Profile For Keenan Smith

So many companies are so much Like and so different at the same time. You simply must do your own research and Brett has an excellent site to compare companies, what the offer how long the program last how much is pad time vs actual road time. It truly is a matter of which one fits you best. For me it was Prime and the hands on training and get you on the road training that fit my personality and style

As far as cant be boring a d exciting. Well, yea it can lol. Driving for hours in the dark or across the flatlands is some of the boring stuff I ever done. Sure it was scenic at first but after a few weeks or several times down the same road it becomes old. I must add being plugged into a seat for 11 hours a day in the same position has your body screaming for some stretching room not to mention my sore backside from this uncomfortable seat Not to be negative but so many people fall in love with the romantic notion of trucking. The sunsets and sunrises seeing the country the mountains and desert but overlook the thin cushion that passes as my bed or the longing for some real food and human contact.....

Ok so to get off that yea trucking is exciting too and I for one enjoy the he k out of it but read in between the lines and take the save Dvice form these moderators that have millions of miles under there belts. It is so hard to imagine life in the road sitting at home in front of your computer. It truly is a lifestyle and it i squire exhausting I promise you. Do I sit in a chair all day? Sure I do. Is it physically strenuous? Yes and no. I don't lift heavy objects but I am wore out after driving 11 hours straight day I. And day out oh and comforts how I miss simple comforts. My own toilet. A clean shower with actual water pressure and a wide spray

I don't want to be negative but rather encourage yo to see the bigger picture and listen close to the words of save advice from these moderators. There is a reason The turnover rate is so high in trucking and it takes a special type of person to live this lifestyle and only you know if that is you I hope you are just do t come In blind

Peace and best of luck

Thanks for the input and I do agree with alot of your points..especially listening to these guys who've been in this industry vs me where I'm just speculating and not actually doing it.

The thing is though..I actually enjoy driving long distances.

When I'm out there, I expect nothing but hardship..but I'm ok with that. I accept that challenge to endure that many more elements to this lifestyle. Not everyone is cut out for it but I believe I am based on my past history with driving with my dad across states for hours switching seats. It was very comparable to the typical 9-11hour drives that truckers do except me and him only did 5-9 hrs only to take turns so we could get home on time for other things going on in our lives.

If pain is the issue with sitting in the seat for that long. Some basic mobility exercises before and afterwards saves much of the pain. (I'd know from that experience with driving around the western states switching seats with a 10-30 minute break in between the transition.) Also...I'm pretty sure many of the guys out there do exercise which helps making sitting there more tolerable as your getting at least 30 mins of exercise for sake of conditioning yourself for the prolonged hours sitting there day after day.

Point is...I understand what will happen..and I'm not going in ****y thinking that this is cake walk..but since I don't have many options for a career in my city to go towards a management through training by a given opportunity thanks to not being given one due to lack of skill and possibly degree in education...this is one of my last resorts. This will help me open up those opportunities that were once closed., down the road in a couple of years with the money I'll earn to go back and pay for classes that teach the skills/education I really wanted to pursue in the first place with this job to fall back on if no opportunities are open just yet.

As far as companies similar to Schneider - pretty much any of the major dry van carriers that hire new drivers will have similar features to Schneider. We have a small list of some of the Trucking Companies that hire inexperienced drivers and also our Company-Sponsored Training section lists companies to look into. Certainly not all of the companies on those pages are dry van, but a number of them are. I don't know which companies use a pre-approval process. Most of them should.

Let me say one other thing though - it will take you a very, very short amount of time out on the road to stop saying "I can't believe they pay me to do this." Trucking is one of the most difficult and challenging careers you'll ever find anywhere. If you're really cut out for it there's nothing in the world like it. But even if you are there are going to be a ton of really brutal times out there that are going to challenge you in almost every way imaginable. I loved my years on the road - they were priceless. But they were also very, very difficult - which is a big part of what I liked about it.

I just don't want you getting into trucking thinking it's a gravy job. The turnover in the trucking industry nationwide averages close to 100% for a variety of reasons, but part of it is the fact that a lot of people get into it thinking it's going to be great fun and soon get their *sses handed to em and they run screaming for the hills.

So expect it to be quite exciting, challenging, stressful, boring, interesting, and exhausting pretty much every single day of your life out there. It's a roller coaster ride - no question about it.

I understand that there is a HUGE turnover rate however I do accept the challenge of it all. It didn't even phase me once. You could say I'm bit of an overachiever and once I set my mind to something..its pretty hard to turn me around. I drive myself no matter how long it takes until the goal is reached. (At least that's my friends and fam have told me lol) I don't mind weird sleeping patterns, the repetitive boring-ness of the job (I do that anyway with what I do day to day at my present job.)

I totally do not expect it to be all like that initially..at least until a few years go by and local jobs are available to me so I have more home time.

Quite frankly...it cannot be boring if its stressful, exciting, challenging, interesting, and exhausting. All those elements don't make it so as you're also having to keep on your toes to avoid having "a bad time". Something has got to give. ;p

Also, I am considering the option after a few years to lease and contract to make more money plus be home more. Some of the folks I know have worked their way to that point and make more money than they did out there OTR or similar. My friend Jimmy recommended me to really pursue something like that so I can get to where I'm wanting to go in my career path sooner. Yes you are taking on a contract meaning all the responsibilities lie upon me, but from he told me, it's well worth it if you take uber care of your vehicle in all aspects.

In the end..if it means permanent job security with virtually no layoffs except when its on you from your record...I'd dive head first to have it.

Hi all,

So I decided that I am going to definitely go for trucking because the very sustainable income and site seeing seems too great to pass up. (**I couldn't believe folks get paid to do this after talking with some other local folks who've been at it for a long time**)

My question is rather simple and I do need some answers asap because I'm dealing with the government to help pay for my schooling.

What trucking companies are similar to Schneider as far as pay, training, and more options to have preferable days off? I'd prefer ones that have pre-approval apps as Pima One Stop needs to see proof of me looking for work.

As side note: If any of you went through the government to pay for the schooling tuition as a full ride, what specifics did they ask of you to have before talking about paying for it all? Did you have to jump through a bunch of hoops like going back to school for certain classes that you've failed to meet as the "standard" for trucking? From what I've heard with talking to the guys who've given their experience..they found it odd that if someone actually had to jump through a bunch of hoops due to the relative simplism of the job having to just know basic math to track your load and great reading/writing skills as well as being able to speak professionally like any other job...

Your guys thoughts? Really appreciate it in advanced!

Warm Regards, Keenan Smith

Hi all,

So I've decided to consider to on a career in trucking.

I do have some concerns that I could not find answers to so I'm hoping someone can chime in here...

Curious, what hours do newbies look at when they first start?

Do they ever get more than 2 days off per week?

What's the best option to have a balanced lifestyle between trucking and having days off yet making a fairly great income?

If you're out for a couple weeks, do you ever take pitstops that last about 1 hr before leaving again?

Is Schneider a really good company to look towards working for?

I ask because this because I wondering is it possible to including some sort of balance so I can workout while not driving/being a passenger/off duty.