Interview Response

It will vary from company to company and even terminal to terminal within the same company. Are you going to wait for them or are you gonna call the terminal manager? What company is it? Are you hoping for P&D or linehaul?

 

Each barn is different. By visiting you get to see if you hit it off with someone or if you'd hate working there. Some barns don't allow visitors, which says something also. This is not a step to skip.

At one FxF barn the gate was locked so I pushed the intercom and told then why I was there; they let me in to chat. At another one with no gate the guy wanted me back out right now, he seemed scared, told me to wait until HR lets me visit, never mind that I'm at the customer counter beside customers whose eyebrows are going up at his outburst.

Cross that one off. That barn was advertising for a new manager not long after.

In general:
YRC HR can be approachable if your app is close to what they want, but they also disappear sometimes and then pop back up and want something right now.

ODFL will polite you to death. Their rejection letters are written in California at a special sunshine monastery. Local managers have lots of say in hiring, so visit and wear your politeness shield along with professional clothes.

Estes is varied, they are trying to be more like Fedex and be HR driven, but don't have the staffing for it. Some places the office people will respond.

Also look at ABF, Holland (YRC sub), not sure if Dayton is there. And consider looking at transfer for food service, which is reefer linehaul. McLane, US Foods, etc

You can put LTL or food service into Indeed and find some companies you haven't heard of as well as looking at doubles on the highway. And some of them will use temp agencies who then post on Indeed.

 

I found Estes to be very proactive, at least their HR dept. I got a call from a recruiter the day after I applied and she wanted me to go in for an interview 3 days later.

The TM I wound up doing a phone interview with ( I couldn't go in person), completely lost interest when I told him I didnt have prior LTL experience.

 

some companies do not want a flood of people in the office, looking for work, so they want you to go online.

so fill out all apps online, THEN CALL THEM in a day or 2. call them weekly as well.

back in my earlier years, i walked in, asked if they were hiring, i got sent right away for a drug screen, and then told to fill out the application, i was working that night.

another place, the same thing (nearly), i asked, got sent right away for a drug screening, went back, filled out the application (same day, i think this was on a friday) got called to go in on a sunday night, i was working.

things are much different now at many places.

 

With my experience, it took two days with one company (my current carrier)... After that, two/three weeks for FedEx Freight and USF Holland (respectively) all the way up to three months with USF Reddaway to land an interview after applying.

Some companies will contact you via a corporate HR prescreen phonecall, and others you get a direct phone call from the local TM after HR determines your resume is worth an interview.

After they decide they like you, be prepared to do a immediate road test (so dress semi formal but don't overdress). If you pass, some employers will probably send you to get the UA portion done and may even take your photo for a company ID tag.

Getting an immediate job offer doesn't always mean they are desperate for drivers, so don't be ready to raise red flags. Alot of companies have a strict driver to freight ratio and need that position filled to prevent service failures. It is not uncommon for a TM or hiring manager to try to check as many boxes on the first day as possible.

Most companies that I've talked to want you to start sooner than later... All companies I've talked to will allow a two week delay for you to submit your notice after they offer you the job.

Good luck

 

Dock to driver is not a bad gig. You get alot of valueable experience to tack on to your resume. If you strictly just work dock, the pay will suck. If you already have a CDL, you may just fill in as needed to run a few routes; but you should be at a higher driver rate on the full days that you drive.

If you don't have a CDL yet, most companies will require you to be employed with them for at least 6 months before they start investing back into you to get a CDL on their time and dime.

How fast you move up to a permanent driving position is all based on how many drivers your barn employs. Usually a terminal with more than 15 drivers will let you move up the ladder faster.

Any accrued time as a dock worker is almost always rolled over towards longevity when it comes to pay and vacation benefits. I.E. if you need one year to get a bump as a full time driver but work the dock for four months, you may see a pay increase after eight months as a full time driver.