Rookie contract negotiations?

Like they said rookies are a dime a dozen. Unless there is something you bring to the table that the others don't have why would they give you more than the next guy?

 

Can you drive or do you need your hand held?

Now if you could drive, and they didn't have to put you with a trainer and a special dispatcher, you can negotiate. But if you need your hand held, you can't even negotiate which hand they hold. Heck, you can't even ask for hand sanitizer.

You have been deceived. There is a need for qualified, quality drivers. The only places that needs rookies is outfits that need people who don't know better to pay for a job by agreeing to do a lease purchase.

You are in for a rude awakening. When I came back on the road after being off for 7 years, I went to orientation to pull skateboard for Swift. There were at least 50 people there for orientation...a couple recaps, a couple job hoppers, myself, and a bunch of rookies. They sent half the rookies home. HALF!!!!!! I was in a motel for a week, and I had 3 different roommates. Your asking about negotiating is like a cow at a slaughterhouse trying to negotiate what burger joint he winds up in. Like @Steel Dragon said, you're meat in the seat. Got it? Do you understand now?

That being said, do not be dismayed. There IS hope. The vast majority of rookies are so unprepared, so stupid that if you have ANY ability and you show up READY to work and learn, you will automatically stand out amongst the rookies. The rookies that make it through orientation will still have this mindset that they will be catered to and are about to go on holiday in the Bahamas or something. Out of the remaining 25, half of them had to go back home before they start. That's a mistake! Some female rookies wouldn't ride with a male trainer. So they had to wait for a female trainer. That's a mistake! I came ready to go to work. In fact I never went home with Swift. 5 months, I was out the door to a bigger and better gig. And because I didn't need my hand held at the next gig, I could negotiate the pay and the truck.

So, if you are hardworking and self motivated, it takes an extremely short time to stand above the others. Then everything's negotiable.