Best Trucking Companies To Drive For??

Anyone have a good recommendation

This is gonna be a longer post. So I apologize in advance if I am rambling on and ranting.

I agree with the moderators 110%. I may be new to trucking, but not new to working. And new folks regardless of what field or occupation always have to prove themselves to their peers and superiors. Trust and respect as a professional is earned. Promotions, increased pay and perks are not a right, they are priviledges you receive only when you have proven yourself to be worthy of them.

Before I looked into trucking, I worked in healthcare as a LPN, and still am and always will be a nurse at heart. I moved up the ladder really quick into Supervisory positions within my first year our of school. It took more than just busting my butt day in and day out, caring about my patients, loving what I did, and treating everyone I came into contact with well... I had to "play the game", and understand the unspoken "rules" of the profession. That "nurses eat their young" meaning that the vet nurses with seniority chew up new grads and spit them out, that there is definite hierarchy in healhcare (doctors vs nurses... and within nursing itself- RN vs LPN vs CNA), and that you are at the bottom rung of the totem pole until you gained senriority and have proven yourself to management and your peers- meaning you get the most difficult patients, the worst shifts, you never get the days off you want, and you work every holiday until you move up the ladder. Now you could take that all in and interpret it as if you are being singled out and picked on. Or you could just accept it for what it really is... that you are new and have to prove yourself. I never took the shift work or holiday scheduling personally. Sometimes it sucked, but I looked at the plus side... I was getting overtime pay and holiday pay (which is double or 2.5x pay if you are in overtime) heck yeah ill take the money working a double on Christmas and make it up to my family by buying nicer presents with the extra money... (no one ever complained about me missing christmas when they opened those gifts LOL). i took all the overtime from the senior nurses and in turn won them over. thats how the system works.

I say all that because I never had the preconceived notion when i switched jobs that when I started at the new place I was gonna be immediately treated like royalty. It was a new environment with new people and dynamic. Yeah grant it I wasnt at the bottom rung, but I still had to prove myself again and show folks that I was worthy of that new position.... I know that will be the same thing when I walk into Trucking as a newbie. Its gonna be a long list of folks I am gonna have to prove myself to.. instructors, the licensing board for my CDL , potential employers, new bosses, co-workers, dispatchers, customers. Even the general public if I want to be treated as a professional. It sucks to have start over from square one, but I am willing to put my pride aside in order to learn and to move up that ladder once again.

3 things I have learned in the workplace are:

1- take everything with a grain of salt. my first job as a LPN out of school was with a facility that was supposedly not a good place to work for. I did my due diligence, and although it wasn't the greatest place, it wasn't nearly as bad as people said it was. Taking a chance on that place was the best way to start my career off because I took advantage of the fact that it had some turnover issues, I was able to gain seniority quickly and get promoted. I took a supposed negative and turned it to my advantage. Now I won't lie I ended up leaving that job after 18 months to take a better position elsewhere, but I would have never had the opportunity to jump into another supervision job so soon after school, if I didn't make that calculated move to start off in a place where I knew if I stuck it out I would move up quickly. My classmates I graduated with didn't have the same opportunities I did because they relied to much on hearsay and drama when making their professional choices. I have a feeling that when looking for a trucking company to start off at, we have the choice to listen to all the hearsay, or make the right decisions for ourselves and realize that the potential "negatives" of a company may actually be opportunities if you let them be.

2- i have read it time and time again on here.... you gotta build a relationship with your support team (dispatchers, customers etc) because they are the ones who are gonna hook you up with miles etc. same thing in nursing. my job was way easier cuz I had the support of my assistants answering call lights etc. It is amazing how treating people well can get you far at work and make life easier.

3- proving yourself and building strong professional relationships doesnt happen overnight. and folks have to realize that... you can't just have one great week and expect to have access to the best of everything.. you need be great week every week consistently... thats how you win trust respect and move your career to a better place.

Sorry for the long post but I had to throw my 2 cents in. Folks... no company is perfect, no job is either.. and that is in every industry. Even if they were giving away free money someone somewhere is gonna complain about having to fill out the paperwork to get that free money... Some folks are never satisfied. Outlook and attitude is everything when starting a new job. Thanks! LOL

Anyone have a good recommendation (And not Swift --because we know they are not).

Prime.

