Profile For Amanda B.

I was at Roehl for a year. For a starter company, they have good equipment. They get new trucks at about 300k. They have opti idle and inverters. I left for Averitt, and I will retire from Averitt. We have better trucks, but we keep them longer. Mine has tv mount, apu, inverter, dorm fridge, double bunk, table and benches. It has more bells and whistles. The opti idle always woke me up, so I appreciate the apu. Roehl is a good training company, especially if you're interested in FB and specialized. Van freight is a little slow, but they do a lot of hand holding when you're learning. And they don't team drive during training. I would go to them again if I had no experience and wanted a good start and good equipment.

I am on the PODS flatbed account and truly do the continuous 48. I take my reset on Sunday, and I almost always leave the truck. I have a had a full day off in Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, San Antonio, Oregon, Montana, Colorado, St. Louis (the city museum is freaking amazing and wacky) ... I rented a car in Eugene, OR and drove an hour and a half to the coast and was able to touch the ocean and look at all the beautiful scenery. I have also been hiking, seen vegas shows, toured the alamo, eaten a TON of good food ... I think a lot of it depends on what you haul and how you run. Recaps burn me out. I would rather bust butt all week and take a nice day off.

I've been thinking about this for a while and would like to hear from people with experience. How much do you really get to see?

It seems that all you get to see is from the front seat of your rig. Do you get to see more than just scenery as you pickup and dropoff? Lets say you deliver near Vegas or New Orleans do you actually get to experience those areas or is it just in and out? Sure you probably cant party and get buckwild or whatever but do you really get to walk the streets or anything?

I love to drive and see nature and all of that but I just don't understand how it all works as far as enjoying the places you travel to. Will I get to only see the ocean or can I stop and feel the ocean? Im sure you cant just drive an 18wheeler around to see the strip in vegas or random sites. How does it work?

I am embarrassed to say this, but I practically live at Averitt terminals untill I get west of Texas. They are usually right off the highway with spaces galore. And they aren't scummy and full of terminal rats. They're actually pretty nice and low key. On the weekends when I reset, I usually have the whole place to myself. We have very few drop yards. 99% are nice, paved terminals with good parking. Some are in areas where parking is nonexistent like Orlando, Chicago, and parts of Mississippi. I've only driven out of my way for a terminal once but that was because I got a wild hair and decided I want to spend the weekend in New Orleans. I had a craving for Beignets, what can I say?

Renegade, You have many, many options. Both Averitt and Schneider are really good companies. In response to your post I want to offer my observations and suggestions.

For starters many trucking companies promote from within, and many also require their operations people (like driver managers) to have at least a year of seat time in a truck. This way, they are better able to support and maximize the performance of their drivers. Every DM I work with at Swift and one planner, still drives from time-to-time on the same Dedicated account I am assigned to. Makes it a whole lot easier to communicate because they have "lived-it". So internal promotion, "in-and-of-itself" shouldn't be a determining factor.

The numerous terminals benefit I believe is somewhat overrated. Granted that's my opinion. Most drivers that I know, prefer to steer clear (no pun intended) of terminals. Although you are among fellow employees of your company, many of these places are ridiculously crowded with limited facilities and yes, limited parking. Furthermore you cannot assume a terminal is accessible on the route your are taking while under a dispatched load, might be miles out of the way. Can't be counted on. Sooner or later you'll need to back your wagon into a tight spot next to "Big Daddy Super-Trucker", with his custom long nose Pete precariously close to your trailer. Unavoidable. You might want to dig a little deeper on the Averitt terminals, and determine if all 100 have similar driver amenities (as previously mentioned by Steve L).

Quite frankly the playing field for carriers willing to hire entry level drivers is rather level, all of them enabling a first year driver an opportunity to be successful. Some pay a little more, some a little less, all told you will make about 40k your first year regardless of your choice due to training time and the subsequent learning curve. Checkout this link: Trucking Company Reviews.

So I would turn your thoughts to schooling and follow-on road training. Neither of the two companies you mentioned offer Paid CDL Training Programs so to be hired for either Schneider or Averitt you will need your "hot off the press" CDL and 160 hours of schooling under your belt in order to be pre-qualified. This would require you to attend a private Truck Driving School and pay a substantial amount of money out of pocket for your training. Both paths have their benefits and trade-offs.

Also, not sure if you have looked at these three links:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

The first two provide a good base of knowledge designed to establish a realistic set of expectations. Far too many people enter this profession with no clue what to expect, lofty expectations, and make a quick exit once they realize, it's nothing like they thought it would be. The third link in this grouping is Trucking Truth's cornerstone training program. Designed to assist with passing the CDL permit tests and jump starting the knowledge base required to complete schooling, we believe it's essential for everyone considering a truck driving career. Hope this information helps with your decision making process.

Good luck and welcome.