Does changing companies hurt your DAC?

My goal is to eventually work for a top notch company, but as a student, I realize that I will have to pay my dues by starting with some starter company such as Werner or Swift.

Some other mid level companies require as little as 3-6 months OTR experience. Others that are even better require 1 year or more.
While the top level companies require anywhere from 2-5 years experience..

My question is...Which of the following career paths would be best??

If I go with a cheap starter company such as Werner, Swift etc...

A...Should I stay with Werner,Swift etc... for a full 2-5 years before applying to a top level company?

Or...

B... Should I do 3 months with Werner,Swift etc... and then apply for a slightly better company that only requires 3 months experience?
And then after 6-9 months with the 2nd company, apply to a slightly better company that only requires 1 year of experience.
And then after a year with the 3rd company, finally apply to a top level company that requires 2 years experience.


Obviously, if I went with option "A" I would not have to stay with a bad company such as Werner,Swift etc... for very long, and would get to work with some companies that although are not top of the line, are an improvement.
But would option "A" hurt my reume when applying to a top level company and they see that I have worked for 3 different companies in the last 2 years?

Any advice from you seasoned truckers????

 

deleted by poster

 

He drives for Fed-Ex out of Savanna Georgia. He pulls doubles and has a normal run from Savanna to Orlando and back. He works nights, monday-friday. Occasionally,he will be called in to do a run up into Tennessee which takes 2 days in which they put him up in a motel since they only run in day cabs, but 90% of his runs are just to his destination and back to Savanna in one 10-12 hour time period.

Up until early 2008,he was here in Valdosta Georgia, making about $70k per year,but the Valdosta Fed-Ex terminal had several layoffs about 10 months ago. And after these layoffs,he was going to be low man at the Valdosta shop with more layoffs possibly coming up, so he opted for a transfer to the Savanna terminal which was actualy hiring new drivers at that time.

Along with this transfer, he would get better job security, plus a higher paying route.


He was telling me the things they get paid for, such as an hourly rate while waiting for unloading/Loading in Orlando. Extra money for hooking up each trailer,hourly rate for stopping to fuel etc....

As far as me lying, what good would that do me?? I am seeking info for my future income, and one would not do that by lying....

 

Thanks..
I realize that I will have to pay my dues for 2-5 years before I have any shot at getting on with a comapny such as my Brother works for, and one I refer to as a "top notch" company.
I have no problem with that type of career as I am accustomed to it. I served 23 years in the Army, and worked my way up from lowly Private to a Sr. NCO
I was just curious as to the best way to spend the first 2-5 years in the trucking inustry before applying to that "top notch" trucking company.

Should I stick with the lousy starter company such as Werner,Swift etc... for the entire 2-5 years?
Or could I leave Werner,Swift etc... after 3-12 months and go to work for some mid level company that is not quite a top notch company, but is better than the starter company I began with,without hurting my resume by having changed jobs to often?

 

That sounds like the route I would prefer to take.

I have heard many bad things about all the starter companies that I have applied to. And if even half of it is true, I would dread spending 2-5 years with them.
There are several decent, but not great companies,that require 3-12 months experience. If possible, I will use the starter company to get my initial experience, and then go to a decent company where I will remain until I can get on with a really good company.

Now that my plan is in order, I just have to keep from screwing up behind the wheel so my driving record stays clean...