You've got the right attitude and should succeed. Just remember this, your 1st year is all about learning and taking what is given to you. Your not going to be in any position to turn down a load or ask for excessive home time.
Here's a few tips. 1 - When driving the speed limit or under, always stay in the granny lane. Keep the travel lane open for the faster trucks as the left lane is usually banned from trucks,
2 - When being passed by another truck, turn your lights off then on to let the passing driver know that he's cleared to merge in front of you. A lot of drivers now a days will flash their high beams instead and it causes more danger by blinding the passing driver.
3- When backing, take it slow and never be embarrassed to get out of your truck to look and see how you're doing. No matter how long you've been doing this, you have your good and bad days. There are days when I do a straight back in and you'd think I had never done this before, lol. It happens to everybody.
I've been in the trucking industry for 34 years and I still learn something new every now and then. Always keep an open mind.
Know what you're getting yourself into. It takes a certain breed to be able to live this kind of lifestyle. You have to have a little Gypsy in you as you'll be living in your truck and traveling all the time. It's not a 9-5 type job.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Stay safe!
H.O. Wolding is a GREAT company!
Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by Grabbin-Gears, Mar 15, 2011.
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mtnMoma, 27butterfly, razzle dazzle and 6 others Thank this.
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I had the chance to pick up a local job but figured after I went through school I may as well go all the way and start OTR. This way I can get the first year under my belt and see what direction I want to go in, Stay OTR? go local? maybe find something in between??. My Ex wifes son drives for a local company but gets sent out a few times a week on overnight runs (He loves it).
Reading some of the craziness that goes on in truckstops, Well I'm not much for drama and hope I can just do my job and steer clear of that aspect of driving. -
Check out PGT they run out your way. I used to work for them they're not badPineyRider Thanks this. -
Sewerman, Thanks. I actually applied at PGT about a week ago. A recruiter called me back a day later and said He'd be lying to me if he promised he could get me back home on a regular basis. South Jersey is too far out of the way I guess.
I called my school and asked if they had any recruiters scheduled to come in, that's how I heard about PGT. They were coming to the school in May. I figured If they were looking to hire, I would put an App in. -
Sorry that HOW did not give you the nod...
It is IMO a great place to start or move to as a company driver.
It is a good ethical company that treats it employees quite well.
The pay mentioned earlier is the raw data posted, year by year for various seniority levels posted iby the company....being raw data, if a seniority level has just one or two people, and they are doing mostly NYC work, getting the extra pay for that, it can throw off the averages...
what I can say is that the miles are avalsble....as many as you can find to run...and since there is almost all company drivers, there is no leasing games....and folks tend to stay at how...many drivers have left, only to return....if folks leave, it tends to be cause trucking was not for them.
The freight may not be glamours at how, but it needs to be moved, and it pays....
lots of paper for the central US guys, and water/groceries for the east coast, but unlike some consumer goods, it is used when the economy is good or bad.
The company is IMO a gem of a company...a place a newbie can start and be treated with respect, and not be taken advantage of. It is a smaller company, and hiring can be pretty varible from what I have seen when it comes to different areas, but it is cause they hire where they need people.
I get home almost every weekend ( unless I want to go somewhere, or I am due for work on my truck), and I like running regional...lots of work, but decent pay.
The starter trucks are pretty tired, but mine is still in good mechanical shape...maintance is good...lots of new truck and trailers are arriving, and the oldest stuff is being retired...
if you go to HOW, don't expect a new truck till you are pretty senior...
the company seems to keep trucks quite a while....but just like with keeping a car, it simply makes ecnomic sense....so you do work a bit harder perhaps for the extra pay...but it is like the old saying...all the chrome won't get you home...they are work trucks...they are company trucks...and as such, are typicall freightliners....
a few have apu's, many more with bunk heaters, some with opti-idle....and a pretty logical idle policy...do it when you need to....but minimize it...it costs money, etc...so far none of the draconion policies that many other places have enforced...in many ways HOW still has the teamwork/family run atmosphere of a much smaller company....heck the name on the side of the truck is there because they own the company, and they are still involved on a daily basis...
If I was looking for a job, and HOW called, IMO, go for it. It is not perfect, but in my research, it is among the best if not THE BEST starter company....and many folks stay for a few million miles....that should say something!!!GoPackGo77 Thanks this. -
This is a direct quote from their website:
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Perhaps....but they never lied to me...bought me a plane ticket (sure beat riding "the dog" for 2 days,and paid my expenses till I was "hired"....trained me, gave me a pretty good paying job, and treated me well. One person in my class did have an issue, but most everybody else I talk to here is much happier than the typical mega fleet starter company driver.
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Pineyrider, like I said before, your 1st year driving OTR is going to mean very little home time. Get that 1st year under your belt and then you can pick and choose what company will get you home on your preferred schedule.
There are companies that will get you home every weekend and even a day or two during the week (like the company I work for) but being a graduate, you're not going to find too many trucking companies that will hire you with zero yrs. experience. Most companies want 1-2 years OTR experience before they'll even talk to you.
Just make the commitment for 1 year to stay out on the road. It'll be over with before you know it then you can find the company that suits your needs.
As far as Flatbed co's. in So. Jersey, Kennedy is up near Kearney and they are a very good outfit. National Freight is in Vineland. They haul box/van freight but you wont even get an interview until you have at least a year or two under your belt.
Be patient my friend. Make the commitment to be on the road that 1st year. You'll be so busy, your head will spin and your 1st year will be over with.
Good luck! -
Also wanted you to keep in mind the company I work for, Grayson Mitchell. We haul a lot of freight out of Camden, NJ. and the Filthadelphia area. You can run regional, which gets you home 2-3 nights a week and every weekend or System, which in my case, I get home a night or two during the week and home most weekends. If I'm away more than one weekend in a month, it's because I volunteered. Getting home that often, I still get anywhere from 2600 - 3000 miles a week at .42 cpm. More if you haul over sized/dimensional loads and more if you pick up in VA or MD and deliver up north.
Like I said though, gotta have that 1 year under your belt as this is how 99% of the OTR companies operate.
Again, be patient and good luck.ricrey99 Thanks this. -
Mdbluecrab, I figure that first year will go quick. life goes by fast, Heck I can remember like it was yesterday the first solo ride I took in my dads car when I turned 17 and got my license. Drove around all night by myself just because I didn't need the "licensed driver" sitting next to me, Lol. And I can't believe THAT night was 32 years ago.
I know it's "old hat" for you drivers that have been doing this awhile. for me it really has my interest to be doing something new and different than what I've been doing the past 30 years. It will be a little bit of an adjustment not being home during the week (or most weekends), I've always had a little side business of working on motorcycles. My customers sure aren't happy about my new career choice. But eventually "regional" driving sounds good to me.
Of the companies that did offer me pre-hires, I decided to go with Roehl. I talked to the recruiter on Thursday and accepted the offer. They said I would get an e-mail instructing me what to send them (haven't gotten the e-mail yet though). I guess they're still doing a backround check. That shouldn't take long, I lead a pretty boring life. There won't be any surprizes on the check.
Thanks for the job tips. I wrote them down so I can apply there when I have some experience.
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