Big or small?

It's all a matter of preference. In my situation, I much prefer the smaller companies. I'd rather people know me by name and sight, rather than just being a number. Others would much rather remain below the radar...not everyone's the same.
I've seen larger companies let drivers sit for a couple of days because freight was slow and there were other company trucks in the area that could get to the load quicker. The smaller companies don't have as much competition from their drivers because they are more spread out.
As far as being worried about the company surviving the recession, I'd have to venture a guess that since they have 185 trucks, they will more than likely be just fine.

Good luck and I hope this helped.

 

in my experience, smaller companies are a joke (8 trucks.) they want you to run illegal and don't pay more than what a rookie would make. the size of the company has nothing to do with being recession proof. a lot of companies in this country that used to be the biggest and best at what they did have disappeared in the last few years (pillowtex, bethlehem steel, maytag, etc.) and a lot of smaller ones are prospering and growing. just look at GM, Ford and Chrysler - they're all bankrupt as hell.

I wouldn't say a company with 185 trucks is small. I also wouldn't say company with 5000 trucks is big - they're huFREAKINmongous!!

 

Go with your instincts.

There are no guarantees anyone is going to survive a recession, regardless their size.

Consolidated Freightways ("Corn Flake") drivers worked for a big company and that didn't do them much good.

Lots of big companies go under so don't let that be a factor in your decision.

 

I agree with you about big companies going under.

But, I disagree about smaller companies.

One of the best jobs I ever had was working for an outfit with ten trucks. We ran Texas to the west coast and back and no one was required to run illegally. They let you if you wanted to (as long as your log book was straight) but they didn't require it.

And, they didn't run satellites to babysit you.

And, I made over $50,000 a year and was home every week.

It all depends on the company.

The primary reason I left was I had a major disagreement with one of the two owners. That is the down-side to smaller companies. When the president is your dispatcher, he tends to always win arguments.



Other than the personal issue, which was my fault due to other issues unrelated to the job, the company was a great place to work.