Biloxi, MS CDL Grad.

Congrats on passing school. I have a lot of family on the coast, being in Biloxi and Gulfport. Where did you attend school? Was it the one I saw that shared a building with the highway patrol on 49 in Saucier?

As for companies, most all of the starter companies are the same. Some pay a little better than others, some nickel and dime you, some have crappy equipment, and so on. It really depends on what you want to do. Flatbed, van, reefer,whichever. If you have the back for it and don't mind getting dirty, give flatbed a look. Maverick is a good company, and probably the best flatbed.

Stay away from KLLM and Stevens. If you want to do reefer, look at Prime. They pay a little better than most. I think Knight has a place on Canal road in Gulfport, so you might be home a little more often than others if that's a factor. Another company to look at it with HQ in Jackson is Total Transportation of MS. They are part of usxpress and will keep you busy.

The key here is to work for one of these starter companies for a year and then start knocking on doors of the smaller outfits who will pay better. No matter how crappy it gets, just stick it out and you won't regret it in the long run.

Good luck, and welcome to the industry hand.

 

Congratulations! In my opinion, go with either Melton Truck Lines or Howard Transportation in Ellisville, MS. Both companies drivers average $50K + per year. Both good companies and neither is a so-called "starter company." Check their websites & I think you will be impressed with both companies. You won't find any negative comments on this forum about either company. Best wishes.

Both companies will hire new CDL school grads.

 

Glad to hear you didn't go through that school in Saucier. Being in the same building as the highway patrol kind of creeps me out. There's got to be more to that story somehow.

Prime is about as good as the rest, they just pay a little more than most. When it comes down to it, all of the starter companies are about in the same ballpark. Again, some might get you home a day or two earlier, some might pay a couple of dollars more, some might make you sit a little longer, etc. what you are going to find is the little things are what makes the difference. My experience with most of th trucking companies are from the drivers themselves. Just noticing the people, the equipment, watching them at docks, etc.

Swift is a good example. The trucks look like they are junk, they won't let them put inverters in (or so I have been told in the past), I've heard it takes an act of congress to get something fixed, etc. That's all I need to know not to work for Swift. Most of the drivers I've met are good dudes, I've just never heard much positive about the company.

Another example is CR England. I've been involved in two reportable accidents in my little-over 5 years of OTR. Both times, I was parked legally in designated spots at truck stops, and both times I was hit by a CR England driver. The first was a trainee on his first solo run. Took the whole front hood off trying to back into a spot next to me. The second was a trainer and trainee. Backed into my trailer at a 45 degree angle. I was hauling paint dye (Haz Mat). That brought out every full grown in the state. It looked like a smokey bear hat convention. The saddest part was that it was the TRAINER driving. Needless to say, I don't have much good to say about CR England.

Start looking at the little things about companies that will cause the little aggravations, or pleasures, when you are on the road. Ask yourself stuff like "will they let me install an inverter?, or what is the policy on idling?, or will they force NYC on me?" Those little things will add up real quick.

 

So did I!! I can see why you're inquiring about research. The recruiters they had weren't very good, IMO. My main gripe about that school (unless things have changed since I was there) is that there aren't enough road instructors. You've 15-20 students show up, only two road instructors. It sucked being the odd one out who gets stuck on the alley dock for 11 hours... in August.

 

Averitt is out of Cookeville, TN , but I think they have either a terminal or a drop yard around tupelo somewhere. The are actually a pretty good company from everything I've heard

you are absolutley correct in wanting to make sure you are comfortable. I can drive ANY truck, but behind the seat is my home. I want to make it as comfortable as anyone else would make their home. I have an APU, which now that I have had one, I'll never drive another truck without one ever again. Same goes with satelite radio. I won't drive without it.

My suggestion is to make you a top 10 list that has everything you MUST have. Then, put them in order according to importance. Then, do your research. Like this........
1. Miles
2. APU's
3. Big sleeper
4. No forced dispatch
5. So on, so on, and so on.

The more specific you get the better. I talked to a dude once that won't drive any truck unless its red. Honest to Christ. This cat wouldn't drive anything other than a red truck. He drove for US Xpress and had been there for a few years. You just never know.

When you say comfort is important, what specifically is important to accomplish the overall goal? Answer that one, and you have your companies to look at.