2 Truck Driving Job Offers From TransAm And May Trucking?

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but situation is very similar. I have 2 companies that are down to my final 2. Both have pros and cons. The 2 companies I am down to are H.O. Wolding and Schneider. Wolding has a dedicated route that I really want as it would be perfect. Every recruiter I talk to and the Recruiting director all say they need drivers for it. But, I take whatever a recruiter says with a grain of salt. Schneider has better pay and benefits, but I am not thrilled with how short their training will be. I get tuition reimbursement with both and both have the veteran apprenticeship program. Both companies have drop yards in my home town. I have prehire certs with both. I have been communicating with H.O.W. since I started school and something about thst company has said I want to drive for them. Schneider is more recent addition. Other companies i briefly have talked to Maverick, McElroy, and Western Express. Maverick and McElroy I passed on because although I would love to learn flatbed; my back wouldn't had it full time. Western Express's recruiter rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed personally not interested in talking to me and told me to contact him after I get my CDL. Needless to say he won't be getting a call back.

Without further delay, should I stick with my initial gut reaction and continue full steam ahead with H.O. Wolding or should I hit the brakes and give considerable thought with Schneider?

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but situation is very similar. I have 2 companies that are down to my final 2. Both have pros and cons. The 2 companies I am down to are H.O. Wolding and Schneider. Wolding has a dedicated route that I really want as it would be perfect. Every recruiter I talk to and the Recruiting director all say they need drivers for it. But, I take whatever a recruiter says with a grain of salt. Schneider has better pay and benefits, but I am not thrilled with how short their training will be. I get tuition reimbursement with both and both have the veteran apprenticeship program. Both companies have drop yards in my home town. I have prehire certs with both. I have been communicating with H.O.W. since I started school and something about thst company has said I want to drive for them. Schneider is more recent addition. Other companies i briefly have talked to Maverick, McElroy, and Western Express. Maverick and McElroy I passed on because although I would love to learn flatbed; my back wouldn't had it full time. Western Express's recruiter rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed personally not interested in talking to me and told me to contact him after I get my CDL. Needless to say he won't be getting a call back.

Without further delay, should I stick with my initial gut reaction and continue full steam ahead with H.O. Wolding or should I hit the brakes and give considerable thought with Schneider?

Can you elaborate on why you passed on flatbed? I'm with Maverick currently. Also, a dedicated position they are desperate to fill may be available for a reason. Keep that in mind. Also, big orange has tons of options and will likely have dedicated fleets available with some experience. All the companies you mentioned are good places to start.

I would be remiss if I didn't throw knight out there for you to check out.

What? Someone's gotta too their horn! Toot toooooooot

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but situation is very similar. I have 2 companies that are down to my final 2. Both have pros and cons. The 2 companies I am down to are H.O. Wolding and Schneider. Wolding has a dedicated route that I really want as it would be perfect. Every recruiter I talk to and the Recruiting director all say they need drivers for it. But, I take whatever a recruiter says with a grain of salt. Schneider has better pay and benefits, but I am not thrilled with how short their training will be. I get tuition reimbursement with both and both have the veteran apprenticeship program. Both companies have drop yards in my home town. I have prehire certs with both. I have been communicating with H.O.W. since I started school and something about thst company has said I want to drive for them. Schneider is more recent addition. Other companies i briefly have talked to Maverick, McElroy, and Western Express. Maverick and McElroy I passed on because although I would love to learn flatbed; my back wouldn't had it full time. Western Express's recruiter rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed personally not interested in talking to me and told me to contact him after I get my CDL. Needless to say he won't be getting a call back.

Without further delay, should I stick with my initial gut reaction and continue full steam ahead with H.O. Wolding or should I hit the brakes and give considerable thought with Schneider?

Can you elaborate on why you passed on flatbed? I'm with Maverick currently. Also, a dedicated position they are desperate to fill may be available for a reason. Keep that in mind. Also, big orange has tons of options and will likely have dedicated fleets available with some experience. All the companies you mentioned are good places to start.

I was medically discharged from the military due to 2 herniated discs that have not and are not healing. My L5/S1 and my L4/L5 discs. Although I got to the point that I am not living in searing pain daily, mainly due to the nerves being destroyed to the point of losing feeling. I really don't fancy the idea of paralyzing myself.

And I'd still like to see what you were talking about the 4 weeks of training. Please, prove me wrong. I would be so happy if they changed their training program. 11 days is not nearly enough training in my opinion.

It has not changed. I thought it ironic that I was looking at THIS thread and decided to go grab the mail from the box. What did I find? My conditional employment offer as a STUDENT DRIVER! When I read it, I thought, they must think I'm an experienced driver. I re-read it two more times and it appears that 17 days (3 days Orientation +3 days Training & Development +11 days OTR = 17) is the TOTAL length of the training. I have my B Class, and have driven school and charter buses, but this is a large, heavy, pivoting vehicle! Seems scary (to train for such a short time) but at the same time exhilarating! Am I crazy? I would imagine the training could last for 12-16 hrs to fit it all in. Chickie Monster please tell me thats the case. And if you wanted more time why did they end it after 7 days? Next stop... Chickie Monster's training diary lol.

