looking for a change

you will hear good and bad.........mostly bad.........about many trucking companies. first and foremost, a "newbie" must get his/her experience someplace. you as a firefighter DID not get your experience right a way, you had to work for it........right.........??

expect pay scales to be "closely" related. benefits packages can be great, good, or terrible........it's what you make of it and what you need.

home time, well........do not expect to get home weekly at first. you very well may be out for about 5 weeks BEFORE you get home for your first time. from there, it'll get easier.......hopefully that is...........

equipment, is basically all the same from one company to another. no real need to compare equipment........you drive what they give you.

for me, i'd really like to recommend Roehl if you can get on with them. but they DO HAVE requirements you must meet, like get on with them right away for the student loan payback perk they have. also, with Roehl you MUST go to them with-in 60 days of graduation if not, they make you go through the ENTIRE training all over again, not just a refresher course.

now..........whatever you do.........DO NOT sign any papers to be a "lease operator or owner operator".......wait at least 2 to 5 years before you decide to BUY a truck.........NEVER "lease to own" any truck from any company.

good luck to you.

 

Wow, quitting firefighting/emt. To drive a truck? Please think long and hard before you make that transition. I don't have room to talk, but I am a little envious of you. I tried multiple times to get on with local fire departments, but never could. Now no one is hiring, and haven't seen openings in a while. Now, I'm persuing driving a truck due to layoffs at my local employer. Don't get me wrong, I'm embracing it but its allways been my second choice. Please do me a favor and read through these forums before making a decision. It seems there's a lot of companies that will take everything you have, then leave you with nothing. I just don't want to hear a horror story about an ex emt falling for a corporate scam, and be taken advantage of. Best of luck to you, and thank you for the service you do.