Is it Possible to Leave a Starter Company right after You get your CDL?

Now they will send a collection agency to hound him and ruin his credit

 

Has anybody ever left a starter company right after they get their cdl you ask,I bet over half the members here have.I did when I first started.It's all part of trucking.Don't worry about not getting hired,unless you have an obligation with a company ,you'll get hired at the next company you applied to.Just try not to make it a habit job hopping too much.I advise staying with a company for a good solid yr to get the exp.But for some it's almost impossible because of companies.

 

I'd say at least a year if for no other reason than you owe it to them for what they've done for you. Life ain't no bed of roses all the time and sometimes a guy just has to do the right thing no matter how hard it may seem right now. It builds good character for later down the road. Good luck to ya.

 

Huh what?

Only if the driver defaulted on company paid training and the contracted driving thereafter.


Mikeeee

 

The first thing I tell drivers coming through orientation, " The most valuable thing any of us have is our name. Do what you say you are gong to do. It pays off in the long run."


I always see rookies posting something about ,"What is the best school, what is the best starter company, what's the best dog to have on the truck". Why do they want the best? I dunno. WLL going to the best school, or the best bottom feeder company, or a dog insure your success? I don't think so.


Those bottom feeder companies serve a purpose IMHO, they separate the healthy from the sick. Do you want to make maximum profit for minimum investment? Of course you do...who doesn't, right? But how difficult is it to stand out and be recognized at a bottom feeder trucking company that has 100 people coming to orientation, and a massive turnover rate? Difficult, yes.


Move up to a better company, with a better safety score, and better drivers. Is it easier or harder? It's definitely harder. Go to a company where the average drivers been there for 15 years and it gets even worse. You're on the bottom end. You get the scraps until you prove your worth. And that's really difficult to do at the higher end companies. But you will be making more money than you were at the bottom feeder, right? Maybe.


the top end driver is going to make twice what the bottom end driver does, pulling the same wagon for the same company. He gets the better truck, the better freight, the best lanes, the best miles. The bottom end driver gets the the left over truck, the crap load, the worst lanes and the worst miles. You get loaded last. I don't care what they tell you about company policy 'first in first out. ' if you prove yourself to be troublesome and unreliable, your dispatcher, in fear of his/ her own job will try to avoid giving you important loads. Wow, look at the name you made for yourself.


you don't even really need DAC to identify crappy drivers. In the flatbed world, it's evident to everyone by how he secures his load. You can see a POS flatbed driver coming a mile away. Yes, you can also tell by what the driver wears in public. Then let him open his mouth...is he crying? Yea, that's a pretty good indicator.


Anyways, we all have to start somewheres. If you have to start at a bottom feeder company, use the bottom feeder to toughen yourself up. If you're going to be a Swift driver, be a good, solid Swift driver. People can tell if your a solid driver, even with the Swift logo on your cap. Don't just quit in order to quit. You quit to step up and move ahead. But just remember, if and when you move ahead, you're going to have to work harder to stay off the bottom of the pile.


Adios.

 

Thousands of drivers leave starter companies right away . That's why the turnover rate is over 100% .

 

Special thanks to all the veterans who shared some advice in this thread. Priceless information.

 

Good response!

 

those oppertunity will be there after you fulfil your contract.the hardest part is the first year sticking it out, if you stick out the year it will help make it look like your seriuos about being a driver,not one of them guys who is looking at what may be greener on the other side.the reality is they will tell you anything to look good for them.you leave start up company early get stuck with tuition,find out it's not better at other place now it's harder to get that driving job back or any other one for that matter. the more you move around the harder happieness is to find.

 

And most of the time those same drivers can't figure out why they aren't hireable materiel anywhere else. My company (which I will leave disclosed) for one hates job hoppers, and will not hire you if you had more than 2 jobs in a 3 year period, driving or non-driving.