Questions for the recruiter?

I am trying to compile a list of questions to ask the recruiters. I start school in Oct. so I haven't applied anywhere as of yet. I know they all lie. I am skeptical of all sales people regardless of what they are selling. But I want to cover all my bases and not go into this process an uninformed newbie. At least I can be an informed newbie!

Please add questions you think are important. These are just a few I have thought of from reading thousands of your posts on this site.

Orientation:
What do I need at Orientation?
What expenses are covered and what isnt? Food, lodging, transportation...
Please explain the orientation process

Training
Please explain the training phase. How long, pay, training methods..ect
Does trainer sleep while I drive?

Pay
What is the training pay?
What is the starting pay once solo?
Raises?
What is the pay for things like detention, deadhead, tarping, washouts, delays, breakdowns ect.
What are your bonuses and how to achieve them.
What benefits do you offer? Health, 401k ect...

Dispatcher
Is it 'forced dispatch? (LOL I dont even really know what this means! LOL)
Do I have to stay to the route you give me?
How many drivers are each dispatcher responsible for?
(need questions)

Hometime
What is the hometime process?
Can I take truck home?
Where is it permitted to leave truck on hometime?

Equipment
What is your idling policy?
Does truck have APU?
Power for fridge, microwave, ect?
How is gas and tolls handled?
How are breakdowns handled?

Misc.
What areas does this company usually run?
Do you go to Canada/Mexico?
What else is needed if hired? TWIC, passport ect.
What is your bad weather policy?
Why should I pick your company over all the others?

Just a rough outline. Thanks in advance for any advice, pointers, added questions! I tend to get brain lock when I need to come up with questions on the fly. When I called the school I am going to, I could only think of 2 questions. After I hung up I had a dozen others in my head. I like to write them down so I have a basic guide to look at. They will probably cover most of them in their sales pitch, but at least I can cross them off and still remember what they don't cover.

 

Forced dispatch means you have to take whatever load you are assigned. Cant turn it down unless you dont have the hours and they know how many hours you have usually.

 

Btw, why are you asking questions if you believe they all lie. Why not listen to all the "know it alls" on here that bate trucking, life, etc. They all stretch the truth. You want to find out about the companies take those qurstions to a truck stop and talk to five drivers for each company. That is where you will find out. Also, if you do talk to them ask how many million mile drivers they have. The more the better. Also look at each companies website. If they claim fhey are award winning look that up on google. Etc.

 

Here's some great info:http://www.ooida.com/EducationTools/Resources/interview-CD.asp

 

I'll touch on a few things:

APU's -definitly want that.

Go with a tanker or flatbed company for best annual pay; your load/unload times are much faster which means your rolling down the highway getting the miles.

Milage pay is important, but not as important as assessorial pays; detention/layover/stop/unload/load/tarping, etc. All this adds up to a lot of money over a years time.

You mentioned runs to Mexico & Canada; some companies also have runs to Alaska.

Yes, get all the endorsements; tanker/hazmat, doubles/triples, TWIC and a passport. These will make you more marketable for more companies. With all these, it could mean the difference in making $30K with a mega-refrigerated carrier your first year or $50K + with flatbed carrier or $60K + with tanker hazmat carrier.

 

All of this "wonderful" advice from a stone-cold rookie....you just go and ask 5 different drivers from the same company and odds are you're gonna get at least 10 different answers...the one good point this poster does make is the one about driver retention....if a company has several drivers that have reached the million mile mark , or a very good percentage of them have been at that company long enough to get to the million mark (at least 10 years) then the company probably has some good things going for it. Folks don't spend that much time at a place with-out something keeping them there.

The OP has a good thought going...but not all recruiters lie..sure they may try and paint a rosier than need be , but that's the way they get paid...drivers need to educate themselves as much as possible when they research jobs that they want....

 

I did it in my research, and asked 5 different drivers of the top 5 companies from my list and believe it or not mosf of the answers were pretty consistent. That is why I suggested it, but I get where you come. BTW just because it says im a rookie driver doesnt mean I dont know about the trucking industry. Im 32 and have been working with my uncles company since I was 15. I have talked to thousands of drivers and worked on hundreds of trucks. But you wouldnt have known that. Thanks for the advice and God bless.

 

Didn't mean to offend you in any way there buckeyecowboy....hope I didn't. You made some really great observations , like you I was trying to let the OP know that he was on the right track with alll those questions....once anyone man/or woman gets into this businesss the learning never actually stops...at least til you get to retire like I did.

 

I wasnt offended. Just wanted to let people know my background to show my advice is credible. I agree with you they dont lie but they may leave things out if you dont ask right questions or they may stretch the truth. I think the op has great questions. But cant just rely on what the recruiter says is my main point. God bless.

 

I'm going to cut to the chase without even reading what anyone has said (including you).

The first question to ask a recruiter is, "Are you willing to put what you're promising in writing?"

That usually brings the interview a little closer to earth.