OK I'm fed up with the BS and the back and forth.

Paddlefoot,

Schneider will be an excellent company for you.

Let us know how you're doing, after you start there.

Enjoy school, it'll be over in no time.

 

Go with Schneider, they have that military pay deal. I talked to one guy who did it and he gets like a extra $1000 a month i think he said

 

Trucking is a one of a kind career and it is going to test your character. Do you have the ability to laugh when "stuff" happens? Can you let insults roll of your back because you know you are actually NOT an idiot? Can you make good judgments about when to co-operate with the system or your dispatcher and when to draw the line and say 'no'? I can't believe how some people on here rag on their trucking lives as if all they meet are liars and crooks and how DOT has ruined our lives. I do agree with the people who advise you to start where you must but move to smaller companies as soon as you can...but you know I've talked to drivers just recently who are very happy at Heartland and Crete. I work for a very small regional carrier (about 25 trucks), I know everybody in the office and they all know me, I get home every weekend and average 27-2800 miles a week. Two out of three days I think this is pretty cool work. That ain't a bad average. Yea, dispatch often makes me unhappy, but, you know, they have a hard job. So use your head, keep your eyes open for the right company that can give you a job you, and most importantly, your family, can live with.

 

!st off .....Let me thank you for your service and your sacrifice Paddlefoot. Nam era for me. There is little more to add than what has already been posted on the in's and out's , the up's and downs' of trucking. My advice to you is finish your training , you said you were at a private school , so your choices will be a little wider , than if you were at a company school. Try and get all of the endorsements you can , get your pass-port , your TWIC , this will enable you to have an even wider choice of positions.

Trucking can and will be very, demanding, very frustrating , very dangerous , at times...but it can also be very rewarding , very profitable , and most of all , a career that you can retire from and still be a fairly healthy person , as long as you make the correct decisions.

You will soon be faced with the task of putting yourself into the job market...not too easy these days , but think of it like this...I'm a professional , I've received my training , and now I'm ready to proceed to the next level. There are lots and , lots of really good places that will hire you with little or no experience....don't listen to those that tell you otherwise. They are out there...But , you must be prepared to put some effort into finding them.....Now before I go any further let me tell you this , I'm "old school"...IMO , if you want something bad enough , you must go after it...it won't fall out of the sky and land in your lap....Spend some time researching trucking companies in the area you live in , do this in around a 25 to 50 mile radius of your home....don't just research the companies that will hire rookies/students/new drivers...look at all of them...ignore the "we require at least 2 years experience signs"...once you have picked -out a few prospects..get into your vehicle and go apply IN PERSON.....go in dressed neat , trimmed high and tight , looking like you have the utmost respect for yourself.

Lots of folks think that you can just sit behind a computer screen and find a good job...instead of going out and talking to folks. They think the ones that run ad's in the paper's and on TV , and other places are the only places to go , especially if you're
a rookie....Well , that'll be their little secret OK....the jobs that are really good , rewarding , safe , with good pay , good benefits , good retirement , the jobs with good equipment , with people that treat you like a human instead of a machine , jobs that have all of the the things that you mentioned in your post above DON'T ADVERTISE for help....they don't need to. That is why you only find them in 2 ways...1. you have a friend/family member working there and will open the door for you..2. you do just like I posted before-hand , spend sometime talking to them, go to the terminals and see the equipment , how well the place is kept up , is the building neat and organized etc.

Ask them about pay/benefits , ask them about retirement vehicles they offer (401k/profit-sharing) , ask them about home-time , ask them about how you will be compensated for break-downs, delays , layovers , ask them about all these things , and also ask them what they do to retain drivers....ask them how long their drivers have been working there...one of the best indicators of a really good job is longevity...if they have a majority of their drivers with over 10 years or longer with them, you can bet its a decent place to work...folks ...especially truck drivers don't hang around in one place unless it's worth their time.

Now all this aside..you may go and talk , and talk, and apply , and apply at a hundred places....and get told no you have no experience...but if you let yourself settle for the ones I spoke about before...the ones that only hire rookies..the mega carriers..the bottom of the barrel folks...you will then set yourself up for the scenario that you are so afraid of..go and look , talk to the folks at terminal...not recruiters....but safety directors , drivers walking in and out of the place...you wanted an honest opinion of what you're getting into ..that's mine...trucking is a wonderful career...I spent most of my adult life doing it..33 years at one company...it's hard , it's frustrating...but If I had to do it again I wouldn't change a thing....Just and "Old Fart's take on your post..Good LUCK to you..wherever you wind-up.....and once again...THANKS.....T

 

I've never stayed out longer than two weeks and that was years ago with Schneider. There's more to life than working, which is probably why I still enjoy driving a truck after all these years.

 

Thing to ask yourself is TRUCKING for you and are YOU for trucking.

 

Paddlefoot-
let's be serious here for a minute-
First--You JUST spent 8 years in the Military(and Thank You-BTW)do you really think there is going to be ANYTHING out here-you are not prepared to handle? This biz is a WALK in the park compared to what you have just been through....
Second--just like anything else(especially the service)things get easier as you get use to/adapt to them--YOU will NOT start out on top--BUT--you will make your way
Third--While the first couple of years MAY not be ideal--they are a means to an end---You get some experience under your belt--you learn the ropes--you understand how to do this job correctly--then YOU start to look around for a better position--whatever that may be
Fourth--A crappy trainer?--Did you get a nice warm fuzzy feeling from your DI?--Really think there is a trainer out there that can compare to first couple weeks in boot?(LMAO)Not to mention--you most likely will have more than 1minute to eat and shower! nothing YOU can't handle
And last--(but not least)Losing your family etc---really think a family(wife etc) that stood BY you thru deployments etc..isn't gonna handle you being gone a little bit as YOU prepare for a career to take better care of and provide for them?
Don't let it get to you----IF this is something YOU really want to do--you'll be fine--and just like everything else---talk it all w/a grain of salt--some people just like to whine and complain--and IMHO--for everyone on here and out in the world--who are pissin and moanin about how bad it is--there are a hundred more jus goin about there biz--and taken it as it comes
just my $.02

 

Kinda right there. Right now my BS is dispatch wont answer phone to see when they want me back. Put truck in shop they fixxed it and now a local driver is using my truck and cant get ahold of no one to see when hes gonna be done lol

 

So walk on up to dispatch and find out whats up or are you home and too far to drive?

 

Its about a 12mile drive from my house Lol