How to make more money other than experience?

I left Werner right after training. I didn't even take a single load on my own. I wanted local. I went through a number of jobs that 1st year but I have stuck with Walton milk hauling..... November makes two years. I wasn't going to be happy with otr but I found a job that fits me and pays better then Werner would have, and my resume is looking better. A couple more years here and I will have a solid resume (for local work anyways). I found something that works and I realize I can't be a career job jumper.

 

5 years is excessive. I was an expert puller of dry vans and reefers after 1. If I wasn’t so busy making bank as an O/O after 3 I would take time off and go win the truck driving championship.

 

You shouldn’t spend less than a year at any job.

 

You are doing the right thing. Kudos to you.

As I understand it, the Swift flatbed division has about 1500 drivers, but only about 20 active mentors (trainers), so it's difficult for trainees to get on the fleet. I never managed to get on that fleet during my two years with Swift, but my next job got me into flatbed cold turkey, with no securement training. It was interesting to say the least.

As others have noted, always stay at least a year at any job. Companies don't look kindly at job hoppers.

 

Some jobs aren't worth staying at..... Involved a boss with a filthy mouth. Some are too reliant on weather... Had a job where I transported fertilizers and water for crop spraying.... It nearly rained me right out of work, I can't possibly be expected to survive working 2 days a week for a month straight... And the last job that summer I worked until the work ended for the season.

I have had very few jobs hauling general freight. Two were dump truck construction and one of those involved agricultural. What I do now is a form of agricultural but it's very steady. The farms always have milk to pickup regardless of weather or season.

There are more jobs involving CDL driving then just pulling 53ft vans of general freight. Some are more steady then others. I will work for Walton milk hauling until either something changes significantly or my boss retires and sells out. Right now neither is happening and I'm quite content.

 

I agree with you. I’m just saying that Human Resources really frowns on job hopping. You really should only change jobs if you are sure that the next one will be better than the one you’re currently at. You need to do your research and be willing to stick it out if things don’t go quite as planned.

 

The funny thing is there is a dirtbag I know of. He goes from job to job. He worked for us for about a month called in something like 7 times in that month. My boss fired him rightfully so. Now he is with yet another milk hauler. He has been through Walton, bugman, rowcliff, donnans, and now Duncan.... Those are just the milk haulers. Somehow he still finds someone willing to hire him and they seem to think he will be productive. He went through a handful of other than milk hauling jobs too. Something like 7 or 8 jobs in a month. I think eventually his luck will run out.

 

Foodservice will hire anyone with a CDL. LTL you can land a job depending on the area and how busy even with little experience. Drivers don’t want to hand unload like in Foodservice. Driver don’t want to drive nights like in LTL. Why these areas in trucking pay almost the top in the industry.

 

yeah but then again some can't seem to get it in their heads that they don't see what goes on when they hire people to put them into a driver's seat. Most of you guys get all emotional about your little precious trucks now, imagine if you knew what some who have little experience do to them when you hire them, you would never be able to contain yourselves or function in society as a normal person.

with the ease of licensing and the acceptance of crap drivers on the road (when was the last time YOU called on something you seen?), there is a reason why many with a year or two of jumping around never get the skills they need to drive a truck safely or make it last.

 

My friend let me know when u put in years out here like alot of ppl have on this forum, u are barely with your mentor and your already talking like you know some #### out here, man its gonna hit you hard when u get out on your own , u will find out when u get out here it aint as easy as u think it is , its typical of ppl your age to think the world owes them everything, wants all the money but dont wanna put in the work to get to the next level, if u doing flatbed for the money u gonns learn real quick that it aint for you, but thats something your gonna have to learn out here just like the rest of us did