Not much time and only one shot at this. Please help.

I believe you’re confusing a distribution center with a terminal, at Dot. They have 13 DC’s, around the country. Those are the facilities where product is warehoused, consolidated, picked, shipped, etc. They’re going to have a shop, wash bay, medical center, driver facility, courtesy vehicle, etc. There are a countless number of terminals, scattered around. A driver could work out one of those terminals and be hundreds of miles from a DC. In addition to what they have published on their site, sometimes, they might a few drivers in rented spaces, at a trucking company that may not be listed. As they grow their driver count in that area, they may actually buy or build a terminal, there. It just depends on their needs and drivers coming onboard.

They prefer drivers to live ~100mi of the facility they drive out of. This is to minimize issues with weather, facilitate changes in load plans, accommodate emergencies, etc. I lived 106mi from a DC and they had no issues with that. However, I wasn’t on a regular schedule or dedicated route; I ran open dispatch. That means I was willing to go anywhere, work for whichever DC, and was gone 1-3 weeks. For someone wanting to run 4-on/4-off or part-time, living far away might become a problem for the driver. I know of three retired guys who all drive ~90 miles, to run weekend, overnight routes for Dot. They all run the same out-and-back routes, each weekend.

They have an extended training program, that pays $1250/week, plus lunch everyday in class or on the truck. They try really hard to properly prepare a driver to be successful. The first week is orientation and intro to the Dot system. The second week is implementing what was learned with a trainer and experiencing it, firsthand. The third week is a refresh opportunity, further in-depth training, and finishing up with the classroom. The fourth week could actually end up being more than a week, depending on driving abilities. A new hire might end up with multiple trainers, depending on their skill level, attitude, personality, etc. It just depends. When I started, the classroom portion was a combined 2 weeks, then, I was with one trainer, 3 weeks, despite having 27yrs of driving experience. We are cut from the same cloth, so I think it was more a case of him enjoying having me on the truck and just trucking, because I was ready to go, after a week. We still talk, almost daily, despite me not being there for 7yrs.

As I’ve repeatedly stated, Dot Foods was the best place I’ve ever worked. I ended up having to deal with a prolonged illness, lasting over 3yrs, and they regularly reached out to me, sent cards, etc. By the time I got on the other side of that, they had added inward-facing cameras and that’s a deal breaker, for me. But, they left me with an open offer to return, anytime I want.

 

That's pretty typical for training pay.

Consider this....as a driver...at least part of your pay is based on EXPERIENCE.

Right out of CDL school, you have NONE -- so you have to look at this like it's an "apprenticeship"...you are being paid a modest salary to learn a series of skills sets.

Unlike at college -- where you pay totally out of pocket to have a series of instructors basically try to flunk you out (been there, seen that).

Your pay will most certainly go up after your training period is over.

By how much? That depends...on several factors.

Note also: that...even though it's "reefer" duty....Dot will still want you to have both tanker & hazmat endorsements.

-- L

 

@ducnut

 

Note also...Dot is a great place for a driver to work....but...as such...they can be picky about who they hire...& when.

If they don't hire you....at least for the time being....you do in fact have other "starter" carrier options in your area.

-- L

 

Hometime depends on job classification.

No equipment goes home with the driver.

The $1250/wk is what it was. It looks like they revamped their training pay, when they changed up the classroom training. I’ll file that in my memory.

If $800/wk for an inexperienced driver in training isn’t much, I’d suggest you shop around. There are an awful lot OTR drivers struggling to make $40K/yr, right now. There are an awful lot of people living in your area who don’t make that, regardless of their occupation.

Have you actually looked through their site? It’s the only place I’ve worked where Porsches, BMWs, Benzs, Hellcats, Superduty Platinums, etc, are a regular thing in the driver parking spaces. When I worked at Dot, there were three Porsches, all driver owned. A large number of drivers are over $100K/yr. However, it’s very dependent on the DC and what one does. My buddy has been at $110K/yr, the last 9 years I’ve known him.