Profile For Old School

Christopher, there are a lot of regional flatbed opportunities. Western Express has a couple of positions, or at least they did at one time. I'm thinking it was mostly in the Northeast, which may not work for you. After getting established, you can always ask about opportunities that might be available.

Many flatbed companies like McElroy, TMC, and Maverick like to operate in a regional way. This allows them to get drivers home for a 34 hour reset on the weekends. If Western can't provide what you need, someone can. That's basically how I ended up leaving Western Express. Knight offered me a deal my former employer couldn't compete with.

I still recommend sticking with that first job for a full year. You'll learn so much by doing that, and future employers will really respect your ability to hang in there getting things done.

Maverick is an excellent option. That's a really well run flatbed outfit. Don't fall for the idea that you'd make more money by joining their lease program. Just stick with being a high performing company driver.

I want to be trained correctly and I am anal about the work I do. I am a bit OCD because of my Military background.

That's all great. OCD is not a bad thing in trucking. Here's my concern... I've seen a lot of military guys and former law enforcement abort their trucking aspirations during training. This industry trains to bare minimum standards. It's the cost effective way they've found to provide themselves with a sufficient influx of new drivers. Years of recruiting and training have boiled down to a system that is both cost effective and reliable enough to keep some good drivers.

You cannot expect to be trained similarly to military standards. This industry will get you to a point where they feel you can be trusted to not tear anything up too badly. That's basically the standard. You will be expected to be learning continually through your on the job experiences. You will be exposed to new problems and scenarios continually. Those should all be considered training experiences.

A lot of people, who've been trained for all kinds of scenarios in other careers, find this frustrating and quit. You'll have to take the bull by the horns and learn to ride even when it's rough going.

I just want you to be prepared mentally for some real challenges. Don't blame the problems you encounter on poor training. Consider them as continual training that's being randomly thrown at you.

Those are some of the reasons we highly recommend you stick with your first company for one full year. It just takes time to get where you can be productive, safe, and reliable.

In 12 years of driving, I've never had an APU. I don't expect I'll ever feel the need for one.

I could see something like this falling through a crack for a few months, but not several years. This should have been noticied by someone at that company a long time ago.

I totally agree with this. Somebody doesn't understand their contractual obligations. I'm leaning towards you and your husband dropped this ball. Being an O/O includes a lot more responsibilities and obligations. Most people erroneously think it's the way to earn more money. It's really just a way to run a small business and deal with the obligations of regulatory requirements put upon trucking companies.

Honestly, what you're asking us, needs to be asked of the company you’re leased onto. You guys are getting your education after your graduation. That's like doing things the hard way.

You have to be really careful with the information about trucking companies you gather online. Most of it is so unreliable that you do yourself a serious disservice trusting it.

You have to realize you know nothing at this point. Then you have to realize most of the reviews you read are written by people much like you. They came into this career knowing nothing, got their hopes dashed because they had no idea how to be successful at this, then they start pointing fingers at the company.

You've made several remarks dismissing certain companies that could provide you a great start at this career. You took false information and based your job searching on it. Trucking is hard to break into. That's where the problem lies. People don't understand it and get themselves all up on a soapbox wanting to warn everyone how bad this or that company is. They miss the point completely.

This job takes a lot of commitment to being successful at it. Without some grit and grind, nobody would survive it. Your comments about TMC being particular about tarping are funny to any flatbedder. A true flatbed guy is always going to be particular about tarping. He's a professional and he enjoys the satisfaction of a job well done. There is so much more to trucking than just driving a truck.

You say you want to avoid Schneider. You also say your broke. Schneider can get you rolling and earning money faster than anyone out there. They have an excellent training program that is done very quickly. I think it's just two weeks and then you're on the payroll.

I'm just trying to point out how you really don't even know what you don't know. You're gathering information from people who failed and counting it as valuable. I understand it, and I have some empathy for you. That's why we are called Trucking Truth. We recognize all the bad information online.

I wrote a book which would be very helpful to you. If you're interested you can find it on Amazon. Go to their website and type in the search bar... Hit The Road by Dale McClure. It's a book designed to help you make a successful start at this. It's filled with my experiences and stories from the road. I started my career at Western Express. What has your research shown you to think of them as a good place to start? I have a solid career out here. The key isn't where you start, it's HOW you start.

Hello Quanicia, and welcome to our forum!

You don't need your license valid for one year after having it reinstated. I've seen people get hired into trucking jobs shortly after getting their license back.

Paid CDL Training Programs, or Company Sponsored, as some call them, are a great way to get started in trucking. They are a little more selective when choosing candidates though.

You'll have to share that your license was recently reinstated. They will want the detailed story of why it was suspended, and why it took so long to get it back. You didn't give us any details, but think about how the story is going to sound to a potential employer who puts a lot of faith in you to maintain your license.

That license is critical to your employment as a truck driver. It must be guarded with much care. They are not going to just bring you in because you were finally able to get things in order. They want some confidence that you learned your lesson and are determined to keep your license from threats of action against it.

Be prepared for some rejections. Not everyone is going to be eager to have you. I hit a lot of brick walls when I was trying to get into trucking. For some of us it's hard. Be persistent and honest in your applications. Someone will probably give you a shot. It's probably not going to be the company you really want, but if you can get in somewhere, that's an open door you want to take. Apply yourself diligently, don't lose heart, and stick it out for a full year with that first company. After that, you'll find it a lot easier to get your second truck driving job.

Hello Amanda.

You already know this, but you're in a tough spot. Don't limit yourself further by restricting yourself to companies in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I've never been employed by a trucking company near my home area. I live in Texas and have worked for two companies, both of which were headquartered in other states. One was in Nashville, Tennessee, and the other in Phoenix, Arizona. Location isn't critical.

Your charges are not looked on kindly by most trucking companies. You've got an uphill struggle. There are some companies that might hire you, but there's certainly no real positive chances this early into your release.

I'm hoping this list of trucking companies might give you some places to apply to. Go through it and see if anyone might give you a shot.

Trucking Companies Hiring Felons

Stay in contact with us, we are hoping we can help.

Also, you might try Western Express, Dutch Maid, and Trans Am.

You don't need to limit yourself to companies that pay for your training. I understand the need for some cash flow, but you are going to be very limited. Take any offer you get and go with it. Figure out a way to make it happen without breaking the law. Then stick it out for one full year. That one year commitment will serve you well. Even with your felony, you'll find more acceptance from recruiters once you've established a year in with one company.

Deleted trucks are illegal in all 50 states. You probably already know that. The problem is, nobody will be checking to see if it's been deleted unless you get the highest level inspection. That's when you're going to have a serious problem.

Trucking is all about risk management. The risk of being put out of service at a scale, until the unit has been repaired, is not one I'd be willing to take.

I've been very busy. I was just looking at it last night because we're coming up on being half way through this year. I'm on pace to have one of my strongest years yet.

I sometimes think my situation is nontypical, but I have no way of really knowing that. I have noticed our office people are being asked to do more with less personnel. I'm not sure if that is attributed to AI or just financial necessity.

Trucking stocks are fairly volatile still, and frankly I don't always understand what makes them jump around like they do. For the most part, it seems we may be heading into better times.

I totally agree with you brother, and keep hoping for the best outcome for you.