Honest Opinions...

So go find a company that you feel suits you guys well and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Every major company has all of the miles, great equipment, and perks you could ever hope for once you've proven yourselves.

Hey Fireball, I just wanted to re-iterate what Brett is saying. It is so true, and very few people realize the reality of how you succeed at this game. The current trend of thinking is that you have got to find just the right place or company to work for, and the simple truth is that any driver who has the gumption, or the will and determination to be the best they can be at this, will find a great home at just about any trucking company out here.

Here's a great example: I recently posted about four drivers who cumulatively have achieved 8 million safe miles together. These guys are top-tier drivers who are enjoying great success - they are getting all the miles they can do and they are "gittin er done" safely, reliably, and most importantly contentedly at their chosen place of employment. What is remarkable about them is that they have accomplished this commendable feat behind the wheels of C.R. England trucks. If you ask just about any driver at any random truck stop they will tell you, "C.R. England is a starter company and they they suck! Nobody goes there for a successful career. The only people who go there are the ones that nobody else will hire, and then as soon as they can get two or three months experience they move on to a real trucking job. You can see this report about these drivers by clicking here.

I'm afraid your familiarity with the industry and your knowledge of some former drivers may be hindering you more than helping you. If you can find a company that offers the kind of things you are interested in like team opportunities, pet policies, home time policies, and that sort of thing then you have found a home for yourselves. Everything else will be up to you - what I mean is that you will determine your own success at this stuff. Any of the major carriers will give you the tools and the freight to succeed, it is what you do with it at that point that will determine how successful you are at this.

I'm afraid your familiarity with the industry and your knowledge of some former drivers may be hindering you more than helping you.

I kind of got the same feeling also.

Hi, this is Larry S. New rookie Driver at 63. what I've learned is this. babies cry over the least little items and try to make us all feel like them. Go to their school, work hard, ask questions and do it their way. Each week as you deliver on time, no issues and no accidents, the word spreads. No one is going to make a fortune as a team right off the bat. they need to see how you do. Let them see how you handle their investment over a couple of weeks and months. Do it the right way, talk to the dispatchers, keep open and honest and you'll enjoy this carrier. Plus you see things I saw last week, a herd of elk (200+) and then 45 minutes later over 100+ wild mustangs running.

You should take the approach that all of the major companies will be a great place to work once you've been there long enough to establish yourselves as top tier drivers. Some will pay better than others, some will have perks you like a little better, and they all have some unique divisions and various opportunities within the company.

So go find a company that you feel suits you guys well and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Every major company has all of the miles, great equipment, and perks you could ever hope for once you've proven yourselves.

I get what you're saying Brett and make a good point. Definitely food for thought!

I'm afraid your familiarity with the industry and your knowledge of some former drivers may be hindering you more than helping you. If you can find a company that offers the kind of things you are interested in like team opportunities, pet policies, home time policies, and that sort of thing then you have found a home for yourselves. Everything else will be up to you - what I mean is that you will determine your own success at this stuff. Any of the major carriers will give you the tools and the freight to succeed, it is what you do with it at that point that will determine how successful you are at this.

I see where you and Brett are going with this. I've worked for companies in the past in various office positions as I climbed the experience ladder that had nasty reviews on various job classified websites but I personally never had the issues or complaints I would read about. On the contrary I would find more and more responsibility given to me or be the person upper management would come to when they had deadlines and needed stuff done quickly and accurately. The same for my husband in his 8 years at his current job.

You have all brought up valid points and made me take a look at how hearsay can be our downfall here and that we need to approach this in a different way. Funny enough, I finally got to speak with my father outside of texting and he said the same thing, "go into this with an open mind, work hard, show your dedication to the company you two choose and it will pay off."

Thanks so much for all your help!

Look at H.O.Wolding. Mid size company out of Wisconsin, has drivers who live all over the country. Runs teams to west coast. Tuition reimbursement. Pet policy although a large deposit, it is refundable.

I've called them and we're in touch with a recruiter. We've added them to our growing list of companies. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

People speak pretty highly of Old Dominion freight lines and they just happen to have a line haul team position available out of Birmingham.

http://www.odfl.com/Careers/openingsDriverCo.faces

Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, we do not yet have the experience they are looking for.

My boyfriend and I drive team for Celadon and think they're great. Very team oriented, you'll get all the miles you can handle once you prove yourself competent. Lots of high mile and coast to coast runs. Teams run KW T680s with APUs , factory installed fridge and (1800w) inverter, TV mount. We enjoy working for them, if you have any specific questions I'll try to answer them. Not really sure what their mentor training involves as we didn't train through them.

We're in touch with Celadon and added them to our list. If we choose them we will let them know we were referred to them.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Whar kin I get meh one of dem truckertarys? LOL jk best of luck to you Brett has said all that needs to be said.

Phil

I drive for prime who loves spouse teams... and pets. They are one of thw highest paying cpm for newbies..teams go coast to coast . And the tuition is FREE as long as u work for them a year. I have been with them 6 mos and love it. I have paid $0 in tuition thus far.... u pay only if you leave.

Thanks so much. We had honestly overlooked Prime. We're talking to a recruiter now. Love the tuition reimbursement program, benefits, and pet policy. We're still trying to decide especially since we expanded our company list exponentially thanks to the advice here.