Best Company for new drivers? Please help!

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by tsantiago, Dec 22, 2025 at 7:49 AM.

  1. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  2. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    76,793
    178,903
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
    0
    Tell your husband to get all the endorsements. Many companies require those, even if he may not ever use them.
     
  3. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

    22,619
    120,270
    Dec 18, 2011
    Michigan
    0
    Just a bit of advice to the OP, get your husband here to ask questions.

    We can just what he needs to look for and tell him why.

    We don't know him or his work ethic, and this isn't a slam on him, but reality.

    Many of the reviews you read are from people who expected a lot out of working in this industry, and many of them are from the competition of the company.

    While some things DO happen, many things are just plain bullsh**** and don't.

    What a good company to one is not a good company to another. People either thrive at say ... Swift or they drown, and many of the times it is their own making, expecting to be handed work and not work for it.

    The best thing to do when he or anyone else is offered work is to actually learn about the company so you know where their market is, who their potential customers are, talk to other drivers who are driving for them, and keep an open mind.

    The best thing to do when he or anyone else is going to a "trainer" is to learn about the company culture, who does what, and WHY.

    If he or anyone else expects to be treated as if they are a valuable employee, too bad; they are just a number, and it doesn't matter what company anyone works for. This goes away when someone takes heed of the two previous paragraphs.

    I would find any company that is not paying 1099. I would look for one that has the resources to teach safety and securement, avoid the smaller cookie-cutter crap companies which operate on thin margins - you can tell by their Safety Report.
     
  4. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Only the drivers working at particular trucking companies can answer your questions. If you want to know about ABC Trucking, then talking to ABC Trucking drivers will have answers and everyone else will have only opinions. This forum may lead you to particular trucking companies, but it won't be your research. Apply at companies online. Then call and leave your contact info and ask for a driver at the company, working on the account you will be placed to contact you and ask him to describe pay, schedule, conditions, equipment conditions, and anything else you need to know. It's important to NOT mention the "right answer" to your questions if you want accurate info. We can help you decide what questions to ask and what things make life easier/harder as a driver. But then you/him have to begin speaking with current working drivers at that one particular trucking company. This forum, the biggest on the internet by far, is still less than 1% of all CDL truck drivers. It's unlikely that there will be a driver here that knows the details about ABC Trucking, as an example.

    EVERY company has lots of bad reviews, no exception. That proves some people cannot ever be happy as much as it proves that company isn't a good employer.
     
    firemedic2816 Thanks this.
  5. Trucker61016

    Trucker61016 Road Train Member

    1,401
    4,179
    Sep 18, 2017
    Linville, Va
    0
    Best company is the lot lizard at the pilot ...she will make you special :D:D
     
    hope not dumb twucker Thanks this.
  6. Jamie01

    Jamie01 Light Load Member

    266
    546
    Dec 13, 2020
    0
    You should certainly do all your research, but accept that there's only so much you can learn ahead of time. He can go to an overall good company, and end up with a not-so-good trainer, or later on, a bad dispatcher/driver manager. And vice versa. So he should focus on the things he can control, which are ultimately more important than the name on the truck's door. I worked for a couple companies that routinely get trashed on the internet, and had nothing but good experiences. In my opinion, if you go in with commitment, effort, and a humble willingness to learn, you'll do fine.

    My trainer when I started out doing LTL linehaul was married to a nurse. These are both professions with long hours, but she worked the day shift and he drove overnights, so it worked. She would get the kids up and ready for school, he'd see everyone briefly before they left, and sleep until the kids got home from school. Then he had daddy duty in the afternoon until it was time to go to work. Not the easiest schedule, but better than not seeing your family for weeks on end.
     
  7. lual

    lual Road Train Member

    5,085
    9,207
    Oct 22, 2020
    SW Georgia
    0
    Many of the suggested carriers here will require the driver to have at least tanker AND hazmat endorsements; some will require tanker, hazmat...& also doubles/triples.

    Swift will hire you without any of those.

    -- L
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.