers, but I'm sure everyone would appreciate you posting specific small companies that hire new drivers. I haven't found any and TMC wasn't bad. Truth is the mega's arn't THAT bad, and you really just need to get a year under your belt. Once you do you have more options;

 

Majority of the newbs entering the trucking industry either are felons, homeless and looking to live in a truck or need a paycheck like yesterday. Usually smaller companies will hire, but are pickier since they cant pay the rates the megas do, or be self insured.

 

I don't think it's nearly as easy as we make it seem for newer drivers. Generally speaking the smaller carriers are much nicer to work for, but a lot of these new drivers have a few problems going for them:

- Lack of information. Not everyone has the intuitive abilities to research things. As crazy as it sounds, I'm sure more than one driver picked a company because he saw one of their fleet trucks going down the road and it looked pretty. Also these mega carriers have inflated advertising budgets and reach far more people than a simple ad on kijiji can.

- CDL training at the larger carriers. For someone who is changing or starting a career and doesn't have the funding to obtain a CDL out of pocket, the megas are (I refrain from using the word 'good') alternative to that process. The contact talk can be saved for another day, however.

- Time and money. Funnily enough, the two things drivers will be sacrificing in the first year is the two vital reasons they might start at mega. In today's world where time equals money, most people simply can't afford to wait to find that dream job with a smaller, reputable company. The mega carriers will hire almost anyone and combined with their large advertising budget, that can appeal to many new drivers as a quick way to start making some coin.

Besides, just because a carrier is a smaller outfit does not mean you're always treated like family or they run DOT compliant equipment. You may even be asked to run above and beyond your HOS since many smaller fleets still use paper logs. I'm not saying the grass is greener on either side as I would prefer to work for a smaller company (which I do). But if you can survive a hellish year at a mega carrier with no incidents, accidents or DOT violations while making bum pay and still enjoy what you do, they may have just made a trucker out of you.

...or maybe that L/O program is too good to pass up. Either way.

 

this thread is pointless! and should be deleted from the site. there is no useful information in it what so ever.

 

GEEZ Mr. Matt don't be such a Debbie Downer. It's just a forum

 

This from someone who's profile says "Trucker? No Answer". I am one of those newbs and am not a felon or homeless, as a matter of fact I was an air traffic controller for 23 years, what's your resume say?

 

Welcome to TTR, I was a controller in the 80's at ORL and PBI. We have a few pilots on here too.

 

I agree, I wasted no time with USA truck (2 weeks waiting for "trainer")

I went to a company that has a fleet of around 120. Got a 6 cent raise, am home every weekend and have been here a year. Also get 2400 to 2800 miles a week