Looking for advice on starter companies

@Chinatown
The resident company guru will post some advice shortly.

Also, add some details on whether you want to run local, regional, or OTR.(You said OTR, but there are occasionally Regional companies that pay better)
Flatbed, dry, reefer, tankers?

 

You're right, they will lie and tell you what ever you want to hear. Be careful and do the best to make informed decisions. With college time, any portion of the industry is within your reach.

 

Did you notice all companies claim to get you 2500 miles per week and understand your home-time is important? You can apply anywhere, not just the companies that show up at school. Don't lease a truck NO MATTER WHAT, including promises of gold bars and cheerleader driving assistants. STAY AWAY FROM SWIFT & CR ENGLAND.

Finding a "good company" is about a fit between you and them. Only you can determine that. I usually recommend you pick a company BEFORE you go to school. School is usually too busy to do much research and immediately after school you may have a loan to start repaying. Before school you have more time to choose.

Schneider is pretty good in that they are pretty well organized and they have been in the business a long time. I hear Werner is turning things around but I'm not sure I've heard enough people confirm that.

 

In five years, what do you want to be doing: flatbed, oversize, tanker, carhauler, etc? I respect your thinking to do dry van or reefer to start, but if you let us know your longer range plan we can give more practical advice.

Between Werner and Schneider it would be Schneider hands down.

Another question: do you see yourself wanting to become an owner operator?

 

I started pulling tankers with Schneider after retiring from Army and I like it. Only bad side is I live 130 miles from where I park. I have friends driving dry vans and couple flat beds all are under 2 yr exp and I make more money then them. But I do more work than my dry van friends too. I heard tmc is good for flatbed to start out at. And Schneider trains you on tanker very well. They used my military time and transferred into pay which helped me out a lot. Just go into what u want to learn with who will train u the best and get experience then look for company u really want later I think is best

 

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Here's some companies that hire 21 yr. old drivers:
Schuster - refrigerated
Trekker Logistics - Earl Henderson Trucking is their refrigerated division
Navajo Express
Martin Bros. Distributing - don't know how many states they run.
Pride Transport
J&R Schugel
Don Hummer Trucking
All the above hire new cdl grads. If the website has different, then the website hasn't been updated.
Apply to all of them.

 

I would take a week off after you finish and get your license and go knock on a few local doors before you sign up for any of those clown shows. They send those company schmucks out to hoover up all the fresh meat for a reason...same thing back when I went to school. Nobody from a job worth having is going to come beg you to work there.

Look up all the LTL terminals in your area and just go walk in and ask if they'll train a new guy with a new CDL. I know Old Dominion trains guys off the dock to get their license so it's not as if they don't deal with newbies.