Recent graduate with cdl and 3 endorsements

Dont go with the ones in RED. I'm a big fan of TMC. I made tons of money there. They have a few lady drivers. Woman can do the same flatbed work men can do. I only weighed 135 when i started and could still lift the tarps.

 

I read that Prime now requires hazmat; she doesn't list that as one of her endorsements.

 

try mills they got a yard there on 300

 

Keep in mind that .45 cpm is considering you're running in the NE regional and in one of the 'lightweight'* tractors. Outside of the NE you can subtract .05 cpm. Get into a condo tractor (possible, but not likely) and you can subtract another .05 cpm putting you at .35 cpm. Your recruiter was truthful, but didn't give you the whole truth. .27 base + .05 lightweight + .05 NE regional + .08 per diem is the break down for Primes mileage pay in the reefer division. Training pay is $600 a week or .12 cpm for all miles the truck turned that week. Whichever is greater.

*Lightweight tractors are a bit smaller than a condo. Basically a smaller midroof sleeper with the cabinets that are traditionally behind the seats removed and storage bins overhead where the top bunk would be in a condo. About a foot between the seats and the bunk.

 

They also want you to drive super slow as well. Take out some good insurance just in case someone runs you over. I'm not sure about now but I have heard the wait for female trainers could be long at prime. So I would ask about that before you had that way.

 

Oh right. Forgot about that. Prime pays a fuel bonus on a sliding scale. I have no idea what it tops out at, but I've had weeks where I've cleared an extra .06 cpm in fuel bonus. .02 is closer to average but it all adds up.

 

Promises, promises....recruiter will tell you anything to get fresh recruits in a truck. My only advise is to find a company that is close to home just in case you have to jump off the truck at their terminal because they don't pay for the bus ride home. The bus ride home comes out of your last check or worse. (you pay at the station). But if you're really focused on becoming a company driver, you need to stay a minimum of one to two years ( safe and accident free) with the fleet and develop the skills needed to go on beyond rookie. A good employment record is required to get the better driving jobs or what you need in this industry. Good Luck!

 

Swift may not be the best as far as pay is concerned, however they do have a lot of freight for the drivers that want to move it and have the proper endorsements. Drive by any big DC and look at whats in the trailer lot can pretty much bet there will be plenty of Swift trailers. I am just coming out of school myself and deciding what to do and who to drive for, not pushing anyone in the direction of Swift, honestly the pay is a bit of issue with me however everyone needs to start somewhere and they do hire plenty of new drivers.