Advice from someone with experience...

If your primary reason for making the change for Christmas, then I don't think it will help much, if at all. He will do good to get one paycheck before Christmas due to the verification, drug testing and orientation. I understand the difficulty of him not making much money right now. It can be difficult. You should understand that this is typically slower time of year for freight, other than the spike to stock the shelves for Christmas. Once we get to the middle of December things will usually drop until after the first of the year. So, he may not be much better off, at least for a while. Back when I pulled a van, I might only get 1,500-2,200 miles/week during that time. I am not telling him to not switch companies, but it might work better for your family to wait until he gets through training and the slow time of year, unless he can find a company that will start him at a much higher rate. If he can wait until he completes his training, he would also be much more marketable. If he has been getting advances then he will not realize how much he is really making. I once had a driver who would always get advances and thought that he wasn't making that much money until I pointed out to him that he was actually making much more money due to his advances. Starting out some people may need to get an advance to get by, but he needs to get away from the advances as quickly as possible. I won't try to sway you either way, but you and your husband need to step back and take a realistic look at what he is making. Everyone will do some sitting in this industry. Some dispatchers are better than others when it comes to keeping their trucks moving. Before making a move, I would recommend that your husband talk with some drivers who currently work for any carrier he is interested in prior to making the jump. The more experience he has before making his move, the better for him.

 

If your husband have been within since yesterday his company should owe him layover pay. My driver manager knew if i sat for 24hrs im putting in for layover pay. In not sure if he can get it training but i would sure try.

 

I think it is a good idea for your husband to plan for his exit, such as emptying out the truck. It would be much better for your husband if he waited until after the first of the year. Some carriers may not have orientation between Christmas until after New Year's.

I don't know the age of your children, but you my consider making them something rather than spending money for presents. You still have time. There are things you can purchase for little money at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, WalMart or other stores that might help you get through the holiday. Check other craft shops for kits that you could buy for little money. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a good Christmas. Some of my fondest memories were when we had the least to spend. Christmas is not about spending money or buying expensive presents. I miss the time we remembered the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It is a time to be with family and to be thankful for what we do have rather than being concerned about what we don't. You might even get the children involved making presents for each other and yourselves. It seems like eons ago, but we used to make presents for one another instead of going out to buy presents that it takes the next year to pay the bill. This is a difficult time for our country. Many don't even have food or shelter. I think it is important to be thankful for the small things we have and for our families. Personally, I would prefer to get together for a meal and enjoy time with the family.

 

If he has tanker, hazmat, TWIC, and a passport he is marketable for the good paying jobs.
SVTN
Superior-Carriers
CTL - OTR division
Melton Truck Lines - with hazmat endorsement

TWIC is for entering seaports, chemical plants, and some military bases.
Passport is for entering Canada.

Google will show the nearest TWIC office.

 

We work at US Xpress & are happy here. He will do really well if he teams. If not then tell him to look into dedicated accounts that are available for solo drivers.

Something interesting you may want to know. The owners of Covenant & US Xpress are brothers.

 

Those are very kind words, Christylea123. I do believe in Providence. I think that we are put in situations and cross paths with others for a reason. It isn't always apparent, as to the reason. Sometimes, we need to be reminded about what is really important. I am glad that I was able to be encouraging to you. I think that this will be a very special Christmas for you and your family.