USA Truck Driver Newbies, this post is for guys who are wondering what usa like

Some money is better than no money. Am i right or wrong?

 

I began with USA April 3. All of the big things you need are addressed immediately. Smaller things depend on you and your fleet manager. Ya gotta keep it up front and honest with your boss. From there everything else falls into place..... or out of place. There is a woman who calls me every three weeks to see what my opinion is of what is going on. There is an effort going on to take care of you. But ya gotta learn and work.

I started out in a pos Peterbuilt that ran 5 days and all I could get in 5 days was 339 miles. From there I went to a 2010 Cascadia with 360,000 miles. I still have it. It is a good truck. My miles are up and down depending on events. 2000 to 3100 miles now

 

Thanks ezmed for the positive encouragement bro

 

Ya need a good GPS and telephone with a lot of talk time. A small refrigerator or 12v cooler will make life better. Use all of your space. Get out and look. Don't trust anyone. Most everything is good or bad. Little is in-between. USA has some crappy trailers but I guess they all do. Keep moving. Learn to wait/be patient. Think about how you can exercise while on the road. Park in New England before 4 PM. Two weeks is the minimum time out. Ya need a map book. Always be safe. If ya have a girl, stay in touch a lot. If ya ain't married it probably won't last. Ask lots of questions.

That's about it. Good luck

 

Could you tell me if you actually worked for usa truck

 

Me? I'm in Forest Park getting scheduled maintenance right now. I can't speak for anyone else.

....Oh. And when I am idle and other USA drivers are around I always ask about their story. I want to compare. I cannot find one with a nearly identical tenure as me, but I can say many do leave and many of them return. I will give USA 14 to 18 months to thoroughly convince me. At that point a decision will be made on my next move. I realize no one place is perfect. But I like to think I am clever enough to make a sound decision. USA is working out so far. Now I am gathering information for a lengthier decision. I have up to 7 years to work. My last working stint should be relatively pleasant.

 

Would you recommend a new driver with no experience and no knowledge what so evere to go through usa truck?

 

I looked over about a dozen companies and widdled the list down to 3.... Millis, Prime and USA.

I had a BAD ticket. Millis said get lost. Prime said they would hire me in a year - please come back. USA said c'mon.

Each had good and bad. Ya gotta summarize and determine which elements fit you best.

But for USA I say it is good for a beginner. If one thing is crappy for the beginner it is the first one or two tractors you get. after that, equipment improves. You will find that is pretty universal company to company. My fleet manager is exceptional. I have had two and will have a third in a couple weeks. I am running between 2100 and 3100 miles a week. I had downtime last week and finished with 2452. Tractors have large capacity power converters and most have APU's. About 50% of the fleet is automatic transmission. It sounds bad but mine does a lot better than expected. I get about 65% drop and hook. Their 401K sucks. I have my own health insurance from where I took early retirement.... so, I do not know about that. Pay is half decent for beginners. My experience has been good..... Prove yourself and they let out on the leash.

Good luck

 

I will agree with ezmed about the trucks youre first will be a lemon i went through 3 befor i got a good truck it took me 6 days to get it you will spend countless hrs on the phone but like ezmed says usa is a good starter comp

 

I have worked for USA since October of 2012. I came right out of driver school and i have friends who Drive for PAM. The first thing i will tell you is that your whole experience depends on two things #1 It is what you make of it. if you signed a contract read it and know the ins and outs of it. look into all of the company perks and know what the restrictions and qualifiers. ( i.e. break down pay, dentition pay,). Always be ready to ask for it because if you don't you won't get it. #2 (and this one may take some work) Your DM ( Driver manager) makes you or breaks you. I got lucky and got a good 1. My first truck was a 2009 Prostar with 425,000 miles lasted me a month and a half. The second truck was a 2011 Prostar i ran it 6 months then the turbo went out. Now i have 2013 Cascadia with 33,000 miles on it. Each time i broke down i sat 1 day then i was off to get a new truck. And that was because of my DM.
Also i average 2700 miles to 3000 miles.