Location:
Jacksonville , FL
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
I've been driving since 2001. Dry van and reefer in the lower 48, only been to Canada in a big truck once. I've always driven teams, first with my now ex-husband for 11 years. I've had 2 male co-drivers over the years and have been driving with a female co-driver for the past 1 1/2 yrs. I'm thinking very hard about going down to the TX oil fields. Got my TWIC and am now going to get my HAZ-MAT back and tank endorsement. For the last year we have been running a dedicated run VA to CA and back to VA or NC. This week our return trip brought us to VA (we like going to the facility in NC better) ;-). We take a week off every 2 months and I go home to FL or SC. My co-driver lives in VA, so she see the house or her boat every week. I usually get a hotel room, but sometimes I just stay in the truck at our yard.
Posted: 7 years, 9 months ago
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New Podcast From "The Road Home" - Why Stick With Your First Company One Full Year?
I have to disagree with only 1 year with your first company. Most tuck companies that hire new drivers from schools or have their own truck driver ping schools are what a lot of us call training companies like Swift, JB, and Schneider. You can learn the ins and outs of driving and how to handle the equipment. They will run to death and leave to sitting forever and you don't make a lot of money, but if you stick with your training company for 2 years and maintain a good record then you can pretty much write your own ticket. Many good companies that pay good and have good equipment require at least 2 years experience, some require more. Yes you can get your 2 years experience working for 2 or more companies, but then you aren't showing staying power. Other than driving and dealing with all the stuff OTR has to throw at you and good company wants to know that you can put up with the crazy stuff they or their dispatchers, managers, and etc toss your way too. Two years proves yourself in many ways. Remember it can cost a driver a couple thousand dollars to switch jobs, but it can cost the company that hires you $10,000. or more to bring you on. No one wants to invest in a driver who has a record of not staying around.-------just sayin