Hi there. Name is Matt. After reading your post about a starter company I had to send you a message. I too am looking at a trucking job for different reasons though. I have been a FireFighter Paramedic for 15 yrs (I'm 33 so I started young too) but my wife got offered a position within her company in Savannah GA and we decided to jump on the opportunity to move out of Northern IL. Anyways my big question for you is who did you decide to go with if any yet?? Right now I have prehire letters from Sneider and Roehl. I'm leaning towards Roehl because it seems like I would have more home time with the 7/3 7/4 schedule they offered me. Sni says I would be out 7 at a time and home 1.5 days. But sni was a tanker position (regianal) which I think I would like and Roehl is van which I was thinking of avoiding because the instructors at my school recomended doing flatbed right away. Just wondering your thoughts and wanted to say hello. BTW I already have my class a, double/triples, tanker and hazmat but no experience.
KC-I chose to go with Roehl due to reading the many posts here and on the recommendation of a good friend of mine who is also a long time trucker. It costs a little bit up front but to me it is worth it. I am going straight into flatbed with Roehl, still waiting for confirmation of my start date but it will be next month sometime. I have heard good things about Schneider too, but I liked what I was hearing a bout Roehl just a bit better. Im not looking at any of the hometime schedules because you trade money for time at home and just starting off we want the money.
If you want to be home, roehl is the one to go with, but if you do go hometime, you would have to park the truck at a terminal or dropyard
Now when you say it costs a bit more up front what do you mean? I already have my CDL A. Is that if you go into it with no A license it costs more? Also comment about flatbed...not in my hiring area. They hire for Flatbed down to about Atlanta but Savannah is 3 hours SE of there and that is a van hiring area.
Its different if you already have your CDL, I couldnt tell you much about that but I have read people who have had flights, meals, and hotel paid for to attend orientation when they already had their CDL. As a noob with only a CDL Learners I have to pay about $585 up front consisting of a $100 registraion fee for the RDTC class, $85 for the CDL test, and $400 for the hotel room for the duration plus provide my own transportation and meals. They are providing lodging for the securment training in Gary, IN. and pay $150 for completeing it.
Yet another reason Im not doing the hometime plans, I dont care to slipseat and share a truck. I want to have my own truck I can put my stuff in and leave it.
Oh ok. Well the school I attended here in IL was basically a $1000 a week so that isn't cheap either. My situation was a little different because I had a Class B CDL going into it so that allowed me to get away with only 80 hrs. The normal minium class is 160 hrs and they have a 240 option but all you really get extra is more time behind the wheel on the road and in the yard practicing the cone course. Sorry to hijack this thread if I am with my questions. Roehl seems like a good way to go for me but I keep wondering if I should go with Schnieder because its a tanker job and maybe learning that right away would be better and maybe earn a little more? Thoughts. I'm relocating to Savannah GA and there seems to be a lot of local tanker companys and I think that would be a good thing for me being home every day. But from what I've seen most of them want up to 2 years experience. So my plan now is to go work for one of these bigger guys to start.
Yeah I dont like the idea either. Not to mention what if the other driver is a slob. I want my truck to be clean and setup the way I want and be my truck.
