Profile For Michael B.

Do you guys know if any companies guarantee drivers x amount of miles a week? I don't even have my cdl yet so this is something that will mostly be good to know after a year or so with the company I start with.

Thanks for the insight Mr.Aquilla and ACO476. I will take all that into account going forward. I talked to a driver today at my job who is an owner op who pulls intermodal. He says that something good to look into in the future. Once I get some experience I will look around more into the different types of containers and pros and cons of each. Thanks again!

Wow thanks a lot for the reply. That is definitely not something I want to do if that's the case. I want to be able to keep the wheels rolling as much as possible and really benefit from staying OTR for long periods of time. I don't have the family at home to worry about getting back home often. Its looking like for me dry van is the way I'll be going to get my experience.

You'll be waiting *A LOT* pulling reefer. I've had 14 hour waits at Walmart, 18 hour waits at Americold (all over the country), and these are wait times sitting on the dock door with a red light. This was also the norm, not something that happened occasionally. If I could do it all over again, I never would have pulled reefer.

Thanks 6 string, I will definitely go ahead and put that term in the recycle bin. I thought it was a universal term and was definitely going to use that verbiage with other recruiters lol.

Aside from the links Brett offered, I'd drop the "TnT" phrase from your questioning. That's like going to Wendy's and ordering Chicken McNuggets. TNT is a phrase used by Prime Inc. You ask about the TnT phase of training to another company and they probably won't know what you're talking about.

Thanks a lot Mr.Aquilla. That is going to help me out a lot! There is a lot there I never considered asking that seems to be pretty important. I really appreciate it.!

Hey Michael. We have some awesome resources to help you choose the right company to work for. Take a look through these and you'll find the answers to most of your questions:

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

We also have a huge list of questions you might consider asking recruiters:

Questions To Ask Trucking Company Recruiters

We also have a set of FAQ's about choosing a company:

FAQ: Choosing A Trucking Company

Okay thanks alot! Do you think dry van drivers have to wait for unloads less often?

I'll. Real my answers up. I'm a prime reefer driver myself.

1. The $700 is during TNT not after. And it is the minimum you will make. If the miles you and your trainer are more including your bonuses then you get more. After training you earn 41 cents every mile you are dispatched. 29 cents taxed and 12 untaxed fir your per diem.

2. The unloading times depend. Walmart seems to be the longest. There are some drop and hooks for wal mart, but I haven't seen a whole lot of them. Usually Walmart I average 4-5 hours. That's why I'm glad I have my tv. Other than that the average time I've seen is about 2 hours. Maybe a little more on weekends or if the place is short staffed.

Hi. I'm Michael and I'm still researching companies that train to get my CDL-A. I am trying to make a list of the most important questions I should ask the recruiter in order to make the best informed decision I can. . I have been told to ask about the things that matter the most to me which makes alot of sense but there are so many factors that I have no idea about that I worry I will overlook something major. If you were to start over what questions do you wish you would have asked before choosing a training company?

Here's a few pieces of information that may give you more insight as to my situation. I don't have children or a relationship so I am not very worried about home time(or at least I don't value it very much right now). My bills at home are very low and if the money is decent to good I will want to capitalize on it as much as possible by staying out for long periods of time. I would really like the opportunity to take home time in places that are not my home state.

Here are a few of the questions I can think of right now. I haven't made an actual list but I will be making one soon to make comparing companies a bit more organized. (Also how much weight do the answers I get from recruiters actually hold? Can they just outright lie to me?)

Does the company pay during first stages of training and how soon after arriving would I receive money?

How much is the pay during TnT phase and how long is it?

Are hotels and meals covered during training?

Would it benefit me to get my permit in my home state prior to arrival or will I have to retest in state of school?

What is the mileage pay after TnT phase?

Is solo driving available after TnT phase?

Do you force dispatch?

Do you offer per-diem pay/compensation?

At what point do benefits like dental and the like become available?

How long is the driver contract after training and how much are the weekly deductions?

What happens if you fail something during training or testing?

Those are all of the questions I can think of right now(it's late worked 3pm to 11pm and it's now 3 am.) Please let me know other questions I should ask in order to make the best decision on companies to train with. If you were to start over are there any questions you wish you would have asked before choosing a training company?

