First interview

Percentage pay is OK but there is plenty of room for dishonesty. A dishonest company can cheat you in several ways regardless of how they pay (CPM, %, load, salary). If my research, and the info from drivers at that company, convinced me that the info I've found is what they are getting, then I would work for the company regardless of how they pay. Personally, since I'm not a "I want to be the high mileage driver every week" would prefer salary or guarantee/floor. At the tanker company I worked for they paid $1200 per week if you were available for 70 hours per week. If you drove enough miles you got paid at a CPM. They also paid detention and for layover and 34 hour resets away from home. So no matter how long the shipper took to load a trailer, and they sometimes took 4-8 hours, it wasn't hurting my check.

 

Don’t be afraid to get a few different offers. Year one the experience matters more than the pay. Safe miles and specialized haul experience will write your ticket. Even if your training company doesn’t increase pay you can just go next door.

 

There is no reason to volunteer "to be boned over pay". Shop around, it's a driver's market. Get the best deal you can find that works for you where you live, going where you want, and with time off to recover. IMO, if all you are doing is reading the company web site, and talking to the company you cannot know enough about the company to make a smart decision. You should talk to current working drivers at the company doing the job you want to do. If the company wants you to work for them they can put you in touch with current drivers. The recruiters, interviewers, managers may not even know how much drivers are getting paid per week, how many miles, how much health benefits cost, what schedules they work. The interviewer is NOT going to tell you any negative info. You are not going to force the company into giving you something the interviewer said just because they said it. The current drivers at the location can tell you what is really happening at the company. Drive to the location and talk to the drivers.

 

And there are certain companies that you might come from that have a lot more pull than others

Like starting at company X will get you in better doors than company Y

 

EVERY COMPANY IS HIRING. The key is to stay away from the companies with bad truck maintenance, that ask you to drive illegally, send you to very tight places and expose you to backing accidents, etc, and HOS violations and being put out of service. If you keep your record spotless you can work anywhere. New drivers these days seem to assume they will be having accidents, violations, company screwing with their paychecks. Even good companies that don't match what you need are not the place to start.