Finally Got My CDL, Deciding Between 3 Companies All Drivers Seem To Hate. Please Help :(
Topic 27251 | Page 2
Kieara, the FM I was supposed to work with at Roehl said great things about this company. Mostly, day cabs & home every night with no weekends. That link is for Denver area.
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.
Day Cab:
A tractor which does not have a sleeper berth attached to it. Normally used for local routes where drivers go home every night.
P&D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Brett, Errol, papa, splitter and everyone else thank you for the advice. I had a feeling some of it would be bs and people projecting their own failure through complaints about a company and numerous people have told me everyone has different experiences. I will keep all of this in mind as I consider what company I will start out with. Thank you so much for the helpful information !!
This is exactly what I needed to help guide my decision, thank you !
Keaira,
Always consider the source of your information. If someone is unhappy and has been unsuccessful in trucking, they obviously can not help you find the path to happiness and success. Stay away from people who blame, complain, and criticize.
We highly recommend starting OTR. It sounds like you're ready to do that now, but here's an article to help you understand why we say this:
Why You Should Not Start Your Trucking Career As A Local Driver
All of the major carriers are great places to work. They're the elite companies in the nation. They all have beautiful equipment, tons of freight, and the support needed to help new drivers succeed. The main criteria for choosing a company should be:
1) How often do you want to be home?
2) What type of freight do you want to haul?
3) What regions of the country do you want to run?
Once you answer those three it will narrow down your choices. Apply to every company you can find that meets your criteria and then choose from the ones that offer you an opportunity.
Every major carrier is a great place to work but they will all have some negative reviews. These come from people who either couldn't hack it as a truck driver or didn't understand what it takes to succeed in this industry. Trust me, there are plenty of people who take a shot at trucking but never get anywhere with it. They're just trying to save face by blaming the company. You can safely ignore all that.
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.
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.
Kiera, Brett said this:
All of the major carriers are great places to work. They're the elite companies in the nation. They all have beautiful equipment, tons of freight, and the support needed to help new drivers succeed.
The big companies didn't get there by crushing drivers out of a career. They got big by taking care of the people who did the work that made them so big.
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Keaira,
Always consider the source of your information. If someone is unhappy and has been unsuccessful in trucking, they obviously can not help you find the path to happiness and success. Stay away from people who blame, complain, and criticize.
We highly recommend starting OTR. It sounds like you're ready to do that now, but here's an article to help you understand why we say this:
Why You Should Not Start Your Trucking Career As A Local Driver
All of the major carriers are great places to work. They're the elite companies in the nation. They all have beautiful equipment, tons of freight, and the support needed to help new drivers succeed. The main criteria for choosing a company should be:
1) How often do you want to be home?
2) What type of freight do you want to haul?
3) What regions of the country do you want to run?
Once you answer those three it will narrow down your choices. Apply to every company you can find that meets your criteria and then choose from the ones that offer you an opportunity.
Every major carrier is a great place to work but they will all have some negative reviews. These come from people who either couldn't hack it as a truck driver or didn't understand what it takes to succeed in this industry. Trust me, there are plenty of people who take a shot at trucking but never get anywhere with it. They're just trying to save face by blaming the company. You can safely ignore all that.
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.
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.