Finished First Week Of Schneider Orientation

Jeff, I'd just go with the flow,and team for a bit. It will get you out with someone you know a bit, and the company will see that you are flexable and agreeable when needed. That will do you alot of good in the long run. But be sure and tattoo on thier eyeballs that you do not want to team...and i'd give them a reasonable time frame...like 2-3 weeks. You can do that easily, and its a reasonable time frame for them...Good Luck !!

Thank you Miss :-). BTW, nice legs you got there :-).

This was my original thinking for going with the team: so I could get on their good side and start off on the right foot, but then later I was thinking that maybe they would have preferred if I said I’d wait then they could turn around and give the truck to my friend. He’s 48 states and I’m western regional , plus he’s way younger than me. I’ve always understood that 48 state drivers are more valued than regional.

There are a lot of possible angles here and I wanted to be a truck driver so I could work alone and avoid office politics. It seems I could be right in the middle of it now though. Maybe I just overthink things. Thanks.

Yeah, you're definitely over-thinking it. Trucking companies don't sit around thinking about things like, "Well this guy is in this region, and that guy wouldn't team, and this guy wears funny shirts", etc, etc when they're handing out equipment. A truck becomes available and the person assigning equipment gives it to the next person on the priority list.

If they said they were just giving you the opportunity to drive instead of waiting, but you don't mind waiting, then wait. They'll have a truck available soon. Believe me, a ton of drivers quit each year at Christmas time. The company will come up with a truck soon enough.

It sounds like it's your call though. I honestly doubt they care either way.

Yeah, you're definitely over-thinking it. Trucking companies don't sit around thinking about things like, "Well this guy is in this region, and that guy wouldn't team, and this guy wears funny shirts", etc, etc when they're handing out equipment. A truck becomes available and the person assigning equipment gives it to the next person on the priority list.

If they said they were just giving you the opportunity to drive instead of waiting, but you don't mind waiting, then wait. They'll have a truck available soon. Believe me, a ton of drivers quit each year at Christmas time. The company will come up with a truck soon enough.

It sounds like it's your call though. I honestly doubt they care either way.

Thanks for clearing that up Brett. I was driving myself crazy overanalyzing. The DBL said that it would be an opportunity for me to start earning some money right away instead of waiting. I should have just accepted that at face value. Thank you.

Like I said, it is up to you really. I highly highly doubt they will "fire" you after putting you through 3-4 weeks of training and spending tens of thousands of dollars training you.

I think you can look at it from a different angle as well. Your DBL understands you want to make money so he/she offered you a way to do it. I don't think he/she is testing you to see if you are lazy. You will have plenty of time to prove yourself a hard worker when you start running loads in your truck.

On the issue of the truck, you will get what is available. One guy in my orientation class got an almost brand new Cascadia because that was what was available at his OC when he finished SQT. I got a 2008 Columbia, but I loved it and had no issues. So don't let that be a deciding factor, it is a non-issue I think.

Like I said, it is up to you really. I highly highly doubt they will "fire" you after putting you through 3-4 weeks of training and spending tens of thousands of dollars training you.

I think you can look at it from a different angle as well. Your DBL understands you want to make money so he/she offered you a way to do it. I don't think he/she is testing you to see if you are lazy. You will have plenty of time to prove yourself a hard worker when you start running loads in your truck.

On the issue of the truck, you will get what is available. One guy in my orientation class got an almost brand new Cascadia because that was what was available at his OC when he finished SQT. I got a 2008 Columbia, but I loved it and had no issues. So don't let that be a deciding factor, it is a non-issue I think.

Thanks Dave. It makes sense.

Just an update, I spoke to my DBL yesterday and told him that I wasn’t strapped for cash and I didn’t mind waiting for a truck. He didn’t seem happy about that at all which seems strange considering that his reason for wanting me to team was so I could earn some money right away. The fact that I seemed to have solved his problem by being able to wait should have been welcome news, but oddly it wasn’t. I mentioned that his reason for teaming me was so I could earn money right away and then he said “well, I don’t want you to forget everything you learned”. I assured him that I wouldn’t forget. He said he was going to talk to the other drivers about teaming and we hung up.

I called back about 15 minutes later and told him that I would be willing to travel to another OC at my expense to pick up a truck. He said it wasn’t a question of operating centers because he gets his equipment from other OCs. His attitude was a little friendlier and he said “don’t worry about this, we’ll figure you out”.

So that’s where I stand at the moment, and I haven’t heard anything today.

I talked to my TE (training engineer) about this and he said he thinks that Schneider is trying to transition into mostly team drivers. If I knew that I never would have applied at Schneider if teaming was my only option. Then he said that one of the DBLs just quit and possibly it’s easier to dispatch two drivers than a solo driver. My DBL never told me any of this stuff just that teaming would give me a chance to earn money right away.

