Training is Over, A Few Observations

Well, training ended for me this past Friday. Now, all I need to do is find a job.

Here is a little run down on what I experienced. The school was not bad at all. My only complaint with it was the recruiters insistence that you not tell any potential employers about accidents you had that didn't come up on the record they pulled.

That stuff will haunt you when you try to apply for a job and tell them exactly what your recruiter insisted you tell them. Always be honest. I saw a guy get chewed out for doing just that and he lost the job offer.

Werner by far was the rudest company I spoke to. I sent an application to Werner because they were close to me, came highly recommended and I needed the pre-hire. Since they respond immediately I sent one to them.

As soon as I told them I had an accident the woman I was speaking to got a little nasty and asked why I hit the other driver. When I explained the situation she said they weren't interested and hung up.

I'm not going to tell you guys out there not to go with them, just expect the unexpected when talking to them. I also felt like something was off when she first told me the pay was $.26 a mile. When I asked her if that was straight pay or with bonuses she said it was with bonuses. When I asked her what the real pay per mile was she said I would learn that in orientation. Not what I wanted to hear.

US Xpress and Covenant were my first choices for companies to start with. Covenant has not answered the phone since I submitted an application. US Xpress were very nice and helpful and we were basically at the point of orientation scheduling when she realized the date of the accident was in 2009. She said she couldn't touch me until August 2011. I'm keeping them open in the future.

I'm debating Stevens Transport. Seems like a good outfit, I'm just not crazy about going to Texas, but I will be fine with it if I go with them.

Swift also gave me an offer. I know Swift has taken a lot of flack in the forums, and I can see what everyone is saying. My only question is this. I see a lot of people saying Swift drivers aren't safe. I pride myself on being a safe driver, outside of the one incident. Would Swift put you in a position where you had to start doing unsafe things, or is it drivers in general that aren't safe? They are out of Ocala, so that would be a much easier trip for me, and allow me to take my car.

So, what would you guys recommend to a new driver? I've also made inquires to other companies, but they all say the same thing, nothing in your area.

 

That's what I was thinking. I'm pretty comfortable with the truck, and in reality if I feel the conditions are not favorable I'm going to slow down or pull off altogether.

I can see with a large amount of drivers that are new you would run the risk of unsafe drivers.

 

It's funny how things seem to work out in the end. Maybe an hour after I posted here about Covenant I gave them a call and got through. I have an offer now, and I plan to take it.

I will be driving to Tennesse next Sunday to start my training. Covenant was my first choice with USXpress a second when it came to a company to start with. I'm pretty excited about everything, and I plan to follow the packing tips from the forum, lol.

Does anyone know Covenant's facilities well? I will be leaving my car there for 3 weeks, so I want to be sure it will be ok when I come back. The woman I spoke to said it was fine to leave it there, but if I have to I can rent someplace to put it for the time.

 

Windy Hill won't take students anymore. Need to do 6 months OTR before they will let you in. I was looking to go with Swift, but I have friends who drive for Covenant, and it was my first choice. That doesn't mean I might look at something else along the way, but for now it's my start.

As far as the car goes, when I spoke to Stevens they told me it was a bad idea because most companies will give you a load back home. But, Covenant told me I will be returning to Tennessee after training and I can get home time at which point my partner and I will come out of Orlando.

I wouldn't mind taking the bus, but I like having my own car as a personal out if anything goes wrong and I have to return home.

 

No problem

I hope you get a straight answer. I will say this, her attitude about everything changed when she started getting angry about the accident on my record. I tried to explain it to her, but I think she was pretty much finished with the interview at that point. She also put me on hold for 8 minutes, came back and said, 'You're still there?' I don't like to badmouth a company, but that was my experience.

In my case, I might have caught her on a bad day, I don't know. Not the same for everyone else though, I'm sure.

You're from New Hampshire? My home state! Enjoy the new life of trucking.