Assistance In Finding A Good Company???

John, you're doing what a lot of drivers don't do. You're getting your facts together first before doing anything else. Yeah, you know the cart goes behind the horse, and the horse faces forward. A lot of guys don't know these facts, and they pay the price later.

Most of trucking isn't unionized. This is definitely a strike against the industry, but unions can be corrupt at times just like trucking companies, so unions aren't all roses like you may think.

Going the company-provided training route is good if the company is good. Crete is good, so I'd try to get training with them if I couldn't get a grant. Just understand there is no such thing as "free" training. When a company trains you, you must commit to them for a certain period, usually a year. If you quit on your 10th day or 364th day, you'll owe the company for the training, which usually is outrageous when compared with the little amount of training it pays for.

I never got lonely on the road. I kept my mind occupied and kept my CB off. Listening to the BS on a CB will drive me insane in about 2 hours.

Believe it or not, some people actually think all truck drivers sleep in hotels every night. Sure, some drivers do sleep in hotels. These are union guys on dedicated runs, though. 90% or more of drivers sleep in their trucks every night they're on the road.

You'll take showers at truck stops, and those showers will be free at places where you fuel up. Most have laundry facilities as well.

If and when you go on the road, be sure to watch your diet. Get a calorie counter and make sure you don't take in more than about 2200 calories a day. Any more than this and you'll gain weight.

 

I am thinking about learning a new language on the road. I have found a few that are CD or iPod based. I thought this may keep away some of the boredom. I drove OTR in the RV industry and found Sirius helped.
I have also signed up for online classes at Thomas Edison State College and am planning to study at night and during delays. Hey, might as well make the most of my time.
Ron

 

My hubby is OTR, usually 10-14 days out, keeping in touch via cell phones, or computers with your family and friends will help too. Remember when you have 10 hours, use it to sleep, you want to be safe and other drivers want you to be alert! My hubby also has a TV and playstation - he loves it, when he gets home, him and my daughter play the games - sometimes she lets him win! Best of Luck to you!

 

Most of these companies want schools that have 150-160 hours. I don't know about this 5 or 10 lesson deal. Check it out with the companies you are looking at to see if they would hire from that school.

 

NoTarps is calling it right.

I'd definitely check with a company like Crete and make sure they'd accept this training before plopping down cash for it. And I'm pretty sure the school must be certified and the training must be for a certain minimum number of hours. 150 sounds about right. Some companies won't hire you unless you've graduated from a certain school. Understand this is because those companies have a hand in these schools (they're at least part owners) and get a government kick-back from each student who graduates from there. I'd definitely avoid these companies unless the government pays for the training in full. I guess I don't have to tell you that it is in these companies' interest that their schools keep churning out graduates. You also need to think about how the jobs these grads are filling have become open in the first place. If you put two and two together here, you will get four. Beware, as your company may treat you badly after you've been there a little while. They do this so you'll quit. If you do, you can be replaced by yet another graduate, meaning another kick-back for the company. If you quit they also don't have to pay your unemployment. Pretty slick.

When you do call a company for some answers, make sure you talk to the right person or you may get vague or even wrong answers. Don't ask a recruiter about which training is acceptable. It's not a recruiter's job to know, and some make sure they don't, or at least they'll feign ignorance. Ask the people in any company's safety department about which training courses are acceptable and what their requirements are, as they are the ones who will ultimately determine whether or not you get hired. And you won't get hired until you pass about three gatekeepers at a company's orientation. No, a recruiter doesn't count for squat as far as your getting hired at a company goes. A recruiter's job is to get you to the orientation. Most don't care if you're qualified or not. Their mission is to fill orientation classes, and most will leave out critical details that may keep you from being hired while at orientation.

Also, if and when you apply with a company, make a copy of your application and take that to orientation with you. At most outfits, they will want you to fill out yet another application at orientation. This helps them catch liars. A recruiter won't tell you to do this. Hell, hardly any insider will tell you to do this. When you fill out that second application, you can just use your copy as a guide to make sure you leave nothing out by mistake.

Be sure you get all your contact numbers for ex-employers together. You will have to provide contact info for every employer you've had the last ten years. Yeap, ten years. Believe it. You'd think you're getting a job at the CIA or FBI. And you should make sure any company you're trying to get on with can contact the employer you had 9 years ago. Some will give you static over it if that employer has fallen off the edge of the earth and can't be contacted today.

 

If the scholl is not certified it want do you any good most companies want certified schools. ask them who hires out of there scholl and that will tell you whether they are good or bad. as far as companies go. Put the names in a hat and pull one out they will be with in .05 of each other and will all treat you like dirt for the first year or 2 so go into it knowing that for 1 to 2 years you belong to the company because you have no experiance and no one will hire you with out it but these big multi billion dollar companies. I have had freinds that trained for schnieder and i trained for Arrow out of tulsa years ago and i was leased to schnieder for several years. there company drivers do make pretty decent money and you live in one of there best locations they love drivers that live in the northeast i could never stand running up there so thats where they allways wanted me to go. But they have good bennys and the pay is in line with the rest.

 

I would not trust asking the school what companies hire from their school. I had a school that told me that they would train me for 15 hrs @ 1200.00 and I could go anywere I wanted so I called a company that the school told me has hired one of their students guess what they never heard of that school / owner operator of the school and then they began to ask me what training is offered and the most that school offered is 2 weeks aprox 50-60 hrs so the company just laughed and said that I would need to attend another school if I wanted to be hired by them. Good thing I did not go to that school. What I do not understand is how can a school get accrediated with those low hours of training. Why does the state let this kind of scamming go on? He does not look that busy I belive that most of his income is from 3rd party testing and renting his truck, bus, motorcycle out for tests.