Profile For Texas Tim

Well, I did but they were not interested in me.

I called and asked why, and they said that they have more qualified applicants..... I am a us army veteran, and I have a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas in Austin. I also have a clean driving record, and absolutely have never been in trouble of any kind with the law, praise god. And, even though I'm older, I am in decent shape. I have really good job references. I mean, that sounds pretty good to me. I am located in SoCal, I see prime trucks all the time here. So...… I don't know, I think I am pretty good on paper.

I persisted and asked what I can do to improve myself to become a better qualified applicant my for the future, and they just kept repeating the same mantra 'they have more qualified applicants '. It seems like one of those situations where everybody else knows what going on but you, ya know? I wonder what golden rule I broke?

Well, anyway.....

Its a shame too, because they seem like a really good company, I would have liked to start there.

Timothy, you should take a look at Prime, Inc. Training, and different divisions.

Ok, I am hearing y'all….. "Get some experience, then go to tanker''. And, all that glitters is not gold. I hear you guys as well about the miles, and that longer, more frequent/consistent miles will more than makeup for a few cents per mile. I looked, and looked and Schneider was about the only company that advertises new drivers going directly to tanker. Based on y'all's comments, that makes sense because you should get some miles under you first. I just thought maybe their training made up for that, but I am about talked out of it. Don't matter much how much you make if you are not around to spend it. Besides, I would never forgive myself if I hurt somebody else because I was under experienced for a job.

Would that be the same advice if I wanted to go with flatbed? At the very first when I was looking at truck driving, I was really drawn to flatbed. I have a thing with liking hard work and doing things the hard way, and, well, flatbed just seems to fit that ;-) And, two companies, Maverick and TMC seem to be great companies, but they hire mostly east if the Mississippi. I live in California. So, I just didn't see much flatbed out here, if someone knows different for new drivers, please let me know.

So, lets say I change it up, and instead I try reefer first, I was considering Knight, as there program for veterans is very good. They also seem to have some pretty good driver reviews. I would be interested what has happened to that since their merger with Swift.

Why not dry van you might ask? Well, honestly, its a dollars and cents thing. It seems dry van pays less overall. So, I thought flatbed, reefer or tanker might be better. Eventually, when I get enough experience, I will look to do the owner operator thing. I have owned a small business before that did very well. I can also work well with others, so I don't mind working for someone, but want to get back to owning a business when it makes sense.

Can I ask one other question. I have enough money to pay for my own training, and then look for employment and not be beholding to anyone else. If you were me, what route would you take?

I want to thank y'all for the extensive and well meaning, thoughtful replies I have received. Very cool, thank you.

Thanks all for the advice and things to think about. I am all ears about anything else y'all have for me considering tanking, Schneider, paid Cdl, etc.

When I first started considering it in March, they were. Doesn't surprise me considering everything going on that that's changed. I am a military veteran, and really old, 52yrs, and was told basically, go get signed up at a cdl school, then you will speak with a military recruiter to see about getting a conditional job offer. It will still be a few months before I can start cdl school, so hopefully by then things will turn around. I would want to get my cdl regardless of whether Schneider has a job for me.

However, it would be nice though, as I would really like to get on with Schneider, because they have tankers and long term that's what I would like to do. They are all about safety from what I can tell, and they seem to be good to veterans. And from what I can tell, they pay pretty good.

Based on all this, what advice would you have for me? What points might I have wrong?

Following up on what PJ asks, are you presently a truck driver, or are you new to this lifestyle? I’m asking because I know that Schneider Is not currently accepting new drivers into their bulk (tanker) training program; they’re accepting experienced drivers only.

Thank you sir for the advice, I will consider it.

Welcome Timothy. That will be a company specific question. My company the wording is safety boots so composite would be ok.

On a side note. You say your new here. How much experience do you have?? I ask only because IF your new to trucking I highly recommend you get at least 1 year driving experience before you tackle tanks. They are alot different and I don’t recommend rookies start there.

Howdy all, I'm new here, I have a question for y'all. I am looking into becoming a tanker truck driver and wondered what shoes are required for those drivers.

I have a pair of these from Carolina, they are composite toe, from a previous job. I really like them, will they work for a company like say Schneider tanker division or do I need steel?

https://www.carolinashoe.com/CA4558

Thanks in advance for the help!