Best companies that hire new drivers

Many companies that normally hire drivers right out of CDL school are not currently doing so.

In your area -- as I write this -- some examples of this:

• C R England wants at least 3 months experience
• Frey Miller wants at least 6 months experience
• Cold Trans wants at least 6 months experience

I'm reasonably sure that the above list is by no means totally inclusive.

The only opportunity I see (for the moment) that I could recommend in good conscience for a new driver like yourself is in this below link:

FFE -- reefer freight -- linehaul duty -- Pico Rivera, CA

The good news: this situation changes (sometimes) almost daily.

Your biggest mistake for now: GETTING DISCOURAGED.

Successful truck drivers (especially first-year drivers) have a certain "grit"....or mental toughness -- that powers them through situations like this one.

-- L

 

You can find a list in your previous thread about this topic. What happened when you applied to all those companies in that thread? Better question is, have you finished schooling yet?

 

Think swift is out west there. Maybe Oregon? But I'm sure they'll hire anybody with a heartbeat.... But BE CAREFUL if you do go to work for them. Always record your calls with dispatch (any company, really) if using a pay phone, rat shack used to have a phone cord with suction cup on one end and the other end was a mini round audio plug to plug into your digital recorder input. That cord worked very well for me. But radio shack closed down here in the Midwest but could prolly find that online somewhere. Here ya go, Amazon for $6.50
https://www.amazon.com/Telephone-Mi...3EcanqbuAgKvB5urOeMa6yVE_1H2GybMaAn8KEALw_wcB

 

Define 'best.' What's best for me might not be best for you. What do you want in terms of pay, home time, type of freight, type of route, teams or solo, etc.? Start there, do some research and identify companies near you that meet your criteria, and find out what schools they hire from or what their hiring requirements are. Your 'dream job' might require 6 or 12 months experience, which means you'll have to pay your dues first. But identify what things are non-negotiable vs. would be nice to have. Otherwise, you won't make it long enough to get the required experience. For example if you have family obligations, going OTR might not be sustainable even temporarily.

With the ELDT requirements in place, instruction may be more standardized than before, so companies will accept pretty much any of them. That definitely wasn't the case when I started in 2021. One company I was interested in didn't have my school on their list of approved training providers, so I had to go with a different company.

 

Of those....knowing what I know now....but if I had to start all over again....I would probably pick Werner first:

• has dry van, reefer, or flatbed freight
• multiple terminals/dropyards
• reasonable amount of time out with a trainer
• as I write this -- is hiring in many locations
• has good reviews here on the Forum in other (recent) threads

-- L

 

It just depends....

....on where you are located.....and the freight options that are most available in your area at that point in time.

Most job ads that I've seen lately for Werner DO NOT SPECIFY TEAMS.

CRST....on the other hand....is mostly teams.

Swift would likely be my second choice. So many accounts. So many opportunities. So many terminals. So many dropyards.

-- L