Any Opinions On Knight Transportation
Topic 1099 | Page 1
I'm currently with Knight, started with them in September.
Are there better companies out there? Possibly (probably).
Are there worse companies out there. Definitely.
So far I'm mostly happy with them and how I've been treated, the miles/loads they give me and right now I see myself being with them for quite a while.
One thing I've noticed about this industry (and I'm making a very broad generalization here) is that truck drivers are the biggest bunch of whiney babies I've ever encountered. And I used to work for the government. Our government. In Washington, DC.
Most of the drivers I've talked to who speak positively about the company where they are working are those who have been with the company for a long time. Those who badmouthed it are the guys who seem to switch companies often...and they usually have something to say about every company they work for.
Don't mean to hi-jack this thread...I'm just saying that to let you know to be sure to get both sides of a story before you make up your mind about one company over another.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Welcome aboard Andy!
We get a lot of great feedback from people who go with Knight. Very good company to get started with.
If you want to drive flatbed regionally you'll also want to take a look at Prime. They have a flatbed division. Unfortunately two of the best candidates for that - TMC and Maverick - do not have their own Company-Sponsored Training Programs. But both of those companies have regional (home weekends) flatbed fleets.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Thanks Brett. Just looked at Prime and they noted that their regional and flatbed division is very limited and very difficult to get into. I guess I should have stated that I'm also looking at companies with better home time availability. I have a 10 month old boy that I would like to see more than once every 1-2 months. That's one of the reasons I've applied to the above mentioned companies. I just need to see what kind of home time Knight has to offer otherwise I think Roehl will be my only option option and I'll have to save up to pay the expenses.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Any of the major dry van companies will have a lot of options for regional and dedicated fleets that can get you home more often - generally on weekends. Roehl definitely has the best home time options I know of, but dry van and flatbed companies have the best options overall.
In some cases you may have to put in a few months OTR before qualifying for one of those fleets. In other cases they may have those options available to you right out of school. It just depends on the company.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I believe I've read that its difficult to get into Knight for training. Keep that in mind.
Quick question:
Did you contact each one of these companies to get the prehire or did they contact you?
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Quick question:
Did you contact each one of these companies to get the prehire or did they contact you?
I went to each ones web site and either filled out an application or sent an email enquiring about pre-hiring. Pretty easy. Roehl and Swift were apps. Schneider faxed me a form to fill out and return. I'm gonna apply to Knight tomorrow and see if I can get accepted by them also.
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Andy, I sent an application to Knight as well, they got back to me pretty fast and wanted me to get started as soon as I have my permit. Need to get a few minor medical issues taken care of before I can get the physical done for the permit.
Haven't seen many Knight trucks pulling flatbeds, mostly dry vans and reefer but who knows. I know they can run you regional (seen plenty of local ads) in the western states, and they have a couple of different options for home time. Along with that and the paid training is what makes it very appealing to me, so we'll see what happens. Good luck and keep us posted!
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Charles, Congrats on getting accepted with Knight. I saw the paid training and was very surprised that they hire you and start paying while in school. I haven't seen that from any other company. The second appeal to me with Knight is they train here in AZ. I have a couple friends in Phx that I could probably stay with and save the hotel expense. My first choice is Roehl but I'd have to pay for travel to WI, room and food out of pocket because they don't offer assistance with any of that. So that makes Knight a little more appealing for now. Who knows, maybe I'll see you there. Good luck to you as well!!!
I applied to Knight last night and just received a call. I can start as soon as I get my permit. I really wanted to work for Roehl but Knight seems to be good company too. I'll be doing dry van regionally since they don't have a flatbed division like I wanted. Time to up the study time.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.New Reply:
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Hi everybody,
Another Noob here. Like most, I've been lurking for a little while. Lots of great info on here. I've actually stopped looking on the web for Info and solely spend my time on here now. Anyways, I've taken the advice here and have determined that company sponsored is what I'll have to do based on private school costs up front. I've applied for pre-hire at Roehl, Swift and Schneider so far and have been accepted at each one. My first choice is Roehl but don't know if I can manage the expense of going to WI for their training, which leads me to my question. I was considering applying to Knight but I haven't seen anyone talk about them. I've also come to the conclusion that I want to drive a flatbed and regional. Roehl and Schneider offer this but I'm not sure if Knight does or not. I guess I could call them and find out. I was just curious if anyone on here had insight Or opinions. Oh, and Schneider doesn't have their own training. They will only reimburse training costs. The anticipation of getting started is killing me. I've been trying to squeeze in as much of the High Road CDL Course as I can. I'm doing good so far. In the air brake section and I'm at 98%. Just gotta keep at it.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.