Please! Don't tell me the truth!!!!

Don't forget the driver's truth. And it is far too often farther from reality than any of the above. I've been on both sides of the phone, and I'm here to tell you I've been lied to by drivers far more than all the others combined lied to me as a driver.

Here's some advice for you noobs and experienced drivers alike. Part of my job on this side of the phone is to go to bat for you when everything goes to hell. But I'm here to tell you, I'll be ###### if I'm sticking my neck out for you if I know you're likely to be lying. Tell me the truth, and we'll deal with it the best we can. Lie to me and you'll be swinging in the wind all by your lonesome. Because when it comes to getting burned by someone else's lies, it once bitten, twice shy.

 

I agree, I think it's more the employee rating of a company vs this is a great company for trainees. Been frustrating searching and reading different newbie threads and 'Looking for advice' post-signature of an agreement with a company, so I have spent a considerable time searching 'The Inside Scoop' sub forum on different companies. While I'm sure it's not perfect, it does give me a feel for the overall reputation for a few companies by professional drivers and their satisfaction levels. The more experienced drivers seem to post there and the attitudes they present seem to be more telling than any recruiter or newbie's experience or advice. There's a considerable amount of excellent information to be found on this forum, it's there, but folks have to be willing to look for it.

The way I see it at this point, company selection for new CDL holders that haven't done anything other than decide they want to be a truck driver is a crap shoot if they don't heed the advice and postings on this forum.

Company A = You're screwed
Company B = A jar of Vaseline is involved
Company C = Possibility of a reciprocal reach-around

 

The best way to weed out companies is look for the ones with the worst reputation and cross them off your list.Recruiters are going to say what you wanna hear,they won't give out any extra info because otherwise they could lose their jobs for not recruiting enough drivers.Don't get me wrong you're not going to find the perfect company especially for new drivers,they all have flaws.But you're more apt to stay with a company that has the least negativity then one that has the most.Think Englands turnover rate is like 99% so whats that tell u.The threads you read,count how many negatives verses the positive about that company,thats also a way of deciding.

 

To expound a bit on pattyj's thread, when reading the negatives there are a couple of things to check for. First and foremost, how many of those negatives are posted by the same person? One thoroughly disgruntled ex-driver can post literally 100's of negative posts on a company.

So look at your usernames to see if they are pretty much posted by one or two malcontents, or if there is a large selection of folks telling you "STAY AWAY!" Another thing is to take a quick look at the experience that those drivers show on their profiles. Sure, they may not be accurate. How many drivers go in and change their years of driving count as time goes on?

But if you have someone showing lots of years of experience, (and their posts back that up, rather than disprove it,) they likely will have a lot more accurate outlook than driver of just a year or so.

 

Who are y'all talking to anyway... once you cross them all off a short list, what's left? Even this site has a separate section for new driver hiring.

One positive that might outweigh all the negatives is that they would pay you to practice in their trucks. I think it would also be in their best interest to make that a pleasant experience (yours too), though at least you get to be away from them much of the time (if you can survive the training, that is).

There are some that don't advertise that they hire new drivers, and even say they require x-years experience, so you might try applying anyway, though sometimes the fact that you get hired also means it was too good to be true, from there (because the experienced drivers left for a reason).

 

You can start here. Just remember that all of this, good and bad, are the opinion of individuals. Your experience will vary, considering your personality, work ethic and life's experience.

This is true. But there is something that just stands out in a very arrogant way when a new poster starts off with "tell me what I want to hear, but don't tell me what I don't want to hear. I have to think, Dude? Why are you wasting both your time and my time with a question like that! Get real! You are going to jump into something and within two months come back on here whining about your company.

Some people don't even know what the word "credibility" means. I have worked with guys like that, in a job where your life may depend on one of your fellow officers telling you the truth. It is impossible to have any regard, respect or liking for someone who lies to you. And that includes lies by omission.

Sure, we are all guilty of misstating something once in a while. We are human and make mistakes, or misread situations. But if you place someone else in a bad position because you have lied to them, then that makes you a pretty low individual, IMNHO.

 

HEY! I was on a roll here and you interrupted me!

 

I agree and also just because a driver with yrs exp has never worked for the company they're inquireing about doesn't mean they don't know overall what that company is like.Some members get downright angry if you tell them the truth as you see it because all they want is drivers to glamour up the company like the many ads you see and read.Some think im wishy washy because I don't have awhole lot of positive things to say about companies then sometimes I do.I call it as I see it.I don't try and deter anybody from fulfilling their dream of driving trk but I also don't lie or sugar coat.They ask a question im going to answer it as I see it if I can.Theres companies ppl ask about and I have nothing but praise about that carrier..

 

Joe how could you forget JBHunt, one of the original bait and switch masters!

 

Pure and simple the best companies are the one's who do not advertise for drivers. People dont leave they retire, and usually know of a person with years of OTR to take their spot. They are family businesses where the grandfather, then the father then the eldest son takes over operations with the elders looking over his shoulder.