Newbie Needs More Advice... Sorry Guys

Hi guys,

So I recently got into trucking (honestly been kinda a dream job since I was a kid). Anyway so I'll start with Schneider school soon in the apprenticeship program. With a dedicated route out of Washington court ohio. (If everything works out, I got a conditional job offer and dont know if it locks me in for that job).

Anyway I was talking with a guy that did the same job and he said that he made great money doing that. On the other hand I have heard that dedicated drivers make terrible pay, but it's better for my family.

So what should I expect going in. Any advice is helpful so thanks in advance for any replies.

Jared, I'm not sure where you heard this...

dedicated drivers make terrible pay

Both G-Town and I are dedicated drivers. We both earn between 70 to 80 thousand dollars a year. The best thing a driver can do is ignore what they hear and focus on proving they are an asset who is worthy of top pay. That takes time and commitment.

Rookies usually suffer with lower pay for a few years, but that's due to them not catching on to the subtleties that make for success out here. We've got drivers on the same account as me who struggle to make 40 thousand dollars. It has nothing to do with the pay structure. Top Tier Drivers earn top dollar. Lower performing drivers earn less. In trucking you always get what you deserve. It is a performance based job. That's both the beauty and the bane of it. If you want your company to Show You The Money, you have to show them you're worth it.

Also, there's no reason to apologize when seeking advice. That's the whole purpose of this site. That's what we do. We give out free advice all day everyday.

Also, there's no reason to apologize when seeking advice. That's the whole purpose of this site. That's what we do. We give out free advice all day everyday.

Yep, bunch of great people here that will tell it like it really is. No beating around the bush either.

Jared there is nothing wrong with a dedicated job, unless you are looking to travel all over. I ran a few different dedicated routes in the past and made better money than the OTR drivers. We are all different, with different wants, needs, and desires. My guess from that area it is a wallmart account. G town runs one for his company so he could give you pretty good general info.

PJ wrote in reply to Jared;

My guess from that area it is a wallmart account. G town runs one for his company so he could give you pretty good general info.

This is true. Happy to help, let me know.

Thanks guys I appreciate it more than you all know. And yes from what I understand it will be a walmart route from Ky to ohio. I still have to talk to schneider but I have a conditional job offer once I'm done with training. Also I'd like to be otr but with a wife and 4 kids that would be rough on the family at least until we get used to the lifestyle. But my goal is to be an owner operator for myself through a company later on once I have some experience and know what I'm doing. But that's a long term goal.

I dont have to get rich either and dont expect to just starting out but I need to make more than 300 a week. And I was told from another driver that i should expect less than that. I'm leaving a pretty decent job to come do this one and got a bit concerned. It took some convincing over the years to get my wife on board to do this as well as I need her blessing as well to make it work and I'm hoping I made a good decision.

I've studied the cdl book quite a bit and took alot of practice tests and take my final cdl test for my permit monday on combination vehicles so I should start school soon fingers crossed. I'm really anxious and excited to get started

Jared wrote...

I dont have to get rich either and dont expect to just starting out but I need to make more than 300 a week. And I was told from another driver that i should expect less than that.

Don’t you believe that for one minute. Not on a Walmart account. Total BS.

Most of the newbies assigned to the 7030 DC where I work on average, make $1000 per week. Learn the account, I mean inside and out; details are important. In two years time you’ll be making over 60k per year if you are a top performing driver.

Use the search bar enter my name followed by Walmart. You’ll get numerous hits. You let me know how else I can help you.

And the owner operator dream? Put that out of your head for at least a year.

Visit the Trucking Truth blog and look at the articles Old School wrote on the subject. Same for Brett, he also has a good one.

Jared; look at Schneiderjobs.com and look for the position you applied for. It should list a pay. But that may be an average which includes experienced drivers.

When you do talk to Schneider, ask them what you can expect first year and what increases there are. E.g. when I started with them, the pay started at $.30/mile, but I was at $.38 by the end of year one. Plus there was a $.02/mile bonus paid quarterly. That was an extra $600/qtr. for me. However, your bonus may be different since it’s a dedicated account.

Schneider’s answers to these questions (for me) were exactly what happened. No bait and switch from the recruiter. I was OTR , but did the Washington Courthouse stuff a number of times. Their dispatch crew there was great.

I hope this helps.