Werner or Stevens!?

Lots of turnover everywhere.

When the driver has to touch freight you get more than just the mileage pay.

 

tleaheart had some good questions to ask.

Where you will be starting at will not reward you for experience to where it would be worth you staying.
Most all of these companies that hire noobs and pay terrible is because that's their business model... to have cheap drivers. You can get a little experience and then haul it elsewhere.
Just to give you an example...
When I started out I got .26 doing OTR.
Why did I accept low pay? I had my license suspended due to a late payment on a non moving violation and had a difficult time getting started anywhere because of it.
I applied everywhere and even got turned down by usXpress and Swift lol.
Once I got 6 months experience it was easy to get a job at sooo many places.
I went with Crete because they put in writing I'd get .43, $30 stop pay, extra pay on runs under 200 miles etc etc.
Then 6 months after that I'm leasing a truck and am with Schneider picking my own freight and am paid on % and doing wayyyy better than being a company driver.
Point is you don't to suffer being paid trash at a driver mill company for two years to get a better job elsewhere.

 

Did Werner and Stevens reps start this? What a joke. You mean to tell me there isn't a small company that would be ten times better than either of these?

 

means you have to move the freight to the rear of the trailer, or onto the lift gate, and lower it to the ground. Which since you are doing physical labor, helping unload the truck, it must be logged as on duty not driving, and therefor you will not be getting 3000 miles per week....and many of those dedicated accounts are teams, just for that reason. Really need to do your homework, truck driving is not just about the miles, or driving.

yea the recruiter is lying to you, to get you in the door.

Don't have to spend 2 years at any starter company, get in get your training, keep your driving record clean, and move on. NO speeding, watch your backing, get out and look, check, double check, and don't speed for ANY reason.

Your history, and location limits who you have opportunity to start with...

Stevens require 1 year clean record, before being considered eligible to become a trainer.

 

Did you not read the OP posts?

What small company is going to hire and train a noob with multiple speeding tickets (one above 15 MPH)?
Please enlighten us.

 

You should swing by chicago sometimes.

 

Since nine of the current Werner drivers have stepped up on this, I (a former Werner driver) will do it. Pleas pay attention.

A RECRUITER'S OFFER FOR A DEDICATED ACCOUNT MEANS NOTHING!! You will hear this the very first day of orientation. Recruiters lie like cheap rugs, and Werner's are the worst of a bad bunch. The recruiter will promise you dedicated accounts, high miles, swedish massages (complete with happy endings), anything it takes to get your butt in their seat.

My recommendation is to go with (God help us all) Stevens. Their training really is the best in the industry, if they are keeping the same training program they had back in '07. Yes, the pay sucks. Yes, dragging reefers is a pain in the tail, especially if you are a flatbedder in your heart and soul. But you get your foot in the door of the industry, get semi-competent training, and can rack up the necessary OTR experience to move after a year (or even six months with some carriers, some as few as three months) over to a somewhat decent flatbed outfit that will help you move up in the trucking world.

Just remember, if you start out swinging doors you WILL go back into training when you move over to flatbeds. Don't get attached to that reefer/dry box outfit if you really want to flatbed. Get the minimum experience (keep your nose clean while you do it) and bounce as soon as you can.

 

Plenty of Melton drivers on here. Post on their threads and get your info straight from the horse's mouth.

Flatbedding pays a bit better than dry van, but you will work for every mother lovin' penny of it. Flatbedders do it for love. If you are just looking for money (and I don't blsme you if you are), go pull a tanker. Better money, less labor.