Advice! What's the best company out of...

Isn't Schneider forced dispatch?
That means you go where and when they tell you, no questions.

Your very last, bottom of the list option, gives you options with that.
And believe me, you want options with how you run your truck and time.



Early on they tried to pressure me into something, which I said no to.
And never again did it happen.
I also learned not to 'help out' with certain accounts because I always got burned in some way.

I also learned that I was never penalized for saying no.

I run my loads my way, and as a company driver.
Much of that might be because of my safety score and on time record. But those things are because I do not accept a load that I can not do in my own time.


Almost 9 years at that bottom of the list company, and why?

 

I would start out with a flatbed company. You'll be essentially killing 2 birds with one stone

If you dont like it you could always switch to a Van or reefer company and not need any additional training whereas if you started in van and got the itch to do flatbed you would need additional training...

 

Chinatown mentioned Magnum. And I'll second that.

The trucks have an Apu, fridge and inverter. If you want satilite tv it's 5 bucks a month I believe. The trucks and trailers are all in pretty good shape. They offer tuition reimbursement. And they don't micromanage.

They have a good training program that's a real training program and not glorified team driving which is a huge plus as well.

After training you would start at .40 per mile and at the one year mark you would reach .47 per mile. They also have a 3000 dollar sign on bonus that pays out over 15 months.

And here is the kicker. There is also a monthly Bonus program that is very obtainable that pays out up to 8.5 CPM every month. I collect 900 to 1000 dollars a month in bonuses on top of my regular pay.

It's really a good deal for new drivers and even a decent deal for experienced drivers like me. It's refer work. So you'll get some crummy appointment times, and you have some long waits at docks but it's still a decent job.

 

Melton Truck Lines and Paul Transportation are flatbed.

 

Out of the OP's list I would go with Schneider. The rest are bottom feeder companies and will burn you out. At least with Schneider they may get you home on weekends if your near their route.

 

Schneider will run you both ways. After 6 months driven they will offer you the ability to run under a fleet lease. I dont recommend it. If you want to run owner operator? I suggest you save your pennies and buy it out right. At 24 you have the whole world ahead of you. Your free to do what you want. Dont get stuck with a fleet lease. It will give you some money, yes. Yet "Fleeses" (combination of Fleet and Leasing) also make the company extra money as well. There are lots of hidden fees that hurt the income.