what background checks do you do when job hunting?

pay , benifits , turnover (most don't leave a good job) is the big one and safety record that you can get on safer web example swift reports 18,000 trucks and 24,000 drivers ?(=high turnover) with 48 fatal accidents in the last 2 years what does that tell you STAY AWAY!!! and talk to other people that work there not recruters as their job is to hook you and reel you in anyway they can

http://safersys.org/ go to company snapshot

 

Ask the drivers...then you have to sift through and figure out whats BS and what isnt (sorta like talking to recruiters...only different)

 

holy buckets!! my company has SEA values of: 93.46 87.12 84.24

 

You should be on a first name basis with the dot!!!

 

hell, i've never been pulled in since we got that insane driver value from an audit over 4 months ago.... and I cross them MN scales at least 3 times a week

 

This website, truckersreport.com has been EXTREMEMLY helpful in looking past the company BS. From this site alone, there are so many jobs I considered but changed my mind. Even when they all promise the greatest pay and hometime, research it here. Heartland looks too good to be true...Which most drivers on here who have worked for them explain the real deal.

Chances are if most of the drivers here say the company sucks, then it sucks. Just look at Covenant and Werner's reports! Just seeing that, I won't go near them.

 

My routine:

I truck. I dont get out of one gig unless I have my next gig booked. If I am looking to jump ship, I start by looking at the equipment. Dont care what anyone says, the first thing that says a company is decent is the trucks on the road. Whats the point in all the "family atmosphere" crap if you are driving a POS? Youre not going to be able to make money if you are driving a POS truck.

Second of all, a better company can keep better drivers. As I said before, I truck. A better company should have a decent percentage of guys like me. The better the company, the more real truckers will be working there.

I truck. I pick loads up, I deliver them. I go anywhere and everywhere. I dont sit and complain in truckstops and internet forums when things dont go my way. If I am unhappy, dispatchers and company owners will know. If things dont improve quickly, I will jump ship. My driving record is spotless and I can go anywhere I choose. (When I was a company driver) I could get out of your truck Friday and be in another truck Monday EVEN DURING THIS TIME that hardly anyone is hiring. Dispatchers fight over guys like me.

The real truckers are the guys just like me. You meet a driver and within 2 minutes, you can tell. There is an understanding and a mutual respect between real truckers, no matter what kind of wagon he/she is pulling. Truckers gravitate towards each other whereever they go. Theyre on the same row at the truckstop. Theyre sitting together trading war stories. If company management is decent, truckers will migrate to that company and stick around.

The company, having a higher percentage of better drivers than average, will have a higher safety rating and offer better customer service. The thing that usually happens is some beancounter comes in with ways to save money and pisses off the truckers, and truckers will migrate to somewheres else, and that company goes to #### rather suddenly.

If the trucks are decent, and the truckers are happy, I am there.

 

You can check out the financial health of many large carriers by looking up their stock information on websites like http://moneycentral.msn.com/home.asp

USA Truck....... USAK
Covenant.............. CVTI
JB Hunt......... JBHT
Marten................. MRTN
Werner........... WERN
Knight................ KNX
PAM Transport... PTSI
Heartland............. HTLD
Arnold Transportation.... AIND
Celadon................ CLD
LANDSTAR............. LSTR