What a flippin let down, is it really about who you know????

Oh My God, "that guy in class"....I remember that 1 guy in my class who told all the old trucker stories, drove here..drove there....SuperTrucker in the flesh........dumb clown only failed his pre-trip exam and couldn't even pull off in Granny gear without clutching out eventually.....

 

Good to know!, tho I think it may depend on individual terminals (at least from latest news I heard). That being the case, being in the Chicago area (high volume freight area), Nightwind8830 should have as good or better chance than PA. At least I'd expect it to be that way.
Now I'm curious if they take preference to hiring grads from their training, over hiring new grads from non-ODFL training schools? I would assume so, but possibly it may not matter.

Thanks. I see your point also, as in "Can't hurt to try". I do know ODFL has gone thru many changes (growth mainly) over the past year, and their training school used to be much more limited to get into, so it seems even their flexibility with hiring new drivers has surely changes as well, likely for the better for new grads.
Hope you do well at all the "crossroads" in the hiring process.

 

I believe they want at least one year OTR if you don't go through their program.

 

Don't give up hope for Old Dominion. You might not be able to get on with them straight out of school, but you don't automatically have to fart out two years with Swift, either. From what I've heard, *some* experience is mandatory at OD. If you're a kick-### driver with a strong safety record, you ought to be able to apply earlier and still be taken seriously.

Conway could be a very good first job. They run everything from OTR to dedicated regional to local. I also want to say there's nothing wrong with making friends and networking. I fell into my current job through an incidental connection at a job fair. I didn't even consider my current employer because I had no idea they ran their own fleet of trucks.

 

That is something that cannot be emphasized enough. You don't have to be some type of big shot executive type to network! It works for anyone who is intelligent and personable! Now maybe if you have the intelligence of Lil Abner and the fizz-eek of Magilla The Gorilla, then it might not work too well.

 

Have you applied to Ice Road Truckers?

 

Not gonna lie. Now is the worst time of the year to apply for LTL for most of everyone. Freight is slowing down on all corners of the country. Peak hiring season is right around early spring. You may luck out and find an opening if some of the LTL drivers retire so they don't have to deal with another winter season.

I recommend you also look into Cisco and Food Services of America. While construction will slow down, people will always have to eat. Have you tried Ebby Brown? They are in your area.

 

And the Lord looks down and in his best "Bill Cosby voice," says:

 

For me it still is a work in progress, 1 yr later, accepting the idiots on the road. Ya know, like wishing I had a Mad Max plow on the front & tire shredders on my hub caps so I could "take care of" that pricey import sedan that just exited from the HOV lane with millions of micrometers to spare between our bumpers. I curse, then I thank God he missed me, then I practice deep breathing to slow my heart, and prepare to do it again at the next exit...

Drivers like that are the reason Roehl teaches 'protective driving' instead of defensive driving. We need to drive in a manner that protects bad drivers from themselves and their poor choices & habits behind the wheel.