Rate companies for newbies

All I can tell you is about Roehl. I made money, they treated me fair, and i still miss it

 

I never work for a company as an newbie so I wouldnt know.But you can find good threads about training companies on this site.

 

i did my "time" at USA. i was treated well, got PLENTY of miles, got home within +/- 1/2-1 day of time i asked

 

Most drivers will really only have one company that they know about firsthand as a newbie. To rate several of them would get them to rehash more heresay about some of the big ones.

 

Bowmyer, I had an unbelievable ocal job oppurtunity. Back to carpentry so not driving anymore, except for a 2 hr commute wich SUCKS. I miss the road everyday.

 

Thuis is one problem yoiu really have to solve for yourself. As a retired driver,I have worked for three different over the road companies.One is now out of business,that was the opld MS Carriers,which I liked very much./A short stint with Swift turned out to be a disaster,aklthough I dont know how a they treat new drivers. Then there was Roehl which I like very much.All of the over the road companies have training programs for newbies,and most of them are pretty good.Talk to some of the recruiters, and take some time to go to a truckstop and talk with some drivers. I know a couple of young drivers who started out with Schnieder and they think Schneider is tops.Others on this site have different opinions of them.I could reccomend Roehl without batting an eye, but others will say they are no good.So my advice is shop around,and remember one thing,no matter where you go you will be with a trainer for a while. Then hope you get a good trainer.

 

I started with Schneider, working out of a Wal-Mart grocery distribution center in IL. It wasn't bad. The training was good, they treated you human. They said when I hired I was going to have to slip-seat for 6-8 months before I got an assigned truck. I slip-seated for 4 weeks (you just had to change into a new truck at the beginning of the week, then clean out before you went for time at home). Then I was assigned to a truck. It wasn't a great truck (old Crete piece of crap) but it was mine...

I had that truck for approximately 3 1/2 months, then I had to take that truck to Indy to swap for a brand-spanking new Freightliner (24 miles on it when I got in). It was a lot nicer truck. It had the flat top sleeper, but it was quite a bit of room. I could stand up in it (but I'm only 5'7").

I worked for them for 1 1/2 years. At the end I wasn't getting any miles. They were adding product to the DC that was supposed to make our loads out more than double, so our stupid site manager (at that time they called them TOM's) decided he needed to hire as many drivers as possible for our account. Three months before the switch! It was dumb. We all dropped to about 1200 miles per week pretty dang fast. Guys were dropping like flies. If it weren't for that TOM, I might still be there. I liked the area (wasn't bad if you didn't mind Chicago), and the DC was only 25 miles from my house. Many nights I would leave the DC, burn my 11 and 14 up doing my route (or sometimes two, we didn't have set routes, they changed everyday), then jump in my car and be home to sleep in my own bed. I liked that part.

With the miles and the idiot who was in charge (who no longer works for Schneider after some complaints) I had to leave. I ended up going to work for the same company as my Dad, home every night, no weekends, no holidays on a dedicated route. I even made more money than at Schneider.

Here's what your looking at now with SNI though, when I hired I had to sign a 12 month contract for my schooling. When they start their school up again, you'll have to sign an 18 month contract. That would stink. Pay per mile isn't great, but its about average for a starter. Insurance is great with them. My wife had our first child when I worked there, they paid for a BIG, BIG chunk of it. Also, I've heard, if you work system for them (system= OTR) they like to send you to NYC. I don't know about this. Whenever they had a system load they needed covered, they would ask us, but we could turn it down no problem. I took one to Dallas, then Little Rock, Mississippi, then Indy and bob tailed home (150 miles). I liked that, but thats the only one I got offered.

Also, P&G account is supposed to be pretty decent, if you can put up with the book of paperwork you have to fill out everytime you pick up a load of TP.

Good luck to you!