New Guy Contemplating On Going OTR

Hi , new guy contemplating on going OTR. What do my new friends on Trucking truth think of .31 a mile. Am I crazy signing up with Trans Am ?

Forget about the money for a minute. I think you have a more important question to ask yourself. Do you want to have some training?

Absolutely, Old School.

Thank you for making me realize that. But, the bills are still going to be the same at home. It's gonna be a little rough in the beginning I think. But there is probably nothing I want to do more at this point in my life. And i'm expecting to learn a lot in my training.

Has TransAm explained their training to you? We've had several people tell us that TransAm puts new CDL drivers straight into a truck with no time spent with a company trainer.

That's a really bad way to start. I'd like to know what they are telling you concerning your training.

Yea Old S. That's basically about what they've said. I'm not real new to trucks. I've been around them, driving them, working on them, etc. in construction all my life. I've even owned an old Kenworth tractor at one time. I've never driven like you guys for an actual living so I'm willing to learn the ropes. The limited time with them would be just brushing up on backing and manoevers I guess. That was kinda of appitizing for me. Maybe not good. I thought what you guys meant by experience was dealing with not hitting anything, lol. Bridges, Instructors, other truckers, etc. The overall on the road life. I really do hope to God they teach you how to slide tandems and stuff like that. Coupling and uncoupling safely. If they don't they'd really be crazy !

Has TransAm explained their training to you? We've had several people tell us that TransAm puts new CDL drivers straight into a truck with no time spent with a company trainer.

That's a really bad way to start. I'd like to know what they are telling you concerning your training.

How did you decide on TransAm? You might do great there. I certainly wouldn't know. It just surprises me that you chose them when there are so many other options.

Jason, what phase is the .31 cpm for? Training time? Do you know how long you would have to drive before you get a raise? Are there other incentives involved?

On the surface, .31 is very low, but other factors can alter that perception.

When I started out as a rookie for Schneider in late 2018, my pay was .48 cpm. I didn’t rack up very many miles per week with them, so even at .48 my weekly checks were, well, weakly.

Okay, BK. I heard other places were paying a lot more. I liked them at that (unknown company lol) because, to even answer Old Schools question, they got back to me fast. And there aren't a lot of places hiring. I don't know what everyone's saying. There's like nothing out there. I must have had at least 40 applications out the on Zip, jobcase, indeed, etc. Them and Melton got back to me fast. But of course it's hurry up and sign here, let's go. Schneider, they basically told me to literally, "hit the road". I'm a good candidate too. No tickets, accidents, drugs/alcohol, nothing. Just a graduate from a manual CDL school. Maybe that's why they don't like me. I don't know how to drive an auto-shift...LOL. All local companies too around me. XPO, YELLOW, WESTERN. Unbelievable!

Jason, what phase is the .31 cpm for? Training time? Do you know how long you would have to drive before you get a raise? Are there other incentives involved?

On the surface, .31 is very low, but other factors can alter that perception.

When I started out as a rookie for Schneider in late 2018, my pay was .48 cpm. I didn’t rack up very many miles per week with them, so even at .48 my weekly checks were, well, weakly.

I'm a little confused. If you graduated a truck driving school, did they not have recruiters come in? Most private schools have relationships with recruiters for multiple companies. What companies did your school recommend?

I seriously doubt Schneider (or any company) would disqualify you because you learned on a manual transmission instead of autoshift; usually it's the other way around.

You may live in an area that many companies don't hire from. But I'd still be surprised if there's no companies your school recommends. When I went to private school, we had all chosen our companies by graduation day. Why wait?

Here is the relevant information about TransAm that will help you decide if it's something that would work for you.

You will spend a week in orientation and training where you complete your onboarding paperwork and DOT drug screen. You will learn their ELD system, which is a system they have created specifically for TransAm.

After a couple of days in a classroom environment, you will go out to their practice pad where there is a course set up. It simulates driving around shipper and receiver property, so emphasis on swinging wide to avoid bollards, etc. The course has 3 backing maneuvers, which are an off-set, a 45, and a 3rd (can't remember what it's called) that simulates backing into a slanted parking spot. The trainers will cover the reefer settings for the trailer, sliding tandems , and coupling. Once completing their entire maneuver course 3 times without a fail (the only fails being hitting something or unable to complete a portion in a timely manner), a trainee is assigned a truck. Being assigned a truck might mean being given a truck on the lot or being flown out to another part of the US to recover your truck. TransAm pushes lease hard and part of this is that drivers who decide to go lease will get trucks right away and right off the lot.

As for the pay, $.31/ mile is the base pay. TransAm leans heavily into the trucking is performance based because a driver can get up to $.55/mile with bonuses. Different bonuses pay out on different schedules, whether it be weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

My information comes from speaking with TransAm recruiting, as well as TransAm drivers.