In need of help in deciding what company to go

Yep, Old Dominion is one of the best.

Here's some info. on Abilene Motor Express:

Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

Abilene Motor Express Training

 

Well I am roehl new also they will run ya if you want to be ran. Good safety record and a lot of simulation time if ya need it. Pay is like everyone else but if you want to run they will run.

 

Let's say that your local company starts you at $14.00 per hr. That is only $26,888 gross annual for your first year with working all 52 weeks. Your first year OTR should gross you about $33,000 if you are around the .30 per mile rate and average about 2300 miles per week. I use the 2300 mile per week example to average out the slows weeks that happen in OTR.

My opinion is that you should go with what ever helps your family out the most. It's not about you any more. If your family needs you home for stability, then stay local. If your family needs the money, and can handle you being away for 2-4 week stretches, then go OTR. A couple years OTR "done the right way" will make you more attractive to all the line haulers around Virginia.

Being that you are from Culpeper is pretty cool because you are right in between I-95/I-81/I-64 interstate highways, which are "sweet spot" freight lanes for the 3 companies you mentioned. You will probably get home under load 15-20 times in the first year alone..... without being on home time. You get a lot of what I call "Friday" loads in OTR. All weekend to run 500-800 miles. I'll bet that a good many of those will pass within 40 miles of your house.......especially from the I-81 side.

Don't mention that you are going through the house to the dispatcher, some of them buttwipes will say that you just got home, even if you were under a load. Keep it to yourself. There are probably 6-7 good truck stops in your area that you could safely park your truck while the wife comes to get you.

 

If they 'say' it don't believe it. If you see it in writing, it can be challenged (I learned this working for a lawyer while in between jobs).

 

Biggs got some great responses to your questions! Military families go thru the

separation all the time, like I had done, it sucks being away from the family

for sure, but its surviveable. Now going OTR isnt like being gone for 6 mos up

to a year from the family, and with technology today you can stay in touch.

No 2 situations will be the same, but for me doing local deliveries it was up

at 3 am off to work and lucky if getting home before 7. Then it was eat,

pack lunch for the next day and off to bed. If my sleep wasnt good it was

dragging arse all day and it was rickety old stairs mostly with some pain

in the butt customers! My decision then was to look for an out during week

home on weekend job. So many options available and some you never know

or hear about! I had a fuel delivery tanker company call me out of the blue

that got ahold of my info, but I was already training, so couldn't follow up.

Just my 2¢ and good luck hope this helped some.😊

 

Need more info:
Does your wife work ?

If you took the local job. ..can you survive on what it pays ?

The local job doesn't pay much but if your able to do it for at least 6 months then even companies that say they need at least a year will consider you. This is appealing because you'd see your family everyday and though the pay sucks at least the benefits are good.

 

to get your training I would go with PAM or Werner ... get 3 -4 months under your belt than find a good company that you can stay and grow with.

 

Do not and I repeat DO NOT go with western express!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

depending on what school you are going to, Epes transport hires new ppl.

they have a terminal in Chester Va.

here's a link to the list of schools;

http://www.epestransport.com/ETSdrivers/cpfad.php?id=34

operating area and terminals;

http://www.epestransport.com/ETScust/cpfad.php?id=41

 

You need to find a job that fits your needs. These drivers are giving you what they experienced and you may not agree. The information is very valuable but you need to sit down and figure out what your needs are. Maybe that local job has better benefits than the OTR companies and you need that for your family. Maybe you have little ones and want to be close to then when they are a certain age. It's good to ask the board about companies but use it for your needs. There's so many different types of driving jobs you could have a list 2 or 3 pages long just on what type of trucking job you want. For example, flatbeds, tanker, vans, hazmat, heavy haul, and so on. What type of load do you want? No touch, you unload, liquid, drop and hook, and so on. What type of hours do you want, weekends off, it doesn't matter, night driving, and so on. You can narrow the list down but you need to include all the things you like. If you Just take any job that comes by later on you'll be thinking if you could have done better. Then that windshield has that habit of making things go round and round in your head. I know I like to think that I did all I could to find the best fit. Don't let anyone tell you no. Again this is your job and you're looking for you. I have seen tanker companies say 5 years experience then hire the next guy through the door because they needed a driver.

You make the same kind of list for benefits. Then what I would do is store all the info on a laptop in neat files to help me narrow the job market down. Do not be afraid to walk into a company and talk with them. Myself I highly recommend this based on many reasons. If you really think about how they hire when only looking at job applications from the net it's sad. Only the ones that have spotless records go on maybe. Or do you think they might just say this driver came in the other day and really wants the job?
Anyway just remember the more you put into research and looking the more you get out. Good luck.