Hey TruckersReport, I have several pre-hires from companies and I need assistance in compairing these companies. What questions should I be asking the recruiters? What questions should I be asking about the company in order to compare companies side-by-side? I need to be able to narrow down my search and find out which company is going to be best for me starting out as a rookie. Thanks for any help and guidance! It is always appreciated!
Pay, bennies, hometime, maybe the areas you will run, stuff like that. No real need to ask about equipment when your just starting out
% of drop & hooks, load/unload pay or lumpers? if lumpers how are they paid? detention pay, stop pay... they all will tell you "exagerations" about the miles/hometime/weekly $$
the big 3 for comparing potential mileage: what are average miles for solo driver in the company? (many times the answer will be 2500, which is the accepted "industry standard" and probably not accurate for the company. what is the average length of haul? (this will give a more accurate picture. each load has waiting time involved at shipper and receiver. the longer the average run, the less waiting time involved) what is the % of drop and hook? (each live load or unload will take 1-4 hours. each d&h will take 30 minutes to 1 hour. high % of d&h usually means more miles in a week) also cpm? (benefits are hard to compare as most all offer medical/dental/vision, but can be significantly different in how good they are) 401k? match? hometime? 1 day for how many out? how many can you use in a row without having to vacate the truck and being reassigned? apu in trucks? if not, whats the policy on inverters? school reimbursement? bonuses for fuel? safety? performance? ( each of these 3 if offered usually mean 1 cpm extra for meeting the goal. as you drive 125k in an average year, this means an extra $1250 per year for each offered bonus. its a pretty big deal when making comparisons) most companies dont do slip seating, but ask about it. you dont want it. if you arent near a terminal for the company, ask where you are allowed to park the truck. some allow parking at t/s, others require a "secure location" which means if you cant park at your home, you may end up having to pay someone. if you are interested in maybe one day becoming a trainer, ask about how that works, and how much experience it requires. it can be a huge pay increase, if you are willing to train newbies (and maybe die in your sleep when they crash...id never do it) this is a pretty good list of questions, tho im sure ive left some stuff out. good luck to you!
I have never delt with a recruiter. but one thing I would ask them Is HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN OTR...Have you ever been away from home for extended periods of time. Do you have any REAL idea what this job demands or are you just paid on how many breathing bodies you bring in for orientation
I would compare the benefits packages. Do the trucks have APU's? (if that's important to you) Hometime. Some drivers don't want New York City runs. Ask about that if it's an issue with you. If the company has different divisions, are you allowed to change divisions? (van,reefer,tanker, dedicated)
