Point Me In The Right Direction

I read a few post new drivers making mistakes getting hired on to the wrong companies.

If there are threads you can point me to or if you would like to fill me in on what I should be looking to do as a new driver.

ZERO experience - which companies I should try to get with and which ones I should avoid which type of trucking jobs are best for newbies

Live in South Carolina towards Mrytle beach

Been out of school a month - I did read where someone stated best to get into CDL Training...not CDL School...guess it helps secure a job

I'd love to do regional but realize I might have do OTR - I don't really care what I drive - as long as it sets me up for a long term career

I'm an older guy 48 - everything is good - across the board

Appreciate a point in the right direction or some direction

Thanks again

I read a few post new drivers making mistakes getting hired on to the wrong companies.

Hello Chris, and welcome to our forum!

Your statement above is a common misunderstanding about this career. Without going into a bunch of detail, let me just say that rookie drivers don't usually know what they are talking about when it comes to knowing how to start and establish a trucking career. They have read a lot of things on the internet, but there is a lot of really worthless information on the internet concerning trucking. Much of what they then post online is actually based on their misconceptions from the crap they have read online. They start doing poorly at their job (not making enough money and getting passed over for good loads and runs) and they then think it is because they started with a "Bad Company." You can ignore all that nonsense.

Trucking is a completely performance based career. The name on the doors of the truck has little if anything to do with your success. I had some issues when I first started my trucking career. Nobody wanted to touch me. To this day, I don't know why. I had a stellar record, and I should have been an ideal candidate. Eventually I got hired by a company which was way down on my list of prioritized potential employers. Western Express gave me my first shot at this. I was literally scared to go to their orientation due to all the trash talk on the internet about them. It sounded as if the devil himself was running the operation. Terrible reports about people not getting paid, and cruel and unusual treatment of individuals were posted everywhere. There was just no way a company with that many negative reviews could possibly be a good place to try and start my career.

I had no options. I had to take the job and figure out how to make it in this relatively secretive industry. Here is what I learned. All that garbage I had been reading was from folks who didn't even have an inkling of a clue as to how you succeed in trucking. They were all newbies like me. Western Express had given them a chance and they blew it. Then they retaliated with vicious and slanderous diatribes online. There are no shortcuts to trucking success. It is not an easy career to break into. It requires resolve, resilience, and a tenacious spirit that loves a good challenge. New rookies are out here on their own with little guidance. Their dispatchers are too busy to give them much help. The stress of this job at the beginning is overwhelming at times. There are just so many new things we face and there is no way for the training to cover all the crazy scenarios we get ourselves into. It is a career that requires self starters and self motivated individuals.

You need to start out looking at the large companies that hire newbies. Honestly, I don't think you will go wrong with any of them. Decide what it is you want. Do you want to haul refrigerated freight, dryvan , or maybe flatbed? Do you want to be a solo driver or a team member? Get a few basics down of what you are looking for and then focus on those types of companies. For instance, if you want to drive solo, you don't want to apply at a team operations company like CRST or C.R. England. Just don't let the internet reviews be your guide. If you want to talk specifics about companies, then ask us here. We've got drivers from across the board. I am sure they can help you make a decision if you need that kind of help.

Hey, I just thought of a great podcast that might help you. These guys that tell all these lies and do nothing but complain about their trucking employers have been coined as "terminal rats" by us. Listen to this podcast...

Terminal Rats Are Derailing New Trucking Careers

what I should be looking to do as a new driver.

-Cast a wide net. The more places you apply, the better your chances are of being hired. Some companies are more reluctant than others to hire drivers who obtained their CDL from somewhere other than through their CDL school.

Here is a link that allows you to submit an application to several companies at once:

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

You may find this helpful as well:

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

which ones I should avoid

Avoid "Dollar" accounts. Dollar General, Dollar Tree, etc

These are very physically demanding. Moreover they require a skill and comfort level more suitable for experienced drivers. Some of those places have very little room to maneuver and the added obstacle of cars zipping around the parking lot while you are trying to maneuver.

Once you've looked over the links you might have some additional questions. Ask away...we are here to help!

I guess I was typing when OldSchool's reply was posted. Dropping a reply directly after him is kind of like a rock band taking the stage right after Led Zeppelin😉

RealDiehl, your analogy gave me a good chuckle, but it's far from the truth. Your response was beautiful. You answered the questions I blew right past.

We all contribute our own perspectives. Mine are often laser focused on one issue that jumps out at me. You clarified several things that I ignored, plus left him some great links to pursue. We all appreciate everyone's efforts here.

Without the support of our whole group, we end up sounding like a piano with one string. Together we make some decent music.

Have you tried Werner yet? They have a large Home Depot account and that's not bad for a beginning driver. Its where I started and ran for one year. The have hubs in Columbia and Savannah. Its run durring the week and off on weekends regional job. You take loads to all the Home Depot stores in the area. Some are drop loads, double drops, and some are live unloads. Backhauls are usually from local vendors to take back to the major distribution centers. The stores are not super hard and they will improve your backing skills.

Alot of folx spend alot of time frettin over who to work for instead of getting ready to pass their permit test, which imho is a mistake. The only three questions that matter when it comes to your first employer in order of importance: 1) Who's willing to hire you 2) do they operate close enough to get you home on occasion and 3) do you wanna be cool and pull open deck or stick with a boring old box.

I started at a smaller outfit making .70 cpm but I make more now than I did when I started even though my cpm hasn't gone up because I've gotten a lot better at my job and my boss likes me and throws me on good routes consistently and no matter who you work for that's the situation you want to cultivate and the only way to cultivate that is time on the road actively learning, applying yourself, building your skills and your relationship with the people who can most directly affect your ability to earn.

what I should be looking to do as a new driver.

-Cast a wide net. The more places you apply, the better your chances are of being hired. Some companies are more reluctant than others to hire drivers who obtained their CDL from somewhere other than through their CDL school.

Here is a link that allows you to submit an application to several companies at once:

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

You may find this helpful as well:

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

which ones I should avoid

Avoid "Dollar" accounts. Dollar General, Dollar Tree, etc

These are very physically demanding. Moreover they require a skill and comfort level more suitable for experienced drivers. Some of those places have very little room to maneuver and the added obstacle of cars zipping around the parking lot while you are trying to maneuver.

Once you've looked over the links you might have some additional questions. Ask away...we are here to help!

Finally got an invite to training at least from PRIME in MO - I'm going to take them up on it - I will be gone for a while doing this - they put you up in a motel and give you meals 3 xs a day - after training - I will go out on the road with a trainee - Providing everything goes as plan

Only difference is im coming in with my CDL - just happy I finally found a company willing to take me on - Well they say its not employment - but could lead to employment by them

Congratulations, Chris!

Prime is a great company and you are lucky to get your foot in the door with them. It’s a great opportunity for you, make the best of it!

Chris, RealDiehl have filled you in on the important stuff. Also, go back and read Erin's post gain, and pay attention to the secret to trucking success:

I've gotten a lot better at my job and my boss likes me and throws me on good routes consistently

There it is. O.S., R.D. I and many others would underline this core attitude. Old School describes the most common reason people give up and quit: They don't "get" the system, and their own expectations don't necessarily match up with the company's operations.

There are many Primates active on this forum. Kearsey got her start with Trucking Truth, and now has a YouTube channel that supports new drivers.