(another) In school, looking for the "right" company to team with...

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by NotFastEnuff, Jul 13, 2012.

  1. NotFastEnuff

    NotFastEnuff Bobtail Member

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    May 15, 2012
    Knoxville, TN
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    Hi everyone. My wife and I are in cdl school now. The school recommends certain companies, and suggests staying away from others. I have a feeling this might come down to greased palms a lot more than what is right for the students. (just my opinion, and we all know about those) Anyway. My wife and I are wanting to run team. We're interested in SNI, USX, and a local company (MDS in Morristown, TN). I have reservations about USX. Can't say a specific reason, I just "do". SNI doesn't seem to be in any hurry to play ball. I'm still waiting to hear from the local place. I'm the kind of person that I want to keep the ball rolling, and not have a lot of gaps between steps here.

    Can I get some advice on the companies I've listed? I've searched and done my homework, but it seems to be all the same crap over and over. "Company X sucks because I say so!", and "Company Z is the most greatest ever!!!" I know every company has unhappy drivers and happy drivers, good and bad, but can I get some real info?

    What are good questions to be asking recruiters besides the normal pay, benefits, hometime kind of stuff?

    Thanks a ton.
     
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  3. D33RHUNT3R

    D33RHUNT3R Medium Load Member

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    Jun 2, 2012
    Nw Arkansas
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    What kinds of things do you want from a company ? Which school are you attending ?
    Pet ?
    Inverter ?
    Dedicated or OTR..
    Best CPM ?

    it seems each has its own pros and cons..

    1 you didn't mention you might take a look at Con-Way TL..

    My wife and I are looking at doing the same as you in the future..
     
  4. NotFastEnuff

    NotFastEnuff Bobtail Member

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    May 15, 2012
    Knoxville, TN
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    Deerhunter,
    I forgot about Conway. They'd be number 4 on the list. As for what we want, I want good long, true team runs. None of this run a few hundred miles here and there stuff. I'd like a little honesty and respect. (I know, it's a lot to expect) I just mean that I'm not a kid, and expect to not be treated like one. Hell, I'm probably more educated than most dispatchers, but can't find work in my field where we live. lol Another big concern for me is being split up to train for however long. I'd much rather that we're trained together, but most companies won't do it that way. I'd rather spend more time with a trainer and us stay/train together than have a shorter time with a trainer and be separated. I just think it makes more sense to train a team together. The most important thing is to make some decent money. I've been out of work for a while, and the bank account shows it.

    What I'm really looking for in this thread is this: If you have something to say about a company, I want to know WHY. Like I said above, I don't want "Company X sucks cause I said so." I'd like some "we're happy at company Y because...."

    Thanks.

    Deerhunter, I got you PM, but I don't have enough posts to pm you back. If you give me your email, I'd be happy to answer you.
     
  5. NotFastEnuff

    NotFastEnuff Bobtail Member

    23
    9
    May 15, 2012
    Knoxville, TN
    0
    What kinds of things do you want from a company ?
    good, true team miles
    Which school are you attending ?
    Tennessee Truck Driving School in Alcoa, TN
    Pet ?
    don't care about this
    Inverter ?
    it'd be nice, but not a deal breaker
    Dedicated or OTR..
    whichever gets us more miles
    Best CPM ?
    I've been around the block in other jobs to know that the best pay rate doesn't equal the happiest employees. I'd give up a penny or two per mile to have a better company to work for. High cpm doesn't mean a thing if you're not getting any miles.
    it seems each has its own pros and cons..

    1 you didn't mention you might take a look at Con-Way TL..
    We'd looked into them, just forget to mention.
     
  6. chompi

    chompi Road Train Member

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    Jun 21, 2008
    Deland, FL
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    I wouldn't go by who pays more. A company may offer to pay you $.70 a mile but if they aren't running any miles it isn't going to do you any good! I would also strongly advise you stay away from the mega-carriers. You are a husband/wife team and will pretty much have your pick wherever you want to go. Celadon, Marten, Central, Panther, Landstar etc.. Actually you live in the southeast so you may also want to check out Kennesaw. They run mostly teams and they just go back and forth coast to coast. Also check the OOIDA website for good companies that need husband/wife teams. You are the cream of the crop so don't sacrifice yourselves!

    If you want a personal recommendation then I would suggest Central Ref. Mainly because my wife and I drove for them and I know all about them. One reason I highly recommend Central is that they really go above and beyond to help their drivers. On many occasions they helped us! They are large enough to keep you busy yet small enough to treat you like a human being! Their equipment is top notch and their pay is fair. They have a schooling option and also a lease option for later on down the road once you guys have made it a year and want to make a little more money. We made very, very, very good money at Central! As a team we also were assigned a direct planner instead of a dispatcher running us around 7000 miles a week! Course you won't be able to do this at first but once you start to figure out things the miles will be there provided you are efficient enough to run them.

