Location:
Austin, TX
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
I am Daniel, and I have held over 15 jobs in my life (most of them were worked 2-3 at a time simultaneously).
I am currently a "Team driver" with CRST Van Expedited.
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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Many Red Light Cameras in IL Down or Coming Down!
Austin, TX removed those this past year. The total count of accidents dropped with it.
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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Is there a top 5 or top 10 list of the best trucking companies “to start” with?
Marc Lee wrote:
Yes. The best company to drive for is the one which will pay you to drive their trucks!
And the best truck to drive?
The one they will pay you to drive!
I know you mean well with this Marc, but honestly, there are many Mom & Pop companies barely surviving, that I would not drive for...and for many reasons. Primary of which; the equipment is typically inferior, in need of significant repairs they cannot afford to perform. So yes, "the truck you are paid to drive" isn't road worthy. Is that the "best company" to drive for?
The best company to drive for is one which has top-notch training, newer/well maintained equipment, a professional driver support team and ample freight moving through or near your chosen home base.
Any company listed in this link, matches the above criteria: Trucking Company Reviews
To avoid working for "Ma and Pa" companies creates a... Well: We're both old enough to know.
If the scale weren't so horribly sliding one way as of 2020: I would work for Ma & Pa with their 5 trucks that are 10yrs old and even offer to repair what I can.
If you have never worked at Wal-Mart in any department: You would not understand the severity of that lavishly self-centered, mildy arguably demonic, yet perfectly logical statement.
I feel strong enough about this, I will go as far as to provide an equivalent analogy: You can either save the 75yr old mother of your children and 10 grandchildren who are of breeding age or you can save 1,000 terminally ill strangers.
Ma and Pa mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, right? However: Ma and Pa in trucking are now in their 90s and nearly crippled to the point of no recovery (without government interference).
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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i have no faith in the govt and less in the media.
Media? Okay. Business of money (private sector). Gov't in response to a (what appears to be deliberate) defector? Spy vs. spy!
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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Got bucked off the bronco (I flipped), taking some time to recover, and getting back in the saddle!
I won't even consider this being due to trucking, but a literal act of God.
Is that you in the bottom photo?
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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Hello, Nick. I believe I started out with the type of trucking work you're looking for. I started with Swift, but most companies are like this. I drove dry van exclusively. Most of my loads were already sealed which is as close to "no touch" as you can get. I never had the responsibility of even counting the stuff in back.
If you don't get a Hazmat endorsement, you probably won't be sent on a Hazmat dispatch. Simply ask the recruiter if Hazmat will be required.
So just stick with dry van and you'll do ok.
Companies don't let non-HME drivers haul under 1,001lbs of class 3 or anything else?
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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Corona, H1N1, swine, Cyrus, Y2K. We survived them all.
You forgot anthrax and mad cow.
Posted: 4 years, 9 months ago
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Current class B driver considering a class A career
Hi.
I went with the company-loaned 'paid' training route in 2015. Very happy. New baby. Zero debt. Zero issues. Zero complaints. Brand new (1k-5k miles on the odometer) trucks all the same.
I ended up quitting for the sake of my new family and landed a local 'cement truck' (ready-mix is another name or barrel truck) at around $22.50/hr (before 10-15hrs of OT a week) here in Texas. I had just under 12mo of OTR experience (thanks to jury duty in Nov. of 2015).
I was making $0.36 CPM (split 50% due to co-driving; 18 CPM; nearly maxed out on miles per week all year long).
The local job itself was fun, exhausting and quite an experience. It paid far better, but was overall less rewarding.
If you have experience with motorcycles, manual (5-spd? 6-spd?) transmission vehicles (ATV, "car" or whatever else): It really doesn't translate that well into a 10-spd transmission in a semi-truck.
The general awareness of having a large and tall truck (box truck; which I also have years of experience with) is all that really translates. My $0.02.
In fact: I have a wide range of experience in this industry now.
Personally: Study the CDL questions from the mobile program that Brett A. made. Aside from being on the DOT written test: They may save your life like mine while OTR.
I'd go with a company sponsored training any day before I go private. If pay or home time is your concern: Stick locally with a class B.
As it has been stated many times before: OTR is literally a life style; as are a myriad of other comparisons (the US Navy comes to mind).
Posted: 8 years, 10 months ago
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Any other suggestions for choosing a trucking company...
Celadon. Crst. Cr england. Millis. That's about all I can think of..
CRST's pretty cool.
100mi north? What city off of I-17? I just cut through there last night.
Posted: 8 years, 11 months ago
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I applied at TMC three times and they keep telling me that they are going with somebody else they dont want to give me no explanation to why but all I know is that I have a gut feeling that this is where I need to be.
Have you tried with CRST? Randy Gill is a great recruiter!
Posted: 3 years, 4 months ago
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Changing cdl to other state
You should contact both your current DMV or DPS and the state that you plan on moving to. Those government officials are paid to answer these very questions and should have access to the very information of which you are searching for on hand (up-to-date and accurate). If any forms are necessary or presrequites or criteria or limitations: They would be able to answer those questions.