All Carriers are generally the same?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by chipset35, Feb 7, 2018.

  1. aussiejosh

    aussiejosh Road Train Member

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    Yep its just a matter of choosing the company whose paint scheme you like the best, personally i'd choose the one closest to my home.
     
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  3. chipset35

    chipset35 Bobtail Member

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    Thanks for all your input!
    Decisions decisions...
    Any company recommendation would be appreciated especially for realistic home time, i.e. something more than a 36hr reset.
     
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  4. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    The ads are almost all the same. The turnover, pay, benefits, equipment vary wildly. Some companies have no drivers with 5 years seniority & others have thousands of 20 year veterans.
     
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  5. Justrucking2

    Justrucking2 Road Train Member

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    That is a good analogy. The reason I believe I stay with this racket, as it is quite a bit like the military, and I did serve. Also, we are the backbone of this country. In a way, this is a very patriotic job when you look at the conditions and hours we put in, especially when we work in the oil patch. A bit of pride here, not many can or will do this work. ;-)
     
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  6. Toomanybikes

    Toomanybikes Road Train Member

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    If hometime is your priority, you will find that all the megas will be unsatisfactory. They all have 100% turnover and want to take no chance that you will find another job while you are home.

    It is possible you could luck out an get on a cherry dedicated account with regular weakly home time, but unless you meet some EEOC requirement, you will have better luck playing the lottery.

    Yes, all the megas run on the same business model. Just different flavors of the same turd.
     
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  7. Zeviander

    Zeviander Road Train Member

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    You have a CDL to your name, free from contract, and are considering working for a mega?

    Pound the pavement and find a smaller company (<100 trucks) that will take you on to be moulded by them to be what they want. Don't settle into pulling a box for a #### rate. You'll come to hate trucking faster than most.

    I'm about a month away from my third complete year at my starting company. I was sponsored by them to take training and become a driver. I went from highway, to local to full blown orientation trainer in the span of two years. Now I'm back full time on the highway because I enjoy driving too much and like money too much.

    If you don't mind living in Winnipeg, MB, I know we are hiring, we like new, mould-able drivers, and I could send you details to line up an interview, lol. :p
     
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  8. chipset35

    chipset35 Bobtail Member

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    I have been looking at the smaller companies, but they seem more picky than the megas, in they all seem to want experience.
    I am a recent CDL A grad (01/31/2017) and have no contract obligations and paid in full up front for my training
     
  9. RedRover

    RedRover Road Train Member

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    To answer OP question... yes, they are all the same. The major difference between the Mega Carriers and a smaller carrier with 300 trucks or less is that the smaller carrier will call you by name and pull your hair when they #### you in your ###.
     
  10. Zeviander

    Zeviander Road Train Member

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    You can't get experience without getting experience. You'll need to sell yourself to these smaller places but they will give you a chance if they like you. A contract-free CDL is a rare thing these days. Even I went through a program.
     
  11. chipset35

    chipset35 Bobtail Member

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    Most of the top 25 carriers are more simular then not. However there are also important differences. Traffic lanes, hometime and pay policies can be very different.
    Agreed. For many it may ultimately come down to who has a terminal closest to home. That can (should) be a big consideration typically.


    Is that because having a terminal nearby results in better hometime?
     
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