    They have a terminal right there in Atlanta so it won't be too far for you to go. They may do part of your training in Salt Lake too. (very impressive out there!) Central also has dedicated accounts in which you can run and also regular 48 state runs. We personally preferred the 48 state runs because we got more miles but some like the consistency and repetitiveness of dedicated.

    Let me know if you have any questions...

    Good luck guys!
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2012
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  7. Adkhunter

    Adkhunter Light Load Member

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    Jun 11, 2012
    Delmar, NY
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    Well I would say I'm maybe a little biased in my opinion but I'd say give USX another look. I currently drive for them as a solo but may go team sometime in the near future. I've met ALOT of husband wife teams here at USX. They all seem pretty happy and say they get plenty of miles. Most recent HW team I met that leases a truck say they clear triple digits in a year. Of course I take everything I hear with a grain of salt but I haven't met any truly unhappy team USX drivers. I'm sure there's a couple out there but who knows what the true reasoning behind it is. Could be they never make loads on time and the dispatchers don't trust them with the good loads. Who knows. USX is known to be a very team oriented company. Teams can run more freight faster plain and simple. More freight equals more money to them. This is why I'm thinking of going team just because the paychecks will really show a big increase.

    But as far as some other things about USX. They have very good equipment. Most new team drivers get brand new trucks right off the bat. Supposedly the entire reefer squad is getting all new trucks as well. They don't supply a power inverter but will install it free of charge for you. If your into gizmos and gadgets USX is in love with the stuff. We have side view cameras on all trucks. Driver tech touch screen computers and On Guard radar systems on 2012 and newer trucks(it's a love hate thing with the on guard so that will be up to you whether you like that or not lol) any sort of new technology that comes out USX will most likely be one of the carriers out here trying it and adding it to all trucks of it works out good.

    As far as training with your wife I don't think you'll find any company that will do that. Don't quote me but I'm not sure it's legal to run 3 drivers in a single truck? And when it came time to team drive in the training process there wouldn't be the room for 3 drivers. I know it's law that you can't sleep on the top bunk when the truck is in motion. So that leaves one bunk. Training doesn't last all that long anyways it goes by faster than you know it.

    Hope I have you some info you were looking for. Like I said before my opinion is a little biased considering I drive for USX but I'm happy here and I suppose anyone would share their opinion about a company they are happy with.

    Good luck on making your choice and no matter where ya end up good luck and be safe out there!
     
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  8. Wego4ut

    Wego4ut Light Load Member

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    Covenant Transport trains husband/wife teams all the time. They trained us 2 years ago. We had a trainer that only works with family plan teams like us. There are about 30 of those trainers I'm told. We just got a pay raise on July 4 of .01/mile. Students got .02/mile.
    Each of the large team carriers needs husband wife hazmat teams. Its where the money is at Covenant. You will do fine no matter where you end up. Good luck!
     
  9. NotFastEnuff

    NotFastEnuff Bobtail Member

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    May 15, 2012
    Knoxville, TN
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    Thank y'all for the info. Please, keep it coming! This is the EXACT kind of stuff we're looking for!
     
  10. Diceman

    Diceman Bobtail Member

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    Jul 4, 2012
    San Diego, CA
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    Hey there NFE. I came across one of the best husband and wife team blogs out there. They work for USX and if you REALLY want to know how it is I highly recommend you read it from the first day they started to current. So yes they are loving it and I promise you will really enjoy reading the blog. They write very well and they ALWAYS get through any challenges (and there are plenty) through humor and of course being able to vent to each other. I don't know if you have family around the country, but they do and their FM gets them to all their family at just the right times. I would say the ONLY thing I am surprised to hear is that their truck they got when the first started driving broke down a lot, which is puzzling since they got it brand new. They have a different truck now and it seems to be doing a bit better. I myself am looking to drive solo, but my best friend for over 30 years has been a truck driver for 12 years and may come join me at USX if that is where I decide to go...oh and btw...he lives in Gallatin and I may be relocating there from San Diego, CA. For me right now its between USX and Con-Way at the moment as I have a dog so my choices are limited.

    If you want a link to the blog then send me a PM and I will get it to you. I'm telling you it is EXACTLY what you are looking for....and will answer all your questions and give you EXACTLY the whole truth and nothing but the truth....both the good and bad and from a "Team" husband/wife perspective as well. More importantly it will show you the RIGHT WAY to deal with the issues of the industry. So don't think it is only USX....its not....but no matter what company you choose it still worth reading their blog as I'm sure their experiences are very similar to what you will experience out there.

    I have been researching companies for the past 3 months (and not even starting school till November), so if you need any more help let me know. I have printed out info and have organized notes on every one I contacted by phone.

    Good Luck,
    The Diceman
     
  11. DirtyBob

    DirtyBob Road Train Member

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    Sep 2, 2010
    Indiana
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    I'd suggest not letting the training aspect heavily weigh your decision as far as training together. Training is such a short time in the long run that to me it's rather foolish to pick a company based on that. You want what's better for you when training is over.

    I'm not saying at all that someplace that will train you together is bad or not the way to go though. Just look at the long run and what you'll be doing more than anything, which is not training.
     
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