Schneider Regional Question

I started at .26 with per deim. I claimed 3 on my W-4. I guess to start my pay checks after training would be somewhere between 475 and 625 take home. Remember, there is a learning curve to start. It will take you a little more time at shippers and receivers to remember which macros to send and when. It will take you a little more time to trip plan. It will take time to remember tandem limitations per state and proper placement for scaling your load. You will get a reference book in orientation. Take it with you and use it. Most of your questions on the road can be answered there instead of calling your manager.

Do not be surprised if your first three or four weeks you get less than 2000 miles per week due to the extra time you are using doing the things named above. Speed will come and so will the miles. Try your best to take your time when coupling and uncoupling and be safe. Safety is key. You will make mistakes and doubt yourself during those first few weeks, but hang in there, it gets better, I can promise that.

This is not a difficult career, there are just many things to learn, actually, the learning never stops, but what seems hard in the beginning will begin to become second nature.

You will be very frustrated your first week especially. You can bank on it being that way. Expect it. I am not trying to scare you, but it is that way. Also, you will go through some emotions with your trainer at some point that you are tired of being on the truck with him. That is natural as well, but it will pass. Learn as much as you can from him and ask any and all questions that come to mind. He is a captured audience and it is better to learn there than waiting on hold to your manager after you are solo.

I am not trying to paint an ugly picture, but these are some of the realities in the beginning. This is the industry, not Schneider specifically.

 

After the 7 day orientation you will be paired up with your trainer. You might leave that day with your trainer or it might be a week, it all depends on where your trainer is and when he/she will be routed to your operating center (OC) Standard time with a trainer is between 5-14 days. The time varies per student and how fast and confident you are on learning everything. Once your trainer thinks your ready you go back to your OC and test out (another road test, parking test and a written test). Once you pass the tests you are assigned your driver business leader (DBL). You will have a sit down meeting with your DBL and then they will find you a truck. Depending on where you are and what trucks are available you might be able to leave right then and there if that's what you want to do. It took them about a week to find me a truck, and then it was an automatic. I had to do a short class on how to drive an automatic and then I took a day to clean up the inside of the truck really good and put all my stuff on the inside and organize it. Like most questions you have, there are no concrete answers as everyones situation is different. Two guys on the same regional board starting at the same Place and time with the same amout of hours available might have two completely different work weeks, and unless your working a dedicated account, no two weeks are ever the same.

 

I heard Schneider is sending 2 students out with the trainer
Meaning 3 people per truck. I hope this isn't true.
Can anyone put this rumour/joke to rest ?

 

The autos are pretty rare, seems like drivers either love them or hate them. There are pros and cons to both but my left leg thanks me every day for not having to clutch lol

 

Clutch? What is that? Float 'em!

 

Lol true, but it's hard to float in stop and go Los Angeles traffic for two hours and at stop lights

 

When they are short of TE's they do send two students out with a trainer, you get a hotel room every night, take turns on who gets the room. Good thing is a shower every day, bad news is less driving time for the students.

 

Yeah there is a huge push to get new TE's right now. The extra money and training aspect sounds good to me, but I think I would go crazy having a different "unknown" trainee/roomate every month. I'm too much of a clean freak with OCD to let someone unknown come into my truck and live there for a week lol