How to spot a bad company

Their Orientation Room has a Greyhound Kiosk in the back !!!!!!!!!!!

 

In orientation they also give you an application for food stamps......

 

I work for what may be called a large company with maroon trucks that pulls flatbeds and glass. I work mostly in glass. I was new out of school, and had never driven before. I'm over 50, so I've been around. I like my company! It's tough, but I can do tough when needed. Funny part about the bus is that it was cheaper to fly, but they paid for the full
bus ticket. Folks, when you go OTR, it either fits you or not. If you're OK with being away from your family and friends for several weeks, to
get home for 2 or 3 days, and then back out, you'll be fine. You'll spend 1 day sleeping, 1 with basics, and if you get 3, maybe spending time with family or friends. This is a job for loners. At least that's how I've seen it in my first year.

 

If you listen to most posts on a website...You won't hear anything.

 

Their all good Companys till they get caught.
Most have been caught and are now "better" at what they still do

 

Most companies are about the same. Some of the smaller companies might treat you better, but you will still be out 3-4 weeks and home 2-3 days. That won't change. If you read the post on here about companies, the same complaints pop up for each one.

"I'm not making any money". A lot of people got into this industry thinking that they will be making 50k a year. Not starting out. You will be lucky to make 30k, and that's running hard for one of the driver mills.

"The recruiter lied to me". I'm pretty sure the recruiter gets paid on how many people he can hire for a company. He doesn't really know the company and probly hires for more than one.

"I got hired and they sent me home from orientation for no reason". Really? What did you do? Companies aren't going to go to the expense of bringing you in and then sending you back home. They want drivers.

"I quit after 3mos with company A and can't get a job now". Most companies want at least 6 months OTR exp. They look at your work experience. If you quit after 3 mos, why would someone else hire you just to have you quit again.

"They didn't get me home". Sorry folks, OTR means you might be out 3-5 weeks. You are going to miss things. You aren't going to be able see your sons little league championship game, you daughters recital. Be able to spend you anniversery with your wife. You might spend Thanksgiving in Phoenix and Christmas in Cheyenne and you live in Nashville. It's the nature of the job.

It's been my expierience that companies will hire 20 people with the knowledge that after 1 year, 5 of them might still be working for them. If you are just getting into trucking, the driver mill companies, ie, Swift, USA, Prime, TMC, just to name a few, will hire 50-100 drivers to bring to any one orientation class. By the end of the orientation, you will be down to half that number. Half of them won't make it thru road training and those that do get thru that, half of those will quit in the first year. I know what I"m talking about here. I was driver manager for a small distribution company, 20 trucks. We would hire 4 drivers. 1 wouldn't show up after a week, no reason given, never hear from them again. Another might last just long enough to get him trained and quit, "Didn't know the work was that hard". The other two, one would last a year and quit, got a better job and was just getting windshield time. The last might still be working for the company. It's how it works. Hire 10 to get one good one.

This is kinda a big thing with me. I've read these forums for the past few years and it's the same compliants about different companies. It should be "Reader beware, half of what you read here isn't true".

 

Your could have kept the one driver that left for more money by paying him more, that way you would have kept two drivers.

What do you expect from a new driver anyway, all they are looking for is windshield time. If you want to keep them you have to pay them well.

I have been with my small company for 3 years, we have yet to hire a driver because someone left for a better job. I got mine from a guy that retired. If you treat the driver right, they will stay.

Mark

 

Well bs64507 it looks like your take on commercial drivers goes both ways. I have worked for several trucking companies, both large and small, that could not keep driver managers. The driver managers came and went faster than the drivers did. I guess it's getting harder to find decent driver managers these days.

 

ROFLMAO........HAHAhaHAHA

 

Never understood why people would drive OTR if they can't handle being out weeks at a time. I for one cannot handle being out weeks at a time and would never do it. Whether your OTR or regional, you can only drive so many miles in a day. If I drive out 600 miles one day and back home 600 the next, and mr. otr drives 1200 miles out in 2 days, and we are both paid the same cents per mile, we made the same money. Add in that these companies actually pay less if the load is longer, the regional driver makes more! Hometime should never be a complaint if you choose to go OTR.