I Bet You Wont Click... 1st Time Posting.
Topic 22972 | Page 1
Carolina Cargo is a good company. There are a few here, that work, or have worked for them. PTL is also a good place to work.
One rule of thumb, especially in the trucking industry : take company reviews with a 1/4 grain of salt. 90% of the complaints are by people that failed, and refuse to accept personal responsibility for their careers.
Well that is good news to me then. I was caught off guard by the high number of bad reviews I found while looking into them. If anyone knows the people on the forum who work for there now or in the past I would love to talk with them.
Carolina Cargo is a good company. There are a few here, that work, or have worked for them. PTL is also a good place to work.
One rule of thumb, especially in the trucking industry : take company reviews with a 1/4 grain of salt. 90% of the complaints are by people that failed, and refuse to accept personal responsibility for their careers.
Hey Jesse, I think what you really need to decide is if you want to be a team driver or a solo driver. I'm pretty sure most of Carolina Cargo's drivers are running as teams - two people in the truck, and the truck is rolling most of the time. At PTL you are much more likely to land a solo gig.
Just ignore the bad reviews. I started at Western Express. The reviews had me fearing I was going to work for Satan's spawn. People who can't seem to make it as truck drivers would certainly make great fiction writers!
Trucking isn't an easy career to get started in, and consequently the hordes of people who screw up their opportunities at it never understand the real reasons for their demise. They lash out at the company and leave a demoralizing trail of nonsense that keeps morphing itself into legendary indictments of cruelty and greed against the corporate tyrants. It's completely bogus stuff written by lackluster wannabes who couldn't even come close to filling the shoes of the true professionals who are out here getting it done on a regular basis.
Jesse, you already know you've got to really prove yourself. Don't let those strikes against you hold you back. Wherever you get started make sure you understand the principles we teach for being a Top Tier Driver. Execute those practices flawlessly and the sky will be the limit for your success. Always remember that this job is much Like A Competition. The movers and shakers become the winners.
Hang around in here and spend some time participating in, or at least reading, the conversations and the other resources available. Every little bit of good information you can arm yourself with will greatly help you avoid being fooled by the Terminal Rats.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Just ignore the bad reviews. I started at Western Express. The reviews had me fearing I was going to work for Satan's spawn. People who can't seem to make it as truck drivers would certainly make great fiction writers!
Thanks Old School! I would definitely prefer to be solo. I just listened to the podcast about Terminal Rats... didn't even think about that as I was reading all the reviews.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Hey Jesse,
I'm just up the interstate in Chipley. Good luck/.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
That's awesome Bill. Chipley is where I am going to CDL school in August. Going to be commuting to Florida Panhandle Technical College for 8 weeks.
Hey Jesse,
I'm just up the interstate in Chipley. Good luck/.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
That's awesome Bill. Chipley is where I am going to CDL school in August. Going to be commuting to Florida Panhandle Technical College for 8 weeks.
Hey Jesse,
I'm just up the interstate in Chipley. Good luck/.
That's where I got my CDL. Went through Aug-Oct it was hot as hell. Drink lots of water and be prepared to sweat your tail off. Say hi to Kevin and Otis for me, if they are still teaching...
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Have you tried CFI. They would give you a shot. They would also train you for free. You would just have to drive for them for one year. Easy peasy. I was trained by them and have been solo with them for over a year. You have to get your DOT medical and CDL permit first, however they will reimburse you for the costs of those. In the Training Diaries section you can find several CFI training diaries, including mine. You can search CFI or any company in our search bar at the top of this page. We have someone here who got his start with Carolina Cargo. He loved his time there.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
That's awesome Bill. Chipley is where I am going to CDL school in August. Going to be commuting to Florida Panhandle Technical College for 8 weeks.
Hey Jesse,
I'm just up the interstate in Chipley. Good luck/.
That's where I got my CDL. Went through Aug-Oct it was hot as hell. Drink lots of water and be prepared to sweat your tail off. Say hi to Kevin and Otis for me, if they are still teaching...
Wow, very cool to meet someone local on here already. I did get to talk to Kevin briefly when I was getting ready to enroll. I will tell them!! :)
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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Just kidding with the subject line to get attention hopefully. I have been on the site for about three months and have been amazed at all the great resources. Thank you to all who put this together! I went through the High Road Training (permit portions) and breezed through the tests to get my permit with a tanker and double/triple endorsement. I have just enrolled in CDL school at a local tech college (far cheaper than many other schools I looked at) and start August 13th, 2018 to finish on October 18th, 2018. I do have a criminal record but that life is pretty far behind me now. I did have one incident in a fight with the wife in 2016 but the charges were dropped... everything else is all over 10 years old including two felonies. Finding work isn't anything new to me and I have felt the sting from my old life come to haunt me a few times. My employment record has been great for the past 7 years though and I have some great references. I have done a lot of scouring the internet about trucking companies that will hire me and I have already started filling out some applications. I have a friend who works for Werner that also might be able to help me out. My question for you guys... I have heard horror stories about the two companies that will almost definitely give me a shot (Carolina Cargo and Paschall Truck Lines) but I am wanting to get in somewhere that I can stay with for years to come. I would like to learn well and develop as a driver in a good environment. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance for taking the time to reply!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: