less pay that what company said. what do I look for when changing companies?

I'd stay where you are for a year. Then look for a better gig.
I stayed at my first gig for exactly one year. The money was crap. Team driving sucked a big one. But. It's all about getting the experience. Best of luck.

 

Posts #8 & #32 here are spot on--the better gigs (later on) like drivers who demonstrate true "staying power".

Patience is an incredible virtue in this business.

If you later get laid off--well, then that's a totally different discussion.

But....if at all possible....stick it out where you are for AT LEAST A YEAR.

Longer is of course...even better.

Play that strategy to the max--by using the time in-between to get those endorsements (tanker, hazmat, doubles/triples) if you don't already have them--and research your next move/carrier choice thoroughly.

--Lual

 

kllm technically no driver facing cameras, but our new elds tablets have a forward camera; afaik it’s not being used and I’ve had tape over it for 3mos now. Except for a few exceptions, I wouldn’t call them “strict”, but I tend to follow policy and cya. There are a few things they are stricter about tho, and I don’t push the envelop there like when I started:
Fuel rting, your better off hitting the fuel stops they tell you, but how you route to them… they’ve never said anything to me about my “creative” detours.
PC, ask before you do it if not sure.
Tampering with eld or internal trk settings… don’t.

outside a few isolated encounters my first year, I don’t feel micro-managed but I have received msgs meant for other drivers… my conclusion is if your a bad driver, they might get more involved with you.

Our pay seems pretty transparent, no bonus cpm at all so no need to worry about hitting mpg, safety, etc (exception: otr might still have an unlisted production cpm bonus, idk). Regionals and dedicated accts can vary on cpm and may have minimum guarantees. I’ve only once not gotten the minimum when I thought I should’ve gotten it, and I’ve also received when I didn’t think I qualified; there are other reports here of issues with it, so could be more variables at play.

detention and layover varies… otr, good luck; my acct doesn’t pay detention at all, but before the switch to minimum, layover was $150-250; my otr attitude was it’s not my problem if you don’t move me… and it’s even better now, I’m certainly not going to complain if they want to pay me to do nothing.

idk what’s considered “good” for per diem; I get it but I got nothing to compare it too.

we allow riders, but idk exact details on it. our sister company ffe shares many of our policies.

 

Find out average layover before hire... It's usually near impossible

 

Some companies pay actual miles but not many that I'm aware of. The majority pay by zip code. Most companies list what they pay for.

 

Search for a company that pays practical or hub miles.

 

I've never worked for a company that didn't pay hub miles or practical miles.
Some companies now have a guaranteed minimum weekly pay such as Marten Transport.

 

First you need the years in. I stuck with a bad situation the first year. It was to show I’m stable. I honestly tell employers I swore not to put up with BS again. Went through 5 employers in next two years. 2 just didn’t fit and was honest I wanted to try and see. One just didn’t have enough work to survive winter. I would have had to declare bankruptcy.
Then…Craigslist has been a good source. But those are small companies seeking at least three years experience. You might look there anyways. Anybody putting an add on there is motivated to hire.
I’m at a company now. Yes it’s goofy. Everyplace has its goofy of some kind. They do try for the most part. Just understand and work constructively with them. Try yourself. I’m bringing home $2k+ every week.