RECENTLY GOT MY CDL. TRYING TO DECIDE ON A COMPANY....HELP! LOL
Topic 24090 | Page 1
Also 1 of the main things that is attracting me to TMC is their training. 7 weeks is how long I thought my CDL class should have been. 7 weeks AFTER you get your CDL is excellent to me....and hopefully someone that actually works for TMC reads this: do they have the option of having a route that would have me home everyday or @ least multiple times a week? Of course not starting off, I definitely wanna hit that road but that may have to be an option for me in the future.
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.
I also plan on having my tanker/hazmat endorsements by the time I go with a company.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
OK Rookmaster-
I don't work for TMC, but I think that some of the others on here do. From what I hear they are an excellent company. You are going to be hard pressed to find any of these companies to have you home everyday or even every two days. Most of the big companies will have you out at the very least 21 days. Now if you want local work maybe you might find it there in SC. But most are going to want some time OTR. And if you haven't worked for anyone since you got your CDL , then don't wait too long on that. And as far as you get a tanker gig, I don't recommend it. You're too green. Tankers are whole new ballgame! I did fuel tankers for 3 years and chemical tankers for 4 years. I never did food grade. And even that is a whole new animal to fuel and chemical tankers. There is a surge that can ruin your day. You had better have 15 eyes on everything that is going on with them. I am not saying not to get the endorsements, just not utilize them yet until you get some experience under your belt.
So if you want to be home everyday then you had better look locally. Maybe you have small kids at home or a new wife, then I understand. You could try: CEVA Logistics-1-866-951-7169. They seem to be out of SC. And say they can have you home daily.
Raptor
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.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
annnnnnd the percentage pay. Which according to almost ALL of yall is the way to go
Really? I’ve never gotten that impression here.
Getting your own truck is a selling point for you? You do realize most otr outfits will give you your own truck?
If you want to get home weekly with one of the major flatbed outfits (Tmc, Roehl, McElroy, etc.), you are going to have to see if they have a dedicated route in your area.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Don’t get too enamored over percentage pay. We had a member here that did percentage pay and did meticulous notes. He figured out the mileage pay and percentage pay pretty much equal out in the end. Imagine that, they are paying drivers the same. Some weeks he did better on percentage then he would of done on mileage other weeks worse. In the end it was pretty much even.
Yeah the own truck had me scratching my head. Some companies like CRST are team only but most you will be solo.
Prime has one of the longest training programs and at the highest pay. You will do 40,000 team miles which will take 8 to 10 weeks depending on hometime and miles run per week. If you and the trainer choose to stay on the trainers truck longer you can.
we have different divisions too so if flatbed isnt for you, you can switch to reefer. we do have tanker but i wouldnt try that until you have a year.
You need to get a job soon though because after 3 months your 160 hour certificate will get stale and you will need to do school all over again at a company!
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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.
I've just done two weeks at Schneider and am very happy with the experience. Wasn't easy, but I was well taken care of. Schneider has many benefits and a robust support system. Pay per miles is only part of the overall equation.
@Raptor: Oh I definitely plan on going on the road @ 1st. I was just asking for future reference in case of life changes. and yeah I'm just getting the tanker endorsements now. I wanna get some experience before I go there. Thanks for the info about CEVA. I'll keep that for future reference if need be.
annnnnnd the percentage pay. Which according to almost ALL of yall is the way to go
Really? I’ve never gotten that impression here.
Getting your own truck is a selling point for you? You do realize most otr outfits will give you your own truck?
If you want to get home weekly with one of the major flatbed outfits (Tmc, Roehl, McElroy, etc.), you are going to have to see if they have a dedicated route in your area.
I really didnt because the few times I've seen somebody talking about TMC that's 1 of the main things they mention. How TMC gives you your own truck that stays with you. But I haven't seen it mentioned when other companies are talked about so I thought you may have to switch out trucks at the terminal on your reset.
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.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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1st off I wanna say wassup to everybody and introduce myself. Forgive me if this gets long, I can be a little long-winded @ times
lol. I just recently got my CDL. (about 3 wks ago). We had a recruiter come out from Schneider (the 1st week) and really try to sell us on the company. Wasnt to bad. Liked some of what I heard, some I didn't. Also had a guy that graduated earlier this year come to the range and talk to us about TMC.....and I forgot all about Schneider :-/......Done my fair share of research on TMC and 95% (if not higher) of the things I hear are great. I really like what they seem to be about. BUT I also dont like to jump @ the 1st thing that comes along. Came here and lurked a time or 2 during class so I know there's more knowledge here than I can fathom. And there's 50,736 trucking companies :-/ who has time to research all that?? So I figured I'd ask the source.
I'll be honest Schneider was pretty much a no go w/me because of their rider policy. Just doesnt fit my situation right now. TMC's is only 3 mos...Another big selling point w/me is the fact that you get your own truck....that's HUGE to me.....annnnnnd the percentage pay. Which according to almost ALL of yall is the way to go lol. So as of now I'm REALLY liking TMC. But like I said I havent really compared it to a lot.
So I wanna know it all. Tell me about your experiences with TMC, is that the way to go? Where else should I be looking? Because I do know that it's very hard to get on with them (no I'm not ex-military) so I defintely dont wanna put all my eggs in 1 basket. Post comments, links, whatever. I'd really appreciate any and all info that I can get so I can choose the right company and start tearin up this road. Preciate it....
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.