What are some of the better trucking companies to work for around Daytona Beach Fl.

Peninsula Trucking in Sorrento has OTR and local positions. They run flowers outbound OTR and back haul reefer freight into Florida. Local drivers run the reefer freight in state. Maybe get your foot in the door doing local stuff and they can move you over to OTR at some point.

 

Also try DTL in Sanford. They run regional and requirement is 2 years tractor trailer experience. They may not require OTR expeience to hire on. Home every week and sometimes during the week too.

 

Heartland can be hit or miss. I did 4 1/2 years with them and did fine. But down in Florida I needed to be home with my wife, since she knew nobody here accept me, my parents and my sister. Plus the pay was lower for the fleet I swapped into moving from the Columbus terminal.
They have fixed allot of the issues that use to plague them. Since I left they started paying detention, they started getting apu, and other tech to keep cabs cool on brakes, added inverters, added short haul premiums to shorter loads, and a bunch of other little things. They are still not big on tolls, but most places in Florida I can get to almost as fast without them. Area's around orlando are the issue, but Heartland does not do allot in that area. Mostly Walmart, Sams, Publix inbound, and water, sugar and paper outbound. Basicly, never enter Florida with much over a half tank and you will be fine.
If I was going to go OTR again I would go back with them. But I would do SE regional and not Florida regional, and still try for weekends off, since many dispatchers and planners cannot plan around recap to save their lives.
I work at Saddle Creek in Lakeland, it is ok, but pay is not where i would like it to be and they have still not changed my schedule to have weekends off, and now I am 2 years in.

 

They are better than that, and expect you to know what to do and how to do your job. Not any hand holding, and they will at times run your ### off. Really have to watch your windows on pickups and delivery's. Many will have a window, and using them well will allow you to not waste too many hours waiting for your next load.
That darn 14 is a pain in the ###. Most of their florida drivers do not like to leave the state. This will work in your favor.
One lane that I know they have trouble covering is to Richmond VA. Drivers hate the 95 corridor, but most of the loads are sugar headed to Boston, or somewhere else up north. So they just get dropped on the yard and you grab a load headed back south. Can get lots of miles this way, and not allot of waiting. Hopefully you get a good dispatcher, and you can really make good money.

 

I met a former Werner driver and I asked him if the rumor is true about dispatch staying behind bullet-proof glass. He said they do. This was about two years ago.

So I guess if you can survive there...

If you go Heartland, I hope you keep us updated on how things are. I know they took over Gordon recently so I'm curious.

Thanks.

 

I'm thinking about giving the Trader Joe's gig a try. You're in Daytona every other day and home for your 34 hour reset and it's only Daytona to Charlotte and back . Pays just over $1200 per week

I really don't want to do OTR Trucking any more . Just thinking about those truck stops gives me ptsd

It's either local or some sort of short dedicated layover run for me

Trader Joe's
2388 Mason Ave
Daytona Beach, FL 32117

 

If you do that run please keep us posted about what you think. I see it advertised every so often and Im wondering if its a decent job. I think its 3 trips a week with areset and weekends home too. Would love any feedback on what you think about it.

 

I will keep you guys/gals posted if I get this run.

The run seems to pop up every couple of weeks,so, either it has a high turnover rate or they are expanding significantly.