Selecting a Good Starter Company

No problem! If you want me to tell you a detailed description of my time there, let me know and I'll message you with a wall of text. I can really write when I set myself on a subject, haha!
Werner came to recruit twice. Schneider and Covenant showed up, as did US Xpress. I think TMC was also there, but that was my morning off after night driving, so I didn't see them in person.
While those were the companies that physically came to recruit, they give you a stack of 7 applications to send in, including those listed above, as well as Stephens and Swift. Unfortunately for me, of those seven, the only companies besides Werner that have pet policies also require you to team for quite a long time. So I thought I'd see if there were other, better options. Looks like I'll be staying with Werner, though!

 

Hi Gulf Coast Trucker! Thanks for the tip, I'll look into Arnold.

Rugerfan: Oh, you don't understand! He's not just any cat; he's my best friend and partner in crime. It was understood by all that the only way I would ever drive a truck was if I could have my cat with me. I'd put up with anything as long as I can have my cat with me - it's just the only way I could be happy. Heck, I paid for a private room the whole month of trucking school just so that I could have this cat in the room with me. I know, it's crazy, but I don't have strong bonds with people, just pets; and you can't keep in touch with a cat over phone or email.
And trust me, with 16 years of constant cat ownership and two litter boxes in my room right now, I have already lived through the hazards of litter box smells.

 

Meh, lots of truckers have cats and manage to not get fired. Litter is heavy, and boxes are large and shallow; unless the truck is flipping over in midair, the box isn't going to spill; and in that case, I've got bigger things to worry about than spilled litter! Also, if you keep the box scooped it doesn't smell all that bad. There's a kind of "small spaces" litter by Tidy Cats that's made for people who have to live in close contact with a litter box. And I can tell you from experience, it does work. Besides, I've met a lot of truckers who's smelled worse than a cat box.
I suppose you just hate the smell of a cat box. Personally, I'm allergic cigarette smoke, but I expect to run into quite a lot of it out there. It doesn't mean I'm going to argue with people who smoke; it's their choice.
When it comes to my cat, the litter box is the least of my problems. I'm more worried about him adjusting well to the truck. He's a tough cat, though, and actually likes car rides, so hopefully it will work out.

 

Haha, yeah, to be honest, I'm a little concerned about getting a smoked out truck. That stuff sticks to everything! And, of course, I'm bringing along prized possessions that I'd rather not get all smokey. But, it happens. Hopefully the litter box will drown out the smoke smell.
I'm glad you're doing well with Swift. I called and talked to them on the phone. It seems they no longer have a pet policy because someone let their ferret fall sleep under the brake pedal, and then didn't hit the brakes when needed. It only takes one guy to mess it up for everyone, eh? At least it means you'll never have to worry about finding old kitty litter under the seats.