Small companies or Mega carriers?

During my career I did some driving for small operations, I did some drive-a-way as well as vehicle recovery (repo) driving. I think I was at my happiest when working for a 500 truck or less carrier.

 

I like medium to large companies. Couldn't care less if they know me by my name; just pay me on time.
Worked for one small mom & pop outfit and that was a nightmare.

 

Once the company gets over 500-700 trucks I feel that's when the chaos starts in my opinion.

 

My company has its issues and it's a smaller carrier (if you want to call it that, it's a milk hauler specifically). I will say I always get paid, there have been a few instances being shorted a little but it was fixed the next week. As long as I get everything I'm ok. I think the biggest problem is they never seem to have enough drivers..... None of the milk haulers do. This isn't the easiest lifestyle and allot of people just don't want that. Working holidays, weekends, bad weather, ECT. Cows never stop.

I worked for Werner for 3 months and quit. I hated it. I've been at Walton 2 years +. I will likely stay with a smaller local home daily operation. Btw I'm likely to hit 70k, I don't think that's too shabby to sleep in my own bed every night.

 

My hats off to you drivers in these mega fleets I couldn’t do it..

No micro managing here, no cameras, no elog, no fleet manager, no qualcom, not speed governed, none of that big fleet BS.

There are some of us left out here that are old school and don’t our hand held 24/7.

 

I've worked for two of the largest companies on Earth. UPS and Coca cola and wouldn't do it any other way. Money, benefits, pension, 401k that is rarely touched by smaller companies. I'm with @Chinatown on the idea that I could care less if they know my name or I'm a number...I do it to get paid. I could see working for a small company being nice to get a nice truck instead of super fleet spec if you are in to that tho.

 

I worked for mega company and small company now. They have good and bad my current comp only had 86 trucks when I started. They started to hire student and now up to like 220 trucks. Today they said stuff like if drivers don't fuel at correct truck stops they might use some fuel optimize program. Right now our fuel card work at any place. They don't like tire repairs on the road vs the mega fleet says if you need tire get it fixed no problem.

 

We have cameras but no one cares if you cover the driver facing side. Our longer distance drivers have elogs.... But typically farm pickup such as myself do not. No Qualcomm's, a dispatcher no "fleet manager". No one bothers me I sometimes don't hear from the boss for weeks. I go to work pickup milk and go to the plant if scheduled. No one holds my hand and I love being left alone. Micromangers are b.s.

I spent 10 years doing plant work. I went to trucking partially because I just got fed up with all of white shirts. Too many chiefs not enough Indians.