( Sorry for how long this post is guys ? I tend to over analyze any decision thats worth thinking about twice and this is turning out to be no different.)

Thanks in advance!!

Thanks for all the info. I actually work at a warehouse at the truck entrance and get the chance to talk to a ton of drivers everyday. It has definitely been insightful. Its sort of an information overload though at the same time. I am comfortable now though with the fact that there is pro's and con's of every company . I look forward to getting started and will keep you guys updated .

GREETINGS Michael B. and WELCOME ABOARD!!

Whichever company YOU CHOOSE needs to satisfy YOUR requirements.

When I decided to begin in Trucking in late 1998, I chose a Private Driver Training School, then went Company hunting. I've ONLY done Flatbed and Dry Van.

TALK TO COMPANY DRIVERS because not all single recommendations are consistently truthful and not all in house Company Training programs deliver enough Training. Find those Drivers with 5, 10, 15+ years at your choice of company.

Find out the needed information BEFORE agreeing to any Orientation. Recruiters are paid to FILL SEATS and will tell you what you want to hear, regardless of Truth. NEVER believe most of what is said by a recruiter. TOO MANY Students (and there will be more) have stated "But my recruiter told me.......add whine here......"

A "simulator" is no trainer (we had some in High School in the 70's for Driver Ed and were worthless) and it might "prepare" one for driving yet "preparation" is not Experience. The ONLY WAY to get Experience is to be in the Driver Seat of the specific Vehicle(s).

Some Companies seemingly force the Team thing, yet many do not after the Trainer certifies or eliminates the Trainee. *certify = GOOD JOB! Your Truck is waiting! / eliminate = go away or not trainable. C. R. England states such forced to lease AND team issue on all their Trailers: Lease, Train, Drive Team and people keep a waiting line. Unless you're financially comfortable, do NOT sign anything regarding Lease To Own until after at least 2 years O.T.R., and then, well, Your Choice.

Have ALL DUCKS IN A ROW as a good amount of Students in Orientations get the BOOT. U. S. Express for example has eliminated (and will eliminate) many Students during Orientation for various reasons. ANY Company has the option for any number of reasons.

The ONLY DRIVER SHORTAGE is QUALIFIED and EXPERIENCED Drivers.

Trucking is not a "employment solution" for those otherwise non employable people although MANY keep giving a go.

YOU'LL DO WELL!!

Keep The Shiny Side UP and The Greasy Side DOWN!

There Is NO LOAD So Hot It Has To COOL OFF In A Ditch!

DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!!

NO Lot Lizards!

Thanks 4 Yur Tym! CHEERS!!

I am considering going to prime for my cdl training and going into reefer. The only concern I have is how often do you have to wait to be unloaded? I originally was only considering dry-van in hopes of minimizing the time spent being unloaded. Does anyone know how often you have to wait with reefer and if it is a lot more often than with dry van? Also prime is offering 700.00 a week minimum guaranteed after TnT phase. Is that a good thing or does it mean I will likely be making around 700.00 a week most weeks. 700 a week doesn't sound bad but even at swift there are drivers who just went solo who make more than that most weeks. Any info would be helpful. If I don't go with prime I will likely be going with Knight or Swift for cdl training. Thanks in advance. Happy Trucking!

Thanks for the reply buddy. I don't mean for it sound like I plan to use the simulator training as an end all be all its just that knowing they have it available makes me feel like the company has recent technology available to assist with training. I will look into Palmer and Wil-Trans but I am fairly sure that I wish to work with dry-vans specifically (no flatbed reefer or tanker) at least for my first year. The other thing I am sure about is that I do not want to be in a team driving position for longer than it takes to get comfortable enough to go solo. Although I will find out in my research do you know if those companies align with that?

Why bother with simulator training when you can train in the real thing from the get-go? I digress but I recommend Jim Palmer Trucking or Wil-Trans (sister companies). Truly free and paid training, small class size (mine had 2) and we were driving on day 2 within an hour of getting our permits. Everyone is extremely friendly and being a smaller company you don't get lost in the numbers - they will know your name - something I like but to each their own. Also, pay is pretty good to start so that helps.