I did my homework and they are up towards the top. My involvement with the recruiter was great so far. I have spoken to a few drivers for them and they were very honest and upfront about what i was getting myself into. Also. the feedback on this site is absolutely without a doubt a good sounding board for company performance. Read the forum here and based on what you read on the web and here and other trucker sites will help you make an educated decision. There are a number or periodicals for the trucking industry that rank the companies as well as size, pay, benefits and performance. Like most people do not limit your applications and in fact this site has a portal for you to fill out one application and shotgun to multiiple sites. That's how i started and as they responded i did my research on them to determine if they were a good fit for me. Several folks have made the comment that we are in a unique situation where there is a shortage and so what that means for you is your in the drivers seat and can pick the one you want for the most part. But i must forewarn you that you need to do your research before you make a decision and don't let the recruiters pressure you with sign on bonuses or making alot of money. They are desperate to get their trucks filled and on the road because at the end of the day its all about revenue for them. Good luck and wish you the best.

PS It would be a good idea to start the High Road Training Program and get a flavor of what you are about to encounter. Also have a list of questions to ask them before you call. And do your research.

I recommend Millis Transfer. I just finished training with them and I will say it was top notch. They don't have classes bigger then 8 people max. I was in a class of 2. Needless to say I drove and backed the truck for at least 6 hrs a day. I also had the chance to speak with a lot of the drivers and they all love it there. My trainer has been with Millis for 18 years.. If you have any additional questions message me. Cheers and good luck!

Anyone have a good recommendation (And not Swift --because we know they are not).

What personal experiences do you have with Swift that can support your statement? We have had a lot of drivers come through here who started at Swift and done very well.

Nine and three quarters out of ten times when we see someone come in here with that kind of remark it reflects a driver who just couldn't cut it out there in the difficult transition into their first trucking job, or it is based on silly comments that they gathered off of the internet which have no basis in reality or knowledge of the industry as a whole.

I had 4-5 pre-employment letters to choose from and they were all good companies. one was even local. My advice talk to other people in the industry (ie here) and make a list of pros and cons. IMO pay and benefits were all comparable, so it came down to home time and Roehl Transport and the best options for me starting out in this field. So far they have been up front and honest with answering my questions. my phase 1&2 training was good. Now I am out on my own (week 2) and learning lots ( which will never stop) Good luck in your endeavors!!

Ok, let me preface this by saying I heavily moderated this thread to eliminate a whole bunch of cr*p that didn't help anyone and certainly didn't live up to our standards. I kept the helpful stuff and hopefully we can continue on with this conversation in a good way.

truckersgirl53, please let that be the last time you bash a company here at TruckingTruth. That's what TheTruckersReport is for.

Ok, let me preface this by saying I heavily moderated this thread to eliminate a whole bunch of cr*p that didn't help anyone and certainly didn't live up to our standards. I kept the helpful stuff and hopefully we can continue on with this conversation in a good way.

truckersgirl53, please let that be the last time you bash a company here at TruckingTruth. That's what TheTruckersReport is for.

Now what are you looking for in a company exactly? What type of freight do you want to haul and how often do you want to be home? Those are the first two questions you should decide upon. That will eliminate a ton of companies and help you focus on the ones that are offering what you're looking for.

Sorry about that -- quite frustrated to say the least -- my fiancé is the trucker, not me. Got good experience and training, but looking for a company for the long term. There are a ton out there that recruiters seem to lure you with same talk. Would like some recommendations for other companies.

Well what are you looking for in a company exactly? What type of freight do you want to haul and how often do you want to be home? Those are the first two questions you should decide upon. That will eliminate a ton of companies and help you focus on the ones that are offering what you're looking for.

Well what are you looking for in a company exactly? What type of freight do you want to haul and how often do you want to be home? Those are the first two questions you should decide upon. That will eliminate a ton of companies and help you focus on the ones that are offering what you're looking for.

I don't know what it's called -- I guess Van or container -- as opposed to hazmat , doubles , etc. He doesn't mind being away, but two months is quite long. So looking for a little more home time (I am sure everyone is) or local/dedicated -- maybe 2 weeks out, then home.

Wow, too bad you have prejudged Swift. Their home is Phoenix, AZ. My son runs with Swift from Florida and has been in and out of Arizona multiple times over the last three month. He gets home every 3-4 weeks depending on when he wants home time.