Decisions, Decisions

I meant to add that the word is driving solo with Prime is going to get you up to the northeast a lot, that the west coast is reserved for teams. Perhaps somebody like Rainy could confirm or deny.

When I was running solo I got out to the west coast quite a bit!

Oh...and I really don't see a lot of the NE either. Guess it just depends.

From my time here on the site it seems a lot of you are with Prime.

Who is this by the way? LOL. I heard about Russ, and Shaquan. Jay and I are best friends. He is no longer at Gypsum either, they told him the nerve damage in his hand was a problem since it is flatbed work

This is Corey. I'm not a very memorable person, especially when my forum avatar is broken and I haven't gotten around to fixing it.

Is Jay still trucking?

Ok I have to plug CFI here. But first, you don't "need, per diem to make up extra money. Some companies offer it, some don't. CFI doesn't.

CFI has a pet policy. It's a $500.00 pet deposit. The states I haven't been to yet are Montana, The Dakotas, RI, Conn, Mass, NH, VT and ME. I have not been to Canada yet as I don't have a passport. $1200.00 per month is $300.00 week. If that's all your making, your doing something wrong. I don't think any company will let you take your dog to training. I am very happy with CFI. As I've said many times, I love their hometime policy. We are paid on dispatch, so the money is in your pay before you deliver. They reimburse for your CDL , endorsements and medical. They pay for training with a 12 month commitment. If you go to Northeast you get an extra 5 CPM for those miles. The load I'm on is going from SC to OH, I'm get $3 and change for Northeast pay because I'm driving through a state that they consider Northeast.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have. Good luck.

Ok I have to plug CFI here.

Of course, you do, LOL. You are awesome Big Scott. Like I said, I don't know if I should stop researching. CFI is still on my list, I haven't finished researching. I have a place for my dog for a maximum of 3-4 months for training. After that, though I will need to have her with me pretty much all the time.

$1200.00 per month is $300.00 week. If that's all your making, your doing something wrong.

That is what I assumed also Big Scott, but when you do the math taking out insurance costs, and such the amount you are left with can potentially be $300 a week. I'm just wondering what kind of miles will pay that after taxes. If it is a small amount as I learn, then that is fine, probably do more than that if I can. I fear the potential of getting put off for a day or 2 a week just because I advise them that I'm learning.

Guys/Gals, I'm not afraid to run hard and work hard...I promise that, but I typically don't like to disappoint myself or other people just because I need to take some extra time to learn.

I'm probably over thinking this way too much. Instead, I need to worry about driver care, maintenance, company policies, and putting my bottom line at like $0.35 - 0.38 CPM and just accepting what I get.

I've been telling you you're overthinking this for a while. You've done a lot of overthinking since then.

First of all, you're going to make way over $1,200/month anywhere you go. So don't worry about that.

If you want to run most of the 48 states your best bet is refrigerated work, but refrigerated carriers tend to run quite a bit of Northeast. Jim Palmer is more Western-based than most refrigerated carriers, in part because the same people own Wil-Trans , based out of Missouri, and they tend to run Wil-Trans to the East more than they do Jim Palmer which is based out of Montana.

I don't know how much Northeast you'll see with Knight. You'll see a good bit with Prime.

There are others that look real interesting like Halvor Lines, Navajo Express, Crete/Shaffer, and WEL.

I don't know the specifics of their routing so I'm really not sure.

I know you have some trucking experience already but not a whole lot. I feel most new drivers spend way, way too much time analyzing companies because they feel the company is going to be the deciding factor in how well things go for them. That's simply not the case with the major carriers. If you run hard, you're safe, you make your appointments on time, and you communicate well with dispatch you're going to rack up huge miles anywhere you work. If your performance falls short you're going to get lousy miles anywhere you work.

All of the major carriers pay well, have new equipment, and have tons of miles available. Choose one you feel suits you well and put in one solid year with them. After a year you'll know if there's something you're looking for in trucking that your company simply doesn't offer and you can move on to one that does. No big deal. In the meantime you're still going to make solid money and gain valuable experience working for any one of the elite companies in the nation.

I'm guessing you still haven't applied to any of these companies? If not, you have no idea if they're even going to offer you a position or not. For instance, are you working right now? You don't have to answer that for me, but Prime historically won't hire anyone who hasn't been working in the past few months. It used to be 6 months but I don't know if they've changed that policy or not.

Also, you started with Schneider back in 2016 but only lasted a few months. Regardless of the reason, some companies aren't going to like that. They're going to see you as a higher risk and might pass on you for that reason.

