what is the right company

excellent question, i too am waiting to see the replies you get.... i am nervous about going to school, just for the fact that it seems you are doomed to failure from the get go. werner told me to call when i start school to shedule for orientation, but i havent seen much good reviews on here from anybody pertaining to werner... i am looking for info on wel companies and heve yet to receive any ........

 

its really going to be tuff...before you get that JOB you want, you are Going to HAVE TO PAY your dues...and that means you will most likely end up working for a drivermill company...just know you will only have to put up with it for a year or two maybe...just suck it up and watch your P's and Q's due the time there then MOVE ON to better things...most of the companies you want to work for are going to have insurance regs on them requiring 3 or more years exp...You will have to pay your dues....We have all done it and all newbys will have to do so too...just know that going in and you can make it.

 

The thing is, that no company is all good, or all bad. Uh-well, no company is all good, anyway.

A lot of what happens to you depends entirely on you, and how you handle the BS that these "driver mill" companies will dish out to you. There actually are drivers that have been with Swift, Werner, CRE etc. for several years and are quite happy there. Not that I'm recommending any of them. Just pointing out that you need to make the best of what you have available until you get some "whiskers" in the industry and can move on to something better.

 

excellent info guys... i am willing to work hard... i just do not want to be set up for failure..... any certain "driver mill" companies that stand out over the others ???

 

i hear ya man, i am in the same situation..... have you gone through a driving school yet ???

 

You guys really need to stop and think why any carriers are hiring . Industry analysts say there are still too many trucks on the road and there will be more companies close or consolidate as the year goes on .No carriers are adding trucks . They have to keep hiring because drivers keep quitting . Why ?

 

Excellent post, RickG. More and more folks are wanting to TRY trucking because they need a job.
Guys, listen to Rickster. He's been to more than a few rodeos!
Werner is no worse than any of the other driver mill companies. They do have trainees filling up hotels in Omaha waiting for trucks, while Werner is taking trucks off the road because of low freight. So consider wisely, my young paduans...

 

Hey guys! My first post here. I am one week into school and will graduate in June. The school I'm at runs half days for some reason. Oh well. I had called about 50 companies before school ever started beginning three weeks before the first day. Most of what I heard and/or learned from all of them was about the same for the ones hiring new grads. The rest want at least 6 mos. exp. or more with the exception of J B Hunt who only wants 3 mos. I also know personally a few truck drivers with many years in the industry. I was duly warned that now is not a good time to break in to the industry. But, I also have read many industry analyses forecasting the industry to begin its rebound late this year or early next year. With this info in mind (the warnings and analyses) I made my decision to go ahead and go to school. Will I be making $41,000 - $54,000 in my first year as some of the truck company ads read? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! No. I am not that disillusioned! But, I do know that I will need experience by the time the industry DOES really begin its upswing. Bearing that thought in mind, I have looked local and landed a local job just for the experience. I know enough names of people in the industry now just by networking locally with all the truck companies in the phone book that I have been invited to come back with a year's worth of experience or six month's worth of experience, etc. and go to work. I have made all of my decisions based on fact, and if anyone else on here is new to the industry I suggest that you talk to as many people as you can face to face about this industry and potential jobs in the future. Phone calls don't count. Hit the bricks. Nothing is ever cast in stone, and the future is always blurry until it becomes the present. Whatever you do don't stop talking to people and be prepared to not start as the number one company driver for the company you hire on with. The ads would have you believe that is the case, just look at the salary numbers they throw around! I have wanted to do this for a long time, and the construction industry is really just now getting ready to go off the cliff so I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, even if I am only driving a dump or concrete truck for the first little while. USE that CDL no matter what. That's what I have been told. The job I will be starting after school is T/T, so I am very fortunate in that regard. The salary is double the starting salary as trainee for most of the big outfits, and more stable judging by some of the things I have read about some companies. I'm just saying look everywhere for that first job not just at the big company websites. It seems to be paying off for me.