Small company offer me almost double what Mega give ?

Personally, I've always only chosen to work for small companies, and probably always will. They pay WAY more, and they care about you. To a mega-carrier you are nothing but a number on a sheet. The small company you mentioned offering you 25 cents more than Schneider isn't surprising to me at all. BUT if you are happy with the way everything is going at Schneider then there's nothing wrong with staying there if that's where you feel more secure.

I only take jobs that are 1099, even before becoming owner-op, every company driving job I ever had was 1099. It isn't hard to figure out, just may require a bit of study, and you'll get to keep the most of your freedom (money) by going 1099. As far as health insurance, most small companies will offer that too but it's usually optional. I don't have any form of health insurance at the moment but I can always opt in for it if I change my mind.

Most of my close friends all became truckers at the same time as me or shortly after me. We all work for small family-owned businesses and we all make great money. Except for one of my friends, he started at a small business but then he switched to UPS. Now he don't make nothin' and has to "work his way up the ladder" for years to come, and also has to be on-call and come in to work on a moment's notice, and also he has to drive a truck that's loaded with proximity sensors which beep almost non-stop and harass him for 11 hours a day every day. But...he likes his "benefits" that they give him, or at least that's what he said. Go figure. I personally would quit trucking and find a new trade before I would ever drive for UPS or Schneider or any other mega-carrier. But that's just me, everyone's got their opinions. Just make sure to give it a lot of thought before you decide to make the switch or not. Also go over and talk to the company owner in person and see what he's really willing to do for you, and then after he tells you...ask for more. If he accommodates your demand for even more money than he was already offering, then I would go for it. But do what is right for you, and if you do quit Schneider make sure you leave on good terms.

 

Op, stick to Schneider, the owner won't come through. There are a lot of red flags with this offer and it is difficult to explain.

 

First of all, it's a tough call.

I do agree with the previous comments to be cautious and do your research.

Did I understand correct? The company was founded a year ago and you heard it from a friend of a friend...

My two opinions on that:
1st, is it one of the come and go companies? It happened too often.

2nd, like my name reveals, I'm from Bavaria. We had an old saying: Friendship ends, as soon as money or women are involved.

Now it's up to both of you to make the right decision. However you decide, I wish you good luck and stay safe out there.

 

i agree with this post.Stick with Schneider for the time being.
Spring will bring better rates when the freight increases.Small companies I know can pay you more,but lack benefits.They also lack the resources the larger companies have to keep you rolling.However,i would mention to the boss i had a better paying offer just to let him know there is more money available.Who knows,you might get a raise out of it

 

So the mileage amounts are the same: 6k roughly each week.

The only difference then is the .14 cents per mile per driver and benefits.

How do the benefits stack up? Are they going to eat those extra cents?

Also, a promise with any company is "We'll do our best to get you this, we probably wont but when asked we'll say it"

I haven't started into trucking yet, so can't offer advice there, but I came into my current job being told there was advancement opportunities. Guess what hasn't happened in 3 years.

At my previous job they were bragging about bringing on new accounts and employing more people, more money, more opportunities, new building. They got a new building, wasn't even close to the one they were bragging about nor near as nice. They had a mass layoff and combined departments. They might have gotten the new account, but I got out of there before the layoffs started happening, 30 days after I left my fellow supervisor and Operations Manager were both fired.

Beware of a promise.

 

You mentioned you were happy with Schneider 3 times so stay where you're at get the exp and later on you'll find a company you may like better.This other company you speak of how old is their equipment?

 

One thing the op mentioned that i don’t think was discussed is that the small company is less than a year old. For such a new company to be making such promises, that’s a red flag.

With all the information you gave us, my opinion would be to stay at schneider. Maybe tell your friend you will consider his offer again in another six months if things are still going well for him.

 

I see this offer on the back of lots of trailers.

More money.
More miles.
More home time.

It's been around since I've been driving.

 

To be completely honest with you, I think you deserve a complement for your communication abilities. Even if your wording is sometimes unusual, the emotion you feel, and the questions you have concerning making a change is one that many of us understand very well.

TaterFox posted that saying, but I doubt TaterFox would mind if I offer an explanation.
Imagine you had a farm with a pasture where your cows grazed (ate) and you want your cows to produce the best milk, partly for the higher price it brings at market, and partly because you want to be proud of your product.

The better (greener) the grass, the better the milk.
Your pasture is green, but on the other side of your fence there's another pasture. From your point-of-view, that pasture might appear greener than yours. But that isn't always correct. It requires closer examination to determine if it really is greener and, if it is, why it is.
Good information to know before deciding to make a move.

"Astro grass" is artificial grass.
It could look greener, but for grazing cows it would be worthless.

(All that glitters is not gold) *glitters = very shiny.
(Look before you leap) *Don't jump until you know exactly where you will land.

Also, Americans refer to US dollars as "green" or "greenbacks".

You're wise to seek information and advice and TheTruckers'Report is a good place to do that.

I started with Schneider back in the 1980's and remained there for about 4 1/2 years. During that time I ran team on a dedicated run to certain military bases, starting in California, driving to Norfolk, Virginia and returning. That was pulling doubles and paid for each time we dropped and re-hooked a set. The run was 6,700 miles in seven days, --- take two days off and do it again.
It was a good money run, consistently predictable.

In those days, Schneider paid a bonus of up to 7 or 8 cents per mile driven if speed was kept at or below 55 mph, RPM at 1,800 or below, and no customer service failures. Figuring 3 runs per month, = 20,100 miles, times seven-cents per mile would add around $700 to a $1,400 bonus split two ways.

Running 55 mph added time to the trips making the schedule what many consider to be a tight schedule run. I can't say they were wrong, but I can say it was do-able. Collected the max bonus every time.
The reason I mention that is because it sounds a lot like what you're doing. If so, I understand your reluctance to change company. You know what you've got, but you aren't sure what you'll get if you change.
The only reason I left that run, is Schneider wanted me to fill another position and asked what it would take for me to accept. I came up with what I thought they'd never agree with so they'd stop asking me.
It worked, too.
They stopped asking,
because I got what I asked for.
And so did Schneider.

As it turned out, ...... it was a good move for me, in both dollars and satisfaction as well as a unique experience. I cheated though, --- I couldn't seem to decide so I forced Schneider to make my decision for me. No complaints.

It sounds like your bro-in-law and you get along together rather well. That's an important ingredient in a team operation.
I'm impressed that you're aware of and accept the level of your experience in the Big truck truckin' industry. Experience requires an investment in time.

FullMetalJacket (post #5) and Slingshot 88 (post #12) offered thoughts, opinions and advice worthy of thinking about and considering on your way to a final decision.

I think, .... all things considered, and IF the other company can, and will, be running you as they claim, and doing so consistently, is that really how hard you want to run as a steady diet?
I'm not suggesting you aren't capable of doing the job, just wondering if you're ready to run that hard?
It's not unusual for Big truck truck drivers to burn-out early, or become bitter and stressed out. That can affect ones health.
You need to obtain as much information about the other company as possible.
What is their customer base?
How established is their customer base?
Who will operate the trucking operation and how experienced are they in that position?

If the other company seems like they're trying to rush your decision I'd be cautious.

More small trucking companies fail than succeed. Sometimes investors start a trucking company to provide service to a select industry that may require those services for a pre-determined time, let's say five-years. Then close shop and move on to something else, leaving drivers unaware and out of a job.

Whatever you decide to do
I wish you the best of success.

 

Be sure you leave Schneider on good terms and they will take you back (may take awhile to get back on. The account you were though)