Does changing companies hurt your DAC?

I agree that job hopping would look bad on your resume. my advice is to try to stay with your starter company for at least a year. You may just like your starter company and stay there longer.

 

Yes job hopping doesn't look good to a potential employer

 

I have to agree drivers are not well respected by most companies. I will try though to give you a positive response. I know from the companies i have worked at over the last 15 years. Jumping from company to company is not what you want to do.If you really want to build a solid carreer in this rat race, cut throat industry. Find a place and stay put a while.It used to be that companies were short on drivers.Now companies hold the good cards.Freight is slow, the economy is down.Companies are being seriously picky about who they hire.What you have asked is simply called job hopping. DO NOT DO THIS.Some more reputable companies will not look at you if they see a long list of employment. try to do as much research about a company, before you go to work for them.DO NOT TAKE THE RECRUITERS WORD.This site and others are great resources.I worked at werner.It is tough to make a living there.Be prepared to stay out on the road.You will have to to make a paycheck.I have to admit I did the job hop thing.Naturally, it was a different time then.Now, find a employer and stay put atleast a year or more.Then try to move to something better.Keep in mind that once you make a move.The longer you are there.The more employable you make yourself. Also, do not get hooked by these rip off companies and the lease scams.If they want you to lease a truck.Stay away.They are making money off you. Check with alot of companies information is free.See if you can find a place to start that is not the bare bottom.Dry van freight I feel (my opinion) is not moving to great.So, I pull temperature controlled loads (reefer).The better the niche you have in freight the better the money will be for you. Be safe best i can do for ya

 

No job hopping.

Depending on what wagon you pull, a company may have to invest time and money training a driver to do the job pertaining to that wagon (like flatbedding, carhauling, tanker yankering, moving trucks/pad wrap...etc). If these companies see that you jump ship alot, regardless of your experience, they will be hesitant to hire you.

Starting out? Talk to the drivers at the entry level companies. Ask them the rules of the game (logbooks, pay weekly/bi-weekly/monthly/bi-monthly, logging according to the EZ PASS, matching logs with qualcomms, hometime, fueling stops as to whether you fuel in a company terminal or a truckstop...btw truckstops own the terminals). Then decide if you can deal with their rules and whether or not you can make money according to their rules.

You dont go to a trucking company with the stepping stone mindset, even if it is a stepping stone. Do your best, work your hardest even if the company chits on you.

Drivers who are crappy at the entry level companies are crappy at any job they take. They are mistaken when they think that going to work at a better company will make them a better driver.

The best drivers ALWAYS rise to the top of the pile, from entry level rookie to the owner operator/small fleet owner with the largecars and diamond pinky ring.

 

If you can, find a small company. I have been able to avoid the "bad" companies. Many smaller companies do not use DAC.

 

Best thing to do is stay with your first company at lease 12-16 months.Jumping jobs doesnt look good on your part.So before you jump in a company truck,study that company well.There other companies that take newbies that are better than swift and werner.Little homework will pay off.

 

HI out there I have aplyed at over 100 comp got a reaply from 1 should I start calling the others back or just wate

 

First of all, I don't mean to pick on you. You really need to read your posts before you post them. I am sure companies want their drivers to be able to read and write in english.

This is the way I would have made a post to this site:

Hello out there. I have applied to over 100 companies. I have only received a reply from one of them. Should I start calling the other companies back or should I just wait to hear a reply from them?

 

To be perfectly honest, most companies will never post anything good to your DAC. Ever. If they dont want to screw your career up, they wont post anything. If they do, they'll post something negative.

I pulled my DAC a while back. Nothing in it. At all. Except that i went to orientation for JB Hunt and went home without a job. Screwed me up a little bit but not really. Very annoying to have to report it as a job to recruiters, among the other real jobs i had. JB paid me $50, reported as $73 to the IRS ($50 plus meals). According to recruiters, being paid constitutes being employed. Whatever.

Funny thing though, as horrible as evgeryone says JB is, they treated me great in orientation. They put up such a great facade as the most awesome company on earth to work for. Nothing but great treatment in orientation.

When I was released, I hadn't eaten the company provided lunch yet. I was pulled out of line from the drug test, told i was being sent home and that i had to call "my investigator" to find out the reason and get a bus ticket, and then come back to the office to see the original guy again. Never even any hint that i would have to find my own way home. When I went back to the office, I was cut a comchek for $50 and he told me to make sure I ate lunch before i left.

Terminal was just a mile from the hotel, so I just walked back to the hotel, hung out for a couple hours and then got a cab to the bus terminal.

I was sent home over something not on my dac that i told recruiting that they said was just fine and ok, that turned out to be not just fine.

I've met their requirements for "re"hire now, but I'm not going back unless I was offered a dedicated or local run. I've heard they do have some great dedicated runs, and obviously local doesnt have the OTR BS...

 

Just remember that attitude is everything if you want to keep that truck out of trouble. Anger is your enemy. Stay professional.