Newbie Question about Recruiters

Hey Tdriver welcome to the forum! Like I posted above, there are ways to avoid those people. Like Elendil said too, "some of the best companies don't even have recruiters". So you don't have to follow the herd and go with the mega-carriers as your choice of carrier. The schools and their recruiters are going to only recommend those guys because they are being paid to do so. So you must take it upon yourself to do your research and find the good companies. It is going to take some effort because once again like I said above the mega's are the ones spending the money to get their name out there so those are the companies that are going to pop up first and the ones you are going to hear the most about.

Being from N.C. there should be ample enough smaller carriers to choose from. Check Craigslist and also here is another site to get you started in your search...

http://www.truckdrivercentral.com/truckingcompanies.html

Good luck man...

 

Be very careful about recruiters. I've talked to many bad ones but also several good ones. The one I talked to from SNI was a third party recruiter and when I asked him several specific questions he didn't know the answers to he told me flat out he didn't know and suggested I drive up to the location I was thinking of driving out of and talk to the terminal manager himself which is exactly what I did. Another company I talked to with in house recruiters told me several things I knew flat out would not be possible like going otr national and being home during the weeks on every weekend off. Total BS.
Best bet is to talk to as many drivers from the company as you can find. Throw out the "this company sucks worst of any on the road" and "Sunshine and blue skies forever" guys and pay attention. Most drivers will be very honest about the up's and downs. Also, if possible go to a terminal and talk to management and drivers there.

 

I actually got a job through Craigslist and my current one I found out about when I was driving past their yard and saw a "now hiring drivers" sign on the fence.

 

I appreciate the kind words my friend...and what you said was well put! You said it better than I could!

To tdriver...sounds like you already have a pretty good grasp on what the recruiters will be trying to do. It also seems like you pretty much have your head on straight so that is half the battle right there. So here is the best advice I can think to give you.

Just keep your wits about you when you talk to these recruiters. If they tell you something that sounds like it isn't right, call them on it. If something is advertised on a website, or you heard something from a driver that works at the company your talking with and the recruiter says things to contradict it, call them on it. Talk to drivers of the companies that you are interested in. They will give you the straight up honest truth about their experiences because they are living them out there everyday. You will not get that from the recruiters because they are 9 to 5 desk people that go home to their families every night. They don't care whether or not you make it through orientation. They get paid to put you in the class and once they have done that, you are an after thought.

Even as a new driver, I would assume there are still certain things that you are looking for out of your new career. Things like hometime, good pay, good equipment, maybe the chance to advance from the road to the office, no touch freight etc... So try to find the company that will best meet what you are looking for. Just as an example, if you want to be home daily stick to that. The recruiter will make you promises of $50,000 your first year if you run OTR and they will tell you that your going to be out 3 weeks and home 2 days. They will glamourize things to try and sway you. So when it is your 5th week out and you haven't been home yet, your going to be upset. So stick to what you want. Remember, in the end it is about what YOU want because if they don't fill a hole with you, they will find somebody to dupe and throw in there.

You will have to take your bumps and pay your dues in the beginning, and it will test you. But remember, and I'm sure your friend of 30 years has probably told you this already, trucking is not a job but a lifestyle. We work long and irregular hours and get treated like hell. We have more rules governing us than just about any other occupation that I can think of, and the 4 wheelers out there are idiots. They will cut you off, and then give you the bird just because you were there and in their mind you were in the way.

So to sum it up, do your research by reading up on companies and also talking to drivers of companies you may be interested in. You'll find they won't sugar coat anything for you, unlike the recruiter. Stay focused on what you want and do not settle. Have patience with the "regular people" on the road, and respect your fellow drivers out here because at some point you may need help from one of them. Finally, and one of the most important things I can tell you is that you need to make sure this is what you want to do, and you need to have a good support system around you. Once you get out here, it is just you! If you've got a wife, kids, girlfriend, etc... at home they need to be supportive of what your doing. If you don't have that, it all falls apart. I know I kind of went off the subject here a bit, but there is more to this than just dealing with a recruiter.

Best of luck to you and I hope I helped you more than I confused you LOL!!