There are a variety of Paid CDL Training Programs to choose from and they all have a different structure for their training. Some are only a few weeks, where some like Prime, Inc will last several months.

After graduating from school I only went on the road with a trainer for two weeks before going solo. Schneider National also has a very short training program before you go solo.

If you would prefer a longer program just have a look around and speak with a bunch of companies. Find something you're comfortable with. But the reality is that no one feels prepared to go solo when it's time. The learning curve is really steep those first few months and you're going to make a lot of mistakes. Your backing will be terrible for a while. You just have to ease your way through it. It's the same for everyone. Training is only going to give you enough practice and information to get you out there solo where you'll learn the overwhelming majority of your driving skills and savvy.

I read every post on this thread not realizing it was from 8mo ago. I want to know what happened!!! Is this guy still around? What happened with his time at Trans Am?

I read every post on this thread not realizing it was from 8mo ago. I want to know what happened!!! Is this guy still around? What happened with his time at Trans Am?

Yes I am still around. I drove for Trans Am for 4 months. I was offered a local driving job in January driving flatbed for a lumber company. I'm making more money than I did with Trans Am. Plus I'm home everynight and off on weekends. I enjoyed my time with Trans Am but have 5 kids between the ages of 6-12. My youngest asked me to quit so he could spend more time with me. So I did!

While at Trans Am I was gone 4-5 weeks at a time and only home 2-3 days at a time. I talked to my kids everynight and they lived getting post cards from all the different places I went. But spending time with them was much more important to me.

If anyone has questions bout Trans Am I will do my best to answer them.

I am bumping this thread because it brings up a topic that I believe is important for both rookie drivers and experienced drivers to consider.

One problem I have with some of the comments is the notion that drivers should consider the risks a company takes. In a perfect world, yes, every driver would consider such before making any decision. But, this isn't a perfect world. Most of us are just trying to survive in the best way we can. I do believe in leaving a company on good terms and not burning bridges, but I am not sold on the idea that a driver possesses some character flaw because he/she pursues the best vocational opportunities available in order to support his/her family as well as he/she can. Does this mean job hopping? Most definitely not. At the same time, I don't think a person should feel obligated to remain at any company for any specific duration of time.

I do intend to remain at a company for at least a year, once my own opportunity comes. It's for that reason that I am going to be very careful in selecting where I agree to attend orientation once the offer(s) arrive. I have my list of preferred companies, so I will make sure that I have definitive responses from each of those top preferred companies before considering any offer from a company on my list of 2nd tier companies.

The OP of this thread probably jumped the gun in agreeing to attend orientation with TransAm while he still had other applications pending. But, if after really giving it everything a driver has he just isn't able to make the kind of money that he needs, let's say after 4 months, should a driver be expected to have his family suffer in the name of loyalty? I understand that there is a solid argument for "Yes." Here is an important question: When a carrier begins having trouble meeting its own financial obligations, does this carrier remain loyal to all drivers who are doing a satisfactory job? I think all can agree that it's "No." So, why the need for a driver to remain loyal even has the finances just aren't working.

I realize that the easy response to the question posed in the previous paragraph is to say that there is no guarantee that the pay would be better at the next company. I totally agree. My rebuttal is then to state that when financial obligations are not being sufficiently met, it's stupid to be doggedly committed to a job that just isn't providing sufficient income. There are some important nuances here to consider. One, if a person goes in expecting $50k+ pay right away and has such a financial need, then that person isn't ready to make the transition to trucking yet. Two, if a person is just a couple hundred $/month shy of what is needed, then adjustments can be made to accommodate less than desirable pay for a period of time. So, the situation I present that necessitates strong consideration for switching to another company (or another opportunity with the same company?) is a driver who had realistic income expectations and reality is far below the realistic expectations.

Anyway, I know that many experienced drivers will have much to say in disagreement, as my thoughts are probably not the most popular among members of this forum. I will try my best to wear my thick skin and hopefully any discussion may be robust, civil, and respectful.

~Kerry

Kerry, we have an extensive collection of materials on this subject. In fact, a sizeable portion of our materials will help you understand this a little better. So I'm not going to create new materials just yet. Instead, I'll point you to four amazing resources we already have. Look this over and then come back with any questions you may have and we'll be happy to clarify.

As you go through these materials, ask yourself, "What can I learn about the trucking industry that might change my point of view on this subject?" I believe you'll discover quite a list of excellent reasons to stick with your first company for a minimum of one full year no matter what:

Episode 4: Why Stick With Your First Company One Full Year?

The Benefits Of Staying With Your Starter Company Beyond One Year

Four Traps That New Truck Drivers Fall Into

What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver

We're not suggesting that anyone sacrifice their health, nor their mental, physical, or financial wellbeing for the sake of staying with one company for an extended period. What we're suggesting is that it's in your best interest to do so. Once you understand the big picture of how the trucking industry works and what it takes to be successful in this industry, you'll see the logic behind our philosophy.