New Student needs advice

Don't believe everything you read about companies on forums. What's not good for one is good for another. I have a neighbor who has been with Werner for over 10 years he is on a dedicated account run for Dollar General out of South Boston, VA and he absolutely loves it at Werner. He's home on weekends out most of week say's he get's thru the house once or twice a week with a load depending on where he has to go. Really comes down to pay, equipment and benefits as well as hometime.

 

I do recommend ignore "experience required" and apply anyway. Sometimes you hit the jackpot!

 

I have a friend on Facebook who works for Western Express and he hates it.

This recruiter who called you without asking those crucial questions is looking for his bonus. He needs a warm body to fill a seat and he could care less about you. And based on other posts I've seen here about Western, your best advice is to avoid them completely.

Werner? Could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what they can offer you. But they are a BIG company and you might be just a number to them.

The fact that your school instructors had good words for May Trucking could carry some weight in your decision. If you see some drivers out there and they're willing to talk with you, offer to buy a meal if you want to spend some time picking their brain. You could also pay for something to drink to get their perspective as well.

There are some drivers who will tell you that the company can do nothing right. They may have some validity to their arguments. By the same token, there are some drivers who believe the company can do nothing wrong. The truth generally lies somewhere in between. If you find those drivers who give a reasonably good review but share openly what they wish their company did better or even their small pet peeves, I would say that's a driver who has a good view and his opinion should be strongly considered.

In my team days, I remember seeing May Trucking and how sharp their rigs looked. That tends to favorably color my opinion of them. I'm sorry that I cannot give a company out where you are, but hope these ideas and suggestions are helpful.

Please keep us posted on what company you go with when that time comes!

 

Let me give you some different advice. The company that you start out with will not be the company you end your career with. Your first company is simply a continuation of you education. Any company that hires new CDL drivers are doing you a favor. You are going to find yourself sitting in a truck that has a least a million dollars in insurance. You are now the head of a $1 million corporation. Do you really think you could have done that on your own?

What you have to do now is learn. You will have to learn how to deal with people you can't stand. Some folks out there have no sense of humor so you have to learn how to keep your month shut. (I lost a job once for jokingly asking a girl to fix me a sandwich.) You will have to learn how to get your truck into spots that were never designed to put a truck into. You will screw up. You will hit things, run over signs, scratch your trailer. Hopefully, you won't kill anyone. You won't make much your first year. Then you can take your skills to another company. You will start out at the bottom of the ladder there also. But your second company has more upside then your first. Your second company is a more important choice. Many professions make you pay for four years of education before you can even work for them. Trucking doesn't yet it pays more then a starting teacher makes.

Your first year is paying your dues. Working for a company that is "messed up" gives you more opportunity to learn then working for a company that will fire you the first mistake you make. Do the best you can but remember no one is going to hand you the keys to success. Those have to be earned, mile after boring mile.

 

About under 21 years old cdl, I know u can only drive in the state. I don't know what company will hire under 21 here in Pennsylvania. Someone said about PGT Trucking. I'm thinking they'll only take after 21.

 

That's a very good attitude to have! I'm sure you're going to go far. When I first started out, I just wanted to ride and make miles to get my student loans paid off pronto. If I had an older truck, that was fine too because chances were good that the kinks had all been worked out by then!

But there are some newbies who think that the world revolves around them and that companies are doing them a favor by hiring them. Trucking companies are in business to make money! Your duty, if you please, if to fall in line with their objectives and help them be successful so they can give those bonuses and pay increases. You can help them do that by being low maintenance, communicating well, picking up and delivering on time, keeping your unit maintained when needed/required and striving to be a great driver.


I remember one driver who was newly hired and he shared that he needed 3000 miles a week, every week, and still needed to be home every weekend. I let him know that he wasn’t going to come in and take all the gravy loads without proving himself first. He thought that because he was in debt with an extravagant lifestyle, this would sway his driver manager. It wasn’t too much longer that I heard he was no longer with the company.


I’ve been one who seeks to keep a low profile and do a great job. And when my time came to get a newer tractor, I wasn’t passed over. But I’ve seen drivers raise cain with their driver manager, grouse about every load, and be a royal pain! If God Himself were running the company, they still wouldn’t be pleased. Avoid them!


You’ll meet all kinds out here in this industry. I’m one who is incredibly overqualified as I’m college educated and have a master’s degree. Why am I in this occupation? More money than in private education is a starter. But there are some real characters out here who have given me a few laughs along the way, as well as that one fellow with the fly buzzing around him and smelling like he hadn’t had a shower in a month. Yes it was that bad and the smell almost turned my stomach.


But I’ve learned to appreciate the diversity of drivers and their backgrounds. I can learn from most anyone who is willing to share a tip or two and try to pass along occasionally things I’ve learned too. When the day comes that I can’t learn, it’s time to pack up my bags and get out completely!

 

Not going for college. I'll start gain trucking experience.

 

Yeah I messed, tomato, tomatoe....