I think about this and all I’m asking from Schneider is that they supply me with a truck, that’s it! The job I applied for was "western regional solo driver" and that was the job Schneider promised me upon completion of orientation. I did my part of the deal but Schneider changes the agreement at the end. I know how these things work. Me and partner would be out there teaming and making good money for the company and then Schneider says we want to keep you guys as a team. I knew if I didn’t take a stand in the beginning I’d be stuck as a team driver.

Now it probably looks as if I’m a difficult person to deal with and I might cause them further problems when all I want from Schneider is to supply me with a truck as per our agreement. Imagine that, me wanting a trucking company to supply me with a truck so I can earn money for myself and the company.

My TE suggested I should call every day but I don’t see the point, and it’s not my style. My DBL knows the situation and bugging him every day for a truck is not going to get me a truck any sooner, I don’t think.

I know this is a mess but any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

Your TE is correct call your dbl everyday. They have 50 to 80 trucks to deal with every hour of everyday.thats 50 to 160 drivers a day depending on teams on his fleet. If you don't call you can quickly be pushed to the back burner.

Your TE is correct call your dbl everyday. They have 50 to 80 trucks to deal with every hour of everyday.thats 50 to 160 drivers a day depending on teams on his fleet. If you don't call you can quickly be pushed to the back burner.

The fellow I’ve been dealing with is in charge of all the DBLs but I didn’t know his official job title. My TE told me that a DBL is like a dispatcher and the guy I’ve been talking to doesn’t do dispatching. I just called him a DBL because I didn’t know his official title, but I see your point. He’s more of an administrative type I would say and he doesn’t deal with lots of drivers and teams like a dispatcher would.

I’ll definitely call him Monday though. To call today after speaking to him yesterday seems too desperate to me. Thanks.

I’ve been thinking about my situation and I think I’m screwed. I probably should have just went along with what the manager wanted me to do even though what Schneider promised me was different. I should be thinking about gaining experience and suffering the slings and arrows silently. I know that teaming would be a disaster for me but that’s what they wanted me to do, and I suppose I should have just bit my lip and went along with it with an eye on the future.

The ideal Schneider driver is just someone who does what he's told and that’s it.

The other drivers who I was supposed to hop in the rental car with in Vegas and drive to French Camp OC were never told they would have to team up until after orientation either, but they just went and probably never complained about it. So if a truck ever becomes available who will they give it to. Likely not me.

I believed that my being willing to wait for a truck instead of teaming was a reasonable thing for me to put forth, especially since the only reason they gave me for teaming was so that I could start earning money right away. It also seemed reasonable for me to wait for a truck instead being miserable teaming for money I don't really need at the moment.

I’m feeling pretty bleak about the whole situation, disappointed, and wondering what my next move should be aside from calling them back. I really wanted to drive for Schneider but never expected to get blindsided by this team driving thing.

On the positive side I did learn a heck of a lot at Schneider’s orientation/ on the road training and I’m a pretty competent driver ready to go out on my own. I’m confident in my abilities to drive solo at this point. If I am correct about my having made a major mistake in Schneider’s eyes then it looks like I’ll have to find another company and go through another orientation. It’s a shame because I went through so much with Schneider to reach this point. And again, I really wanted to drive for this company, but I don’t want to team for any company, ever.

Jeff, I went through all your post again to make sure I had a good grasp of things. This whole situation is a good one and something that happens more than you think. Keeping us posted is really going to help.

First, you did NOTHING wrong. You applied for a job and were told you would be hired on as a solo driver. For them to come at you with the "team" driver things is wrong on their part. They know it too. Their is a great deal of politics in the trucking industry. They also tend to think that because they are hiring you that you should do exactly how they want it. That is NOT true.

Having good work ethic and integrity is one thing. Being a patsy is something all together different. One of the biggest things you will learn in this industry is how to speak up. If you don't you will be eaten alive.

I would stay in touch with them on a daily basis. That way they cannot put anything into your employment file that would suggest that you are a "NO SHOW". You have to keep your butt covered. If they don't want you hounding them, they need to give you a truck.

If this continues for another two weeks I would strongly suggest that you start looking for someone else to work for. I know you like them, but if they are going to lead you on in this manner then this is not the place you need to be. I don't care that they may be thinking of running teams only. You DO NOT advertise for a job and then change the job. That is wrong! I myself, would call them tomorrow and ask if I need to be looking for another job? If they say yes, then at least you are free to go on to the next chapter. You can then apply at another company, explaining why you are leaving Schneider and believe me, another trucking company will understand. The market is too big out there. The industry needs drivers.

DON'T SECOND GUESS YOUR SELF! YOU DID THE TRAINING. YOU DID ALL THAT THEY ASKED. IT IS TIME NOW FOR THEM TO DELIVER, SO YOU CAN TOO!

Good luck. keep us posted.