Dedicated Route Possibility, For A Beginner: How Uncommon?

I've been somewhat hesitant to comment on this because I really don't have enough information to give you the kind of advice you want/need. But, I guess that kind of answers your question a little bit in and of itself. Truth is, it's not terribly unusual for a brand new driver to land a nice dedicated gig right out of school and company training. It happened to my friend here at Swift who landed Miller Coors dedicated right away, it happened to another driver I know on the Target account with me, and it could possibly happen to you. Swift is not the only company that can get new drivers started on dedicated accounts right away--the other one I'm always hearing about Schneider.

Thing is, I don't know about this Online Transport company and no one else here seems to know either. Doesn't mean it's a bad option--you just don't have enough information to make a good informed decision. Especially considering, this is trucking. They may tell you something right away and really plan on putting you on that account, but then you are late to a customer during training and scrape one of their trailers up by accident. Now they don't want to put you on that account until you can go a few months with a clean slate.

Also, like G Town said, dedicated positions can be much more difficult for a newbie. I just started on a Target dedicated account. I've been driving for a year now and am skilled at backing and tight quarters maneuvering, and this position challenged me. I don't really want to think how difficult it would have been for me as a new driver. But I did meet another driver who was given the opportunity to try the account fresh out of training. It was quite a challenge for him, but he succeeded and is still on the account several months later.

Of course, many dedicated accounts are not that difficult. Both G and I service local retail stores, which as you might imagine is a challenge for anyone. The account I was on before this was much different. I could run tons of miles but the backing and maneuvering were a million times easier.

So, my advice...Try to get as much information as you can about this account. Also try to get a better idea if the recruiter knows for sure if you can get on this account, or if he's just...being a recruiter. Don't assume he's lying. It's probably more like, he himself doesn't necessarily know all the details and chances of you getting on. It sounds good and I personally think you have a decent chance of getting on it, but I don't KNOW that. Regardless, if you decide to pursue this position, I recommend that you prepare for the very real possibility of being "stuck" otr for longer than originally intended. Remember, as we always say,

"This is trucking."

I wish you the best!

I just want to say thanks for all the thoughts you've taken the trouble to share. I tried to get more information today, but it was a different person who didn't know. As I typically begin my season mid-January, the clock has probably wound-down about as far as I dare.

Ithel, I've thought a lot about your situation, and some of the replies in here. If I am out of line forgive me, but I think I may be right on target.

You seem like a really great guy who has had a business that he has really enjoyed, and that you really appreciate and like taking care of your clients. It also is a business that has suffered in recent years due to the availability of "free" tax services on line, which you have never mentioned, but I am sure that these services have limited your client base from ever growing, and you are stuck with the same old customers, some of whom are getting close to their demise, and yet they younger folks who would normally be using you are just going on line and taking care of their taxes that way.

One of the responses talked about how your business was an asset, but I am afraid it has become a liability and that is why you are even looking in a new direction. I was a former business owner for most of my life. I had a really good business which eventually took a downward turn and I decided it was no longer worth it for me to keep fighting the trends that were changing it. It was a very difficult decision for me, and I kind of see you going through the whole process of making this difficult decision to stop doing something that you have enjoyed doing for years, yet it just isn't serving the purpose of providing for your family anymore. I know how tough that is, and I applaud you for trying to make a decision for your families future.

I'm just going to tell you that as bitter a decision it can be, to close a struggling business, it is like taking ten thousand pounds of stress off of your shoulders. Listen to your wife, and swallow your stubborn resistance. Slowly and surely you will be glad you made the right choice. You will feel liberated, a feeling you have not known for a long time due to the burden of your struggling enterprise.

I realize that a smart business person would be able to turn my business into a commodity that could be sold, but I am not that person. The one thing that has allowed me even what success I have had is personal service. When someone calls me for help, it's me they get, not an intern or a seasonal temp. Aside from that, with the liabilities in the tax industry being so outsized compared to the compensation, I would be exceedingly reluctant to turn things over to a helper. I think the process of double-checking someone's work would take me longer, honestly, than simply doing it myself. I realize the tax chains do it differently, for that is where I started before setting out on my own a decade ago. I also have pretty deeply held philosophical objections about earning money off someone else's labor. Again, I realize that is an extreme minority outlook that few would agree with, but it is nevertheless a line I would not willingly cross. That's not necessarily a line that is crossed by a finder's fee, but it does give me pause.

Having said all that, I did finally reach someone at Online Transport today who was able to answer my questions. It is a no-touch situation, 7pm-7am four nights a week, with overtime pay. It can be any night. All that was a plus. But I asked about how long the trips were.... it turns out this is entirely warehouse to factory to warehouse, all within the same little city about five miles from home. So correct me if I'm wrong, but this sort of work would not even count as driving experience if somewhere down the road I applied for a different kind of trucking? That's my understanding from what I've read here on your forums. She also said she was surprised that anyone had proposed that particular driving account to me, as normally 6-month experience was required. She said there was no guarantee it would be available, as they had several other applicants already. Their training is once a month, and I've just missed it for this month. The next training begins Feb. 13th and lasts seven weeks, pushing this out to near the end of March.

Old School, your post was such a relief to me, honestly. The factors in play aren't precisely what you've described, but they come pretty close. The personal stress has never been higher, and if I could have sorted things out more quickly, my decision would be clear. But given the above, I feel I've backed myself into a corner so far as the current tax season is concerned. I'll just do everything I can to take care of my clients one more season then revisit my options in May. The writing is on the wall, as they say. But if I can get through this season, at least I can go into that transition with some cash on-hand.

I can't begin to say how much I have appreciated these thoughtful and genuinely helpful replies. Nothing was out of line, and I thank you very much. I wish I'd found this forum back in August rather than late November.