From the information you've given and the companies you've mentioned it seems Jim Palmer might be your best option but they are famously rather picky about who they hire. Their requirements are not difficult to meet but they aren't as large as many of the other majors so they don't bring in massive amounts of drivers all the time. They do turn away quite a few people who are actually qualified to work there.

So I still think you're spending a ton of time researching companies from the sidelines instead of applying to these companies to see who offers you a position and then speaking directly with their recruiters about all of your questions and concerns.

The company doesn't make the driver. The driver succeeds or fails on their own merits in this industry. These companies are all elite companies. They are all well into the upper 1% of successful carriers in this nation. You're only looking to get a solid year under your belt with the company you choose and then you'll know enough about the industry to know if you're in the right place or not. You're not going to go wrong with any of them.

You already know the basics of what you're looking for. Apply to any companies that seem to offer those things and see who offers you a position.

For anyone who doesn't know you can apply to 7 different paid CDL training programs right here at TruckingTruth with one short form. You can find it here:

Apply For Paid CDL Training

When did you say you were going to actually start?

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

• Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
• Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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.

Wil-Trans:

Darrel Wilson bought his first tractor in 1980 at age 20, but, being too young to meet OTR age requirements, he leased the truck out and hired a driver.

Through growth and acquisition, Wil-Trans now employs over 200 drivers, and has a long-standing partnership with Prime, Inc. to haul their refrigerated freight. The family of businesses also includes Jim Palmer Trucking and O & S Trucking.

Analysis paralysis? Not quite but close...

Jason,... Brett astutley pointed out; "it's the person who makes the driver, not the company". Good drivers; committed, focused professionals can be successful no matter who they drive for. It's a common, recurring theme in this forum.

Jason wrote:

I've had a couple of companies that pop out to me extremely strong. I really like what I'm seeing, but I'm not sure if it is a "to good to be true" scenario, but I still have several other companies I haven't finished researching.

What exactly do you think is "too good to be true"? You've already got some experience (thus you should have a fairly good BS detector), and have the added benefit of 24x7 access to this forum. I've read your entire thread and haven't read what pieces of each prospective employer fall into the "too good to be true" category. Offer your concerns about your top 3-4 companies and I can guarantee you'll get truthful answers.

Jason continued:

Did any of you during your research hit a wall or obstacle where you could have potentially chose the wrong company?

Honestly, no. I put a stake in the ground when I got serious about this with a two week target. I did not know about this website when I did my research, however two career trucker friends served as my mentors and sounding board. I had 3 finalists, Swift got the nod because of their training, a personal friend's recommendation, and the amount of varying opportunities in the NorthEast. No regrets. Five plus years later,...I'm still there. Until you are with a carrier beyond a year, you'll never understand how good they actually are.

Obviously you are over thinking this. IMO the issue here is a fear of repeating what happened with Schneider. Somehow, they left a sour taste in your mouth. Continuing to research all these companies will not address that underlying concern. You've got multiple companies matching your desires. Get on with it...commit, make it work and don't look back.

Good luck!

I always love it when you reply Brett, thanks so much. Sometimes I need that tough straight to the point talking to.

I'm guessing you still haven't applied to any of these companies? If not, you have no idea if they're even going to offer you a position or not. For instance, are you working right now? You don't have to answer that for me, but Prime historically won't hire anyone who hasn't been working in the past few months. It used to be 6 months but I don't know if they've changed that policy or not.

I applied to Prime last night, and I have contacted Jim Palmer who asked me to apply then let them know. No, I'm not working because I'm not allowed to on my VA IU Disability, I was never asked that I remember, so that is why you never got an answer, sorry.

Also, you started with Schneider back in 2016 but only lasted a few months. Regardless of the reason, some companies aren't going to like that. They're going to see you as a higher risk and might pass on you for that reason.

I have called Schneider and Swift, as well as a couple of others I can't remember who they were because they didn't fit my needs. With all of those and Jim Palmer, unless the recruiters are blowing smoke up my butt, they have all told me it isn't a huge deal but could make it happen and get me in.

I agree with you Brett, I just didn't want to apply to 30 different companies, I wanted to narrow it down. I guess I will just start making calls to all of them and then go from there to narrow it down for applications.

Thanks again Brett.

Thanks, G-Town. That is what I need to do. I agree. I'm going to start making calls and doing applications today, no if's, and's, or but's. I've already said that I'm committing to return and that I won't let other things get in my way. My brain got in the way, Thanks so much guys I needed the kick in the A** so to speak.