Looking For Some Trucking Company Leads

My wife and I will be beginning our CDL training in about a month and are trying to expand our list of potential future employers. We've done a great deal of research over the past year regarding the industry as a whole, including talking to friends currently driving, but are now seeking to broaden the list of companies which may be a good fit for us. Options are good of course! As I know this cannot be adequately answered without it, I'll provide some of our personal details without giving you a boring resume.

First the non-issues: *Zero drug or alcohol issues. *Clean driving records (school has us calling to clear some old things but say our records will be "clean") *No criminal records of any sort. *No health concerns that we are aware of. (Both of us are in our early forties) *No relationship or togetherness issues (We've run our own business for nearly a decade and have been joined at the hip 24/7 for that time, half of that time we've lived in the tight confines of a boat.) *Possess passports if needed.

What we are seeking in an employer: (Aside from the obvious decent pay, equipment and miles available.)

*To drive OTR dry van , or reefer , as a husband/wife team (preferably getting through training and to that point as rapidly, but as safely, as possible.) *Pet policy (My wife, and myself as well honestly, are unwilling to part with our little 14 lb family member.) *Ability to operate from and take our home time in the Monterey area of California. (Salinas is 20 minutes from our home and an apparent hub for many.) *Minimal touch freight. (Prefer not to have my wife committed to unloading.)

At this point we have one company that is our target employer but we are in the early stages of course. We'd greatly appreciate any company leads that you feel may be a good fit for us. Thanks!

Hi check these links out....

Paid CDL Training Programs

Trucking Company Reviews

I drive for Prime and you can train separately then team together. There is a $1000 pet fee....one pet up to 30 pounds.

Reefer , tanker, flatbed available.

Only touch freight is flower loads and teams do run them, but not on a regular basis.

You can pretty much take home time anywhere in the country and take truck with you.

I'll add that Prime pays very well to new drivers and have great equipment. The truck I had at Prime is my favorite truck that I've had since I started driving.

The pet deposit is high but you can make payments. I had my Chihuahua mix with me and got my pet deposit back when I left.

Larry, Rainy have you the info your looking for.

Here's a heads up: several of the company sponsored training will get husband/wife couples in "Two for the price of one"! Be street to ask about this. I know Swift does it

Which company is at the top of your list? You'll get more specific advice if we know that. And maybe a few "Howdys" from drivers already on that team.

Our first choice at this point in time is US Xpress. That comes both due to the fact that it appears to be a good fit for us but also because we've heard and read good reviews from husband/wife teams that have worked for them. I have a background in commercial diving (diving not driving) and entered that field during a time of high demand. That industry was similar to trucking in that getting hired involved recruiters and information provided was often embellished (putting it nicely). While I've spent a great deal of time looking through company profiles here on Truckingtruth, I welcome hearing from those who actually have some time and familiarity with the given companies.

I am surprised by the drastic variances in training time required with each company. I'm aware of the time required by US Xpress and have friends, a husband/wife team who both went to school and got employed together, who work for Schneider and were required to spend considerably less time in training. We're definitely gonna look further into Prime but it appears that ten weeks is required even for previous CDL holders. At this point we have CDL school arranged through the WIA program and are just waiting approval to get started. Gotta figure out how to make this work out for us and get back to earning paychecks.

Our first choice at this point in time is US Xpress. That comes both due to the fact that it appears to be a good fit for us but also because we've heard and read good reviews from husband/wife teams that have worked for them. I have a background in commercial diving (diving not driving) and entered that field during a time of high demand. That industry was similar to trucking in that getting hired involved recruiters and information provided was often embellished (putting it nicely). While I've spent a great deal of time looking through company profiles here on Truckingtruth, I welcome hearing from those who actually have some time and familiarity with the given companies.

I am surprised by the drastic variances in training time required with each company. I'm aware of the time required by US Xpress and have friends, a husband/wife team who both went to school and got employed together, who work for Schneider and were required to spend considerably less time in training. We're definitely gonna look further into Prime but it appears that ten weeks is required even for previous CDL holders. At this point we have CDL school arranged through the WIA program and are just waiting approval to get started. Gotta figure out how to make this work out for us and get back to earning paychecks.

ALL companies are going to train you even after you have the CDL. The training at prime with the CDL is an accumulation of truck miles...so if you and the trainer run 5,000 miles per week as a team, then you will upgrade to your own truck after week six...if the truck runs less you take longer, truck runs more you get done faster.

Also it can depends on your driving skills. If you have an accident while in training they can add miles depending on the severity. But usually those are pretty serious accidents, so don't hit anything.

While in this training you make $700 gross per week. Then solo is .41cpm, and team I think is the same .41cpm for the truck which you then split...so basically 20cpm. Anything after 3500/gets the truck an extra 10cpm...so you'd each make 25cpm on miles after 3500, 20 CPM on below 3500/miles.

So...say you run 5,000 miles as a team once you both upgrade. 41cpm x 3500 = $1452. Then 51cpm x 1500= $772

$772 + $1452= $2224 for the truck for the week. Divided by two, you both get $1112 per week gross. Miles will vary week to week. You get no pay for home time.

Now...had you been a CDL holder with experience the story would be completely different. The training would be shorter.

And believe me, you need and should want the training. So fire away with any questions.

If one of you upgraded before the other that one can drive solo until the other upgraded. And no, they won't train you both on the same truck cause that would out three people living on a closet for weeks...not good.

Don't get me wrong, we fully expect and absolutely want the company training after school. I'm simply surprised at how much that training seems to differ from one company to the next. Our friends at Schneider, who both had no prior experience other than school, said that once they arrived at Schneider they had one week of class, followed by a week on the road with a trainer, followed by another week of class before they were cut loose. They've been driving with Schneider for over two years now and are currently running doubles. US Xpress training requires 3-5 weeks, as I understand it, which includes a 3 day orientation with the rest being time on the road with a trainer. The ten weeks for Prime is probably nothing but a good thing, especially with the reasonable training pay, it's just considerably longer than the others I've been quoted. Honestly, there is some nervousness on the part of my wife to actually be on the road 24/7 with a stranger in such a confined space for that long though. There are also some seemingly sill aspects such as our being apart for two and a half months and finding accommodations for the dog. Ultimately we'll do what we have to do though and Prime is definitely a company we're interested in.

As a woman, I can say I never felt unsafe...and I had one trainer who was a chain smoking man. (His wife got sick and he quit to be home). The next was a nonsmoking man becoming a woman... The third was a jerk....but not in a sexually offensive way.

Prime actually has a higher percentage of women than most companies, we have a "female driver liasion" who is really sweet, and if you report problems they get taken care of...you can switch trainers.

IF she requested a female trainer, its possible to get one but the wait might be longer than for a male. No matter whether you are male or female, it is tough being with a stranger in their truck/home. However the trainers want you to pass and upgrade...not only for you but for the big bonuses they get.

When you hang out in the terminals...or on this site...regardless of what company you choose...be sure to get drivers phone numbers so you have support 24/7 and can ask questions about what is normal or not.

I probably would have told you to get your CDL first and wait til you are eligible to train her. Then problem solved.

A lot of our men train their wives. But....some couples can't handle that either. I know of a few who left one spouse at a truck stop a d drive away hahaha

My trainer gave me a call to thank me for $150 bonus he got off of me for me doing so well.

Our trainers get big bonuses...$850 if you pass on the first shot...student gets $250 if pass on first shot. Trainer gets $500 if pass at all.

So they WANT you to pass. And they get bonuses if you upgrade to solo then stay six months and then a year. They figure if you make it that Kong you were trained really well. If you seal trainers the first one doesn't get the bonus.